Michael Dale

You want to be at your best on exam day, so that you can obtain the highest score possible.  Of course you have put in many hours of review, and prepared for the material, but you also want your mind and body to be at there sharpest on exam day.     Here is some advice to ensure your mind and body are at their sharpest to pass the PE Exam.

Taper Your Review and Relax
The week of the exam is not the time to cram for the PE Exam.  By this time, if you have not reviewed it, a cramming session will not help much.  The main thing to do the final week of the exam is to taper back your studies.  It is okay to spend some time reviewing during that week before the exam, but try to spend time relaxing as well.  Go for a walk, check out a movie, or just read a non-technical book.  Just try to

Get a a Good Night’s Sleep
Please do try to get to bed at a reasonable time and have a schedule in place the night before where you eat dinner at a reasonable time. Don’t do anything out of the ordinary as far as trying to go to bed extremely early. If you go to bed at 10 o’clock every night, go to bed at 10 o’clock. If you go to bed midnight every night, though, you might want to think about going to bed a little bit early the night before the exam.  In fact, you will want to get a good nights rest for at least two days before the exam. This is because you are affected by the past two nights of sleep, not just the night before.

Get Some Brain Food
Then the day of the exam, of course you’ll want to eat a good breakfast and get some energy to get you through that exam. I’ve heard that eating proteins, maybe some eggs and maybe some carbs too. But eat a decent meal the day of the exam that will get you the proteins and the things you need to get through the exam. If you’re a coffee drinker, you might want to think about how much coffee you drink because you don’t want to be going to the bathroom every 30 minutes during the exam.

Get There Early
There is nothing like getting somewhere late to make you feel flustered.  It is better to get to the exam room a few minutes early, and allow yourself to stay relaxed and sharp.

Don’t Make this Mistake Just Before the Exam
During those final moments before the exam, you’re going to have to get there a little bit early so you can get to sign up and the registration taken care of. But, while you’re standing around and everything, my recommendation is meet some people, socialize a little bit, and talk about things other than the exam.  Just try not to think about the exam too much or especially don’t cram for the exam the day of the test because if you don’t know about it by then, you’re not going to know it.  If you do talk to others, I suggest that you try not to discuss the exam too much.  If you begin to talk to others about what they studied for, and you will just end up questioning yourself and whether you reviewed properly.   The best thing is to keep your mind relaxed just before the exam, and then when it’s time to take the exam, focus and be intense about it.

These are a few things that will help you stay sharp on exam day, and will hopefully give you the edge to pass the PE Exam
What do you think?

What things to you think will make you the sharpest on exam day? 

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

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Episode 11 Mechanical PE Exam Tips Revealed With Special Guest

Right-Click Here To Download

For this episode of Ace the PE Exam Podcast, I asked Greg over at PEPrepME.com to join us for this special interview to discuss the Mechanical PE Exam.

Greg is a Mechanical Engineer who successfully passed the Mechanical PE Exam, and decided to provide some tools for people to pass the Mechanical PE.  At that time, he has started his website and wrote a study guide for the Mechanical PE exam.

In this episode, we go over the different exams that you can choose from as a Mechanical Engineer, the Mechanical PE Exam Specifications and also the breadth and depth format.

We went on to find out the references that Greg Recommends for the Mechanical PE.

The primary reference for the Mechanical PE Exam include:

• Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual (MERM) (Primary Reference)

For your Mechanical PE Exam Depth review, you may need one or more of applicable references below:

• ASME Steam Tables-Compact Edition
• ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook
• Machinery’s Handbook

You can find the full listing of Mechanical PE exam References at the link provided.

Finally, Greg shares with us a few tips of his own that will help you study for the exam.

And finally Greg shares how to find him, and how to get a copy of the Mechanical PE Exam strategies guide . You will have to listen to the audio to get the promo code

To find more about Greg and the Mechanical PE Exam, please visit his website, where you can pickup a copy of the as well.

BTW, I want to thank you in advance for anyone deciding to purchase Greg’s guide. It does help me out, as I do get a commission, but at no additional cost to you.

Enjoy!

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

COCOEN Daily Photos

The  Professional Engineer Exam (PE Exam) is a timed exam.  You have 4 hours to take each the morning and the afternoon exam. So, that gives you about 6 minutes a piece on average to do the problems. If you take your time, I think you can do a good job and pass the exam with success. Here are a few time management tips to help you on exam day.

The Three Pass System for Passing the PE Exam

People like to approach the exam in different ways.  One way that I recommend to actually go through the problems is I call it the three-pass system.  The basic idea is to go through the problems on the morning portion of the exam as well as the afternoon portion three times. You will start by solving the easy problems in the first pass, then the medium and difficult problems in the second two passes.  This approach allows you to ease into the exam, while also getting ahead of the clock,  so to speak.  Here is how the system works in a little more detail.

For the first pass, go through and do the so called ‘easy problems’. These are problems that you know cold or you know with no reference.  It might be a verbal question or it may just require a simple calculation . But these are problems that you can probably do within a minute or two – quickly and easily. In the morning you’ll probably have about 10 of those kinds of problems, about 25% of the problems. This allows you to have 10 problems done on 20 minutes. That’s 25% of your morning exam. So, you can focus the rest of the 3 and half hours or so on the remaining 75% of the problem. So, that kind of gets you a leg up and gets you kind of moving and get you grooving into the exam.

