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I passed on my fourth attempt before I turned 50. I’m cheering for anyone trying again!

Thanks for the mention, @UKEE. Congrats again! Enjoy the great feeling while it lasts, it is well deserved.

Hello spammers about to make chili after an unwise decision to have coffee in the evening UNTZ UNTZ UNTZ

How nice of you to write such a long helpful response with your experience. So far it looks like I'm on the exact same route you laid out. I have already signed up for Zach's class, and I'm about 70% through his website. After completing it and having all of his AMAZING information in my binder, I plan on start taking a lot of practice test. I have a lot of practice test ready to be worked. I passed the FE this past September and I am busting tail trying to pass this PE the first time. I have made myself a study plan, and if I can stick to it, I will have a little over 400 hours of PE time before taking it the first time.

I passed Civil Transportation in the Fall 2019 after failing Civil Transportation in the Spring 2019 (43/80). 24 Morning, 19 Afternoon. So I wanted to write this for anyone taking future exams to help others to tell them how I did it. So for some background, I've been out of college for almost 9 years now, my major is in mining engineering but I have worked in Civil Transportation for the past three years. I don't consider myself naturally gifted at test taking or studying for that matter, I failed the FE the first time too and passed it the second time. Anyway so in the Spring I didn't have a lot going on in my life and basically I had all the time in the world to study. I did the School of PE on weekends but I really didn't study that hard during the week. When I took the exam it was a punch in the gut because I definitely knew I didn't do well. I got the results (while at the dentist), and I got my failing score. I'm actually shocked I even got a 43/80 because I guess on almost the entire afternoon portion. I didn't put the time in and that was my dose of reality that hey if you want to pass this thing you are going to have to earn it. The number 1 piece of advice I would give is if you failed you have to completely revamp your studying techniques. The consistent thing I've seen in people who have failed multiple times is that they study the exact same way over and over expecting a different result. So I looked at my diagnostic where I struggled and where I could make up points but also where I did well so I could focus on those questions first on the exam. I also realized that doing lots and lots of practice problems over and over and over was huge. They really make sure that you know the material and the only way to simulate that is to do practice problems. I started around Labor Day because I've seen people who started really early and they burned out. I completely revamped my notes and my studying techniques and I even put my phone in a locked drawer during the School of PE classes to stop myself from being distracted. I also was extremely busy this time around so my time was extremely precious even on weekends. I had to squeeze in studying whenever I could. My estimation was 250 hours studied compared to 100 hours in the Spring. The week before the exam I locked myself in a room and took the NCEES practice exam that's on their website for purchase. I simulated everything from bathroom breaks to taking the hour break at lunch. When I took this I did extremely well and I said to myself I can do this. My confidence going into the exam was very high. I went through all the questions number 1 to 3 in terms of difficulty. For the morning (and afternoon to an extent) I did the subjects I was good at first. By solving those questions first and getting into a good rhythm when I started to get into the subjects I wasn't good at I started to realize these actually aren't that bad. The last hour I was starting to get worn down but I pushed through and was still actively answering questions until the final minute which was definitely not the case the first time. I came out of the exam and I was like I passed. I knew it immediately. Anyway just wanted to offer my experience to those taking it in the Spring or the future. My top tips. 1. Revamp your studying techniques and plan to study between 200 - 400 hours to pass. 2. Start early but don't start too early as you will get burned out. 3. If you are taking the School of PE say on weekends, do the practice problems for that subject during the week after. It's amazing how well you think you know something just by listening but then when you actually start to work the problems it's a completely different story. Also I would go through the material for at least an hour the day before the class 4. Don't study the day before the exam. You want a clear mind and you want to be relaxed. Also, try to get a good night's sleep the night before the exam but obviously that is easier said than done. My recommendation is to take off Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Do your last minute cramming all day Wednesday, then sleep in Thursday. Don't study at all Thursday. Eat healthy food and make sure your only doing things like finding the exam site or getting all your books into your bag. No studying! 5. Try not to travel to take the exam if possible. I took it in Wyoming the first time and then I got approved to take in Colorado the second time and it made a huge difference not having to travel 4 hours and being able to wake up in my own bed. 6. Tabbing and organization are huge. Being able to find something very quickly is extremely important. 7. Make sure what you're taking you are going to actually use. If you haven't actually looked through a book don't expect it to save you on an exam. 8. Lastly you want to stay loose, you want to be confident. I wasn't confident in the spring. It's simple stuff like I went to the exam in pajamas in the Spring, but in the Fall I dressed up in a nice shirt and jeans. Still wore comfortable clothes for an 8 hour exam but enough to keep myself confident. Oh and I saw a food thread. I ate oatmeal for breakfast and a turkey sandwich for lunch. I ate a Honey Stinger Stroopwaffle right before the exam started in the morning and afternoon. It gives me energy when I run marathons and I figured way not for this! Hope this helps! Best of luck to everyone studying for the spring exam.

