How can working parents manage professional certification preparation?

Honestly, I think the key is to be realistic about timing rather than trying to cram everything in. My friend who did her professional cert while working full-time basically gave herself a longer timeline (maybe 6-8 months instead of 3-4) so she could study in smaller chunks during her lunch breaks and weekends without burning out completely. Breaking the syllabus into bite-sized topics like you mentioned really helps, and she swore by doing practice questions first to see what she actually needed to focus on instead of re-reading everything from scratch. The trade-off is it takes longer, but you're less likely to sacrifice your sanity or time with the kids that way.