# How confident are you?



## Max Power (Nov 6, 2006)

So... how confident are you that you passed the PE exam? To those of you that have taken it before, how confident where you after the last time you took it?

I took the Civil/Structural test (first time). I was probably 85% sure I passed as I walked out of the exam room. But after reworking the problems I could remember over the last week, my confidence level has dropped to about 60%. 

Is it January yet? :ruh:


----------



## NCcarguy (Nov 6, 2006)

WELL......First time....I felt like if I got a little lucky, I would pass. I didn't get lucky, it looked like I got around 49-50 correct by the analysis report.

Second Time.....I was CERTAIN that I had passed, I felt much better than I did on the first try, and after all, I only needed a couple more correct and I would have passed, it looked as if I got around 50-51 correct by the analysis report.

Third Time.....I feel like I did about the same as the second time, and we see where that got me....?

In April, I had several friends that took it at the same time, and they ALL felt like they DIDN't pass....but One DID. So I guess you never know, it depends on how well you paid attention to the questions, and if you REALLY did get those correct that you thought you got correct.

I ALREADY know that one I was sure about, I went back last week to look it up again, and I missed an important piece of the question, and missed the answer, so you'll just have to wait and see, that's the FUN of it all. Hopefully you won't have to do it multiple times like myself.


----------



## petergibbons (Nov 6, 2006)

I passed in April '06 (WR PM) and felt pretty confident after taking it. I remember thinking to myself that "there must be some curveballs here that I'm not catching" because I thought the questions were really straight forward.


----------



## Art (Nov 6, 2006)

I felt good walking out, and still feel the same:

Morning done &amp; checked in 3 hrs

Afternoon 2.5 hrs

guessed on maybe 6 or so questions (did not have the codes I needed)

I figure a min of 60 correct...

but you NEVER know until the 'letter' arrives....


----------



## Blu1913 (Nov 6, 2006)

I feel ya art...i got done early in both and i feel that I smoked it. there were only 3 of 80 I had to guess on, so that makes me feel pretty good...


----------



## ferryg (Nov 6, 2006)

I honestly don't know. This was my first time, so I don't have anything to compare the exam with. To be honest...I feel about 55%-60% confident that I did not pass. However, depending on the cut score, and if I get lucky on some of my guesses, I might have got enough correctly.

There weren't THAT many that I simply had to guess on. On several of my guesses, I feel that I was able to eliminate at least a few of the choices, at least increasing the probability I selected the correct choice. It is very hard to tell. I had a similar feeling after leaving the FE/EIT exam...and I passed with a reasonable margin, so it might be the same case this time.

There were also a group of questions in the afternoon that gave me some problems, so that might also be skewing my opinion negatively. However, at this point, I simply don't know. Like I said...personally, I feel it will be based on the cut score.


----------



## ILvTigers (Nov 6, 2006)

I took transpo in April and felt horrible about it. I failed miserably. This time (transpo, again) I felt much better about it. With a little luck, I'll pass. The first time, I did hardly no practice problems. That all I did this time. I've got a better chance at this one, but you never know until that fateful day. rayers:


----------



## Road Guy (Nov 6, 2006)

My first page of the exam was something so obscene , so grotesque, that decorum prohibits it from being mentioned here, it killed my AM confidence, so I quickly skipped it. I honestly dont have any realy feeling whatsoever, I used every bit of the 4 hours for each section this time, I recall finishing early last time and checking answers in my head, counting how many I thought I got correct, etc. this time I didnt have any time to do any early finish grandstanding...


----------



## ferryg (Nov 6, 2006)

Nice Animal House reference. While I don't feel that I achieved a ZERO POINT ZERO....I do not feel confident that I am at the head of the Delta Class either.

Why Pinto?...._*why not!?!*_


----------



## DVINNY (Nov 7, 2006)

I feel about as confident as a teenage boy on prom night trying to lose his virginity.


----------



## biggs3 (Nov 8, 2006)

I should never have started wandering around this message board, I left the exam feeling I nailed it, and now after reading some posts of people feeling like the passed it before but didnt I'm starting to second guess myself!! 

I guess I've got a question for those that have taken it before and thought they passed but didn't: Was it a kind of "I think I might have known just enough to pass that thing" or was it more of a "There were only a few problems I wasn't sure how to do, but I understood and worked through and got answers for the rest of them"?

Sorry that was long winded, wasn't it? I still feel pretty certain I did well, I just didn't spend my time counting up the number of problems I was SURE I did correctly, that and the fact that I can barely recall a handfull of problems from the exam! It just worries me that 95% of the quantitative problems seemed VERY straightforward with mostly 1 step solutions (took PM Transpo).

