What To Do On The Night Before You Take The PE Exam | PE Exam Tips

In this article (and video above), I talk about what you should do the night before you take your PE exam, and why planning your accommodation for the PE exam early on is important and can impact your exam results.

Here Is What You Should Do the Night Before You Take the PE Exam

The final night before the PE exam is a crucial time that could either make or break you depending on how you approach it and one thing that examinees don’t often think about when planning to take their PE exams, is how they will spend the night before the exam, and how it may influence them during the exam. Where you spend the night before your PE exam, and what you do, are extremely important.

First of all, when booking your exam, it is of utmost importance that you find the testing center that is most comfortable for you, and it may not be the one closest to you. Consider the distance you will need to travel to get to the testing center, and if you live a considerable distance from the center, I would recommend finding a hotel close to the testing center so that you can get a good night’s rest.

As an example, when I took the PE exam, I lived near New York City, but New York City is very crowded, and I had read that the are near the testing center was very congested and it was nearly impossible to find parking.  Therefore, I decided to drive two hours upstate to the Albany area because it is less congested, from what I read, and I took it there. I stayed at a hotel close to the testing center and it really helped me not only get a good night’s rest but also to avoid the morning traffic rush that could have led to stress and anxiety before I took the exam.

Reasonable accommodations are also available for examinees who meet certain eligibility criteria and sufficiently document their requests. Examinees who have a documented disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, or a scheduling conflict due to a religious Sabbath or a military appointment may request reasonable accommodations, but please note that you MUST indicate any need for accommodations during the registration process. Once you request the accommodations, you will receive an email with instructions on how to proceed.

If you are unsure if you qualify for receiving special accommodations, email the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying at [email protected].

It is also a good idea, if possible, that you take the day before the exam off from work to relax, and to make sure that you don’t study late the night before the exam because, which may just wear you out. Some companies offer one or two days off to those taking the exam for these reasons.

Here Are a Few Things I Recommend You Do the Night Before the Exam:

• Practice setting up your exam work environment the day before the exam. If you are taking a pen and paper exam, carry your boxes to the kitchen table. Arrange your “bookcases” and supplies. Decide what stays on the floor in boxes and what gets an “honored position” on the tabletop.
• Create a checklist and make sure you have everything ready.
• Make sure your exam materials are packed and ready to go.
• Determine your wake-up time and set the alarms on two clocks.
• Select and lay out your clothing items and dress in layers, making it easy to adjust to the temperature of the testing room, which may vary.
• Select and lay out your breakfast items.
• If it is going to be hot on exam day, put your (plastic) bottles of water in the freezer.
• Make sure you have gas in your car and money in your wallet.
• Lastly, make sure you eat something before you leave, and bring something to eat during your break.

And remember that the days leading up to the PE exam should be spent relaxing and taking your mind off the test. The last thing you want to do the day before the test is to stress about not getting there on time. So plan ahead and make sure that where you spend the night before your PE exam does not cost you your engineering license.

Reference:

Structural Engineering Reference Manual, Eighth Edition

This Episode Is Brought to You by PPI

PPI has helped engineers achieve their licensing goals since 1975. Passing the FE and PE exams can open doors to career advancement and new opportunities. Check out PPI’s wide range of prep options, including Live Online courses, OnDemand courses, and digital study tools to help prepare you to pass your licensing exam here.

I hope you found what you should be doing the night before the PE Exam helpful. In upcoming articles, I will answer more PE Exam questions and run through more practice problems. We publish videos bi-weekly on our Pass the PE Exam YouTube Channel.  Be sure to visit our page here and click the subscribe button as you’ll get expert tips and tricks – to ensure your best success – that you can’t get anywhere else. Believe me, you won’t want to miss a single video.

Lastly, I encourage you to ask questions in the comments of the videos or here 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.

Anthony Fasano, P.E.
Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success