April 2018 PE Exam

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Mem_Elect_Engr

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Hey from MSP,

Does anyone know where to start preparing for Power exam. What reference should i buy and where can i buy it most economically? Any suggestions, took exam before and failed; took it easy and didn't have a lot of reference material.

 
Hello and welcome to EB. Before providing any input to this, try a quick search of this specific sub-forum and you will find a wealth of good information and material reviews. A lot of good information has already been posted for the numerous exam cycles.

 
Hey from MSP,

Does anyone know where to start preparing for Power exam. What reference should i buy and where can i buy it most economically? Any suggestions, took exam before and failed; took it easy and didn't have a lot of reference material.
Hi Mem, 

You might find this article useful that we published awhile back:

Electrical PE Review - Recommended References for the Electrical Power PE Exam

It's a list of some of the most recommended material with short introductions on each and includes where to buy each one to help you decide which ones are right for you. 

A lot of our users have said it was extremely helpful in deciding which references to buy. 

 
I will actually answer your question here.

Here are the best resources I found after extensive research on this very topic 6 months ago when I began my prep process (I passed the Oct exam):

-EE's Guide to Passing the Power PE (my favorite resource, however there are a couple of errors, be sure to check the eratta on the website and make sure you correct the delta-wye conversion (or maybe it was the wye-delta, can't remember) somewhere early in the book, was missing negative signs in the angles. Amazon was the only place I could find it 4 months ago, but maybe will have more luck earlier in the exam prep process.

-GA Tech binder. I know it's from a prep class and if you can take a prep class, do so. This one was good, I"m sure others are good too. This and EE's Guide were my two go-to resources.

-Power System Analysis by Granger (didn't use a ton, but was helpful for clarifying topics and at times had better equations/graphs). Just get an older used copy on Amazon.

-NEC: obviously need to get this. Get tabs for it too. You'll need the 2017 so finding used copies may be a problem.

-NESC: some say it is not needed, others say for sure get it if there is any way you can afford it. I'm of the later group. If there are two question on the exam and this is a guaranteed two easy questions, then I say it's worth it. You can sell it later too to recoup much of the cost. Not sure the best place for this, I bought straight from the source.

-Spin Up practice exams AND Complex Imaginary practice exams. Two different books with two flavors of questions. I would say get both if you can. If only one, it seems the Complex Imaginary is more popular but that's just my feel of things. It may be hard to find copies that aren't already marked up, but give it a shot. I ended up finding the Spin Up on Amazon and had to buy the CI from the company itself.

-Machines by Wildi is good (latest edition), though it wasn't much help on the exam (was crucial for a single question though). Maybe I didn't look through it enough, but it's a well put together book with lots of practical insight into the field. I plan to read this book for my own learning after the exam, it's that good.

-FE reference manual: didn't use it on the exam but if there are econ questions, this one may help. I'm sure others have a better reference for the econ questions.

-I would maybe have a power electronics book handy too.

Look for used sets of books on ebay. I've seen a few folks that have most if not all of the resources in a package (minus maybe the GA tech binder and FE ref manual)

My best advice is to compile notes and references into a reference sheet. That way on the exam you can look at that first to know where topics are in your various resources, instead of having 50 tabs in your books. Also, make sure you know a small handful of resources front to back pretty much. Take as many extra books "just in case" as you'd like, you never know. Don't rely on these extra books, but it's good to have them there. I know I was glad I had them and did use a couple. Don't worry about taking a suitcase in if you need to. Let people make fun of you for it, now is not the time to worry about what people think.

Good luck!

 
And yes, Zach's article was very helpful for me deciding which books to buy, I was very impressed with this well thought out list!

 
Hi everyone,

I took the Power PE exam in October and didn’t pass, so this is my second time taking it in April. I bought NEC 2014 for October test and was wondering if I could use it for April as well but I don’t want to risk anything. 

Also, does anyone know what versions of other code books (NESC, NFPA 30, ...) will be used exactly?

I’d really appreciate your input.

Thank you,

 
Hi everyone,

I took the Power PE exam in October and didn’t pass, so this is my second time taking it in April. I bought NEC 2014 for October test and was wondering if I could use it for April as well but I don’t want to risk anything. 

Also, does anyone know what versions of other code books (NESC, NFPA 30, ...) will be used exactly?