Thanks guys!


----------



## MetroRAFB (Nov 8, 2006)

> problems I was SURE I did correctly


I don't mean to be negative, but can any of us really be absolutely sure about any of the NCEES questions? I think all we can be sure about is that we got an answer that was one of the choices. That doesn't really mean much. We can be really super pretty sure, but positive? Maybe on some of them. People that were sure they passed, but failed, we probably positive about many of the questions that they wound up missing.

I don't mean for this post to be a downer. If you were really confident coming out of the exam, don't let anybody else's feelings about how they did affect your outlook. There's no use second guessing yourself until you get a "failed" notice in the mail. Then you can do some self evaluation and try to see where you were out of touch.


----------



## purduegrad (Nov 8, 2006)

I feel I got 25 or 26 in the morning for sure. How good would I have to do in the afternoon to pass? How bad of a score is 25 or 26 in the morning. This wondering is really killing me.


----------



## DVINNY (Nov 8, 2006)

biggs3,

when I took the exam in April, I left there feeling SURE of about 48 questions, using my percentage breakdown, I actually got about 10 less than that, let alone getting any good guesses.

I have two theories:

1. I was extremely dilusional and had no idea how bad I really did

2. I messed up my bubbles on my scantron.

I truely think that it was more of theory #2, because on the drive home from that April test I started thinking I may have messed up my afternoon answer sheet, and put it off as being paranoid.

This time, I went back and checked the circles in the booklet to make sure the answers corresponded to my bubble sheet.


----------



## traffic (Nov 8, 2006)

I walked out in april early thinking I had kicked its ass!! but was sadly mistaken and got only 45 right. I was sure I had doen better than that. I walked out hits time using all my time to slow down and reallly read the question. I don't feel as confident this time but don't know if its because of this test or because I got slammed last time????


----------



## RIP - VTEnviro (Nov 8, 2006)

> My first page of the exam was something so obscene , so grotesque, that decorum prohibits it from being mentioned here,


I can't believe I threw up in front of Dean RoadGuy. Face it, you threw up *on* Dean Roadguy.


----------



## Max Power (Nov 8, 2006)

> I walked out in april early thinking I had kicked its ass!! but was sadly mistaken and got only 45 right.


Ugh... thats why I can't be confident in passing. I only had to guess at 5 or 6, but I'm worried that I might have fallen for a bunch of trick questions like you apparently did. I used all of my "extra" time to try to figure out the few I didn't get on the first pass. I now wish I would have used that time to review all of my answers. Oh well... &lt;_&lt;


----------



## frazil (Nov 8, 2006)

This thread is making me feel not so confident.

Like others here I felt pretty good when I left. There were only a few I didn't know and all the rest I was able to work out an answer for. Like Max Power I spent all my extra time trying to figure out ones I didn't get the first time rather than checking my answers.

I'm especially nervous because on one question that I had got an answer for I realized that the units they specified (in parentheses) were different then the units used throughout the question. Both answers were given. How many of those did I miss because I didn't check??


----------



## DVINNY (Nov 8, 2006)

> I realized that the units they specified (in parentheses) were different then the units used throughout the question. Both answers were given. How many of those did I miss because I didn't check??


I'm still having that dream every night :true:


----------



## MetroRAFB (Nov 8, 2006)

> This thread is making me feel not so confident. Like others here I felt pretty good when I left. There were only a few I didn't know and all the rest I was able to work out an answer for. Like Max Power I spent all my extra time trying to figure out ones I didn't get the first time rather than checking my answers.
> 
> I'm especially nervous because on one question that I had got an answer for I realized that the units they specified (in parentheses) were different then the units used throughout the question. Both answers were given. How many of those did I miss because I didn't check??


There's no way to tell and second guessing yourself for the next 7-10 weeks will drive you nuts. You could very well be worrying for no reason though, no sense getting worked up about it until you fail.

I don't know if my strategy ultimately worked or not (I took the MEPE)but I concentrated on each question one at a time and tried to be very very certain I was using the correct units and finding what they were actually asking for in the problem statement. I skipped hard or long problems entirely and left them until the end. This allowed me to be very confident of those problems I actually worked out a numerical answer for because I was conscious of the unit trickery. I'm not second guessing any of my answers for that reason. My doubt comes from the large number of problems I had left over at the end. I worked right up till the "buzzer" in the morning and the afternoon and I had to guess on a lot more questions than I wanted to because I was running out of time.

