25 replies to this topic

[Massalia13]

Let's share your thoughts here about the October 2011 exam and how you prepare it.

[jregieng]

JR

[Massalia13]

JR

Seems like I'm the only one taking the exam in October :-)

[jregieng]

Give it some time, more people will show up once the results cycle wraps up and people start to put nose to grindstone.

Have you set up a schedule yet? Got references? Started working problems?

JR

[Dleg]

I didn't really start studying until July for the October exam. I think it's better to get an earlier start. Hopefully a few others will turn up in here for this cycle. Guaranteed, there are already a dozen or so "lurking" and just not registering or posting yet. If so, I encourage you to go ahead and post. This can be an excellent stress reliever during studying, as a place to vent, or ask questions about practice problems, references, what to expect, whatever.

[Massalia13]

I didn't really start studying until July for the October exam. I think it's better to get an earlier start. Hopefully a few others will turn up in here for this cycle. Guaranteed, there are already a dozen or so "lurking" and just not registering or posting yet. If so, I encourage you to go ahead and post. This can be an excellent stress reliever during studying, as a place to vent, or ask questions about practice problems, references, what to expect, whatever.

Actually I started studying about 2 weeks ago following the ENVRM2 chapters. Even if I skipped the “Background and Support” chapters, I still have to study around two entire chapters a week until the exam (including reading specific references and doing practice problems) and I’m starting thinking this will be hard to achieve, especially for areas I never studied before (air pollution etc.)
What do you guys think?

[VTEnviro]

Let's share your thoughts here about the October 2011 exam and how you prepare it.

I typically prepare it using a light vinegrette and a dollop of creme fraiche...

Good luck studying, if you have questions, fire away.

[ENVEguy]

Right now I'm gathering my references...got the NCEES example q's and I'm working through them slowly...finding out if my references have the info needed to solve these (equations in sol'n are in my references).

Going to start going through the ENVRM2 very soon and start drilling on that. I also got the NC DVDs and plan to start watching those on the weekends with beer in hand.

[Dleg]

You can do it, going through the ENVRM. Skip the math chapters and thermo - just go back to those as necessary, to brush up on skills you might fnid are lacking while you study the actual exam content. I think I spent 2-2.5 months working my way through the ENVRM and other references, as they became necessary. Then, about 3-4 weeks ahead of the exam, I took a timed practice exam, and then spent the remaining time brushing up on weaknesses.

[ratomast]

Hi all! I am new to the Engineer Boards. I am considering signing up for the OCT 2011 exam. I have been out of school for 25 years and am very nervous about the exam. I am employed by a consulting firm doing light environmental work. I can't decide between the Civil with Water Resources and Environmental vs. Environmental designation. Does anyone know the difference between the exams. I have a Petroleum Engineering degree but never practiced Petroleum Engineering. Also, any suggestions about prep courses?

[FLBuff PE]

Hi all! I am new to the Engineer Boards. I am considering signing up for the OCT 2011 exam. I have been out of school for 25 years and am very nervous about the exam. I am employed by a consulting firm doing light environmental work. I can't decide between the Civil with Water Resources and Environmental vs. Environmental designation. Does anyone know the difference between the exams. I have a Petroleum Engineering degree but never practiced Petroleum Engineering. Also, any suggestions about prep courses?

Welcome, ratomast! Don't let your years out of school prevent you from taking the exam. Just give yourself enough time to get back into studying/problem solving/exam taking mode. On the Civil with Water Res and Env, you will have to take the morning general (IIRC), which includes transportation, structural, geotech, etc.

[Dleg]

One word of caution, though, ratomast - you might be too late to register for the October exam. To take the exam, in most states anyway, you need to submit a full PE application by sometime in June. Check with your state licensing board. Otherwise, you can get an early start studying for the April 2012 exam.

[envirotex]

Hi all! I am new to the Engineer Boards. I am considering signing up for the OCT 2011 exam. I have been out of school for 25 years and am very nervous about the exam. I am employed by a consulting firm doing light environmental work. I can't decide between the Civil with Water Resources and Environmental vs. Environmental designation. Does anyone know the difference between the exams. I have a Petroleum Engineering degree but never practiced Petroleum Engineering. Also, any suggestions about prep courses?

I have similar qualifications, though not exactly...the first time I took the petroleum exam...the second time I took the environmental exam and got a pass. Go with what you practice in your job, and good luck!

[ratomast]

One word of caution, though, ratomast - you might be too late to register for the October exam. To take the exam, in most states anyway, you need to submit a full PE application by sometime in June. Check with your state licensing board. Otherwise, you can get an early start studying for the April 2012 exam.

I actually just got approved to take the exam a couple of weeks ago. So that is taken care of, now the hard part.

[ratomast]

I have similar qualifications, though not exactly...the first time I took the petroleum exam...the second time I took the environmental exam and got a pass. Go with what you practice in your job, and good luck!
[/quote]

Thanks for the encouragement! I will need to acquire some of the study info and evaluate which is the best direction to go in. Any suggestions on study info?

[Dleg]

^Yes. Look at the post "stickied" to the top of this forum, called "Advice on the Environmental Exam" I believe. It contains study advice and reference recommendations from several successful test-takers.

Good luck! You can definitely do it in the amount of time you have left - I did.

[Meghan]

I too am a Petroleum Engineering Major who is an Environmental Engineer.

I almost passed the exam this last time. The hardest parts have been the Wastewater and Air. I purchased the NC State DVD course and that helped me with learning WW and Air.

It's really about studying and knowing where to find the answer. I even taught myself a few problems the last time.