The next pass involved solving the core of the exam questions. These are the problems that you know how to do. You just need to refer to your manual, find the formula, and solve the problem.  For these problems, you will want to spend around 3 to 6 minutes per problem. Most of these problems will be answered from one or two of your core references.   It helps to have your books tabbed is a good way to go through and just boom pick that formula out and go ahead and do that problem. And also having an index is another good thing to have. In that way, you can go in to the index, see where the formula is and where the reference is and then go to the place that you need to go in your book. So that’s the second pass, which has problems on the medium level of difficulty.  After completing this pass you knocked out another half of the exam, which means you should have about 75% of the exam done, and hopefully you still have plenty of time to work through the last pass.

At this point, you  should have about an hour or so to do the remainder of the problems on the morning or afternoon exam.  These questions are the hard ones that you needed to come back to.  Either you weren’t clear about the subject, or you knew they were going to take a lot of work. Spend the rest of the time working through these last problems.  Just try not to spend too much time on any one problem. If you find yourself exceeding 8 to 10 minutes on a problem, then either wrap it up or come back to it later.  At some point during the last pass, the exam administrator will announce there is 30 minutes left.  At that point, you will want to wrap up the last pass, check your work, and check that your bubbles have all been entered correctly.

I find that the success and momentum of answering the easy questions early provides the momentum to answer the harder questions later in the exam.  In addition, I feel like I am ahead of the clock which helps give me confidence as well.  Other people prefer to just work through each problem sequentially until they complete the exam.  But the three pass system is the one that I have used to get through the PE Exam, and it could be beneficial to you as well.

What do you think?
Do you have a particular way to work through the problems on the PE Exam

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

References and Study Materials Needed for the Civil PE Exam

Reference Guide
Try to find a good reference guide that covers most of the material.  Guides such as the Civil Engineering Reference Manual are a must.  There are other publishers, but this is really the one that has been tried and true.  Read a more complete review here.

See larger image Civil Engineering Reference Manual for the PE Exam (Hardcover) By (author) Michael R. Lindeburg List Price: $336.00 USD New From: $140.00 In Stock Used from: $185.96 In Stock

Design Standards Library

First, gather all of the references that NCEES has specified to be covered on the exam.  If you are taking a depth module that cites specific references (such as Structural, Transportation, and the Construction depth modules), you certainly  want to gather those materials for your depth module.  Also, consider some of the materials for your breadth exam library as well.  I have mentioned steel before, and underscore it is an important reference.

Practice Problems
One of the keys to passing the PE Exam is to work a ton of problems.  You will need to obtain plenty of practice problems.

Sample Exam
To get a feel for the exam day experience, and also to help you ascertain where you are in your studies, you will need to take a sample exam about half-way to two-thirds of the way through your preparation.

Calculator
You will need a calculator for the exam.  NCEES has limitations on the calculator you can use, so be sure you follow those requirements.

Courses

A PE Exam review course can be a helpful way to study for the PE Exam.

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

Summary of Study Materials and References for the Mechanical PE Exam

The PE Exam is an open-book exam, and you will need to bring some references with you.  In addition, let me offer some suggested study materials that will come in handy when you prepare for the Mechanical PE Exam.  Below each recommendation you will find a link to the amazon version of the product.  These are affiliate links, though any commissions I receive are at no additional cost to you.  So I want to thank you in advance for feeding my babies

1.  Reference Guide
s -

1A.  Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual

The first thing is to get a good reference guide as the foundation of your reference and studies.  The most popular and tested manual for the Mechanical PE exam is the Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual.  Regardless of which depth discipline you take, this one manual will help you with the vast majority of questions.  Leave this one at home, and you might be coming back to re-take the test!

See larger image Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual for the PE Exam, 12th Edition (Hardcover) By (author) Michael R Lindeburg List Price: $336.00 USD New From: $186.00 In Stock Used from: $199.95 In Stock

1B.  Marks Standard Handbook

Mark’s standard handbook is an alternative to the ‘MERM’.  It has been around and updated for years, and some people prefer to use this reference handbook for the Mechanical PE Exam.  Of course, you can use it as a supplement if you choose that option as well.

See larger image Marks' Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers 11th Edition (Hardcover) By (author) Eugene Avallone, Theodore Baumeister, Ali Sadegh List Price: $199.95 USD New From: $124.38 In Stock Used from: $106.98 In Stock

2.  Additional References: 

The additional references that you need for the exam will largely depend on which depth module you select for the afternoon.  Here are the more common references needed for the afternoon portion of the Exam.

