The NAB exam rewards breadth. Candidates who fail rarely lack intelligence — they lack a schedule that touches every domain more than once.
Weeks one and two: build a baseline. Work untimed practice sets across all Core of Knowledge domains and read every rationale, including for questions you answered correctly. Your goal is calibration, not score.
Weeks three through five: attack weaknesses. Your domain breakdown will show two or three categories dragging the average. Spend sixty percent of your study time there and keep the rest on rotation so retention doesn't slip.
Weeks six and seven: simulate. Two full-length timed mock exams per week under real conditions — no phone, no notes, one hundred questions, single sitting. Review each one the following day rather than immediately.
Week eight: taper. Light flashcard review, one final mock, and sleep. Cramming regulations the night before reliably lowers scores.