I found out at 5:15 tonight that I passed the power exam on my third try. I am in Louisiana and they were one of the last states to release today. I really thought I was going to have to wait over night for results. I made a 47/80 October 2018, 49/80 April 2019 and passed this time. I also took the FE exam in February 2018 and failed and in April 2018 and passed. So this was my 5th test within a two year window and I’m 11 plus years out of college. I was really ready to give up after the April 2019 test. But I decided to give it one more shot. The difference this time is I took Zach Stones class. I still thought I failed and really wasn’t excited about getting my results back. But I think I was very close to passing both of the previous times and Zach’s course helped me get over the edge. I found myself in the live classes picking up on little tid bits here and there that I was not doing correctly. I also found that the way he taught 3 phase circuit analysis made it much easier. And I guess it was just enough to get me the Pass. Because one thing is certain, that test is fricken hard. I really don’t have much advice except to take Zach’s class if you failed and do as many practice exams as you can. This forum has been very helpful as well. I will definitely stick around to help out where I can. Congrats to everyone who passed. For those who didn’t it’s not the end of the world. I know it sucks. And I would know after receiving multiple fails in the last 2 years but all I can say is don’t give up and keep trying. For those still waiting for results I’m rooting for y’all.

Personally I used the code book and got the NEC tabs then added some of mine own. I had access to the codebook for free thru work. Some of the NEC tabs arent as useful for the PE but I still used them to get close to the section I needed when I opened the book.

I was going to mention Austin, but then I saw your criterion about affordable housing. Hahahahaha. If you're looking at Texas, San Antonio is a good compromise. Big city, lots to do, and just an hour and a half away from Austin for outdoor music festivals, etc. If you're okay with your summers extending into October and very mild winters, then this is something to consider. If I had to move back to Texas, I'd probably do San Antonio. If you don't mind colder weather, Indianapolis has been pretty decent so far.

Hobbits

I hid from the internet today. Took the hubs to breakfast for his bday, went to Costco, came home and took a two hour nap, listened to an audiobook for a bit, then out to dinner. Home, relaxing with a cat.

I found out yesterday that I passed the Transportation exam. It was my third attempt. The first two times I signed up for the test, I got slammed at work and didn't have adequate time to study. My intentions were good, but I could either study or make my deadlines. I couldn't do both. I thought I was better prepared the second time because I had an idea of what I was dealing with. I still failed. It made me afraid to try a third time. Fortunately, this time around, I had more time to study. So I studied hard and did hundreds of practice problems. I also signed up for EET On-Demand for both the AM and PM exams. That really helped. I highly recommend them. For those who are still trying, I feel your pain. It's disheartening to put yourself through the trauma of that test only to see the red button on your results. It's also not easy when everyone and his brother at work asks if you passed and you have to admit that you didn't. My advice is sign up for April. Take it again while you still have the stuff fresh in your mind. Take a review course, if you can. I can tell you that when you do finally see that green button on your results, it will all be worth it.