2A.  ASME Steam Tables

See larger image ASME Steam Tables: Compact Edition (Crtd) (Paperback) By (author) ASME Research and Technology Committee on Water and Steam in Thermal Systems Subcommittee on Properties of Steam List Price: $15.00 USD New From: $13.18 In Stock Used from: $11.78 In Stock

2B.  Machinerys Handbook

See larger image Machinery's Handbook 29th Edition - Toolbox (Hardcover) By (author) Erik Oberg List Price: $94.95 USD New From: $65.36 In Stock Used from: $57.92 In Stock

2C.  ASHRAE Fundamentals

2009 ASHRAE Handbook - Fundamentals (I-P) (includes CD in dual units) (Ashrae Handbook Fundamentals Inch-Pound System) (Hardcover) By (author) American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers List Price: $199.00 USD New From: $129.99 In Stock Used from: $105.00 In Stock

2D.  NFPA 90A

See larger image NFPA 90A: Standard for Installation of Air Conditioning and Ventilating Systems, 2009 Edition (Paperback) By (author) NFPA New From: $82.80 In Stock Used from: $75.00 In Stock

3.  Practice Problems


One proven fact about the PE Exam is that working problems improves your chances of passing.  Here are some suggested practice problems.

See larger image Practice Problems for the Mechanical Engineering PE Exam: A Companion to the Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual, 12th Edition (Paperback) By (author) Michael R Lindeburg List Price: $104.00 USD New From: $55.95 In Stock Used from: $55.90 In Stock

4.  Sample Exam


To get a feel for the exam day experience, and also to help you ascertain where you are in your studies, you will need to take a sample exam about half-way to two-thirds of the way through your preparation.  Here is one suggested sample exam.

See larger image Mechanical PE Sample Examination (Paperback) By (author) Michael R. Lindeburg PE List Price: $104.00 USD New From: $56.95 In Stock Used from: $50.00 In Stock

5.  Calculator


You will need a calculator for the exam.  NCEES has limitations on the calculator you can use, so be sure you follow those requirements.
Courses

6.  PE Exam Review Course
A PE Exam review course can be a helpful way to study for the PE Exam, and you may wan to consider that as well as you are planning your review.

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

See larger image Civil Engineering Reference Manual for the PE Exam (Hardcover) By (author) Michael R. Lindeburg List Price: $336.00 USD New From: $140.00 In Stock Used from: $185.96 In Stock

The Civil Engineering Reference manual is considered a mainstay in the field for preparing for and passing the Civil PE Exam.  This book covers all five sub-disciplines of civil engineering including structural, transportation, geotechnical, construction, and water resources and environmental.  In addition, the book is  organized in a readable and efficient way.  The author of this book is Michael R. Lindeburg, who is well known for such publications.

The NCEES Exam Topics Covered in this book:

• Construction: Earthwork Construction & Layout • Estimating Quantities & Costs • Scheduling • Material Quality Control & Production • Temporary Structures
• Geotechnical: Subsurface Exploration & Sampling • Engineering Properties of Soils & Materials • Soil Mechanics Analysis • Earth Structures • Shallow Foundations • Earth Retaining Structures
• Structural: Loadings • Analysis • Mechanics of Materials • Materials • Member Design
• Transportation: Traffic Analysis • Geometric Design • Transportation Planning • Traffic Safety
• Water Resources & Environmental: Hydraulics—Closed Conduit • Hydraulics—Open Channel • Hydrology • Wastewater Treatment • Water Treatment

As you can see, the list of topics that this book covers in roughly 85 chapters is exhaustive, though such extensive coverage is requried should you wish to pass the PE Exam.  For the morning portion of the Civil exam, this book will likely be all that you need in order to answer all the question.  For the afternoon portion of the exam, this book will cover roughly 75% of the depth questions.  The remaining questions on the afternoon part of the exam will need to be answered using the codes and standards referenced by the NCEES.

In summary, this book has been tried and true to help me pass the Civil PE Exam.  In addition, parts of it came in handy when I took the Structural I exam a few years later.  Thankfully I was able to pass both exams!

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

Episode 10 PE Exam Tips Revealed With Special Guest

Right-Click Here To Download

We asked Tim at EngineeringVideos.net to join us back for another interview. This time, Tim reveals his tips that helped him pass all three components of the California Civil PE Exam, including the seismic and survey portions.

Is preparation or exam day execution more important? While both are important, we get a very clear opinion about which one will give you the edge on test day.

What are some tips to help you keep moving when you get stuck? We answer this in the interview as well.

In addition, we discuss other tips such as what materials he took to the exam as well, and how to be prepared for the unexpected.

Here are the some links mentioned in the show:

To find Tim, you can find his free videos at engineeringvideos.net, or check out how he has organized civil PE Exam resources at civilpeexam.com. If that were not enough, those of you taking the survey exam may benefit from the Survey Practice Problems book Tim put together as well. Just check out the link provided.

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

When Will You Find Out if You Passed the PE Exam, and How Will You Cope?

Okay, so you just finished the PE Exam, and now you just want to find out whether you passed.  The question  of the day right after you pass is:

“When will I find out if I passed the PE Exam“

According to the NCEES website, they release their results around 8-10 weeks after the exam to your state, and in most states will also send you an email to let you know that your results are on the NCEES portal.

I know from experience that these two months you spend waiting on your results for the PE Exam can be some of the most stressful times ever.  I remember when I was awaiting my results for the PE Exam, I would look through the mail with heightened anticipation for any result.  Coworkers and I would discuss whether it was better to get a thick envelope or a thin envelope.  Was it better to get your results early or late?  Both arguments had their valid points, but the reality is you never know until you opened that envelope and see the results for yourself.

Five Things to do While Waiting for your Results

1. Be Patient -  You know you will not hear anything for about two months.  I would just put it out of your mind for at least that time period.  Just be patient and know that before you know it, your results will be available.

