How I Passed Civil PE - Transpo Depth

• This is very important. The very first step. Do not skip this step. Enroll in the EET review course. Enroll in the AM and the PM. Do not proceed to the other steps until you do this. If you want to make this process as painless as possible, do not skip this step. Very important. Don't bother looking at other courses. This is the one you want to take. The course is less than $1K, and they take PayPal. Open a Paypal credit account with no interest for 6 months and pay it off over the 6 months if you need to. Better yet, have your work pay for it. This is a small investment in your future. My AM class had 28 students, and my PM 11. Emails or phone calls were answered immediately or returned within 2 hours. You just can not beat the advantage you will have on exam day after taking the EET review. I honestly don't think it is fair. 90% of the exam came directly out of their class notes.
• Find a study partner. If you're like me, and have no one close taking the exam, find a partner here on EB.com or through your EET class. Get phone numbers and emails, and use them. Daily. Ask each other questions. No matter how basic or trivial. This was invaluable. Our EET class setup a google group, so the entire class could bounce stuff off each other all week. I highly recommend you doing this with your EET class as well.
• Green Book, MUTCD, HCM ... these will be your lifeline over the next couple months. Try to get a hold of these early on, before your EET course begins. Especially if you are not a pure Transportation guy/gal. Get familiar with the NCEES outline, and where these topics fall in these references. If you have any questions before your course begins, ask them here.
• HSM - your guess is as good as mine. I had it and didn't use it. I tried to use it, but it is massive. I still to this day can't find the answer to the problem that "may" be from this text. Maybe this topic gets refined a little more over the next couple exams.
• Paving books - Just go from your EET notes, don't buy them unless you have extra cash. I never opened them.
• CERM - I used it for 1 question in the AM. That's it. I would probably have this regardless.
• All In One - One AM problem came straight out of this text, so yeah .... I'm glad I had it.
• I had Dr Freibold (sp?) Civil and WRE Dictionary with me, but I did not use it.
• Concrete Pipe Design Manual - This is a free download, print it and bind it. So many useful tables, charts, nomos .... you don't want to be calculating pipe area and hydraulic radius, you just want it from the table. All your culvert nomos and Mannings nomos are in here. Plus it's free, and you're an engineer, you should already have this.
• Principles and Highway Engineering and Traffic Analysis - Mannering and Washburn .... I bought this after a glowing review from a previous test taker. I strongly advise against this book. It is not written with the PE in mind, and is way too theoretical for what you need to be studying. Not to mention, there are no answers given for the end of chapter problems. You're never going to know if you did the problem right or not.
• NCEES Practice Exams - Yes, you need these. Get the old ones, get the new ones .... get them all. Refer to these problems when you're having a bad day. When you just cant grasp a concept or your struggling late at night and you feel you'll never pass. That is when you do a few of these problems. Before you ask .... YES! The exam really is as easy as the problems in this book.
• 6MS - These are a little harder than the exam but you need these.
• Time - I'll say I have 600+ hours going back a year, but you certainly don't need that. I must have spent 50 hours just highlighting and tabbing the CERM, going through what a co-worker had tabbed and highlighted in hers from her exam. See above, I only used this once. I had about 100 hours in EET class, and a solid 10-15 every week at work, spread out across lunch breaks or early mornings. I was over prepared. But that's not a bad thing, is it?
• UPDATED: I forgot to comment on the Mansour book. I had this, and used it a lot before the EET class began. I didn't use it much after. If you are going to try to attempt this on your own (see #1), this book would probably be a good source to have. It has most of the Green Book tables summarized, provides good explanations and practice problems to work. If you are going to take the EET class, I wouldn't bother.

Lastly, don't give up on yourself! You can do this.
My degree is in Land Planning, I do not have an engineering degree. I have never done anything with structures or soils. I work in Land Development and do pretty much only stormwater management and erosion and sediment control. I've designed miles of road, but have no experience with the HCM and those traffic engineering concepts. I have 3 little kids at home and 2 dogs. If I can do this, you can too. Just commit to it. Tell yourself 1 and done. But most importantly, see Rule #1 above.

Best of luck!

Very nice write-up JQ. Congrats on passing.

I always find it helpful when links are provided to the things people are talking about/recommending. Just a few:

EET - http://www.eet-california.com/

Concrete Pipe Design Manual - https://www.concrete-pipe.org/pdf/cp-manual.pdf

What did you use for the AM if you only used the CERM once and the AI1 once? Your EET notes, I assume?

