Hi kyle,
Have a
cow for the hard day you had and for posting other experience.
Now, let's start from essentials. First! You are one of the very few who post unsuccessfull story.
That means, there is nothing excotically strange about that - I trust there are tons of people who fail, just don't post those stories here.
However we have seen some stories when people failed and later came back on the track and passed it - that is nothing excotical too.
Look how many times sportsman's, olympic champions training during the days, years, decades and when the day comes - they lose. Similarly to you.
The main thing personally I identify from people as a main reason for hard experience - is uncontrollable urge to become certified.
Don't rush, let certification preparation practice become natural thing you do on daily basis - that could be simply reading 5 posts a day in certification forum here on Ranch.
Have you ever seen "The Shawshank Redemption" movie? The guy (Morgan Freeman) was asking to release him from a jail for a lately good behaviour - he wasn't successfull in that as he really really wanted that.
Then, after few years of asking regularly, he been called to speak with commision again, and he said (rephrasing) - "you know son, leave that thing for yourself, I don't need that anymore..." and he has been released
Similarly here, standard things happen, want that certificate a lot -> start worrying before you sit how is going to be -> what is going to happen if you don't pass -> thinking if you won't run out of time -> thinking how the certification software will look like -> once you identify one of those things "happening", you start thinking "i knew it it is going to happen.." -> and that is it, lost control, lost game.
Just don't worry about it. Steps:
1. Read book, from start to end
2. Do some mock tests
3. Read chapters again where you messed up on mock tests
4. Do some tests again
5. Done
Nothing exotical, right? All people do similarly.