This was my 4th attempt and I finally passed. Hard to put into words the relief I'm feeling. My boss always made a point to tell me that the test doesn't define me as an engineer and just kept encouraging me every time I failed. If you didn't get good news stick with it. It will happen!

What year were you? Spring 2011 is when I graduated.

We'll find out in the next 2 hours or so lol

This makes me very grateful to have passed. My wife would’ve strangled me if I had to study like that again.

Thanks for the mention, @bdhlphcdh

Happy to have you enrolled in our April 2020 PE exam semester @SparkyBill

2 tier chocolate cake, buttercream frosting, and my 1st attempt at tempering & piping chocolate. Thanks @KentuckyKid for the idea!

First time poster, long time lurker during the wait period. Wanted to share my story. As most of us were suffering during the suck, nature decided to have a snow storm here in the NYC area Wednesday morning. I made my daily routine to the bakery every morning and paid for my breakfast. Normally I place my wallet in my pants pocket, but I was wearing a long jacket (past my pants pocket) because of the weather and decided to place my wallet in my jacket pocket instead. I figured that the bakery is only two blocks from the train station, it would be easier to grab my wallet if it was in my jacket. When I got to the train station, I go into my pocket: my wallet, not there. Must have dropped it. Back tracking my steps in hopes to find it, no luck. So, I had to file a police report, called my bank, request for my drivers license replacement, called the credit reporting agencies, etc. Safe to say, it was a whirlwind of a morning. I thought to myself, if the results came out today, with my luck I would have failed. Fortunately, no results came out on Wednesday. But with Friday the 13th (gasp!) coming, if the results didn’t come out on Thursday I would have also failed. Fast forward to Thursday lunch break, I was sitting at my desk, refreshing this thread and some states were releasing results. Productivity after my lunch period = Zero. I got the email at 1:55pm eastern time, my heart accelerated as I logged in and BOOM! I PASSED! I made a silent fist bump to myself with a grin. Productivity after my results = Negative. I am thrilled not having to tell my coworkers I did not get the results yet anymore. I can now keep moving forward (inspiration being my username) to the next summit. For those still in the “wait” best of luck and I extend my recent good fortunes to you.

So I currently work in the Civil Transportation field but my major is in mining. I took Transportation in the Spring and I failed and I took it again in the Fall and I passed on my second attempt. Anyway I have heard of a number of people switching to Civil Transportation after failing other exams. I can't speak to the difficulty of other exams but Civil Transportation is not a gimme. It's still just as tough as the other exams. It's worked out for others switching over to Transportation but I wouldn't go in with the mentality that it's an automatic pass. You have to study just as hard for transportation as you do structures.

Made the KAF sourdough discard biscuits. Was supposed to get 6-7. I got 4 lol

@Zach Stone, P.E. His class is very good. If you do all of the prerequisite assignments, homework, and attend the live classes it will build a solid foundation for passing the exam. I cannot recommend his class high enough.

Calorie counting spam

Chattanooga. Affordable housing, good amount of electrical jobs, booming downtown, lots of outdoor activities, close enough to Nashville, Knoxville, Atlanta, and Birmingham for day trips.

Good luck.

I just downed a whole dominos buffalo chicken pizza. It was glorious. But now my lactose intolerance is kicking in.

Let me think... Yes, always, of course, by all means!!!