2. Be Ready for Bad News -   There is a quote that says something like ‘hope for the best, and plan for the worst‘.  I think this is sound advice when awaiting your PE Exam results. Of course, I am not promoting pessimism, but I don’t want you to be overconfident either.

3. Keep Your Materials – Before you sell all of those unwanted materials, please be sure that you make sure you passed the PE Exam first.  This point goes along

4. Learn from your experience – Try to sit down and write out some things that you can do better next time.  pass or fail, this is a good process to do.  If you fail, it will be of particular value.  And if you pass, you may be able to help someone else out.  Some questions to ask include : What could you do differently to prepare better?  Is there another test day strategy that you could employ?  Were there references or materials that could have helped you get an edge on the Exam?

5. Enjoy your free time – While waiting for the results of the PE Exam, try to use all of that time that is now freed up, and spend time with your family or friends. Or maybe start a new hobby or activity.  I am sure by now you want to put your time and efforts towards something besides engineering for a little while.

What do You Think?
What do you think is the hardest part about waiting for your PE Exam Results?  

Do you have a funny story about when your results were made available?  

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

Section III.  of the NCEES specifications for the breadth exam covers Structural Problems, and is 20% of the morning exam.
Part A. of section III specifies Loadings (Dead, Live, Construction) to be on the exam.

Here is a sample of such a problem.

Problem 301.    A second floor of an office building in downtown Dallas, Texas is constructed with the components  shown in the figure below.  What is the uniform dead load in pounds per square foot (psf) of this floor system?

Answer Choices: 

a)    20
b)    19
c)    17
d)    13

For the solution, continue to the next section:

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

Does Salary Increase when you get a Professional Engineer (PE) License?

It is often noted that one reason that your should  get your PE license is that your salary will increase.  Well, there is actually data to back this up.  For example, a National Society of Professional Engineer’s study cites that licensed engineers earn approximately $20,000 more than their unlicensed counterparts in the same position. Let’s see why this is true, and how you can help to ensure it happens to your salary.

Should I Get a Raise Instantly After I Pass the PE Exam?
Of course, I would not expect there to be an automatic raise to kick-in the instant you pass the PE Exam.  However, with time there will likely be pay increases that match your new resume.  Much will depend on the company and the manager you work for.  At a minimum, though, I would think that a nominal raise would be in order to show appreciation for your hard work.  When I passed the PE Exam, the company I worked for gave me a small bonus to say ‘congratulations’.  I suggest if that happens to you that you take your family out for dinner, because you could not have done it without them!

When Should I Expect a Raise, Anyway
Typically what happens is that after you get your PE License, you are able to manage projects yourself, be fully responsible for the design, and of course sign off on the design.  In effect, you justify more pay because you are producing more for the company.  What also happens is that once you start taking on those kinds of responsibilities, you are likely to be promoted within the company.  With this promotion, often comes a raise.  As you continue to move upwardly within the company, raises will match your promotions.

Upwardly Mobile
Let’s face it, people just do not stay at the same company for 30 years anymore.  Most people in this current job atmosphere hold multiple jobs throughout their career.  And once you obtain your PE License you become more attractive to other companies.  So if other companies make you an higher offer, you either take the new job, or ask your current employer for a raise.  Switching jobs is another common way that getting a PE License results in increased pay.

Know Your Worth
We have to remember, of course, that averages are just that, and many factors will affect your salary.  Factors such as where you live, your field of engineering, and the company you work for are some that play into your salary.  You should check to be sure that your salary is within a reasonable range based on all of these factors.  At some point after you pass the PE Exam, you will want to use this information to negotiate with your company to determine an agreeable salary.

It’s Not All About the Money
So it will generally be true that licensed engineers get more pay than those working in similar positions that are not licensed, but a lot of factors affect that, especially your ability to negotiate a good salary.  The money is certainly one reason to get your engineering license, but hopefully, you have other reasons to get your license as well.

What Do You Think?

Do you expect to get a raise once you pass the PE Exam?

How much of a percentage increase do you think is fair?

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

Do you want to know the key to passing the Professional Engineer Exam? 

Do you want to know the key to passing the Professional Engineer Exam?  The idea behind this strategy is really quite simple, but the follow is a little more difficult.  I believe that the primary key to passing the PE Exam is preparation.  Of course you will need to be sharp and ready on test day, but being prepared will help to ensure that as well.

1.  The PE Exam is Hard, so be Prepared

The Professional Engineering Exam is eight hours long, containing 80 problems on the exam.  The difficult part about the exam is that the knowledge base is quite vast, even within your specific discipline of engineering.  The result is that you do not know exactly which type of problems will be asked on the exam, and so you must prepare for any number of questions.   The other issue is that you have likely been away from much of the subject area during the past four years or so while you have been specializing in your area of expertise.  While this specialization is good for your career, it can make the PE Exam preparation more challenging.

2. Know What’s on the Exam

Since there is such a wide possibility of questions that you can be asked on the PE Exam, the best way to prepare for this scenario is to be ready for anything the exam will throw at you.  You will want to know of course what it is that is expected on your exam.  Those topics likely covered on your exam are provided in the exam specifications.   You can find the PE Exam design standards for your discipline of the PE Exam at the link.

