The 7 PE Exam Success Habits Professional Engineers use to pass the PE Exam:
Realize the volume of material you must review
Regardless of which PE Exam you are taking, you will have to review a great deal of information to be fully prepared. The individual exam outlines found at NCEES show that exam-writers have a wide range of topics and subjects on which to base their questions.
Your job is to cover as many of these topics as possible to ensure you’re not surprised on exam day. You want to be prepared for whatever they throw at you.
Understand the time commitment required to prepare for the exam
In order to cover the material described above, you must be willing to commit adequate time for preparation and review. Depending on when you plan to take the exam, your time commitment will vary.
For instance, if you have 12 months to get prepared, then a couple of hours during each week plus some time on the weekends will probably be sufficient. The problem is that you will most likely have to keep re-reviewing material as time goes by to make certain you can remember and recall the information.
If you have approximately three months to prepare, then you’ll need to commit a couple of hours each night, plus additional time on weekends.
And if you have one month (or less), then you’re test preparation efforts will be a full-time job.
Take the time to plan out a study schedule and stick to it. You will save yourself from a lot of anxiety and sleepless nights.
Read: Total Immersion Test Preparation
Use the right tools to prepare for the exam
Everyone learns best using method(s) they are most comfortable with and that suit their learning style. Some of you are best using books and study guides. Others excel searching the internet for appropriate exam prep tools. And still others like to make use of teachers – either in person or online.
Whatever method you use, make certain you know how you learn most efficiently and capitalize on that strength.
You can find PE Exam preparation courses, books, practice exams, etc. at:
Work through as many sample questions as you can find
Working through sample exam questions is the most efficient and thorough means of getting prepared. This will expose you to relevant information, problem solving methods, and critical thinking techniques that will be beneficial on exam day.
Also, if you will take the time to work sample problems in a timed format – i.e. six minutes per problem – you gain the additional benefit of practicing under time constraints. This also teaches you how to efficiently work through the question, find the right resources, and solve the problem; all under the stress associated with time.
You can find sample questions (some free of charge) and practice exams at most of the sites listed above. You can also search the internet, old course textbooks, and some code books for additional practice problems.
Find and participate in a review course to refresh your abilities
As with the exam preparation tools outlined above, there are many types of review courses:
- In-person at a local university or college
- Online in an interactive program
- Online in a self-paced course
- On your own or in a group with a printed course
Find a course that suites your needs, learning style, time frame, etc. You can find review courses at most of the sites listed above.
The Review Course should cover all the topics listed at NCEES.org and not devote time to other subjects – such as engineering math, unit conversions, ethics, etc. If the NCEES exam outline doesn’t show a topic, don’t spend review course time studying it.
Be wary of courses that claim to get you prepared too quickly. Meeting for a couple of hours once a week over a 30-day time period is probably not enough to get you ready.
Put together a Test-Prep Resource Library©*
*NOTE: As per the NCEES Examinees Guide, books, notes, notebooks, etc. are no longer permitted in the testing room. This does not diminish the importance of a Test-Prep Resource Library© as a method of study and preparation. Taking the time to assemble a resource library will naturally help you categorize and document your study materials, help you determine what’s essential to pass the exam, and keep all your resources in one easy-to-access tool.
Another of the PE Exam Success Habits is a Test-Prep Resource Library© which is your best tool while in the exam. It should contain all your reference material, solved example problems, charts and tables, applicable code sections, etc. that you need to solve the majority of potential questions.
NOTE: As per the NCEES Examinees Guide, books, notes, notebooks, etc. are no longer
permitted in the testing room. This does not diminish the importance of these Test-Prep
Resources as a method of study and preparation. For example, taking the time to
assemble a resource library will naturally help you categorize and document your
study materials, help you determine what’s essential to pass the exam, and keep all
your resources in one, easy-to-access tool.
You cannot possibly know what questions are on the exam, but through your preparation, you should have compiled a great deal of information. You can sort and segregate this information for easy access into sections of three-ring binders.
Your resource library will give you the tools and confidence to be successful on the exam.
Read: Test-Prep Resource Library
Seek the advice of others who have passed a PE Exam
The advice and input from others who have successfully passed a PE Exam can be a useful source of motivation and encouragement. You can typically ask for and receive guidance on what to study and what not to study, what resources to take to the exam, and answers to any questions you may have.
Ask:
- Coworkers
- People in Professional Societies
- Contacts in other engineering companies
- Professors and instructors from your university
Find engineers on:
- Google+
Search the internet for:
- forums dedicated to your discipline
- independent consulting engineers
There are multiple ways to find engineers willing to give you their advice and opinions on how to prepare for a PE Exam … you just have to look.
7 PE Exam Success Habits
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