Taking the CA Civil PE exam - 20 years later 3

[bluenotebeemer]

Soon after getting out of school I went to work for the federal govt. (EPA), where I spent the past 20 years. Although it's been good work, I'm now considering moving into the private sector (wacky timing) and, therefore, would like to go for my PE license. The question I'd like to put out there is whether anyone has advice on preparing for the CA Civil PE exam (e.g., online classes, , dvd courses, etc.,)? Thanks.

 

[MTPipeliner]

I took the PE in another state, I think CA has the earthquake test, but the main test should be the same.

A couple bits of advice I can give you are:

Start to study early
Set up a study plan
Study in a quiet place
Have a strategy for the test
Don't study the day before the test
Get a good night's rest
Be positive

The study manuals have a ton of information in them, and you probably won't be able to learn/relearn all of it so you should know your core subjects really well so you don't miss any of those questions.

I think an organized study group or class would be beneficial if you need help staying organized and motivated.

I used the Lindeburg study books and they had a pretty good section in the front of the book that describes the test, helpful tips, strategies, recomended amounts of study, etc. Definately read the first part of whatever book you get.

I think the Lindeburg book recomended 300 hours of study for a full review. I was only able to get about 1/2 of that. I was able to cover my core subjects, but there was definately stuff I had to skip over in the other subjects. Even though it seems like overkill, I think the 300 hour recomendation is probably pretty close if you want to be able to cover all the subjects in detail.

A final tip is to talk to your family before you start to study. Explain why you want to take the test, why it is important to you and your career. While they won't actually be doing the studying they will be affected by it. You'll need their support and understanding to help you get through the studying and test.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

CA has a seismic and surveyor portion in addtion to the normal test.

 

[Mr168]

You may want to browse over at engineerboards.com

The boards were started as a place to gather/discuss strategies/prep/any questions pertaining to the FE/PE exams, and will cover virtually every question you may have in regards to taking them.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Got to NCEES.ORG and hook up with up the link to the CA board