Record number of attempts for taking the PE Exam?

[treyjay]

2 times failed, self review, using CERM getting focus on the review is a problem, was able to get no more that 200 hours. 3rd time took online course (shool of pe), attended the whole course - passed.

Congrats inhinyero!

I had the same issue with CERM & self review. I don't know exactly how many hours I studied, but I am sure it was in the 300+ hour range all said & done. I was wishy-washy about taking a review course, but decided in late August that it would be what I needed to "get it done." I am glad that I did take the review (School of PE online) and would recommend to anyone who could afford it to take a review course especially if time is an issue.

That said, I agree with others who say self-review of CERM can get you there, but I wasn't going to risk not passing and having to go through it all again.

 

[Cylon PE]

i took it once and passed (oct 2011). i have only heard of people taking it 6 times, but its only through the grapevine. i dont know anyone personally that took 6 attempts.

by the way, i attended the school of pe online and the materials they provided for each section were great (other than the construction which was over 200 pages.....the material was great but 200 pages is a little much to flip through during the test). the bad news is that 3 of the 5 teachers were terrible. they were boring, monotone, did not respond well to questions, etc. The only thing i recommend is paying for the class to get the materials but dont attend the sessions. the geotech chick and transportation guy did a great job. the construction and structural guys were a fail and the water resources guy had potential, but still failed.

i know other people that took 'test masters' and loved it. if you have the opportunity, take test masters or do the school of pe as a last result.

 

[treyjay]

yeah Cylon PE....I was in your class.....you're right about the instructors, but the WR guy I thought was pretty good,,,,structural fellow needed work...the construction guy was funny the way he got pissed off at the students who keep asking dumb ass questions....but he did cover engineering econ really well and his notes were gold.

 

[jco0518]

what was structural guys name? i took school of pe class in new york city

 

[sutoazul]

I took School of PE class for the Spring and it was much better than the one for the fall. I agree that two or three of the instructors were simply horrible this time around. However I passed this time so I'm happy.

 

[oilfieldsteve]

i want to say last year there was a thread similar to this, and someone said they were on their 10th attempt.

i remember hearing stories about some people working for regulatory bodies that had a job requirement to take the exam. not pass it, just continue to take it until passing. so you'd end up w/ a handful of people every year repeatedly taking the exam w/ no preparation and no expectation of passing.

 

[watermaker]

This is a great topic, why do we have to take 2 exams to get certified? Doctors, pharm, nurses, attorneys etc. only take one exam after graduation. I feel if you pass the FE and can work a job for the 4 year intern a thesis or a report of what you do yearly should fulfill the PE certification. Why test on items that do not reflect what we do on a daily basis. If you can't do the job, you will not be working! It is all a scam to make money!

 

[snickerd3]

Especially in the structural and civil areas MANY lives are in the balance requiring the design to right. All those you listed a single mistake will not hurt many people.

 

[watermaker]

So no buildings, bridges, dams etc were built properly before the PE exam started? In my experience the best longest lasting structures I have seen have been build before the rules changed. In the past a PE was given by the state, that person proved they could perform a job, most Engineers started at a company and retired or died at that company. They knew what they did better than anyone, no one standard test can prove your knowledge of what you do on a daily basis.

 

[Jordan S]

This is a great topic, why do we have to take 2 exams to get certified? Doctors, pharm, nurses, attorneys etc. only take one exam after graduation. I feel if you pass the FE and can work a job for the 4 year intern a thesis or a report of what you do yearly should fulfill the PE certification. Why test on items that do not reflect what we do on a daily basis. If you can't do the job, you will not be working! It is all a scam to make money!

I have to say I very much disagree. The FE tests competence in your degree, and sets a baseline of knowledge for the engineering profession. It does not test job knowledge at all. While some parts of the PE exam are certainly not used by everyone who takes it (though those parts will be different for everyone), a good portion of what was tested on the EE-Power is relevant to my daily job. Remember that PE certification is not a license to say you are a competent design engineer. It is a licensing process that ultimately allows people to legally sign and seal drawings that will be used for public construction. And, well, I think it very important that you have a job-specific exam before that happens.

As to the "if you can't do the job, you won't be working." Well, that's not really the case. A lot of engineers, even in the consulting world where a PE stamp is required to have anything built, are extremely specialized. While at my company, which is a small firm, we tend to do full building design, and most everyone on staff has some experience with power, lighting, fire alarm, telecom, etc, there are many firms, especially larger firms, where an engineer will do one thing, and one thing only. They might do lighting design for hospital operating rooms, and that's it. While they're great at that job, it certainly isn't good enough experience to be able to sign full electrical power plans for the whole hospital. While the ethics and requirements of the PE state that you should only ever seal drawings that you are capable of proper oversight and quality control, this is the real world, and we need to make sure, as a public safety, that those who obtain a PE license are competent in their field, over a broad range of topics in their field.

 

[Jordan S]

So no buildings, bridges, dams etc were built properly before the PE exam started? In my experience the best longest lasting structures I have seen have been build before the rules changed. In the past a PE was given by the state, that person proved they could perform a job, most Engineers started at a company and retired or died at that company. They knew what they did better than anyone, no one standard test can prove your knowledge of what you do on a daily basis.

Of course not. The PE is not an indicator of an expert in the field. It is a credential that shows a baseline of competence and knowledge in the field. I don't think anyone will say that a PE shows that one person is more competent or knowledgeable than one without a PE, just that the one with the PE has shown the state that he or she has that baseline and can sign drawings. There are plenty of amazing engineers who have not gotten their PE....but how does the state know that? The only way the state can know is to test. It's a difficult credential to achieve, but I think that makes it all the more valuable.