I've been using Marketo on Hardcore Mode for almost 2 years now, and I am sadly still uncertified. I know there's more of us in the community who are in a similar boat. It's one of my goals this year, so would anyone like to join me in studying/prep for the exam?
I strongly recommend a study group for anyone else thinking of taking the certification. We did one at ACL and it was so much better for going through the lengthy videos and practice exam. Although it was an internal study group, we used Mondays 3-5pm.