3. Put in the Time

I have read in Lindeburg’s manual, and validate from my own experience, that a a PE preparation program including 300 hours of preparation will increase your chances substantially.  I realize that is quite a bit of preparation, but this requirement only underscores the fact that this test is a challenge to pass, and the key to passing is preparation.  During your preparation, most of your time should be spent working problems, with some time allocated to studying and brushing up on theory.  Some of the test will have questions related to theory, but even more will be solving problems.

4.  Get on a Schedule

Once you find out exactly what you should be studying for on the PE exam, then you need to establish a study schedule in order to cover each of those areas.  Most people allocate three to four months to study for the PE Exam.  Over that period, identify when you will cover each section, and then follow through with that schedule.  Of course, you can adjust the schedule as you go, but the schedule is there to keep you on track.  The benefit of a schedule is that it allows you to break the exam down into components so that it is easier to digest.  Over 12 weeks you will need to put in about 20 hours or more in order to reach the goal of 300 hours.  Just think of it as a new hobby

5. Get Motivated to Work Hard! 

The work and time required to pass the PE Exam is hard.  So in order to follow through with the recommendations, you will need to be motivated to pass the exam.  Some things that will help you stay motivated include the following ideas:

Five Quick Motivation Tips to Help Pass the PE Exam

1) Write out three benefits of passing the PE and place that on your refrigerator

2) Connect with others taking the PE Exam

3) Write a Schedule and Follow It

4) Explain to your family the preparations will keep you busy over the next few weeks, and

5) Try to something each day to move you closer to being prepared.

The PE Exam is not easy, if it were the pass rate would be 100%.  I am a believer that in order to pass the PE Exam you need to prepare adequately and stay on track with a good study program.  Hopefully you this key to passing the PE Exam will help you unlock your potential of passing!

What do you Think? 

I would love to hear from you.  Please leave a comment! 

What do you think is the key to passing the PE Exam? 

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

These are the design standards for the Civil PE Exam

…

…

..

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

This is an example post of theory for the PE Exam

Q = v *A

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

Ten Reasons to Become a Professional Engineer

The road to becoming a professional engineer can be somewhat tedious, and takes some perseverance to finish.  Considering the amount of effort it takes, I find it helpful to remember the benefits of getting a PE license.  Those reasons for getting a license may help you during those difficult times such as preparing for the PE Exam or taking the FE Exam.  First let’s look at what it takes to become a Professional Engineer.

A Professional Engineer in the United States is licensed in their state of residency, and sometimes obtains lice sure in other states as well. The requirements of each state are somewhat different, but the following requirements are true of all states.  A PE is someone who has at least:

* Earned a four year engineering degree from an ‘ABET’ accredited university
* Passed the Fundamentals of Engineering, FE Exam
* Worked four years under a licensed PE
* Passed the Principles and Practice of Engineering, PE Exam, in their state.
* Maintains the continuing education requirements
After meeting those requirements, one may refer to themselves as a Professional Engineer, and place the letters ‘PE’ behind their name.  A PE is someone in “responsible charge” of work done.  He is the one who signs the plans and takes responsibility for the project being done right.

But the question you may ask is, why would anyone want to go through all of that in order to be a PE.  From my own experience, passing the PE Exam, and getting my license to practice engineering was a great benchmark of my life, and can be for you as well.

Here are some of the benefits of getting your license, and reasons to put yourself through the difficult process:

Ten Reasons to Become a Professional Engineer

* it can be a crowning achievement to your career
* There is respect by your peers in the engineering as well as non-engineering community
* It gives you credibility with your clients as well as peers
* The PE Seal is required to do work on many Public and Government projects
* It may help you to advance your career by giving you additional credentials
* Provides a measure of job security during company downsizes
* Allows you to own a company or be a principal in an engineering company
* Aides in the marketing of your services on your resume as well as business cards
* The preparation required during the PE Exam allows you to master the subject matter you are studying
* Of course, the answer we had all been waiting for – Money.  Yes, getting a PE license can in fact help you to get a raise, get a new job with more money, or make more as the owner of your own company.

Keeping these advantages of getting your PE License in mind can help you to remember why you are putting yourself through all of this hard work to prepare for and pass the PE Exam, or the FE Exam in some cases.  Take a moment to write out three reasons why you want your PE License, and then place that on the refrigerator as a reminder to stay on track with your preparations!

Take Action

You can also listen to the podcast episode that I did covering the Advantages of Getting your Professional Engineer License.

What do You Think?

…I would like to hear back from you, and get some feedback about the article.  Please leave a comment. 

What do you think is the most important reason, if any, to get an engineering license? 

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

Using Video as a Tool to Prepare for the PE Exam – An Interview

The Civil PE Exam is quite a broad test to take, covering 5 sub-disciplines of civil engineering.  This episode provides some ideas on how to use video learning as a way to prepare for, and ultimately pass the PE Exam.  The resource that we discuss in particular is a website called engineeringvideos.net.  This site provides tons of video demonstrations on how to work specific engineering problems that you may be struggling with, or just need a refresher.  Enjoy!