I’d really appreciate your input.

Thank you,


 
How's it going folks?

Looks like this is the sticky for the April 2018 Power PE Exam, so figured I'd post up here.

I originally planned on taking this in Oct 2018 (1st time BTW) but found out that I can actually take it in April 2018 before I finish my 4 yrs experience, so I got caught off guard when I found out at the beginning of Jan and decided to just go for it with only 3 months to study. So far over the past month I've only been able to put in 40-50 hrs due to work/life. Started out averaging about 61% on practice exams and am now up to about 66%. Glad I'm seeing progress and some of the stuff I haven't touched since college is coming back to me. I'd like to be averaging 75-80% by April, so I've got a a ways to go, but I should be able to increase my study time soon.

How's everyone else doing? How long have you been studying? How are your practice exam scores?

 
How's it going folks?

Looks like this is the sticky for the April 2018 Power PE Exam, so figured I'd post up here.

I originally planned on taking this in Oct 2018 (1st time BTW) but found out that I can actually take it in April 2018 before I finish my 4 yrs experience, so I got caught off guard when I found out at the beginning of Jan and decided to just go for it with only 3 months to study. So far over the past month I've only been able to put in 40-50 hrs due to work/life. Started out averaging about 61% on practice exams and am now up to about 66%. Glad I'm seeing progress and some of the stuff I haven't touched since college is coming back to me. I'd like to be averaging 75-80% by April, so I've got a a ways to go, but I should be able to increase my study time soon.

How's everyone else doing? How long have you been studying? How are your practice exam scores?
Woo hoo! 1 month into my 3 month study schedule and I finally scored 56/80 for 70% on my last practice exam. Finally what could be a PASS. Breathing a little easier but still not comfortable yet. Getting better but I'd like to be consistently at 80%+, so I have a ways to go over next 2 months! I'm putting in about 14hrs/wk at this time.

How's everyone else doing? Am I the only one on here planning to take the Power PE exam in April 2018?  :)

 
Am I the only one on here planning to take the Power PE exam in April 2018?  :)
I believe so, yes. All 25,040 EB.com registered users have taken and passed the exam. We are just waiting on you so that we can have a 100% pass rate. Don't let us down. :thumbs:

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Woo hoo! 1 month into my 3 month study schedule and I finally scored 56/80 for 70% on my last practice exam. Finally what could be a PASS. Breathing a little easier but still not comfortable yet. Getting better but I'd like to be consistently at 80%+, so I have a ways to go over next 2 months! I'm putting in about 14hrs/wk at this time.

How's everyone else doing? Am I the only one on here planning to take the Power PE exam in April 2018?  :)
Don't worry, lots of others are also taking the April 2018 exam   :D

These two articles on the 2018 Electrical Power PE Exam changes might be helpful to you:

http://www.electricalpereview.com/new-2018-ncees-practice-exam-electrical-power-pe-exam/

http://www.electricalpereview.com/changes-ncees-exam-specifications/

 
Hi Mem, 

You might find this article useful that we published awhile back:

Electrical PE Review - Recommended References for the Electrical Power PE Exam

It's a list of some of the most recommended material with short introductions on each and includes where to buy each one to help you decide which ones are right for you. 

A lot of our users have said it was extremely helpful in deciding which references to buy. 
Hi Zach, 

Are questions from DC generator and motor part of the exam specifications? 

Also, you mentioned Wildi in your reference material, any specific topics that one should look at? Since there is a lot to read in Wildi. 

 
Hi Zach, 

Are questions from DC generator and motor part of the exam specifications? 

Also, you mentioned Wildi in your reference material, any specific topics that one should look at? Since there is a lot to read in Wildi. 
Hi SSG,

Looking at the 2018 specs, I would say it's a possibility but a lower probability. 

My guess is that if DC motors or DC generators show up on the exam it will only be 1 or 2 problems max. 

My recommendation for Wildi, as with all reference books, is to read the table of contents. We have all become to accustomed to Google and other search means that it seems that most people forget to read the table of contents.  

Spend 5 minutes reading the table of contents top to bottom with the NCEES specs in front of you. From there highlight the chapters in the TOC that are related to the exam. Those are the chapters you're going to want to be familiar with. 

 
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