Taking the Exam My method of taking the exam was to work problems I knew how to do first. I marked those with an A. Then, when I came across a code question I would mark it with a star, mark questions I think I knew how to do with a B, and mark questions I didn’t know what to do with a C. After going through all the questions answering only the ones I felt good on first, I then went through and worked B questions. If I ended up figuring it out, I changed the B to an A, if I had to make an educated guess I left it as a B. I then worked code questions. If I found the answer, I changed the star to an A, or if I had to make an educated guess I marked it as a B. If I had to blindly guess I marked it with a C. I then went through and worked questions marked with a C. I used the formula A*0.9 + B*0.5 + C*0.25 to get a tentative score (where A, B, and C are the number of questions marked as such). I then spent time working on C's and B's to get them to B's and A's until my score was where I wanted it. I didn't want to go over my original A answers too much, because I didn't want to start second guessing my answers. My target score was 28.75 for each session, or 28.75 / 40 = 72%. Study Dates and Times 12 Wks before - Tu/Sat - 2/3hr 11 Wks before - Tu/Sat - 2/3hr 10 Wks before - Tu/Sat - 2/3hr 9 Wks before - Tu/Sat - 2/3hr 8 Wks before - Tu/Sat - 2/3hr 7 Wks before - Tu/Th/Sat - 2/2/3hr 6 Wks before - Tu/Th/Sat - 2/2/3hr 5 Wks before - Tu/Th/Sat - 2/2/3hr 4 Wks before - Tu/Th/Sat - 2/2/3hr 3 Wks before - Tu/Th/Sat - 2/2/3hr 2 Wks before - Tu/Th/Sat - 2/2/3hr 1 Wk before - Tu/Th/Sat - 2/2/3hr Around 74 hours of total study time. All my time was spent working sample exam practice problems, and learning how to do the ones I didn’t know how to solve. References Taken to the Exam NEC Indispensable! You will use this a lot. I did not use the handbook version because I was comfortable with just the code since I had to heavily use it in a previous job. I did buy the tabs, though. Those were very helpful. NESC Required. Used for 2-3 problems. NFPA 70E Required. Used for a few problems. NFPA 497, 499, and 30B Required. Used for 1 problem, I think. Electric Machinery and Power System Fundamentals (Chapman) My choice of book for rotating machines. This is the book I used in school, so I was very familiar with the contents and layout. I found the book very helpful for not only preparation, but I also used it during the exam mainly for it’s graphs to answer conceptual questions. Power System Analysis (Saadat) My choice of book for power system analysis. Again, I used this book in school so I was already familiar with it. Used to refresh on per unit and other topics. I don’t remember if I used it much on the exam, but I felt comfortable having it with me. Power System Analysis & Design (Glover) I found this book the week of the exam. I ordered it and received it in the mail the day before I left for the exam. I’m glad I did, because it helped me solve 1 problem. I originally answered the exam question without any references, but during my second-checking, I found I had answered the question incorrectly because of this book. Well worth the money for that one problem! Protective Relaying Principles and Applications (Blackburn) I didn’t use this at all while studying or during the exam. Wish I could get my money back. The Electrical Engineer’s Guide to Passing the Power PE Exam I really like this book, especially for its symmetrical components section. There are also a lot of random formulas for the applications section of the exam (like lighting, batteries, power electronics, etc.) Cram for the Professional Engineer Electrical and Computer Power Exam *Get this book* I found this book about 2 weeks out from the exam. I’m so glad I did! This book is well worth the money (like, $40?). Buy it along with the two practice exams! Reference Sheets Personal Formula Sheet MVA Method Notes ANSI Device Numbers Engineering Economy Formulas Average and Effective Values of Waveforms Reliability Notes TCC Curve Notes Mike Holt NEC Index Open Delta Transformer Notes and Equations Fluke ABCs of DMMs N4L Application Note - 014 3 Phase 2 Wattmeter Power Measurements GE Instrument Transformer Basic Technical Information and Application Substation Bus Schemes Practice Exams NCEES Practice Exam Good, but not as difficult as the real exam. Buy it. Complex Imaginary Exams (Vols. 1-4) Very good for refreshing on more power system analysis questions. Buy it. Cram for the Professional Electrical Engineer and Computer Power Exam (I & II) Very good! Buy these practice exams! The Electrical Engineer’s Guide to Passing the Power PE Exam Sample (From reference book) An odd exam, but every practice exam is helpful. Comes in the reference book. Engineering Pro Guides Final Exam Very similar to the difficulty of the real exam. Buy it. References https://drive.google.com/open?id=14vsBt7Aq-9f2o2eYDuhG0YWjKkS-KgAQ

