1. Do as most of us did....read the Discover Canada study guide 3-4 times.....believe me on your 3rd reread,the dates would be easy to remember. You can also do the online practice tests. Some of the questions there comes close to the real questions on the real test.
2. Yes,it's easy. Multiple choice questions. I started to answer the questions that I am 100% of first, that got me to 16 ( aiming for passing score)..the last 4,I followed my instincts and chose the best/closest possible answer. To my surprise,I got 20/20.
We are not allowed to talk with anybody about the content... But, just read the book multiple times, and very important, practice yourself online. Yourlibrary is a good one. It works. I got 19/20.
there is no a fix timeline ,, you can check my signature ,, I got my 1st test within less than 2 month ,, howver I missed attend that test ,, so far I am waiting to be re-schedule for the 2nd ,, since than there is no news