If you finish early on the morning exam, does the remaining time get added to the afternoon session? Things have changed in 2023 and we’re here to guide you to pass the Civil PE Exam.
The PE exam has a morning session and afternoon session, 4 hours each and in between you get a 50-minute break.
Let’s say you finish your morning portion of the PE exam in 3 hours. Do you get 5 hours for the afternoon session or is 4 hours the maximum time you get for each half session?
Although there is no official rule to whether or not you can use extra time in the afternoon, I have interviewed engineers who took the PE exam recently, and they all confirmed that they were allowed to use that extra time in the afternoon session.
Now remember that time management is extremely important during the PE exam.
In the past, the scheduled 50-minute break would start simultaneously for every test taker but with the computer-based format, however, this is no longer the case.
Your 50-minute break is now offered to you after you’ve answered half of the questions (40 questions) in your exam, regardless of how much time it took you. There’s no way you can predict how much time you’ll need for the first and second halves of the exam (before and after you take the break, respectively).
With the LOFT algorithm and the lack of distinction between breadth and depth portions, you cannot even estimate what your questions will look like and how difficult they’ll be, much less predict how much time you’ll need to solve them.
For example, you can rush to make the four-hour mark in the first half of the exam, only to get easier questions in the second half that allow you to finish it in two hours. By rushing too much in the first half, you risk getting questions wrong.
On the other hand, if you don’t manage your time properly, you may find yourself spending a lot of time in the first half, risking not answering all 80 questions throughout the eight hours you have.
Another very important thing to note is that during the “old” PE exam format, you could simply go back to a question you skipped, however in the “new” PE exam, you can only review a question you’ve already completed or skipped after reaching the end of the half you’re currently in.
That is, you can only go back to review previous questions after answering a total of 40 questions. And that applies to both the first half before your break and the second half afterward. This can be quite disappointing in the case you skip a question and then immediately realize you know how to find the answer.
So use your time wisely during the PE Exam. In theory you have 6 minutes per problem (240 minutes divided by 40 questions). While this is true you have to know that some problems are harder and some are easier. Some will take longer to solve and some will be so easy that you can answer them in 10 seconds, or less and keep in mind that there are theory questions (maybe 2 per subject) and they will NOT take 6 minutes to solve.
The bottom line is that while I have spoken to engineers that were permitted to use leftover time from the morning portion of the exam to the afternoon portion, it is not guaranteed that it will be permitted in your testing center, so base your studying on 4 hours for each portion.
I hope you found this article helpful. In upcoming articles, I will solve some more PE exam practice problems and answer other questions from our subscribers. Pass the PE Exam videos will publish weekly, so be sure to click the subscribe button so you don’t miss something that could make a substantial difference in your exam result.
Lastly, I encourage you to ask questions in the comments of this video or on this page, and I’ll read and respond to them in future videos. So, if there’s a specific topic you want me to cover or answer, we have you covered.
I’ll see you next week … on Pass the PE Exam.
Anthony Fasano, P.E.
Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success
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