clep bio, clueless and need for advice!

[Perel]

Hi,
I am planning to take the BIO Clep...this is the first clep I take...EVER!
I took college biology in a community college, it was a 6 weeks course and I got an A in the course, this was last year. It was intense the class met everyday for 2hrs besides twice a week labs, I had to study hard, like 3-4 hrs a day to get those grades.
The bio clep is supposed to cover the 1st semester ( which I took in a 6 week course) and the 2nd. How long did it take you to prepare for the material?

In this particular course I studied hard but I also spent a lot of time reading about it and going deeper than just prepare for the exam which I believe got me straight A's.
I don't think this method will be good when I prepare for cleps, I need to study hard but also smart and not spend time looking into extra material and deeper into the subject. Sometimes this bothers me because I feel like I have to know everything in a deep way.
My question is, how do I study more efficiently to get the grades I want without spending too much time getting needlessly deeper into the material just so "I understand how things work"?
I hope I made myself clear, I REALLY could use some tips. Thanks!!!