Test is tough.
This took two months and most of my free weekends, which in the springtime was killing me, homey. The one thing I didn't do the first time was go over brain dumps, which I now realize is critical. They help to prepare you for the 6-10 questions you'll get on the exam which aren't covered in the SSK or practice exams. In my case this would have made the difference between passing and failing the first exam. The second go-through of the actual exam was easier than the first, though many questions were the same.