This is exactly right. The intuitive vs Standards-required distinction is where I was going wrong in my first attempt. My "gut" answer was wrong because I hadn't internalised the specific Standard. Second attempt: I made flash cards for every Standard and its key distinction. Much better outcome.

The CFA Institute practice mock for Ethics is the single best preparation. The phrasing in third-party materials is slightly different from the official phrasing and that difference matters in the borderline questions. Official institute Ethics questions only in the last 2 weeks of prep.

Because the questions look like common sense until they're not. The Ethics questions at Level I are specifically designed to catch people who haven't actually read the Standards carefully. The "correct" CFA answer is often not what your intuition says — it's what the specific Standard requires in that precise scenario. The only way through is to memorise the Standards cold and practise the specific question style.