I'll start with a couple Disclaimers. What I did will not work for everyone. There are some key advantages (and one key disadvantage) that I had going into the exam. Advantages: I have an ABET accredited bachelor's in civil engineering and a master's from an ABET accredited school, focused in geotechnical engineering. I also took several structural engineering courses as I was getting those degrees. My work experience has primarily focused on geotechnical engineering, along with a heavy dose of construction observation and construction materials testing. Most recently, I'm been working on geotechnical aspects of water resources projects, which has really helped round out my knowledge on general civil engineering topics. I'm a native English speaker. Obviously, the whole test is written in English, so speaking English as a first language is an advantage. However, this is particularly true of the geotechnical depth, which is heavy on conceptual questions that I can only imagine would be more difficult if English isn't your first language. I was between two large projects at work, without a whole lot pressing on my schedule. So, I was able to get quite a bit of studying done without too much distraction. I'm naturally a good test taker, particularly for multiple choice questions. I've been conditioned for decades to take multiple choice tests, and I picked up a few things. Thanks Public School System!! Disadvantage: I graduated with my bachelor's degree in 2010 and my master's in 2013. The reasons why are a story for another post, but by the time the October 2019 Exam rolled around, I was 9+ years removed from much of the breadth section material and 6+ years removed from much of the depth material. Actual Preparation I didn't take any prep course; it was all self-study. There's lots of discussion on prep courses elsewhere on these forums, however. I started my preparations for the October 2019 PE Exam in November of 2018. I knew that I would burn out if I started too heavily, so I started out light. My first step was to email my supervisor, telling him that I was planning to take the exam in a little under a year and asking what assistance was available. (There wasn't as much as I'd like, but it was decent, and definitely helped.) From there, I spent most of the next 5 months just acquiring and tabbing references. I'll list all the references and practice exams I used a little later on in this post. As I got my references together, I always referenced them to the NCEES Specification for the Civil: Geotechnical exam. Between November and February, I went though most of my references basically page-by-page and tabbed the things that I thought were most relevant to the exam specification. The only exception to this was the CERM. Don't go through every page of the CERM. For that, I went through each chapter that was likely to be relevant to the exam (based on the specification), and tabbed the most relevant equations, words, and concepts. I've linked the page with the Civil Exam Specifications, below. https://ncees.org/engineering/pe/civil/ Starting in about March, I began doing as many practice problems as I could get a hold of. I'll list them out, as well. I went through each practice exam and set of problems that I had twice during the course of 7 months, plus borrowed a few others from a friend. In honesty, I probably didn't need to start so early. If was going to do anything differently, I'd start working the practice problems a little later. My relevant knowledge probably plateaued about a month before the exam, and I probably could have started in April, with about the same results. As I went through practice problems, I modified some of the tabbing that I had put in my references, previously. Some of the things that I thought were relevant weren't as relevant as I had thought, and there were things that I missed, which became more obvious as I was working out practice problems. My study plan, basically from the beginning, was to study 2 hours at a time on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I think around July, I added an additional day in there, either Tuesday or Thursday, depending on the week. I was pretty good at sticking to the study schedule, and often timed it, both to not lose track of time, and to