AM was all EET. I can't stress how important it is for future test takers to take this review course. Thank you so much for recommending it!

John QPE said:

AM was all EET. I can't stress how important it is for future test takers to take this review course. Thank you so much for recommending it!

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Hey, we were in the same EET google group! California hasn't released results yet but I left the exam feeling pretty confident compared to when I failed in April 14. Congrats buddy!

NakedOrangie said:

John QPE said:

AM was all EET. I can't stress how important it is for future test takers to take this review course. Thank you so much for recommending it!

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Hey, we were in the same EET google group! California hasn't released results yet but I left the exam feeling pretty confident compared to when I failed in April 14. Congrats buddy!

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Hey, Naked, I quoted you over here, I hope that's ok.

http://engineerboards.com/index.php?showtopic=25246&p=7281776

Congratulation on Passing the PE Exam.

I totally agree with you about EET. I hope people will benefit from your impressive recommendations.

I highly recommend EET. I took both the Seismic review and the 8 hours review (Breadth & Depth) with them. They help me pass all the exams from the first attempts. I was very nervous and skeptical about taking the exams because I’ve out of school since 1998. EET instructors were extremely helpful and supportive. I took the live classes, for the depth I took Transportation.

They took the time to explain the material. They put tremendous effort in making sure that the students understand the subjects. Anytime I needed any help they went way above and beyond to help me and to make sure that all my questions were answered.

For the Seismic, I cannot thank Dr Ibrahim enough. I went to the test with lots of confidence. The way the class was presented and taught made it easy to understand and digest the material. Thanks again.

All the instructors did exceptional work. For the Transportation exam, the way the material was introduced and taught by Samir was outstanding. He took his time to explain the subjects and he did lots of practice problems and examples. The notes are simple and easy to study. His style of teaching made it easy to understand the subject. The classes’ notes are excellent. I took many references to the exams. But I hardy used any of them, I mostly used the material I was given from EET.

[SIZE=12pt]Again, for those who want to pass the PE exam, I highly recommend EET[/SIZE].

First time poster here! Thanks JQ for the info. I'm taking the exam in October and have been a little overwhelmed trying to figure out my studying strategy.

I hadn't heard of the EET review course before... but after looking at the site, I think I might sign up for it. Most of the review courses I've been looking at spend little to no time on the depth portion of the exam. Also, the Paypal option is a bonus!

It is my understanding that the exam is the same in every state (I'm from Ohio). Is there any reason that I should be deterred from taking this class given that it's based in California? I know the CA PE exam is set up a little differently so just wanted to make sure.

The exam is a nation-wide exam. The same exam in OH, CA, PA, etc ...

The only drawback to the Cali thing is the time zones. The classes are scheduled for PST, so you'll be starting mid-morning and ending early evening, but it really wasn't a big deal for me. When you take the practice exam at the end of the class, you may want to take it on your time zone, just to get your brain working at the correct time. I did this, and I am glad I did.

They do a lot (especially when you get into the depth portion) of weeknight bonus classes/problem solving sessions. This is where the time zone thing can be a little more cumbersome, but just deal with it. It's only for a few weeks. Regardless, all the lectures are recorded and available all the time, in case you fall asleep before a Tuesday night session starts (I did this one night).

Good point, didn't even think of that! It shouldn't be a problem for me though.

I am not a transportation guy but I did the transportation PM, back in the old days.

1) I enrolled in a review class but they cancelled the Lansing section and offered a spot in Cleveland instead. I declined.

2) I only knew one guy taking the exam when I did. But he was on his third attempt and was doing water resources so we did not study together.

3-12) A lot of the transportation challenge is procuring the references and learning where everything can be quickly referenced. It is great to have as many references as possible IF you can find everything quickly. If you cannot then the extra references will only slow and frustrate you. I made a master index of every practice question I did. So if I got a question on Atterberg limits, I would look in my index and it would tell me the book and page for the Atterberg problems that I did. As a result, I flew through the AM section in about 90 minutes.

13) I started studying about a year after graduation. I knew I was doing transportation and recognized I had a lot to learn.

Note: If I had to retake the PE now, I would do construction. Construction management is my grad degree.

I took the EET 8-hr and seismic classes too. SUUUUPER helpful, especially for someone that doesn't have a Civil background (like me). Highly recommended.

