How much did you study for the PE

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CivE Bricky

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PE Apr 08 - 30 hours, with reference prep -- 55/80 = F

PE Oct 08 - 40 hours more -- 48/80 = F

PE Apr 09 - 115 hours more ---unknown - no results yet

 
I started studying Thanksgiving week. On average I studied about an hour a day (some days more, some days less or not at all). For the couple of weeks leading up to the April exam, the average went up to about 2 hours a day. I ended up passing.

 
You got 55 out of 80 and failed?What was your score?
I didn't get a score - I figured that score from the diagnostic and the weighting of each subject area - as near as I can tell, for that exam 56/80 would have been a PASS.....but I learned a lot thru the subsequent studying that was valuable. (2nd exam I slept really poorly and was off my game.)

 
I was "lucky" that we were light on work at the office, so I got about 30 hours per week just in the office for studying. I also studied about 10 more hours during the week / weekend. I agree the more studying you do, the better your chances are to pass. Working as many problems as you can is what I found helped me the most on the exam.

 
I took a prep course and I used up vacation time 2-3 weeks before the exam to study. In total I would say I studied close to 200 hours including the time spent in the prep course which was about 80. I took the geotech afternoon and passed it on the first try.

I actually do structural work. But what I do is so focused, monopoles and concrete, (I work for a utility) that I didnt have a good backround with other structural topics, specifically timber. I switched game plans mid way through studying when I realized I was taking 15+ mins to figure out a structures problem.

 
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PE Apr 08 - 30 hours, with reference prep -- 55/80 = FPE Oct 08 - 40 hours more -- 48/80 = F

PE Apr 09 - 115 hours more ---unknown - no results yet
30 hrs initial prep: making an extremely detailed study plan (every day until test), followed it fairly closely.getting references, calculator, reading forum

Official study started 6 weeks before exam, averaged 5 hrs per day.

220 hrs more: study + additional prep of materials (hundred of MERM tabs, tabbed other books) + forum, + exam site prep (buy cart to carry books, food, etc)

PE April 2009 Passed, but felt is was too close to call

 
Studied every weekday for 2-3 hours from 1/1/09 until the test. Studied every weekend for 4+ hours per day from 1/1/09 until the test. Easily over 300 hours of study time. Hadn't done any problem like those since 2002 and studied with no one but myself and no prep classes. I basically taught myself engineering in four months. Passed on first try.

 
PE Apr 08 - 30 hours, with reference prep -- 55/80 = F
Man, 55 out of 80 must have been tought to swallow, being so close.

I worked at it about an hour or two nearly every weekday, then about 4-8 hours on weekends, for about 6 months and was fortunate enough to make it on my first attempt in October 08. I also would sometimes take 2 or 3 days off from studying to get refreshed before hitting it again, and stopped studying and took a few days off work right before the exam. I studied on my own, no courses.

Good luck on your next attempt. You'll make it!

 
This was my first attempt. I had started my preparations during the third week of February and studied 1.5 - 2 hrs everyday on an average till 23rd April (3-4 hrs on weekends). I was very confident about the PM (geotechnical) but very skeptical about the AM exam. However, I found the AM exam to be very easy and the only question I couldn't answer was due to unavailability of a reference. The PM session (geotechnical), albeit intense and exhausting, was good. I may have gotten more than 36 questions right. To summarize, I felt quite confident of passing after the exams but my confidence waned gradually with time. Fortunately for me, the result was positive.

 
I started studying 2 months before the exam. I studied about 6 hours during the week and 14 hours on the weekends (includes a 6 week review course on weekends). I took a week off before the exam, I studied about 6 hours a day, and used the rest to relax. I think the smartest thing I did was take the week off. I would study for about 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon and then used the rest of time to relax.

In all, I studied about 175 hours for the exam, but felt I used my time efficiently by taking the review course (School of PE). I passed on my first try.

 
I graduated with a degree in chemical engineering but have been practicing environmental my whole career. I decided to take the environmental PE so I should have been studying a lot more than most as I had to learn a lot of things from scratch. My first try, I was really cocky and didn't study at all and failed. I didn't study at all for the FE and passed on the first try, which is why I thought I could get away with it again. I just found out I passed on my second try for which I studied every day for a minimum of an hour for four months.

 
I graduated with a degree in chemical engineering but have been practicing environmental my whole career. I decided to take the environmental PE so I should have been studying a lot more than most as I had to learn a lot of things from scratch. My first try, I was really cocky and didn't study at all and failed. I didn't study at all for the FE and passed on the first try, which is why I thought I could get away with it again. I just found out I passed on my second try for which I studied every day for a minimum of an hour for four months.
Ditto on the study time except I put in about 4-5 hrs on the weekend. Work in land development and took traffic, which is really not associated.

passed on second pe attempt

 
an average of 2 hours a day, 5 days a week, starting right after Christmas, and I took a 40-hour review course. So all in all, it was about 200 hrs total, and I passed Civil Water/Env. first time.

I also felt it was close.

 
I passed Civil/Water Resources in April, first time taker. Started actually studying (not just carrying the CERM with me) around beginning of Feb. Studied around 1-2 hours per week night, and probably averaged 4-5 hrs each day Saturday and Sunday.. So, figuring I studied for around 10 weeks, I'd say probably around 130 hours or so going by low-end of my estimates. I think is more realistic than assuming the high-end because I really ratcheted up my study time as the exam approach, and that is probably distorting my memory of how much time I actually spent earlier on.

Either way though, I'm just glad I did enough to pass!!

 
I studied 350hrs +/- and did around 1300 problems. started in November studying 2-3 hrs a day and 4-6 on saturdays. Passed first try. I got burnt out around first of March but I was determined not to take it twice.

 
I studied on average 1.5 hours a night about 6 days a week for 16 weeks. I passed civil/transportation April 09, first try. Good Luck! It pays to study the first time and get it over with.

 
Started studying the CERM in October for an hour or two each week day and about 10-12 hours on the weekend. As I read the CERM I did every practice problem in the Problem book. Got through the CERM in February and started in on the Green book, AASHTO, Steel beam manual.... everything I could get my hands on. I've never added it all up but it had to be more than 300 hours.

Still waiting on Oregon Results. :(

 
I didn't get a score - I figured that score from the diagnostic and the weighting of each subject area - as near as I can tell, for that exam 56/80 would have been a PASS.....but I learned a lot thru the subsequent studying that was valuable. (2nd exam I slept really poorly and was off my game.)
How do you know 56 is passing?

 
started studying in January. Probably about 100 hours in Jan-Feb-Mar. Picked it up in April, with another 150 hours or so, including taking off of work the week of the exam to study Monday through Thursday. So, about 250 total.

Passed. Going into the exam I wasn't confident that I was adequately prepared. Coming out I felt like I had studied more than enough.

 
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