singlespeed
Tormented
Everyone and their situation is unique - this advice is not directed at you individually, but to a diverse group; use what you will, discard the rest, no worries. Requirements vary by state; requirements are subject to change. There is no magic formula and this is only intended as a guide. I make no claims that this is complete, but I am going to post it now because if you're thinking about taking the April '07 exam you need to start NOW!
Before you start - some things to consider:
Costs - application fees, exam fees, study materials, calculators, review class, travel & lodging, license fees, seals & stamps. In my case: $80 app. fee, $235 exam fee, approx. $400 in study materials, 2 calculators @ $15 ea., $550 review class, $20 in travel, and a $75 license fee - grand total $1390.
Time - budget 250 - 300 hours of study; more for some, less for others.
Experience - can vary by state and degree (BS, MS, etc.); generaly you'll need four years.
References (professional) - can vary by state; generally you'll need five, three from PEs.
Motivation - What are your reasons for pursuing licensure? Chances are, there will be some point on the long journey to licensure that you'll question why you started this whole thing. When you get to that point, will you have an answer? An answer that will keep you going? An answer that your spouse and family can accept because you've become something like Mr. or Mrs. Hyde?
Credits - some folks on this board who have been helpful to me and many others; I have borrowed heavily from the posts of these folks. :thumbsup:
EEs - Kipper, benbo, Luis_O, Art, Wolverine, Frontier05, clay1492
General - RoadGuy, DVINNY, VTEnviro
The exam process - start with NCEES, they will have control of your life for while; their site has links to pretty much everywhere you need to go on the web; some patience required (more when waitng for results). ELSES, EES, and CTS are just three of the exam administrators used by the states.
NCEES
State Licensing Boards
Calculators
ELSES
EES
CTS
PE Exam preparation - specifically produced to prepare for the exam; some products may be useful later as general references.
NCEES Study Materials
"the other board" Study Materials
Kaplan Study Materials
Other References - there are many available; I will try to start some "book review" threads on specific works.
Review classes - availability varies greatly by state; Testmasters seems to be nationwide; other sources include local engineering societies (e.g. Engineering Society of Detroit). I took a review class and prepared for each session; I didn't rely on the class to teach me something new (although I always learned something new); these classes are review classes, treat them accordingly. I personally know people that relied on the class to teach them the material and didn't follow up with homework - they failed.
Preparation strategy - there seem to be two camps
1. Problems, problems, problems - I found that working a ton of problems helped me understand the nuances of the theory involved. It also helped develop quickness and confidence in problem solving - useful on exam day.
2. Theory, theory, problems - concentrate on understanding the theory, then follow up with problems; if you know the theory, you can solve any problem thrown at you.
Choose what works for you.
Preparation logistics
Assemble reference material - you needn't get it all at the start; in fact, it might be better to see where you will need additional materials due to a lack in what you bought, or to provide additional help in your weak areas.
Create a schedule - you're an engineer, for chrissakes B) - make a spreadsheet, plan for contingencies, create deadlines or milestones, track your progress.
Systematic review - take a look at the NCEES exam specification; no sense putting a lot of effort into Controls if you're taking the PM Power depth.
Practice exams - generally considered a good evaluation of where you're at, both in knowledge and speed; take it timed; I did an AM or PM on one day, then did another on a different day about six weeks out from the exam; did both AM and PM on a single day two weeks out from exam; this will help with your endurance.
Evaluate strengths and weaknesses - be honest with yourself, can you work those problems without peeking at the answers? Did you get the problem correct in it's entirety including units? How long is it taking you to complete the problems? Practice exams are very useful here as well.
Work on your weak areas - practicing what you know can be a confidence builder, but.....you'll need to work on what you are having trouble with; review theory and practice problems in these weak areas.
Assemble and tab references for exam - get something with wheels to store / organize your reference materials in; it's sometimes handy to print out indexes of large references separately; some folks like to use lots of tabs, others don't.
Exam strategy - again, opinions are generally in a couple of camps
1. Read all problems, assess and note difficulty; complete problems you know and then work on the more difficult ones.
2. Work the problems you know, skipping those you don't; go back through and attempt the problems you skipped; repeat as necessary.
Helpful hints - read the question and answer it! This sounds obvious, but when you're anxious or in a hurry....
are your units correct?
orders of magnitude?
off by root 2 or root 3?
Guessing strategy
1. Reduce obviously wrong choices.
2. The answer is always C.
3. Create pleasing or chaotic patterns.
I apologize for any errors or omissions; however, there are a number of helpful folks in EE on this board who can set me straight and I'll edit as we go. Comments and suggestions appreciated!
