PE Exam

How to Answer Difficult PE Questions During the Exam

January 20, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

The biggest challenge in passing the PE exam for most people is not having enough time to answer difficult PE questions. You can be proficient in every technical concept on the exam, but if you’re not fast enough, you may not answer enough questions to pass the PE exam. The best possible way to feel less anxious about the PE exam is to be prepared.

My wife is a licensed professional engineer, and she struggled with this. She was really good at the technical concepts, and could answer any question if she had unlimited time, but when she got into a pressure type exam situation with limited time, she really struggled. So I helped her to create a process for tackling the exam questions with a focus on time management and I want to share that process with you in this video.

With regard to tackling difficult PE questions, I have to acknowledge that some of the PE exams, depending on discipline, have already gone to the CBT or computer based testing format. And the biggest change with CBT is that you cannot bring in personal reference materials, you can only use the digital handbook that NCEES provides. So the approach in answering questions may be different depending on whether or not your test is computer based. However, if your exam is CBT, it should go without saying that you must know the NCEES reference handbook inside-out.

How To Approach Exam Problems From Both a CBT and Non-CBT Perspective?

What Study Materials To Bring To the NCEES PE Exam?

January 13, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

The thought of taking the PE exam is enough to make anyone nervous or stressed out. However, you can breathe a little easier knowing it’s multiple-choice AND it’s an open book exam. But before you rent a pickup truck and load up all the engineering notes and books you can get your hands on, there are some guidelines you must adhere to when choosing what study materials and other items to bring into the PE exam, which I’d like to share with you in this week’s edition of Pass the PE Exam. There are also some strategies you should follow in selecting your PE exam study materials.

Before moving ahead, let me remind you that most successful engineers will tell you that getting their PE license was the biggest career growth driver they’ve experienced, whether it was due to a promotion, salary increase, or just more exciting projects to work on – you want to get your PE license.

However, preparing for the PE exam can be a real challenge, but through this and other videos on our YouTube Channel, you will learn everything you need to know about the licensing process including PE exam preparation.

Subscribe to my channel here, as my weekly videos, will help you PASS THE PE EXAM. And if you leave questions in the comments, I will answer them in future videos.

What PE Exam Questions to Expect and How Many of Each?

January 6, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

So, you have to prepare for the PE exam and you are wondering what types of PE Exam Questions (and how many of them) will be asked on the PE exam? What will be the breakdown of the possible questions?

In this week’s edition of Pass the PE Exam, I will walk you through exactly how to find out what types of PE Exam Questions (and how many of each) you will encounter.

Firstly, If you are not familiar with the PE Exam let me introduce you to what the PE exam is. The Principles and Practice of Engineering exam is the examination required for one to become a licensed Professional Engineer (or PE) in the United States. It is the second exam required, coming after the Fundamentals of Engineering exam and is created and scored by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (or NC double E S).

As a General Rule, a Professional Engineer Who Has the Following Experience Can Take the PE Exam:

Civil PE Exam Practice Problem (Vertical Curves)

December 31, 2020 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

Vertical Curves – In this week’s edition of Pass the PE Exam, I’m going to solve a problem that you may encounter during your Civil PE Exam, in the transportation section on vertical curves, as demanded by many of our YouTube subscribers.

A vertical curve provides a transition between two sloped roadways, allowing a vehicle to negotiate the elevation rate change at a gradual rate rather than a sharp cut. These curves are parabolic and are assigned stationing based on a horizontal axis. And during your exam, you will most likely need to answer one or more questions on this topic, which I provide an example of in the video above.

Before moving ahead, let me remind you that most successful engineers will tell you that getting their PE license was the biggest career growth driver they’ve experienced, whether it was due to a promotion, salary increase or just more exciting projects to work on – you want to get your PE license.

However, preparing for the PE exam can be a real challenge which includes solving many problems like the one I am about to show you, but through this and other videos on our YouTube Channel you will learn everything you need to know about the licensing process including PE exam preparation.

Here is the vertical curves problem below: [Read more…] about Civil PE Exam Practice Problem (Vertical Curves)

What Kind of Qualifying Engineering Experience Is Needed for the PE Exam?

December 23, 2020 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

One of the least understood areas of the engineering licensure process relates to the question of: What constitutes acceptable qualifying engineering experience for the purposes of licensure?

In this week’s edition of Pass the PE Exam, I’m going to talk about the qualifying engineering experience requirements you will need to satisfy to take the PE Exam. I also cover how to know you are on the right track with your experience, before it’s too late and you realize that you missed out on what could have been years of experience towards your PE license.