Right-Click Here To Download

PE Exam Podcast Shownotes

Here are the notes and links mentioned in the show:

First we learned what EngineeringVideos.net is all about.  Then, we discussed the benefits of using video as a resource for studying for the PE Exam.  Tim discusses the secrets of using video, and how it can help you get an edge on the test.

We also discuss the Survey Practice problems book that Tim has developed.  For those of you taking the survey portion of the PE exam, or for those who are actually getting licensed as a surveyor, you need to check this book out.

To fid out about engineeringvideos.net, follow the link provided.

For the Survey Practice Problems book; go to this link, as mentioned.

http://acethepe.com/surveybook

Also, all of the videos are free to view on the Engineering Videos site, but in addition, you can get the DVD as well for a limited time here:

http://acethepe.com/engineeringvideos

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

Hi, I would like to offer help to my audience.  I will be selecting some questions for the next episode to cover.  My area of expertise is mostly Civil and Structural Exam.  If I do not know the area, I will try to get some help from someone.  Do you have a technical question about a problem you are working on?  Do you need help on study strategy or what materials to use?  Are you concerned about exam strategy?

Please submit your questions below or via email.

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

Show Notes – Time and Motivational Tips

Priorities and Motivation-
I know it is difficult.  You have busy lives, families, jobs, etc.
What are your priorities? (Mine are Faith, spouse, kids, and then “everything else”)
How important is this exam compared to “everything else”
When you walk out of the exam, will you be able to say “I did everything I practically could to pass the exam.
Get a vision for something that motivates you  -
E.g.  for me fear of failure & retaking the exam.  I knew I could not do this 2x

Review -
How much study time is needed?
08- noted 300 hours per Lindeburg
(if you study 300 hours and do not pass please let me know…)
Gave strategies for what to do during your studies.
Today discuss creating time.

Today is 2/5/10 & the exam is 4/16.

10 weeks from today!
Need to study 30 hours per week.

Time budget
We all have 168 hours a week to work from
How will you budget that?
40 hours work
56 hours sleep
16 hours – sunday
Leaves 56 hours – I am just asking you to spend about half of that or 30 hours…

Think about your week and where your time is being spent.
Could you have studied during that time?

Some practical ways you can “make time” to study
1.  Go in to work 2 hours early    (10 hours)
2.  stay 2 hours late     (10 hours)
3.  Talk to your boss about working less hours (10 hours)
(It can wait 10 weeks…)
4.  Talk to your boss about working 4 10′s or half day friday
5.  Have a talk with your spouse
work on saturdays (8 hours)
study 2 hours each nigh after kids go to bed (10 hours)
6.  Ask if your spouse can make dinner for the next 10 weeks…
quick foods
7.  Do not go out on Fridays – (4 hours)
8.  Excercise – this will help you stay mentally alert
9.  Do have some balance in your life – take some breaks, do some things
10.  Get out your calendar and pencil in the times you will study
11. Get a study buddy
12.  Just because you get behind, do not let it discourage you
13.  Quit wasting time (facebook, TV, )

So that is some things that may help you to make time to study for the PE exam.  You do not have much time left, but if you effectively use what time  you have, then you should still be OK.

Action – sit down and decide where you will find 30 hours a week to study over the next 10 weeks.  Mark the time in your calendar and then follow it.

Then, go to my blog at acethepe.com and let me know 1 or 2 ways that you will find some time in your schedule.

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

In this episode we provide some test taking strategies for the PE Exam.

Show Notes:
1.  Plan your test day
What to bring -

• Get your exam kit started – references, bound materials, calculator, stopwatch.  Get the free checklist for more info.
• Sleeping arrangements/ hotel

2.  The night before

• get to bed at a reasonable time

3.  Eat a good breakfast
4.  Before the exam

• Don’t cram the day of
• don’t talk about the exam.

5.  Relax – breath deeply and remember the 3 C’s

• Cool Calm and Collected
• This test is important, but
• you can take it again
• it is  really OK if you do not pass!
• Have fun!
• Ensure your personal info is correct
• Discipline info is correct
• Start your clock. take a deep breath and a sip of water.
• This is a eight hour exam in 2 parts
• 6 minute average, some will take more, some less
• Relaxed but methodical and on schedule
• Keep up with your time
• Skim the exam and think about your strategy.  (5 minutes)

6.  3 pass system

• Take the exam with 3 passes
• Easy  – Problems that you know “cold” with no resource
• 10 or so
• Medium – Problems that you know, but will need to come back to
• Hard -
• Then go through and skim the problems again, massaging problems that you are not sure about.
• With 5 minutes left, make sure all answers are bubbled

7.  Other things to keep in mind

• Bubble carefully – try to only enter 1 time
• Ensure your units are correct (psf, psi)
• Think through the problem carefully and then work it.
• don’t get bogged down.  If you are stuck on a problem longer than 7 or 8  minutes, you may need to move on

8.  After the exam

• Go out to dinner and relax!  You deserve a break
• Take your family out!

9. Summary

• Prepare & Plan ahead
• 3 C’s
• 3 Pass system
• Think!

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

In this episode we offer several tried and true study tips to help you prepare for the PE Exam.

You can listen to the show by clicking the audio player above.  In addition, I am copying my show notes below for your use.

