There is ample evidence to support the idea that testing oneself is a great method for increasing retention (review and meta-analysis: https://www.gwern.net/doc

There is ample evidence to support the idea that testing oneself is a great method for increasing retention (review and meta-analysis: https://www.gwern.net/docs/spaced-repetition/2021-yang.pdf https://www.gwern.net/docs/spaced-repetition/2021-yang.pdf). Also, you seem to have just read the CFA and CAIA once. If it is detail-heavy, there's no way for most mere mortals that is going to stick around for months. To really learn detailed, dry material in a way that sticks, you have to immerse yourself in it for much longer than that. Most people only retain details that are part of their work on a daily or at least monthly basis.