On demand FE & PE exam support from your peers who passed. Their challenges will become your success.
For all CBT (Computer Based Test) exams, the testing center will provide pencils, papers, erasers and ear plugs. For more information, review each one of these items in detail:
In this article (and video above), I talk about what you can expect after you have taken your PE Exam and what you should do after you pass the PE exam. We talk about how long you will have to wait for your results to be available, how you can obtain your license if you passed, and when you will be able to start practicing as a licensed engineer. Information for this post was referenced from these articles (PPI, NSPE, and NJSPE).
In this week’s Pass the PE Exam article, I talk to a professional engineer, J’Que C. Jones, PE who is also the author of Pass The PE Exam In 3 Months: Strategies & Mindset For The Non-Test Taker. J’Que will discuss the strategies and mindset you need to be able to achieve that same success and pass the PE Exam yourself!
J’Que wrote the book, “Pass The PE Exam In 3 Months: Strategies & Mindset For The Non-Test Taker” so that people who are not “test takers” have a resource to help them pass the PE exam. He also wants to encourage diverse groups of people to believe that they too can pass the PE exam as he did.
You must be sure and clear of your motivating reasons why you won’t become a PE. It is not easy and you must put in a lot of time and effort into your preparations to become a PE.
Be sure that the test you are taking is correct for you. Do not select a test because of what people are telling you, or because people you know selected a certain test. When selecting your test, look at your previous education, training, and work experiences, to see which test will work the best for you. Look at the exam specifications, the number of questions in different disciplines, and your knowledge of the questions, and conclude which exam will have the flattest learning curve possible for you. Do not select the test based on things you want to learn more about. Stick to what you already know.
Having a study plan is crucial to ensure that you allow yourself adequate time to prepare. It helps you to lay out some structure and keep yourself accountable. Ensure that you have paid your preparation dues in advance. No plan equals failure. You will not be able to cover all the topics needed to write the exam which will cause you to miss questions.
Human beings are creatures of habit and most of what we do daily is devoted to habits. Habits are extremely powerful and it takes 21 days to create or break habits. You have to control your habits and decide which habits you are going to feed. A winning habit is a habit that will help you to achieve the desired result. You must cut back on the non-winning habits, and try to create or adopt many winning habits when you are preparing for the exam.
You have approximately 6 minutes to answer a question on the test. Work on improving your speed by using repetition and practicing. Only allow yourself 6 minutes to answer each question or to solve a problem. Doing this will give you a better chance of passing because you will be able to answer all the questions in time. Also. when it comes to building speed, you must have an in-depth knowledge of the subject. There are many questions in the exam that you can answer quickly if you have a good understanding of the subject.
Approach your studies with a razor-sharp focus and embrace any advantage that you can gain. Ask other engineers specific questions about how they prepared for the exam, what their experiences were, if they passed on the first try, what they did differently during the times they did not pass, and so on. Learn from the answers you get and incorporate them into your studying approach. You can either be smart or wise. A smart person makes mistakes, recognizes his mistakes, and learns from them. A wise person learns from the mistakes of others.
Mimic the test environment as close as possible while you study. Study hard for long periods and aim for 2 hours at a time. Keep yourself accountable for any time you do not study in the 2 hours. The PE exam is a long test. It is 8 hours of sitting, thinking analytically and controlling your stress. You must get your mind and your body ready to endure the entire test.
A test-taking strategy is not a one-size-fits-all parameter. Look for a few different strategies that you can practice and find what works best for you. It must allow you to answer all the questions and problems in the allocated time, and get positive results from it. There are many different test-taking strategies that you can follow such as focusing on the questions you know first, work the exam from front to back, and first answering the questions based on the structural problems. The strategy you follow is dependent on what works for you. Practice the strategy until it becomes like autopilot for you so that you can focus on the problems and not the logistics. Stick to the strategy you practiced and execute it when you write the test.
J’Que is a licensed engineer, who struggled with standardized tests his entire life. Through perseverance and dedication, his goal of attaining licensure came to fruition. His aim is to help other non-test takers and repeat takers of the PE exam attain their professional engineer’s license, by providing anecdotes and proverbs from his own experiences as well as the experiences of others in a non-conventional and relatable way.
Pass The PE Exam In 3 Months: Strategies & Mindset For The Non-Test Taker
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
In this article (and video above), I answer a question I get from many listeners, which is: “Can you take the PE exam without taking the FE exam first?”
[Read more…] about Can I Take the PE Exam Without Taking the FE Exam?
What’s the passing score for the PE Exam in 2021? And what’s the scoring process? In this article (and video above), we look at the exam and see how the NCEES “determines the level of performance that corresponds with minimal competence in that discipline”.
You can find the information shared in this post, plus more, on the PE Exam passing score at NCEES. Most of the PE Exams are 80 multiple choice questions taken over an 8 hour period – 40 questions in the 4 hour morning session, and 40 questions in the 4-hour afternoon session.
[Read more…] about What Is the Passing Score For the PE Exam?
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.
[Read more…] about How Much Money Does a Licensed Professional Engineer Make?
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!
[Read more…] about The Real Secret To Pass the PE Exam (Q & A With Mason Mallard)
In this post (and video above), I discuss a challenge that many engineers struggle with, during the PE exam – NEVES. How can you try to overcome nervousness for the exam and avoid exam anxiety as it can truly cripple you?
It all comes down to practice and preparation…
[Read more…] about How To Beat PE Exam Nerves and Avoid Exam Anxiety
In this Pass the PE Exam article, I explain how you can determine if you’re eligible and qualify to take the Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam also known as the PE Exam.
The Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam (or PE Exam) is administered by the (National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying), also referred to as NCEES, a national organization tasked with regulating the testing of engineers and surveyors. The PE exam is a standardized test administered nationally across the United States.
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.
[Read more…] about How to Answer Difficult PE Questions During the Exam