Good luck to all the April '07 examinees!
Before you start - some things to consider:
Costs - application fees, exam fees, study materials, calculators, review class, travel & lodging, license fees, seals & stamps. In my case: $80 app. fee, $235 exam fee, approx. $400 in study materials, 2 calculators @ $15 ea., $550 review class, $20 in travel, and a $75 license fee - grand total $1390.
Time - budget 250 - 300 hours of study; more for some, less for others.
Experience - can vary by state and degree (BS, MS, etc.); generaly you'll need four years.
References (professional) - can vary by state; generally you'll need five, three from PEs.
Motivation - What are your reasons for pursuing licensure? Chances are, there will be some point on the long journey to licensure that you'll question why you started this whole thing. When you get to that point, will you have an answer? An answer that will keep you going? An answer that your spouse and family can accept because you've become something like Mr. or Mrs. Hyde?
Credits - some folks on this board who have been helpful to me and many others; I have borrowed heavily from the posts of these folks. :thumbsup:
EEs - Kipper, benbo, Luis_O, Art, Wolverine, Frontier05, clay1492
General - RoadGuy, DVINNY, VTEnviro
The exam process - start with NCEES, they will have control of your life for while; their site has links to pretty much everywhere you need to go on the web; some patience required (more when waitng for results). ELSES, EES, and CTS are just three of the exam administrators used by the states.
NCEES
State Licensing Boards
Calculators
ELSES
EES
CTS
PE Exam preparation - specifically produced to prepare for the exam; some products may be useful later as general references.
NCEES Study Materials
"the other board" Study Materials
Kaplan Study Materials
Other References - there are many available; I will try to start some "book review" threads on specific works.
Review classes - availability varies greatly by state; Testmasters seems to be nationwide; other sources include local engineering societies (e.g. Engineering Society of Detroit). I took a review class and prepared for each session; I didn't rely on the class to teach me something new (although I always learned something new); these classes are review classes, treat them accordingly. I personally know people that relied on the class to teach them the material and didn't follow up with homework - they failed.
Preparation strategy - there seem to be two camps
1. Problems, problems, problems - I found that working a ton of problems helped me understand the nuances of the theory involved. It also helped develop quickness and confidence in problem solving - useful on exam day.
2. Theory, theory, problems - concentrate on understanding the theory, then follow up with problems; if you know the theory, you can solve any problem thrown at you.
Choose what works for you.
Preparation logistics
Assemble reference material - you needn't get it all at the start; in fact, it might be better to see where you will need additional materials due to a lack in what you bought, or to provide additional help in your weak areas.
Create a schedule - you're an engineer, for chrissakes B) - make a spreadsheet, plan for contingencies, create deadlines or milestones, track your progress.
Systematic review - take a look at the NCEES exam specification; no sense putting a lot of effort into Controls if you're taking the PM Power depth.
Practice exams - generally considered a good evaluation of where you're at, both in knowledge and speed; take it timed; I did an AM or PM on one day, then did another on a different day about six weeks out from the exam; did both AM and PM on a single day two weeks out from exam; this will help with your endurance.
Evaluate strengths and weaknesses - be honest with yourself, can you work those problems without peeking at the answers? Did you get the problem correct in it's entirety including units? How long is it taking you to complete the problems? Practice exams are very useful here as well.
Work on your weak areas - practicing what you know can be a confidence builder, but.....you'll need to work on what you are having trouble with; review theory and practice problems in these weak areas.
Assemble and tab references for exam - get something with wheels to store / organize your reference materials in; it's sometimes handy to print out indexes of large references separately; some folks like to use lots of tabs, others don't.
Exam strategy - again, opinions are generally in a couple of camps
1. Read all problems, assess and note difficulty; complete problems you know and then work on the more difficult ones.
2. Work the problems you know, skipping those you don't; go back through and attempt the problems you skipped; repeat as necessary.
Helpful hints - read the question and answer it! This sounds obvious, but when you're anxious or in a hurry....
are your units correct?
orders of magnitude?
off by root 2 or root 3?
Guessing strategy
1. Reduce obviously wrong choices.
2. The answer is always C.
3. Create pleasing or chaotic patterns.
I apologize for any errors or omissions; however, there are a number of helpful folks in EE on this board who can set me straight and I'll edit as we go. Comments and suggestions appreciated!
Good luck to all the April '07 examinees!