This is a VERY important aspect of seeking your PE License, because if the current experience you are getting is not acceptable in your state, then you will need to work additional years before you can sit for the exam, so understanding this topic can truly impact how soon you get your PE license.

5 Benefits of Becoming a Licensed Professional Engineer

December 16, 2020 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

What is the real value of becoming a licensed professional engineer(or PE) license in one’s career? In this post, I will outline a recent interview I conducted with licensed professional engineer Justin Edenbaum, P.E. Justin shares the benefits of having a PE License over his career, some of which you may not have thought of.

Before diving in, let me remind you that most successful engineers will tell you that getting their PE license was the biggest career growth driver they’ve experienced, whether it was due to a promotion, salary increase or just more exciting projects to work on – you want to get your PE license. However, preparing for the PE exam can be a real challenge, but through the above video and other videos on our YouTube Channel, you will learn everything you need to know about the licensing process including PE exam preparation.

7 Steps to a Successful PE Exam Study Schedule

December 9, 2020 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

PE Exam Study Schedule – Studying for the PE Exam can be really hard and it is sometimes difficult to find the time to do it. One way to balance your studying and the rest of your life is to create a detailed study schedule. However, developing a study plan and schedule can be very complex as each person’s work and living situation, available time, existing knowledge and understanding of the subject material, learning pace and, and experience vary greatly.

I have been told by many Professional Engineers that their study plan and schedule was single handedly the most important tool that helped them pass the PE Exam. Therefore, in this post, I’m going to provide you with a seven step process to help you develop your own personalized PE exam study schedule.

Before I do that though, let me remind you that most successful engineers will tell you that getting their PE license was the biggest career growth driver they’ve experienced, whether it was due to a promotion, salary increase or just more exciting projects to work on – you want to get your PE license. However, preparing for the PE exam can be a real challenge, but through the videos on our YouTube Channel you will learn everything you need to get started with PE exam preparation, the right way.

Firstly, let me remind you that in order to pass your PE exam, you should allow yourself at least six months to prepare, figuring at least one hour per day of study time (more on study time here). That being said, here are the seven steps to make sure you can create a schedule to realize that goal:

How COVID Changed the PE Exam Schedule

December 3, 2020 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

PE Exam Schedule — In this post – I’m going to detail how COVID is affecting the PE exam schedule and discuss what changes are expected to the PE exams and the exam-taking process.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected just about every single aspect of society including the PE exam, specifically the cycle of civil engineering exams for professional licensure has changed, leaving many would-be test-takers with questions.

Just recently on November 24th, NCEES posted an update on its website, both a general update and an update for the PE civil exam. You can find it here, but here they are for your information: [Read more…] about How COVID Changed the PE Exam Schedule

How to Study for the PE Exam When You’ve Lost Motivation

November 25, 2020 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

How to Study for the PE Exam — In this post, I’m going to answer a question that I’ve received from many engineers, which is, “How do I study for the PE exam if I’m tired or just not motivated to study right now?”

So let’s assume you have to take the PE exam, but you have an engineering job or you have a family or other personal responsibilities. You’re tired and not really motivated. You need to figure out how to study for the PE exam in your current mindset. Here are three actions that you can take to stay motivated.

#1) Write an Email to Your Boss

PE Exam Study Tips to Help You Pass the PE Exam

November 23, 2020 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

PE Exam Study Tips — In this post I am going to answer questions related to how long it will take to study for the PE exam, and also give some tips for studying productively.

However, before I get into the PE exam study tips, firstly, if you aren’t too familiar with the PE Exam, let me start by telling you what the PE Exam is. The Principles and Practice of Engineering exam is the examination required for one to become a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in the United States. It is the second exam required, coming after the Fundamentals of Engineering exam and is created and scored by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). As a general rule, a professional engineer who has an approved four-year engineering degree, four years of qualifying engineering experience, and who successfully completes the eight-hour Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination can take the PE exam. That being said, you should confirm these items with your local state education board as some states do vary on these experience and timeline requirements.

Alright now, let’s dive into some PE exam study tips by answering some questions I’ve received related to studying and preparing for the PE exam.

PE Exam

How To Approach Exam Problems From Both a CBT and Non-CBT Perspective?

As a General Rule, a Professional Engineer Who Has the Following Experience Can Take the PE Exam:

#1) Write an Email to Your Boss

#1) How many months of studying will it take you to be prepared for the exam?