Anthony Fasano, P.E.

How to Study for the PE Exam When You Have Kids

April 14, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

Balancing work, school and parenting are challenging, to begin with, and it can be even more of a challenge during these times where many people work remotely, when one has to study for the PE Exam with kids around them.

In this article (and video above) Isaac Oakeson from Civil Engineering Academy provides some tips on how you can study for the PE Exam when you have kids or other responsibilities that take up a lot of your time. We have 6 kids between us, so we have some experience with this, and Isaac has been helping engineers pass the PE exam for years.

Here are 7 Tips to Help You Study for the PE Exam When You Have Kids:

FE Exam: Vertical Curve Question and Solution

April 8, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this week’s Pass the FE Exam article (and video above), I give you a refresher on how to answer vertical curve questions for your Civil Engineering Transportation Exam.

PrepFE is one of the most effective FE exam self-study prep services out there and happens to be one of the most affordable too. It is an app that gives you access to countless sample FE problems to bolster your self-study efforts.

You can visit PrepFE here and use the discount code in the description of this video here to receive 10% off and get some great FE practice problems.

What’s The Hardest PE Exam for Civil Engineers?

April 1, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article (and video above), Isaac Oakeson, P.E. from Civil Engineering Academy talks about the difficulty level of each of the possible Civil PE Exams you can take. Isaac is a civil engineer himself, who has spent years helping civil engineers pass the PE exam, and in this the video he will rank the different exams, based on his opinion, from the hardest PE Exam to the easiest PE Exam. Below are questions I have posed to Isaac followed by his answers.

What’s The Hardest PE Exam for Civil Engineers?

Q: One of the first questions I get from EIT’s who are interested in taking the PE Exam is “How hard is it?” or “Which is the easiest to pass?”

A: Generally speaking, you’re better off taking the discipline that you do daily as you’ll be more familiar with the basic concepts and will have less to learn. The exam changes every time, so it’s luck of the draw on which one could potentially have easier questions. That said, every depth exam is hard and requires a high degree of effort; but let’s dive a little deeper, and highlight some things that might be easier for you.

How Long Should I Study for the FE Exam?

March 23, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

How long should I study for the FE Exam is a question asked by many engineers and the answer isn’t as straightforward as you might think. That is why, in this article (and video above) I am going to explain how long I believe you should study for the FE Exam.

So let’s think about the length of study required to pass the FE exam.

Here Are 3 Things To Consider:

How Much Money Does a Licensed Professional Engineer Make?

March 17, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

If you achieve your engineering license, will you get a pay raise? If so, how much can you expect and how much more does a licensed Professional Engineer make? You will get answers to all of these in this week’s Pass the PE Exam article (and video above).

It can be uncomfortable to ask your supervisor or company’s HR staff about a salary increase or raise, because you don’t want people to think you are only in it for the money.

The Real Secret To Pass the PE Exam (Q & A With Mason Mallard)

March 12, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

What is the real secret to pass the PE Exam? Is there a secret, or is it just good preparation? In this article (and video above), I ask that question to a practicing engineer Mason Mallard. Mason is a former professional baseball player, now a mechanical engineer who works for EMA Engineering in Texas and just turned 25 years old and recently passed the PE HVAC exam in January!

Here Are the Tips From Mason Mallard on How To Pass the PE Exam:

The FE Exam Passing Score Is…

March 9, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. 1 Comment

In this week’s Pass the FE Exam article (and video above), I discuss what FE Exam passing score you will need to achieve to pass the FE Exam.

Firstly, you should know that there is no set number of problems or specific quantitative scores that we can cite as the passing score for the FE Exam, it doesn’t exist.

The exam is scored on a pass or fail scale and NCEES, the organization that administers the exam, does not provide an exact score needed to pass. NCEES has used a term “scaled score” in the past, which is confusing

Do Not Make This One Mistake or You Will Fail Your PE Exam

March 3, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this week’s article (and video above), I share with you the biggest mistake that most engineers make, and if you make, might cause you to fail your PE exam.

The biggest mistake that engineers make in preparing and taking the exam is not realizing or remembering that the biggest obstacle that you face during the exam is TIME – PERIOD!

So, just as important, if not more important than studying all of the different problem types, is having a solid approach to the exam in terms of approaching the problems and using your time efficiently. [Read more…] about Do Not Make This One Mistake or You Will Fail Your PE Exam

How To Organize Your 4 Years of Progressive Engineering Work Experience

February 24, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article (and video above), I explain how you can document and organize your progressive engineering work experience while applying for the PE Exam. You must detail your engineering experience in a very specific way to get accepted to take the PE Exam, and if you do it the right way, it will significantly improve your chances of being accepted to sit for the Engineering Principles and Practice or PE Exam.

Following are 5 tips to help you navigate the preparation of your PE Exam application, specifically how to list your progressive engineering work experience on the application. But you should remember that every state may review experience differently, and the following are general tips from my experience and my conversations with other engineers. Your State may require more or less than 4 years of experience. [Read more…] about How To Organize Your 4 Years of Progressive Engineering Work Experience

How To Deal With FE Exam Test Anxiety

February 23, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this week’s Pass the FE Exam article (and video above), I provide some strategies on how you can deal with FE Exam test anxiety.

Feeling nervous before an exam, or in any situation, is never a good feeling. However, the first thing to realize is that, especially in a situation like the FE exam, feeling nervous is completely normal. In fact, if you’re not nervous, I might question how serious you are taking this exam.

The big problem with feeling nervous or anxious is when it prevents you from focusing, and starts to cost you on your exam score, by impacting your performance negatively.

Whether you feel a little nervous, or are feeling overwhelmed, there are a few things you can do prior to and during the FE exam to help you cope with FE Exam test anxiety, nerves, or stress that you might encounter. [Read more…] about How To Deal With FE Exam Test Anxiety