better simulate exam conditions. In late September, I took a full Saturday and took a practice exam (NCEES Practice Exam c.2014), simulating exam-day conditions as well as I could. I probably put in about 225 hours, all told. References PE Civil Reference Manual** (CERM) 16e, by Michael R. Lindeburg - Definitely a solid reference for the breadth section. It's pretty much all I used during the morning session. There's a lot of useless information, but if you reference the Exam Spec, mentioned earlier, there's also a lot of useful information. PE Civil Companion** 16e, by Michael R. Lindeburg - Is literally the index to the CERM, printed out and bound. Like many others on this forum, I highly recommend having the index to the CERM printed out and bound, even if you don't get it from PPI. New Dictionary of Civil Engineering*, by David Blockley - I only used this a couple times to confirm things that I wasn't 100% on and it wasn't particularly helpful. I think it could come in handy, particularly if you're not very strong with vocabulary. Principles of Geotechnical Engineering** 9e, by Braja M. Das - Very handy for the depth section, and I even used it a couple times on the breadth, as well. Foundation Design Principles and Practices ** 3e, by Donald P. Coduto - Also very handy. Has a strong, succinct discussion of a number of concepts, which was helpful for some of the many conceptual questions in the depth section. Geotechnical Engineer's Portable Handbook* 2e, by Robert W. Day - This is must for the conceptual questions in the geotechnical depth. I didn't use it a ton, but it was definitely helpful. An Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering* 2e, by Holtz, Kovacs, and Sheehan - This was the go-to textbook for my master's program. I used it a few times in the exam, but not much. It probably has the best discussion of both consolidation settlement and frost heave of any of the books I have. OSHA 29 CFR Part 1926* - I just printed these off from the interwebs. Very handy for answering precisely one exam question. Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering*, by Steven L. Kramer - I had this book from my master's. It was also handy for 1-2 exam questions. Soil Strength and Slope Stability, by J. Michael Duncan - Another book from my master's. Probably didn't need to bring it. ASCE 7-10 - I had this from my master's. It's a required specification, but I didn't use it for this particular exam. Principles of Geotechnical Engineering 6e, by Braja M. Das - Used this in my undergraduate soil mechanics class. It has a couple items that weren't included in the ninth edition. I didn't need it for either of those items. * - Used on the PE Exam. ** - Used extensively on the PE Exam. Practice Exams NCEES Practice Exam c.2014 - The most representative of exam questions. They're generally a little easier and more straightforward than the exam I took, but a must-have. NCEES Practice Exam c.2011 - There are a decent number of questions that aren't repeated between this and the 2014 practice exam, but I was expecting there to be at least a few more than there was, particularly given how much money it tends to run, these days. NCEES Practice Problems c.2008 - This has a good number of unique problems, though I have issues with a couple of them. I paid like $28 for it, and for that, it's worth the price. NCEES Practice Problems c.2000 - The exam specification has changed so much in the last 20 years, that there are a significant number of problems that are no longer relevant. This, combined with the repetition of problems in the 2008, 2011, and 2014 versions, results in actually very few unique, relevant problems. Six Minute Solutions Geotechnical Problems 3e, by Bruce A. Wolle - Definitely a good set of practice problems. Relatively few of them take six minutes, or less, but still really good practice. This was the first set of depth problems that I started on for my preparation, and I recommend doing it that way, because it set the table really well for me, personally. Practice Test Kit for the PE Civil Exam: Geotechnical, Part 1, by Ali Sheikhbahaei - These were probably the hardest (at least the trickiest) practice problems that I encountered and were actually fairly representative of the depth questions on the exam I