PE preparation, when to start? 5

[aspearin1]

I'm a couple years away from applying for the PE exam for ChemE. I still have to gather my resources. My question is, how long before the exam should I give myself to dive into study guides and really hit the books. Year? Two years?

ChemE, M.E. EIT
"The only constant in life is change." -Bruce Lee

 

[AndrewTX]

Aspearin1,

Its good to see you are planning ahead. That makes the process much easier and less stressful.

I have my PE in mechanical engineering. Although I purchased my study materials about a year in advance, I didn't really start studying until about 6 months out from the test. The first 2-3 months I wasn't that intense, but as the test date drew closer I put in more and more hours. The last 3 months I was studying 4-6 hours a day on the weekends and about 2 hours a night 3 nights a week.

When I started my studying I knew in advance which areas I was going to study and which areas I was going to ignore. The format for the ME test at that time was such that I decided which 4 problems I wanted to solve for both the AM and PM portion of the test. The Texas Board of Professional Engineers website had information on how the test categories were broken down and I was able to pick and choose chapters out of my study book.

Going into the test I was worried that my 6 month preparation would be insufficient, but I passed on my first sitting and came out of the test feeling very confident.

I would think that about a 6 month review and study duration would be all you need. I only did self study. I did not take any of the various classes offered.

Good luck on your test.

 

[zdas04]

The test formats have all changed from the older free-response questions. Now there is a multiple-choice discipline-specific morning test and a multiple-choice focused afternoon session.

The technique that worked for me (also ME, also only self-study, also passed first time) was to buy the NCES practice exam about 9 months before the test. Also buy your major study resource (for ME's that is the MERM by Lindburg from Professional Publications, Inc. I think PPI has a ChRM that is probably as good). Do the practice exam in two four-hour sessions on the same day (don't mark in the booklet at all). If possible do it in a room where you have all of your study material and use the books freely.

Grade the test and see where your weak areas are. Develop a study schedule that gets you through all areas about a month before the test. A month before the test take the practice again. Be amazed at your progress. Find remaining weaknesses. Focus on them the next 3 weeks.

Take a week off and pass the test in a walk.

Good Luck

David

 

[bubb375]

aspearin1-

My experience was to start studying 3 months before the exam. I aquired the MERM (from ppi) and completed approximately 2 chapters a week (there are quite a few you can breeze through). Once completed, I took the NCEES sample exam, graded it, and spent the next week or two brushing up on areas that needed work.

Took two nights off before the test to spend with the wife, passed the first time (ME exam, all multiple choice).

Brian
ps - I'm not sure how much the wife thing helped, but I tell her I couldn't have done it without her

 

[tygerdawg]

I borrowed the PE Test Preparation materials from a buddy, studied for about a month ahead of time. Got back into the habit of knowing what the equations meant, where to find the data or equations in the various books, also do a bunch of problems for tune up.

Passed it on the first try, but just barely (but that is good enough).

TygerDawg

 

[denoid]

Aspearin1:

To quote an old Clint Eastwood movie, "A man's got to know his limitations".

In other words, recall back when you were in school, and had to study for finals. Only you know your own study habits, and what worked (and what didn't work) when it came time for the big ones.

I took the EIT and PE exams back in the mid to late 1970's, so I'm sure format has changed on the new national exams. But since then, I've taken the Illinois Structural Exam (mid 1980's), and the California Civil Exam (mid 1990's). In both of those cases, the first step (as mentioned by many of the previous responders) was to get my hands on study guides and old practice exams relevant to the tests, and know them inside out. (You'd be surprised how often the same or similar test questions are asked over and over).

My biggest exam killer in school was not that I didn't know the material, but that I sometimes had the ability to freeze/panic if I saw a question where the answer or solution method didn't immediately pop out at me. So, as an added insurance policy, I bought some relaxation/self-hypnosis tapes to work on that aspect of my demeanor.

In summary, you know yourself the best, so trust yourself to prepare for the PE exam in the manner that you know best. Good luck!

 

[JasonG]

I couldn't agree more with Denoid. It depends entirely on you. I studied for intensely for several months. A co-worker studied for a week. We both passed.

You may be interested in the PPI website which has a forum for examinees.

 

[SlideRuleEra]

For the last two semesters I have taught a Civil (Structural) PE review course as continuing education at local college. My most successful students had a self-planned, self-paced schedule for systematic review over about a nine month to one year time period. My course was only a portion of their review and preparation. The indivuals who had the discipline to stick with their self-imposed schedule most likely would have passed even without taking any courses.

 

[ludikris]

I'll throw my $0.02 in, but I'll probably need change back

I took the PE in April of 2003 and started studying after Christmas for the ME (Thermal Fluid) section. I evaluated the test question distribution, made sure that I could do the sections that had the most problems, and studied accordingly. As I became more confident in those sections, I moved to the sections with less available points and did the same thing. There were a couple sections that I have planned to punt ahead of time due to my lack of experience/knowledge/desire.

I was 4 years out of school when I took it, studied as indicated above, and passed the first time. I highly recommend looking at the NCEES website for the breakdown of the test questions; it will really help with your plan of attack.

P.S. Don't bring a suitcase full of references, you'll *never* use them all. I brought in one backpack (~10 books) and used only 3 (Cameron's Hydraulic Data, Lindberg's ME Reference Manual, & Marks Std ME Handbook).

Best of skill (and luck!)

E-

 

[zdas04]

The steam tables in Cameron are just about the perfect level of detail for the exam. In addition to Ludikris' list I used Crane 410 for quite a bit of the test (and found Marks to be the least useful book I lugged in there, but it was indispensible for a few questions).

David

 

[Tobalcane]

SlideRuleEra,

That is what I'm banking on. Working full time and having a child (3 years old) it is tough to study efficiently and still have time for work and family. At my company we have every Friday off (4/10 work week) so I’m lucky enough to study every other Friday for about six to eight hours. I’ve started last November. For the 5/40 people, this would work out to be two hours per working day. I can move at a comfortable rate and sometimes come across subjects that I did not fully understand in college and (with the benefit of real world experience) actually understand it now. I’ve been out of college for 9 years now, but I still do a lot of hand calculations and analysis at work so I am not that rusty. My plan now is to pull it all together two or three weeks before the exam by doing mock exams. I will be taking the Mechanical PE this October.

To aspearin1 and other candidates, good luck on the exam!




Go Mechanical Engineering
Tobalcane

 

[Tobalcane]

I forgot to mention, in this same forum, I’ve started a thread “How did the PE Mech exam go?”. There is a lot of good commentary on the Mechanical PE exam if anybody is interested.

Go Mechanical Engineering
Tobalcane

 

[StressGuy]

You're probably arleady aware, but there's an forum specific for the PE exams over at the Professional Publications website, along with other test reference info and the Lindeburg reference books.

http://ppi2pass.com/catalog/servlet/MyPpi

Edward L. Klein
Pipe Stress Engineer
Houston, Texas

"All the world is a Spring"

All opinions expressed here are my own and not my company's.

 

[Tobalcane]

Stress Guy,

Yes there is, but there are too many clowns on that board and has turned me completely off. Actually that is how I found this site was thru a poster who was fed up with the PPI board. Eng-Tips is a better site because there is a way to “red flag” a poster that is stepping way out of line with profanity or outrages sick joking around claims, PPI does not. Don’t get me wrong, the other portions of the PPI web site is an excellent source of info and products, they should just monitor their board and discourage non- professional behavior.



Go Mechanical Engineering
Tobalcane