Just going from my fuzzy, blurred, soup brain memory, I can only be "sure" of about 40 answers. That leaves a ton of room for error on the other half of the exam. Some of that other half I'm fairly sure about, but a bunch of them were just educated guesses, especially the non-quantitative questions.

When I took the practice exam, I flew through it and felt pretty damn confident. Then I graded it. (failed) I missed many problems because I was working too fast, not reading the problems thoroughly, and jumped on the first answer I got on the calculator screen just because it was one of the choices. In hindsight, I may very well have overcompensated for that during the real exam and might have taken too much time.

My only advice is to try your best to find something else to concentrate on until the results come in. Worrying isn't going to do you any good, even though I know it's hard to put the test in the back of your mind somehow. For me, the best thing mentally was to just assume I failed and prepare to take it again in April. That way, when I get a passing letter in Dec. or Jan. it'll be that much sweeter.

:dunno:


----------



## RIP - VTEnviro (Nov 8, 2006)

I'm feeling pretty confident at this point. :???:


----------



## DVINNY (Nov 8, 2006)

> I'm feeling pretty confident at this point. :???:


A$$hole. :angry: ld timer:


----------



## MetroRAFB (Nov 8, 2006)

> > I'm feeling pretty confident at this point.  :???:
> 
> 
> A$$hole. :angry: ld timer:


LMAO! That's classic. I'll be sure to slip a couple of those in after I've passed too! :lol2x:


----------



## RIP - VTEnviro (Nov 8, 2006)

^ That's A$$HOLE, P.E. to you.


----------



## GCracker (Nov 8, 2006)

> ^ That's A$$HOLE, P.E. to you.


:rotflmao :bow:


----------



## tmckeon_PE (Nov 8, 2006)

I felt that the morning session was easy (36 confirmed with 2 good poss and 2 ok poss). Afternoon I only needed 20 to make the 56 for 70% without relying on cut scores. However, afternoon was harder (only 26 confirmed, but enough for breathing room).

Looks like I made it this time (second time at bat).

:true:


----------



## DVINNY (Nov 8, 2006)

> I felt that the morning session was easy (36 confirmed with 2 good poss and 2 ok poss). Afternoon I only needed 20 to make the 56 for 70% without relying on cut scores. However, afternoon was harder (only 26 confirmed, but enough for breathing room).
> Looks like I made it this time (second time at bat).
> 
> :true:


I hope you did tmckeon_eng!!!!!!

that was the feeling I wanted to leave the test with, it just wasn't in the cards this time.


----------



## NCcarguy (Nov 8, 2006)

This may have been one of the most fun posts I've read!!!! I could just see a few guys spirits sinking as the posts continued. I now feel like more people have joined the same club I've been in since LAST october. WELCOME!

:wel


----------



## geopm (Nov 9, 2006)

just out of curiosity, are y'all guys on this site or what? just kidding. i actually almost forgot just how many more guy engineers there are than girls when during the exam break there was a long line for the guys' bathroom and no line at all for the girls'. that and i got hit on by three different guys. go figure. anyway, how confident am i? the morning went ok. the afternoon, HA! i finished the exam in 15 minutes. yup. 15 minutes. of course i only answered 5 questions, so i figured since i had so much time left, i might as well start making stuff up. i literally guessed (as in not the educated ones) on 26 of the questions. i know i failed. i'll just have to deal with it. although the idea of taking this again in april is making my stomach churn. i might wait for a full year to take it again (and get my sanity back). good luck to y'all though.


----------



## Ugly Kid Joe (Nov 9, 2006)

> just out of curiosity, are y'all guys on this site or what? just kidding. i actually almost forgot just how many more guy engineers there are than girls when during the exam break there was a long line for the guys' bathroom and no line at all for the girls'. that and i got hit on by three different guys. go figure. anyway, how confident am i? the morning went ok. the afternoon, HA! i finished the exam in 15 minutes. yup. 15 minutes. of course i only answered 5 questions, so i figured since i had so much time left, i might as well start making stuff up. i literally guessed (as in not the educated ones) on 26 of the questions. i know i failed. i'll just have to deal with it. although the idea of taking this again in april is making my stomach churn. i might wait for a full year to take it again (and get my sanity back). good luck to y'all though.


OMFG A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

:girl:


----------



## Guest (Nov 9, 2006)

> I am pretty sure that I failed this go, and my anxiety is in the fact that I won't be able to take the exam again for a year and a half.  How much knowledge will I lose in that amount of time?  All of it.


Sappers --

It took me 1 1/2 years to re-take this exam because I was serving as an expert witness in protracted litigation at work and taking care of my sick mother :true:

The truth of the matter is if you find yourself in a pickle, that time off may VERY well be what you need. I found that it helped me to re-invest myself once I knew I could become immersed in preparation.

When I took the exam this time, I felt that I did okay. I felt that way the past few times too. I only failed by one point each time, so it is difficult to know exactly what my studying did for me this time. 

I say keep an open mind and hope for the best. 

I have a long weekend this weekend, I am going to spend it by:

1. Shout out to all of the veterans. A very humble *'thank you' * for your service; :+1: : USA : and

2. Run the analysis of the data for my thesis - I gotta finish the script and defend it so I can get that 2nd degree :claps:

Regards,

JR


----------



## Guest (Nov 9, 2006)

> > 1. Shout out to all of the veterans. A very humble 'thank you' for your service;?
> 
> 
> That is why I will not be able to take it for the next year and a half.


Sappers --

I recalled you saying something along those lines. My prayers go with you. rayers:

I enlisted in the service early in 1990 and went to boot camp Jul 18, 1990. :dsgt: Saddam Hussien invaded Kuwait Aug 3, 1990. Believe me - boot camp plus SeaBee "A" school was *INTERESTING* to say the least. :kick: I was set to be deployed once I completed my accelerated "A" school, except I got real sick. I started passing bloody stool - I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and placed on light duty. No trip to the sand box for me - no rotation with the battalion. :true:

Military service is a tremendous hardship on so many people - veterans, spouses, children, parents, other family members, friends, community .... the list goes on and on. I run into so many people who just don't understand the commitment or the sacrifice veterans must make. I always offer up my humble thanks to any veteran because it is the voluntary sacrifice that makes this world what it is. :bow:

Regards,

JR


----------



## RIP - VTEnviro (Nov 9, 2006)

> when during the exam break there was a long line for the guys' bathroom and no line at all for the girls'


I was having this conversation with someone the other day. Other than sporting events, where else is there a line for the men's room longer than the ladies room.

I now have an answer.


----------



## civilsurvey (Nov 9, 2006)

I passed the October 05 exam. I thought the morning was a joke it was so easy. I would say 35/40. I wasn't laughing anymore about 2:00 pm (trans). I bet I got 15-20/40 correct.


----------



## frazil (Nov 10, 2006)

&lt;--Girl. :true:


----------



## Road Guy (Nov 10, 2006)

updated ya'lls member titles for you ladies


----------



## rleon82 (Nov 10, 2006)

We need a Engineering Girl Picture Section. :wel

No fake pictures.


----------



## PEsoon2B (Nov 10, 2006)

> We need a Engineering Girl Picture Section. :wel
> No fake pictures.


----------



## PEsoon2B (Nov 10, 2006)

To all the wonderful women above, I'm just kidding. Really.


----------



## civilsurvey (Nov 10, 2006)

We have some good looking girls in CE around here. Looks does not a competent engineer make.

:ruh:


----------



## Dark Knight (Nov 10, 2006)

Hello there,

About the question "How confident are you? there is something that might happen to you.

The confident level is a line with a negative slope. It is at its higher point just after the test and then stalls all the way to the ground as the days go by.

All this waiting period is a technic of NCEES and the State Boards to make us give up. So if at this point you are starting to wonder and doubt yourself, do not be troubled. You are just being human. Keep the faith and say, yeah...you know....

;guns; ;guns; ;guns; ;guns; ;guns; ;guns; ;guns; ;guns; ;guns; ;guns;


----------



## gatormech_e (Nov 10, 2006)

&lt;-- lady engineer.


----------



## PEsoon2B (Nov 10, 2006)

> I feel about as confident as a teenage boy on prom night trying to lose his virginity.


Not if Michael Jackson is your date! :true: :???: :thatsgay: :lol2x:


----------



## Fudgey (Nov 10, 2006)

I don't feel so hot about things. I took the civil/WR exam, and most of the stuff I studied wasn't on it. And the stuff that was, I didn't really study that well. :bad:


----------



## Guest (Nov 10, 2006)

> I don't feel so hot about things. I took the civil/WR exam, and most of the stuff I studied wasn't on it. And the stuff that was, I didn't really study that well.  :bad:


Fudge --

I took the Civil PE/WR Depth too and I had the same feeling. :hung:

I felt like I was completely bass ackwards when it came to preparing for afternoon. :ruh:

I just hope I see a thin envelope in the mail ... :mail: Otherwise it is going to be six more months of agony :study

Ugh ...

JR


----------

