Failed telecom certification twice — what finally worked for my third attempt

So I've been lurking here for a while and finally made an account because I want to share what actually worked after two failed attempts at the telecom certification. First time I went in pretty cold — maybe 20 hours of studying, mostly just reading the official materials. Scored a 64%, needed a 70%. Second attempt I studied harder but focused on the wrong stuff and still came up short at 68%. Embarrassing.

What changed for the third attempt was actually drilling practice questions obsessively. I found the Telecommunications Telecommunications Protocols practice test and did it probably four or five times until I could explain why each wrong answer was wrong, not just why the right one was right. That shift in thinking was huge for me.

Anyone else here prepping for this exam? I'm happy to talk through what topics tripped me up — OSI model layers, multiplexing concepts, and regulatory stuff were my weak spots for a long time. What's your timeline looking like?