took. There were a handful of errors, but I contacted the author and he seemed willing to hear me out. I haven't heard back from him since reporting the errors, but he probably at least looked them over. Practice Exam for the Civil PE Exam Breadth + Geo. Depth, by Indranil Goswami - The questions in this practice exam were definitely more time-consuming (and generally a little harder) than the average questions in the actual exam I took. However, they were definitely representative of the harder and more time-consuming problems on the actual exam. Don't expect every question on the exam to be as involved as this practice exam. There are also a number of errors that are well-document, but weren't too difficult for me to deal with. Civil Engineering PE Practice Exams, by Ali Asadi - I feel like these problems were fairly representative of the average-to-easier questions on the exam that I took. There were about 2 or 3 errors on each of the 5 practice exams. However, the author was responsive when I contacted him and I believe he addressed anything that was erroneous. For the price, I think it's a solid source of a fairly large number of practice problems. Civil PE Practice Exam, Breadth Version A, by PE Prepared - These were definitely easier and more straightforward than the actual exam, but are still decent practice problems. They're also very responsive, so I expect that most of their stuff should be pretty accurate. Civil PE Practice Exam, Geo. Depth Version A, by PE Prepared - Pretty much the same commentary as the above. There were a few more errors in this one, but they assured me that they had been updated after I contacted them. PE Civil Practice Problems, by Michael R. Lindeburg - 0/10, Would Not Recommend. Best used as a doorstop, thanks to its thiccness. A significant majority of these problems are just not relevant to the current specification of the Exam. Much like there's a lot of useless information in the CERM, there are a lot of useless problems in this book. Then, even the relevant concepts are often presented in an outdated format, that's not relevant to the multiple choice Exam. Example: One of the problems asked me to graph a plot on semi-log graph paper... Admittedly, I could have found something on the internet to print off, but to what end? Other Items Seat Cushion - I took the exam at the Cleveland Public Auditorium, which had decent enough chairs, but a seat cushion was definitely nice, particularly during the afternoon session. Analog Watch - There was no clock in the room where I took the exam, so having a watch was a must. Smart watches are a no-go and I didn't want there to be any confusion about a digital watch being a smart watch, so I just brought in an old-school, battery-powered analog watch. Clear Plastic Ruler - Not necessary by any means, but was really nice for picking up values off of graphs/charts. The clear variety was even nicer, because I could see the whole graph/chart through the clear plastic. Water Bottle - I took my vacuum-sealed, steel water bottle, which had to be kept on the floor. Protein Bars - Took 3, only ate 1. Ear Plugs - Didn't need, but if you're bothered by the sound of hundreds of rustling papers, definitely a good idea. Excedrin - Also didn't need, but wanted to have, just in case. I stayed in a hotel the night before the exam. It was probably a 45 minute drive from where I live to downtown Cleveland, and it was nice to be basically right across the street and have someone else make a hot breakfast for me, ready at 6 am. I also took a sleep aid two nights before the exam, which left me a little hazy the day before the exam, but actually made it fairly easy to fall asleep the night immediately before the exam, despite being fairly nervous. I walked out of the exam feeling fairly confident that I passed. I was able to make at least an educated guess on each question, with only a few in each session that I wasn't sure of. At the time, I felt like I got about 36 +/- 3 on the morning breadth and about 33 +/- 5 on the geotechnical depth. So, probably somewhere between 61 and 77, which is almost always plenty to pass. I think that's about all I've got. If anyone has any questions, feel free to reply in this thread or to PM me. Good luck as you prepare to slay the dragon!

