Videos

FE Mechanical Exam Review: Calculating Heat Transfer Through A Concrete Wall

May 3, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article, (and video above), we’re going to calculate the heat transfer through a concrete wall. This question forms part of the Mechanical section of the FE Exam and will give you a better understanding of what you can expect during the exam. This week’s problem was solved by Enrique Ivers, an Engineer in Training.

Question:

A concrete wall is 20 cm thick and has an overall thermal resistance of 0.2 m2 ·°C/W. The temperature difference between the two wall surfaces is 5°C. What is most nearly the heat transfer through the wall?

Solution:

PE Civil Exam Depth: Structural

April 27, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In our previous two videos, I discussed two of the depth areas that you can take for your PE Exam, Geotechnical and Construction, and in this article (and video above), I review, in detail, the structural depth portion of the Civil PE Exam to help you decide if this might be the right option for you.

The Five Different Areas That You Can Choose From When Taking the PE Civil Exam Are:

PE Civil: Geotechnical
PE Civil: Construction
PE Civil: Structural
PE Civil: Transportation
PE Civil: Water Resources & Environmental

Remember that the PE Civil Structural exam is a breadth and depth examination. The breadth items (typically known as the morning section) cover topics from all areas of civil engineering. However, the depth items (also known as the afternoon section) focus more closely on a single area of practice, like structural engineering.

Please note that the PE Civil: Structural exam is not the same as the SE (Structural Engineering) exam. The PE Civil: Structural exam is to obtain your Professional Engineering license, while the SE Exam is one you would take to obtain your structural engineering license.

What Is Structural Engineering?

5 Tips & Tricks to Pass the FE Exam in 2 Months

April 19, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article (and video above), I talk with Alejandro Patino, EIT, Senior Engineer at Colliers Engineering & Design, who gives us five specific tips on how he prepared, studied, and passed the FE exam with two months of focused study time.

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Alejandro:

Talk to us about your first tip which is about creating an exam schedule?
What process did you use to prepare for the FE exam?
What advice can you share with the listeners when doing practice problems?
How did you time yourself during the exam and why do you think this was the reason you failed the exam the first time?
What final tip would you like to share with the listeners?

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed in This Episode:

PE Civil Exam Depth: Construction

April 13, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In the previous article, I talked about one of the five depth areas of the Civil PE Exam, Geotechnical, and in this article (and video above), I review, in detail, the construction depth portion of the Civil PE Exam to help you decide if this might be the right option for you.

The Five Different Areas That You Can Choose From When Taking the PE Civil Exam Are:

PE Civil: Geotechnical
PE Civil: Construction
PE Civil: Structural
PE Civil: Transportation
PE Civil: Water Resources & Environmental

Remember that the PE Civil exam is a breadth and depth examination. The breadth items (typically known as the morning section) cover topics from all areas of civil engineering. However, the depth items (also known as the afternoon section) focus more closely on a single area of practice, like construction engineering

What Is Construction Engineering?

FE Exam Prep: Probability & Statistics – Normal Distribution

April 5, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article, (and video above), we’re going to use a normal distribution to determine the probability of a curve. This question forms part of the probability & statistics section of the FE Exam and will give you a better understanding of what you can expect during the exam.

Question:

Given a normal distribution of quantity x, where n(x) represents the unit normal distribution function, what is the probability that a given sample quantity, x1, will lie between x = x0 and x = x2?

Solution:

PE Civil Exam Depth: Geotechnical

March 29, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

Are you struggling to decide what depth exam you should take for your Civil PE Exam? Where do you start when trying to figure this out? Passing the PE exam is the last milestone in the journey towards your professional engineering license, so you must make the right decision.

In the next 5 articles, we will cover each of these Civil PE depth exams in detail, outline which topics show up on each exam, what the pass rates are for each topic, and provide some valuable information that will help you in your decision.

Let’s Look at the PE Civil: Geotechnical Depth Section of the PE Exam:

There are five different areas that you can choose from when taking the PE Civil exam which are:

PE Civil: Geotechnical
PE Civil: Construction
PE Civil: Structural
PE Civil: Transportation
PE Civil: Water Resources & Environmental

Remember that the PE Civil exam is a breadth and depth examination. The breadth items (typically known as the morning section) cover topics from all areas of civil engineering. However, the depth items (also known as the afternoon section) focus more closely on a single area of practice, like Geotechnical Engineering.

What Is Geotechnical Engineering?

I Failed the FE Exam 2 Times Until I Did This: Secrets to Passing the FE Exam

March 23, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this video, I talk with Chris Siwczak, a project engineer at Colliers Engineering & Design who failed the FE exam 2 times but then passed it the third time. He talks about what he did differently the third time around and how he built accountability into his study schedule.

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Chris:

How many times did you take it, and what made the difference in finally passing the FE exam?
Did your company support you when taking the exam and if so, how did they support you?
What did your study schedule look like?
What tips can you share with the listeners that helped you in passing the exam?

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed in This Episode:

Are you TOO Old to Take The PE Exam?

March 15, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

I get so many listeners that ask me whether they should bother taking the PE exam after the age of 30, 40, or even 50. Does age really matter? And when are you too old to take the PE Exam? You are never too old for professional development, especially adding the PE license to your resume, and in this article, I talk about the benefits of studying towards your engineering license when you are older.

If you have been practicing as an engineer from some time now, and for whatever your reason, you never pursued your PE license, or maybe you couldn’t pass the exam earlier in your career and now you’re considering pursuing your license, but you’re unsure whether or not it is the right choice for someone your age, then the video above is the right video for you.

Although a lot of people believe that obtaining a PE license is for early career engineers, obtaining your PE license can be beneficial to engineers of all ages. Whether you’ve never studied before or you’re looking to add to your qualifications, there are some incredible reasons to obtain a PE license.

Here Are Some of the Benefits of Seeking Licensure When You Are Older:

Environmental Engineering Exam: FE Exam Prep

March 9, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article (and video above), we solve the value of an interior angle that forms part of the Civil and Environmental Engineering section of the FE Exam to give you a better understanding of what you can expect during the exam.

Question:

The interior angles of triangular traverse were measured as: angle A 63 +- .01 degrees. angle B 41 +- .03 degrees, and angle C 77 +- .03 degrees. The most probable value for angle B is:

Solution:

Self Study vs. Review Courses for the PE Exam

March 1, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article, (and video above), I discuss the difference between self study and review courses when preparing for the PE Exam to help you decide which option would work best for you.

There are usually two ways people go about studying for the PE exam. Either they purchase materials including a reference manual and prepare on their own, or they take a structured review course, either online or locally. Both options can be effective, but you should consider your goals and circumstances to choose the best option for you.

Videos

Question:

Solution:

The Five Different Areas That You Can Choose From When Taking the PE Civil Exam Are:

What Is Structural Engineering?

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Alejandro:

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed in This Episode:

The Five Different Areas That You Can Choose From When Taking the PE Civil Exam Are:

What Is Construction Engineering?

Question:

Solution:

Let’s Look at the PE Civil: Geotechnical Depth Section of the PE Exam:

What Is Geotechnical Engineering?

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Chris:

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed in This Episode:

Here Are Some of the Benefits of Seeking Licensure When You Are Older:

Question:

Solution:

Here are Some of the Factors You Should Consider: