professional engineer

The #1 Mindset You Need to Pass the PE Exam: The Hidden Factor Most Engineers Miss

December 2, 2025 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article (and video above), I break down how a strong, intentional mindset can shape your preparation, keep you motivated, and ultimately determine your success on exam day. Whether you’re taking the exam for the first time or giving it another shot, this video will help you overcome obstacles, stay focused, and build the mental resilience needed to earn your PE license.

Your mindset determines how consistently you prepare, how well you handle pressure, and how effectively you perform on exam day. Here are the three mindset strategies that can make a real difference:

1. Know Why You’re Taking the Exam

Stay motivated by reconnecting with the long-term benefits: gaining the legal authority to sign and seal engineering documents, increasing credibility, expanding career opportunities, and earning a permanent professional designation that no one can take away. Keeping your “why” front and center fuels discipline and consistency.

2. Build and Protect a Real Study Schedule

PE preparation can’t be something you squeeze in when convenient. I recommend treating your study sessions the same way you treat work or family commitments. Put them on your calendar, stick to them, communicate with your family about the time you’ll need, and build your study plan by working backward from your exam date.

3. Visualize Yourself as a Professional Engineer

Visualization is a powerful motivator. When I was preparing, I wrote my name followed by “P.E.” on a sticky note and kept it on my monitor. Seeing it every day helped me stay focused and believe in the outcome I was working toward. You can do the same—picture yourself as a licensed Professional Engineer and let that image guide your habits and mindset.

The key takeaway here is that your mindset is just as important as your knowledge. By adopting a growth mindset, using visualization techniques, and building resilience, you can overcome obstacles and achieve your goals. So, if you’re struggling to prepare for the PE exam, don’t give up. Shift your mindset, and trust that you’ll get there.

This Episode Is Brought to You by School of PE

School of PE has been a leading provider of exam prep courses since 2004, helping thousands of professionals achieve licensure and certification in engineering, surveying, and project management. Taught by industry experts, their courses align with the NCEES CBT format and consistently deliver pass rates above the national average. School of PE is recognized as a top-rated provider, and they are committed to student success through expert instruction and high-quality materials. Visit http://www.schoolofpe.com/ for more details and to see how they can best help you achieve your professional goals.

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., AEC PM, F. ASCE
Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success

How to Get Your PE License in Another State

May 26, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

As a licensed professional engineer, there are certain situations where you may need to obtain a PE license in another state. In this article (and video above), I talk about if, and how, you can get licensed in states other than the one where you passed the PE exam.

You worked hard and passed the PE exam, and now, you want plan to use it in states other than the one in which you took the exam. Can you receive permission to do so? The answer is yes you can, but unfortunately, earning a professional engineering license in one state does not automatically make you eligible to obtain the license in other states.

Why You Would Need To Become Licensed in Other States?

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.

How To Beat PE Exam Nerves and Avoid Exam Anxiety

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

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…

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:

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.