Yes I’ve passed all my ACCA exams. I used some BPP textbooks, but I largely focused on practicing past question papers. I didn’t pass Taxation (F6) and Financial Management (F9) at first attempt, so I attended classes for those. I was able to pass most of my exams through self-study. I learnt about OpenTuition towards the end of my ACCA exams and found them useful for my professional options papers (P4-P7). I wouldn’t say it was difficult, but it took quite a bit of determination, and sacrifice.
In my experience, I think understanding what works best for you is important to studying effectively. You may find these articles on self-study and studying effectively useful.
Thanks for reading.
countingonaccounting.wordpress.com 
The links have been updated. In deciding on taking the exemptions, ask yourself; ‘do I understand the papers I am to get exemptions in?’ The easiest way to answer this question is to do a past question, and grade yourself. If you struggle with it, the exemptions may not be the best option for you.