My most helpful books has been the Environmental Dictionary and ENVRM. I also borrow the Civil ENVRM and Haz Materials by Granger (I think.)

I recently purchased the 4th Edition Metclaf & Eddy WW book because the NC State DVD uses that book for WW. Since I need more help with WW I decided to purchase the book.

It's been recommended to have the NIOSH pocket guide (You can print it for free), and Environmental Law.

I started studying last weekend by skimming the E-Law book. Am going to get set up with the DVDs again and start reviewing.

[emvirosafe]

I am planning to take the exam in october. But I have not heard back from the board on approval. How long did it take for you to get the approval since you submitted the application?

[envirotex]

I am planning to take the exam in october. But I have not heard back from the board on approval. How long did it take for you to get the approval since you submitted the application?

Don't register for the exam until you get your approval letter...and check with your state board. They can probably give you some sort of timeline, and they generally are pretty friendly.

Good Luck!

[txtrina]

I'm taking the October exam too. I have read/skimmed through the ENVRM and have started working on the practice problems. Luckily my work has the NCState DVDs and are offering a prep class that started last week. I'm getting nervous about getting enough studying in before the exam!

[VTEnviro]

If you have any questions, we're here to help.

[FLBuff PE]

If you have any questions, we're here to help.

What's the best thing to eat for lunch in between the morning and afternoon sessions?

[Jeffrey]

If you have any questions, we're here to help.

I could use some advice... I've started studying for the exam. I worked the problems in EERM for fluids, groundwater, hydrology, open channel flow (half or so), water treatment (ch 23-24), wastewater treatment (ch 25-26), and water distribution. I bought used NCSU review DVDs recently, and I've watched the wastewater sections and I'm about 1/2 way through the air videos. I've worked the wastewater example problems from NCSU. And I'm about 1/2 way through the air examples - I'll finish the other half when I watch the rest of the air videos.

My general concerns are: 1) I think I spent too much time fooling around with hydraulics since I don't know if the environmental PE exam is as in depth as the civil-water/environmental exam - and I'm not very good at that stuff. 2) I'm really slow at the problems. 3) There's still a lot of material left to cover, and I don't know how to prioritize my studies.

I've still got to cover:
Finish air review - are the Lindeburgh practice problems adequate?
Solid Waste
Health & Safety

I've got the opportunity to attend a hydraulics/pump review by Test Masters through work this weekend - but is that really a good use of time? Are hydraulics/pumps really important for the enviro exam?

When is a good time to take a practice test?

Getting nervous.

[Dleg]

It's been a few years, but you will see hydraulics questions on the exam. How many? Hard to say - probably in the range of "you could still pass, as long as you got almost everything else correct".

I would start focusing on the air, haz waste, and health and safety stuff now, if I were you. You still have quite a bit of time, but I'd definitely start putting most of my effort on those areas now. It sounds like you've hit the hydraulics stuff hard enough now.

The EERM is not very useful for the haz waste/solid waste questions. It's not bad for reviewing air and health and safety, but you will want some supplemental references on haz waste. La Grega is always the recommended reference, but I've seen some others here who recommend Kuo (remediation calculations something?) - check some of the stickied threads on references and advice.

Good luck.

[VTEnviro]

Review the exam spec on the NCEES site. Hydraulics is part of a group of areas that comprise 4% of the test. Try to study with the percentages in mind. For example, for every 100 hours you study, devote around 4 hours to hydraulics. A little less if you're strong, a little more if you're weak. There are a ton of disciplines covered on that exam, and you can mess up your chances to pass if you spend too much time on any one area.

[tmac0329]

Jeffrey - Here are my thoughts on your questions based on my experience with the April 2011 exam (which I passed). 1) You probably did spend too much time on hydraulics, but don't worry about it now. I would not recommend doing the hydraulics review course. That time will be better spent on another topic. 2) I was slow at problems too. I did 3 timed practice tests (only 1 in a single day!) and could never finish the morning section in 4 hrs. On the actual exam I finished the morning 30 minutes early. 3) For the material left to cover, divy up what you haven't covered according to % covered on the exam.

Some other thoughts:

Re: Air - I didn't work any problems in the EERM. If you can get your hands on the 101 Problems by Schneiter, the air questions in it are very thorough. I did find the slides from the NCSU DVDs very helpful on the air section during the exam.

Re: Solid Waste - Again, the 101 Problems were helpful. A solid reference is also a must. I used Integrated Solid Waste Management (Tchobanoglous) and Hazardous Waste Management (Lagrega).

Re: Health & Safety - The NCSU DVDs were helpful. Good references are key. A copy of the NIOSH Pocket Guide is recommended.

Re: Site Assessment & Remediation (new topic starting April 2011) - None of the study materials adequately address this in my opinion. Luckily it's what I do, but I could definitely see this being a big problem if you don't work in this field. My best advice here would be, again, get some good reference material and familiarize yourself with it. I recommend Practical Design Calculations for Groundwater and Soil Remediation (Kuo). Also have a good groundwater reference (like Applied Hydrogeology by Fetter). Also bring a copy of the Federal Drinking Water Standards.

Re: Practice tests - I started three weeks out. I had the Schneiter tests (3) and the one from NCEES. I did the first Schneiter one untimed in the weekday evenings just to get a feel for it. Then for the other 2, on the weekends I did morning session on Sat, afternoon session on Sun, timed. The Monday before the exam I did the NCEES one timed, just like the real thing. It was a brutal 3 weeks. Take the day before the exam off.

Good luck!