Highest Fail Score of April 2013 Environmental?

With the pass rate of only 55%... just wondering how everyone did... that didn't pass? Looks like my "raw" score was 52.

55%...wow..I had thought Environmental were usually among the top as far as pass rates in the past...dead last this test (not counting Software as it was the first time ever offered). Sorry to hear the about the "not passing".

Environmental has been one of the lowest passing rates over the past 3 or so years. Took me 3 tries to pass it, but I finally did it this time.

Not that it really matters, but I'd like to know how I actually did on it.

bryantucfPE said:

Environmental has been one of the lowest passing rates over the past 3 or so years.

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I've been having a debate with a coworker of mine (also an environmental P.E.) on why this is. What do you guys think - is it simply the breadth of the environmental exam?

^environmental test got a facelift/update about that time if i rememebr correctly

bryantucfPE said:

Environmental has been one of the lowest passing rates over the past 3 or so years. Took me 3 tries to pass it, but I finally did it this time.

Not that it really matters, but I'd like to know how I actually did on it.

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I'd also like to know how I did - even though it doesn't matter. The passing rate for Environmental is so low compared to many other disciplines, and it's kind of intimidating! I had to take the exam twice, and really didn't feel super confident coming out of the April 2013 exam. I'm guessing the low pass rate may have something to do with the wide variety of specializations in Environmental - but I also believe it has a lot to do with the need to really understand basic chemistry to work the problems correctly. The problem, in my mind, is that in real life, Env. Eng's aren't necessarily designing wastewater plants, but they're managing them or maintaining or upgrading them - or they're simply an "air" person - who needs to re-learn all that water stuff for the test only. Personally, my experience with "real world" environmental engineering is mostly focused on remediation, so pretty much 90% of the test was "new" to me - in that I hadn't practiced the types of problems on the test in almost 10 years since I graduated college. The good news is that if you put the time in to study, you CAN pass - it's just accepting that you have to re-hash all the stuff you learned and forgot while getting your degree.

DavidPE said:

bryantucfPE said:

Environmental has been one of the lowest passing rates over the past 3 or so years.

Click to expand...

I've been having a debate with a coworker of mine (also an environmental P.E.) on why this is. What do you guys think - is it simply the breadth of the environmental exam?

Click to expand...

Yeah I would say its because of the breadth and the fact that there's 100 questions, rather than 80. They can ask 20 more questions, and those additional questions can cover so many different topics. Also, with the additional qualitative questions, there seems to be a lot more very job specific questions related to different positions that an environment engr may take.

I'm a water/wastewater design engineer, so the large quantity of air probelms were different for me as well, the solid and haz waste questions, waste cleanup, and safety questions are just something I havent looked at in a real working environment in a long time. I did have a few internships so I had exposure to some of it, but not to the complexity that the PE is.

Is the Env. exam the only one with 100 questions? I could have done much better with even just 10 fewer questions! Those questions are pretty labor intensive - but I assumed all of the PE exams had 100 questions - until I started seeing people guesstimate their cut scores out of 80 - I didn't know what that was about, but assumed there was some curve associated or something.

as far as I know, with exception to the new structrual exam, everything else is 80 questions

I feel rather discouraged. I put in over 300 hours of studying & did the School of PE. I've taken this test a few times...last time had a 58. This time dropped. Some thing isn't clicking with me....

Considering switching to Civil/water resources...

Hopeful,, stay hopeful.. I have messed up last time..I just don't tell anyone that I failed except my wife..I blamed NJ state for PE failure...

DavidPE said:

bryantucfPE said:

Environmental has been one of the lowest passing rates over the past 3 or so years.

Click to expand...

I've been having a debate with a coworker of mine (also an environmental P.E.) on why this is. What do you guys think - is it simply the breadth of the environmental exam?

Click to expand...

I would say that the breath would have to be a large part of the reason. But also perhaps the makeup of people taking it. A lot of people out there taking the Environmental PE exam work only in one of the "medias" ...that is to say they are wastewater, or drinking water, or air dispersion, or air permitting, or haz or...etc..They really don't cross over to other media from their specified area. I an engineer with the government so I deal with multiple areas, which is why I think it might have helped on why I passed. I also have a MS, which I think helped too. Another reason...the number of questions. My coworker and I took i at the same time. Although I had lots of time in both sections to finish and go over problems again, my coworker didn't have anytime and had to actually guess on a few questions in each section(am/pm). For what its worth she did pass as well, but having a few more questions might sway the results for some people that aren't as fast.

I don't think the format change is what did it - I am pretty sure the enviro exam was always pretty tough. Plus, the format change was pretty minor - most of the sample problems you guys post from NCEES are the same as the previous edition.

I think the key is mastering the basic chemistry and mass balance approach, as has been said elsewhere. I took the exam ~15 years after graduating in mechanical engineering - not even enviro - but my study approach focused in on those basics, and I passed with confidence (of course I have also worked as a government enviro eng. for many years, in all media).

Only now, 6 years later, am I finally taking an actual course in environmental engineering as part of an MS program. And guess what it focuses on? Mass balance, basic chem.... Actually, the textbook we are using is very helpful, and I would not hesitate to recommend it as a self-guided refresher course (if a solutions manual is available, which I am sure it is). It's Gilbert and Masters' "Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science". The only problem is it could take some time to work through! The first two chapters are probably a great start, though, and then you can keep in mind those basic priniciples as you work through the sample exams and problems, and you will see that they are a common thread that runs through nearly everything.

Dleg said:

Only now, 6 years later, am I finally taking an actual course in environmental engineering as part of an MS program. And guess what it focuses on? Mass balance, basic chem.... Actually, the textbook we are using is very helpful, and I would not hesitate to recommend it as a self-guided refresher course (if a solutions manual is available, which I am sure it is). It's Gilbert and Masters' "Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science". The only problem is it could take some time to work through! The first two chapters are probably a great start, though, and then you can keep in mind those basic priniciples as you work through the sample exams and problems, and you will see that they are a common thread that runs through nearly everything.

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We used that book in my undergrad program. The professor told us it was the only book we would need to pass the PE. I don't think it's quite that simple (I think you need a variety of texts to cover the qualitative questions they throw at you), but it is a pretty good book.