The only stuff I brought into the 8-hr exam were the EET binders, whatever manuals EET recommended (HCM [didn't use that one at all], AASHTO green book, MUTCD, etc.), and the NCEES practice exam book (didn't use that one either). Transportation PM. Passed 8-hr on first try. I had 6MS, but didn't use them... too much study material, not enough time.

My EET Review(s) here: http://engineerboards.com/index.php?showtopic=23704&p=7295771

For your perusal, EET - http://www.eet-california.com/

I just graduated in May. Our ASCE did a webinar thing which I watched, I'm not sure that's the same as EET? It'd be too late for me to start now anyways. Is the EET really that critical? The way I was going about things is I'm just freshening up on the stuff I did in undergrad (for the breadth), and trying to get a working understanding of the transportation specific stuff. I'm in the middle of my second semester of grad school (of 3), did my co-op in the traffic department of a state DOT, so I have some knowledge but not sure if I've done enough.

You still have at best 3 years to go before you can test though, or are you in one of those test early get licensed later states?

As far as I know most states allow you to take the test once you've got your BS and EIT. I got my EIT at the same time as I graduated, and I've already gotten approval from my local board and am registered for the test this month. Ohio is the only state in my region that I know of that doesn't allow you to test early, and I don't plan on working there.

Atharaenea said:

As far as I know most states allow you to take the test once you've got your BS and EIT. I got my EIT at the same time as I graduated, and I've already gotten approval from my local board and am registered for the test this month. Ohio is the only state in my region that I know of that doesn't allow you to test early, and I don't plan on working there.

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I don't believe that is true. Most states require a BS, EIT, and 4 years of experience.

Some states do allow grad school time to count in lieu of some of the required experience. This becomes problematic though if you apply for reciprocity/comity/endorsement in another state that doesn't allow grad school time to count. BS, EIT and 4 years experience is the safest route to licensure. At least until the ASCE gets it way and makes a masters a requirement. Although they've been trying unsuccessfully for at least the last 20 years.

http://www.nspe.org/resources/blogs/pe-licensing-blog/taking-pe-exam-early

This was written in 2011, and at the time 4 states allowed early exams. I know for certain both Kentucky and Indiana do now, since those are the states I'm concerned with.

http://www.nspe.org/resources/blogs/pe-licensing-blog/engineering-model-law-be-modified-early-taking-pe-exam

And this is from 2013, where they're allowing state boards to let engineers take the PE early. I'm assuming more states will be doing so, since it increases the rate of licensure.

And in 2020 all new engineers will be required to have a certain number of post-grad course work (not necessarily master's) to become licensed. I think that only applies to those who graduate in 2020 though, not those who want to be licensed in 2020 or later. Part of my decision to go for master's was to remain competitive with young engineers in the future.

In any case, is there no one else on this board who has taken the PE immediately post graduation?

Just an FYI, the additional credit requirement was overturned in 2014.

http://ncees.org/about-ncees/news/ncees-approves-revised-approach-education-initiative/

The U.S. engineering and surveying licensing boards that make up NCEES have voted to modify the approach to requiring additional education for initial engineering licensure by removing specific language in the NCEES Model Law and Model Rules, originally intended to be effective in 2020.

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Atharaenea said:

http://www.nspe.org/resources/blogs/pe-licensing-blog/taking-pe-exam-early

This was written in 2011, and at the time 4 states allowed early exams. I know for certain both Kentucky and Indiana do now, since those are the states I'm concerned with.

http://www.nspe.org/resources/blogs/pe-licensing-blog/engineering-model-law-be-modified-early-taking-pe-exam

And this is from 2013, where they're allowing state boards to let engineers take the PE early. I'm assuming more states will be doing so, since it increases the rate of licensure.

And in 2020 all new engineers will be required to have a certain number of post-grad course work (not necessarily master's) to become licensed. I think that only applies to those who graduate in 2020 though, not those who want to be licensed in 2020 or later. Part of my decision to go for master's was to remain competitive with young engineers in the future.

In any case, is there no one else on this board who has taken the PE immediately post graduation?

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^ they actually voted in 2014 to get rid of the date. They are still trying to make the recommendations but see the October newsletter about the annual meeting. https://cdn.ncees.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Licensure-Exchange-October-2015.pdf

darn matt you beat me to it