Length of study for PE Exam

So, I did passed the FE exam here in Alberta and I'm not required to take the PE exam. But I feel I should take it.

My question is, how long did you prepare for the Civil PE exam.

Any advice on what to take in the PM?

They say about 300 hours is average. You'll hear stories of people passing with little to no studying but I'd realistically figure on 300 hours +/-50. How many hours did you study for the FE? It should be close to that, maybe a little more. As for your depth, that's up to you. Pick the depth topic you work closest in or plan to work closest in. Good luck.

For my FE I think it took me around 320-350 hours but PE book is thicker. I need motivation to get started. lol

Thanks for the inputs.

PinoyCE said:

For my FE I think it took me around 320-350 hours but PE book is thicker. I need motivation to get started. lol

Thanks for the inputs.

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LOL. I know. I have always thought the CERM is too intimidating at first glance. But remember that a lot of it is 'background information' and a lot of it is depth-specific for "the other" four depth/PM topics. Print out the NCEES syllabus and study only the topics in which you'll be tested. Nothing needs to be studied in order so, to build motivation, start with your favorite subject (for me that was transpo geometric design) and work towards your least favorite (for me that was environmental). Good luck.

Do not study from the CERM, that book is a great reference manual but not a study guide. It is long and boring, and you will definitely lose motivation studying from there.

Everyone does say 300 hours however, I think that is really on the high side. The more hours the better obviously, and is a good planning factor to shoot for. But if you really know what to study, buy the correct material and study smartly it should only take 100-150 hours. At least that is what it took me and I felt fully prepared. Good luck..

Thanks. Can you let me know what books you studied?

PinoyCE, Go to my website www.learncivilengineering.com. That really explains how to do it. The best books to get are the CERM, all references from NCEES, a couple of practice exams, and then some material for construction. There are some good videos out there and I put all the material you need for the construction portion on my website.

You just need to commit and stick to a schedule to learn this stuff. It is really not that hard.

FWIW I studied roughly 10 hours a week over the 24 weeks leading up to the exam and found it both sufficent and manageable (I just passed in Env/WR). The CERM was my primary reference / study guide. Definitely heed ptatohed's advice and familiarize yourself well with the NCEES syllabus for the a.m./breadth and whatever depth section you choose. And before you even dive into the material make a study plan! Based on the syllabus and your own knowledge/background, decide roughly how best to divide up your time, for example I think I allocated about 5 weeks for hydro/water resources, 5 for wastewater/environmental, 3 each for construction/structural/geotech/transportation, and 2 for review. Putting my schedule to a calendar also helped keep me focused and on/ahead of schedule.

Almost as important as identifying what you need to study is identifying what you shouldn't study. I can't speak for other disciplines but for the a.m. + Env/WR p.m. you can easily discard over half the chapters in the CERM as non-applicable. Good luck!

thanks, I'll start with m study plan. i totally agree that the key is to study smart