Notes
How much study time is needed?
300 hours per Lindeburg
Break that down to 14 weeks
That is 98 days & 3 hours per day

This is a new hobby! But it is important for your career and development.   This is the most important way to pass the PE Exam.  There are no shortcuts!!!!  You must put in the time!  There is truly so much to cover, and you have to work problems and review the material.  Studying and knowing the material makes taking the exam so much easier.

Plan your strategy
Develop a schedule
When will you study?
Before work/ after work
Weekends
Find a quiet place
You may need to make some sacrifices (family, friends)
Determine what to study, and how long
five  parts to the exam
2 weeks for each breadth section
4 weeks for depth section
2 weeks to brush up after the exam is over.
Try to cover all of the sections, but focus on your strengths and make them better
Make sure you spend more time on the depth section material than the breadth.
Work 2-3 problems minimum each day.
Organize your worked problems
Lindeburg book has 90+ chapters.  read chapter a day.
Skim over theory, but know where to find it.
Highlight important concepts.
Place tabs on parts of the book you reference frequently
Follow your strategy
Write your schedule out & follow it!!!
“just do it”

Connect with others to hold you accountable
Consider joining an online forum
Get motivation from this podcast
Set a goal for how you will celebrate when you finish the PE
Think about how great it will feel when you pass the exam.

Take Action:
Write out a study plan, post it somewhere important and then follow it!

Find someone online or off that can hold you accountable to the schedule.

What do you think?
We want to hear your comments!

What is the most important key to studying for the PE Exam?

Get updates
Sign up for our email updates if you have not already done so.  This let’s you get  the free PE checklist as well as a promo code for a discount of of some of the materials.  Sign up below.

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

In order to effectively study for the PE Exam, you will need to get some study materials.  Here are 2 items you will need immediately.  This particular episode is geared towards materials for the Civil Engineering PE Exam.

* Special Offer! -Get a 10% Discount off of materials bought from PPI.
Many of the products listed in this checklist are provided on the PPI Publications website, and we have been given a special offer to pass on to you.  Go sign up to get the promo code in the pdf checklist.  This offer is good until January 2010.

Study and Exam Resources

A brief listing of some of the materials mentioned in the show is provided below.  A more detailed listing is provided in the free checklist that you can sign up for on this page.

Books & Guides
Civil Engineering Reference Manual by Michael Lindeburg
Civil Engineering Quick Reference

Problems
101 solved civil engineering problems

Sample exams
Civil Engineering Sample Exam (by ppi)
NCEES Sample Exam ( on NCEES website)

Design Standards - The PE Civil modules of Transportation, Structural and Construction require you to have design standards.  You will need these for the afternoon session.

Structural –

IBC 2006  and referenced standards.
ASCE 7-05
ACI 318-05
ACI 530 – 05
AISC 13th edition
AISC Seismic
NDS 05
PCI 2004
AASHTO  LRFD Bridge Design Specifications

Transportation -
AASHTO  A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, 2004
edition (5th edition), American Association of State Highway &
Transportation Officials, Washington, DC.

AASHTO
Roadside Design Guide, 3rd edition with 2006 Chapter 6 Update,
American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials,
Washington, DC.

HCM
Highway Capacity Manual (HCM 2000), 2000 edition,
Transportation Research Board—National Research Council,
Washington, DC.

MUTCD   Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 2003, U.S.
Department of Transportation—Federal Highway Administration,
Washington, DC.

PCA  Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures, 2002, 14th edition,
Portland Cement Association, Skokie, IL.

ITE  Traffic Engineering Handbook, 1999, 5th edition, Institute of
Transportation Engineers, Washington, DC.

Construction -
ASCE 37-02 Design Loads on Structures During Construction, 2002, American
Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, VA, www.asce.org.

NDS National Design Specification for Wood Construction, 2005,
American Forest & Paper Association/American Wood Council,
Washington, DC, www.awc.org.

CMWB Standard Practice for Bracing Masonry Walls During Construction,
2001, Council for Masonry Wall Bracing, Mason Contractors
Association of America, Lombard, IL, www.masoncontractors.org.

AISC Steel Construction Manual, 13th ed., American Institute of Steel
Construction, Inc., Chicago, IL, www.aisc.org.

ACI 318-05  Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete, 2005,
American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI,
www.concrete.org.

ACI 347-04 Guide to Formwork for Concrete, 2004, American Concrete Institute,
Farmington Hills, MI, www.concrete.org (in ACI SP-4, 7th edition
appendix).

ACI SP-4 Formwork for Concrete, 7th ed., 2005, American Concrete Institute,
Farmington Hills, MI, www.concrete.org.

OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Standards for the Construction
Industry, 29 CFR Part 1926 (US federal version), US Department of
Labor, Washington, DC.

MUTCD-Pt 6 Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices – Part 6 Temporary
Traffic Control, 2003, US Federal Highway Administration,
www.fhwa.dot.gov.

Water Resources & Environmental & Geotechnical – resources & texts from college.  A more detailed listing is on the free pdf checklist that you can sign up for.

Note:
For people taking the Structural I exam:
Get the Structural Engineering Reference Manual by Alan Williams
Also the Practice problems by Alan Williams

What you do not need for the exam:
Obsolete textbooks, mathematics, or calculus, etc.

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

It helps to know exactly what you are up against so that you can effectively prepare for and pass the PE exam.  This is an outline used for the audio show.