Hey guys, I wrote novel about how I prepped for the Civil: Geotechnical exam, for the benefit of anyone who failed. Enjoy!

Howdy folks, I wrote a novel about how I prepared for the Civil: Geotechnical Exam for the benefit of anyone who failed... or anyone, really.

My favorite part about Christmas with kids is introducing them to traditions we had as kids. I’m showing them the classic Grinch cartoon. And SPAM morning to all of you’s guys

C'mon Hawaii! SPAM MUSUBI!

I have been a long time lurker here. EB helped me a lot in preparing for all my tests. And I feel like it’s my turn to contribute to this page by sharing my journey. I started preparing for the exam around May. Since the Lindeburg reference manual was effective for me when I was preparing for the FE, I figured I could just go study the CERM and be okay. After self studying for 3 months (mostly weekends only), I was able to study most of the breadth part. Then I hit a wall. I didn’t know what to study for depth since CERM only covers a fraction of the depth part. After researching a lot of review classes, I decided on taking EET on demand for transportation depth. I made a schedule and sticked with it. I finished the review class in 3 weeks. Then I decided to also take the breadth review from EET which I also finished in 3 weeks. After all the classes I started doing the quizzes and practice problems myself, going back to the sessions where I was having a hard time with. 4 weeks before the exam, I took the NCEES practice test. It went well. I scored better on the depth part than the breadth. I worked on breadth for 2 more weeks. 2 weeks before the exam, EET gave the simulation test. The simulation test was tough and my result was reversed. I scored better on the breadth part. They gave the solutions and I worked the problems again. Browsed the EET handout cover to cover and made my own index. Exam day, I brought all the references I could carry, all the reference manuals for transportation, and it was a lot! Looked ridiculous but I was thinking heck if I’d need it, atleast I have it. I ended up using most of them but mostly the EET handout and my index as my main reference. Only browsing CERM for some theoretical questions. When I was done with the exam I felt good. I did get paranoid from time to time before the results were out. But I got the result and I passed. I guess the main thing that I want to impart is that preparation is the key. Everyone studies differently, but you have to find what’s effective for you. For me, I thought I was doing well self studying but the review classes really helped me a lot. The sample problems, quizzes and practice problems really helped aid my preparation. I still feel that it was a good investment and would have never passed without it. So dip you feet on the water, try all the approach and find what’s effective for you. I hope you crush the exam next time you take it. Never lose hope. You’ve come this far.

Georgia may still be crying from the SEC Championship. Geaux Tigers!!!

Put that in some orange juice and you have a creamsicle.

40% pass rate on power im very fortunate

Yes, time management is critical and there's a reason everyone harps on that. I'm a bad test-taker (some people insist that just means I'm dumb lol) and establishing a strategy helped a ton. Mark each question 1-3 or 1-4 with 1 being the easiest. After you go through and solve all the 1s, go back to the beginning and start on the 2s, etc. If it's been several minutes on a problem and you're not making much progress, move on. As far as references, I probably overdid it. I took all required codes (ACI, ASCI, ASCE, Masonry, NDS, PCI, AASHTO). ACI and AISC are the most critical in my opinion... ASCE is also pretty important. I also used the CERM and two OSHA books (didn't even open them this last time). The reason the school of PE notes are so helpful is that important topics in each subject are already organized well. I went further by tabbing out the SOPE practice problems with things like "determine area of steel" for a concrete beam or "seismic base shear calculation" so I could find them more quickly. In past attempts I mainly used the CERM index for a lot of breadth topics. I found that the SOPE notes actually had more helpful information when I finally ended up passing. Last thing... the most important part of structures (or passing the structures depth) in my opinion is analysis of structures (calculating reactions and moments). That has always been my strongest area and if you're comfortable solving for those values in a structure without having to look at a reference you will be in pretty good shape. In particular I utilize the beam tables in AISC (also located in CERM) more than anything else. So much can be solved using those formulas that would otherwise take much longer. Sorry this was so long. I'm pretty passionate about helping other people realize they can do it, because I've been there. It sucks big time but you WILL get there eventually if you stick with it.

I'm in Zach's class right now. Taking the test first attempt this April and I am already studying 20 + hours a week. I absolutely love his teaching method and his website! Congrats on passing!!

That was the difference for me as well. I failed in October 2018. Found out I passed today. Zach’s material is the best out there. Was worth every penny.

My initials are GRA. I did not think this through.

Depends on your budget too. Take a look at your diagnostics. If there are 1 or 2 areas really stumping you, there's plenty of YouTube videos that can help explain things. @ItsStudyTime! didn't take a review course and she passed her first time by making heavy use of YouTube videos and @justin-hawaii's study guide (Eng Pro Guides). I also highly recommend @Zach Stone, P.E.'s course, but he has a lot of free articles and videos you can look at to see if you think it will be a good fit before you spend the money. I did not take Justin's course, but I purchased his study guide and practice exams, which I thought were quite helpful.

Yes! I passed this time around BUT it was my third time taking the exam. It is so hard to get the red button but there is hope!

Thanks guys. I’ll just regroup, register, and start studying again.

Probably have a miller lite or two.

Cried a little...

Day 51 of the Suck.

Right there with you

Day 50 of The Suck, for those of us still waiting.

Failed first attempt Civil: Construction - 42/80 Breakdown: AM: 21/40 PM: 21/40