You can listen to the show right here or by downloading the podcast from iTunes.

General:

• 8 hour exam
• 80 multiple choice for most exams
• Structural II consists of 8 essay questions
• Environmental exam has 100 multiple choice questions
• PE Civil and Mechanical have  a breadth and depth module
  morning – breadth
  afternoon – depth

Open book exam

• bring own references
• wise to plan which references you take
• If you take a large stash, you may have your main books and then take a second box just in case
• references must be bound

Devices allowed in the exam:
particular calculators are permitted, and no other

• Casio:      All fx-115 models. Any Casio calculator must contain fx-115 in its model name.
• Hewlett Packard:     The HP 33s and HP 35s models, but no others.
• Texas Instruments:     All TI-30X and TI-36X models. Any Texas Instruments calculator must     contain either TI-30X or TI-36X in its model name.

Note: I recommend buying the calculator and using it at work. You can buy these at staples, best buy etc.

Prohibited devices (include but not limited to):

Qwerty devices, cameras, phone, laptop, calculator watches, reproduction equipment, electronic recorder, radio, headset

If such device is found after the exam, you will be dismissed and your exam not score

Some of the disciplines you can choose from

• Civil Engineering
• Electrical and Computer
• Environmental
• Mechanical
• Chemical
• Structural I & II

Civil PE Exam – Breakdown for the Breadth and Depth Format

Morning “Breadth” Portion – Covers 20% of each sub-discipline

• Geotechnical
• Structural
• Transportation
• Water Resources and Environmental
• Construction

Afternoon “Depth” Portion – You select a sub-discipline to work on

Geotechnical
Subsurface exploration and drilling
Engineering properties of soils and materials
soil mechanics analysis
earthquage engineering (liquefaction, etc)
Earth Structures
Shallow foundations
Earth retaining structures
Deep foundations
Other topics (groundawater and well fileds, aquifers, loads, construction methods, osha, temporary structures)

Structural
Loadings
Anaysis
Mechanics of materials
Materials Design (steel , cmu)
Member design
Design Criteria
Other topics

Transportation
Traffic analysis
Geometric design
transportation planning
traffic safety
other topics (25%) (hydraulics, hydrology, engineering properties of soils and materials)

Water Resources and Environmental
Hydraulics -closed circuit and open channel
Hydrology
Groundwater and well fields
Wastewater treatment
Water Quality
Water Treatment
Engineering Economics (2.5%)

Construction
Earthwork and Construction Layout
Estimating Quantities and Costs
Construction Operations and Methods
Scheduling
Material Quality Control and Production
Temporary Structures
Worker Health, Safety, and Environment
Other topics – to include groundwater well fields
Subsurface exploration
Earth retaining structures
deep foundations
loadings
mechanics of materials

Pass Rates for April, 2009
Civil PE:         66% (32% second time)
Structural I        48%    (25% second time)
Structural II        65% (36%)
Naval            100% (67%)

How is the PE graded?
Has a “cut” score to correlate with past tests.  This cut score varies from test to test.  The main thing to keep in mind is to try to get the best score you can!

Units
Most use a combination, but you can choose which units to work in.  The structural test is only US

Note: If you have not already done so, don’t forget to get your Free Checklist for the PE Exam.  It includes materials and tasks you will need to help you pass the exam.

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

In this episode, we discuss the registration process for the PE Exam.  Click on the player to listen to the episode.

Notes are provided below for reference.

First, Go to www.NCEES.org to find out the schedule for your upcoming exam and determine when you will take the exam.

Next, apply for approval to take the exam through your state. You will be able to download the state approval form.  Go to the NCEES site, then click on exam registration on the left to download the form.

Then, fill out the state form:
You will need to get your references and experience filled out.  Also you will need to get your transcripts from the ABET acredited university that you attended.  The deadline to receive the state approval is usually over four months before the exam.  There will likely be a processing fee for your state approval.

Finally, pay for the exam fee at NCEES
Once you get approval to take the test, you will need to go back to the NCEES.org website and pay for your exam fee for the State you reside in.   $245 for most PE exam fees.  ($735 for Structural II).  The deadline for NCEES exam registration for the 2009 exam is September 4.

You will get an email from the NCEES that your exam authorization notice can be downloaded. You will need to print that out to take to the exam.

You also get a link to the NCEES candidate agreement.  You have to sign this before the exam.  It is a good idea to read it ahead of time so that you don’t have to worry about that on the exam day.

Once you get all of the registration out of the way, you can just focus on studying.  Of course, hopefully you will have already started your studying for the exam!

Do not forget to sign up on the top right of this page for the free PE Exam checklist.

Thanks for listening, and we hope the best for you onthe upcoming exam!

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

In this second episode, I will discuss the steps to get your PE license.  The process is straightforward, but will take some planning.

Listen to the show here or by subscribing in iTunes.

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.

Welcome to the first episode of Ace The PE Exam.  Whether you are on the fence about taking the PE, or are getting ready to take the exam this yeat, this episode will give you motivation to get that PE license by passing the PE exam.

You can listen to the audio here or subscribe to the show in iTunes.

arichardson is a professional engineer and owner of the Ace The PE Exam website. Visit his site for more articles like this.