# How do you think you did on the April 2008 Exam?



## Guest (Apr 13, 2008)

So, come on everyone - tell us how you did!

Let the waiting begin!!!! :w00t:

JR


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Apr 13, 2008)

Eeeek, a PE-ness!

(South Park fans will get this one)


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## testee (Apr 14, 2008)

^^I don't get to watch much TV.

Regarding the PE exam, I think I spent too much time organizing the problems into categories and should have been solving more.


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## Vishal (Apr 14, 2008)

*Let THE WAIT begin*.... time for clock to read "You have been waiting...."!!!!!!! Feels a lot better to be on the other side of the fence.. I am glad i didn't hav to go thru this more than once..


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## csb (Apr 14, 2008)

Did anyone else's answer sheet look like this???


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## cement (Apr 14, 2008)

^^ good one!


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## squishles10 (Apr 14, 2008)

I thought the morning was pretty straight-forward. I only couldn't figure out about 3 of them (2 structures and a geotech). The construction was basic except for a random surveying question- where was that on the possible topics list? I know, the disclaimer at the bottom, but sheesh.

The afternoon on the other hand- good god! I totally guessed on 2, and I believe a few more were located on trip #3 to the ladies room, if you get my drift.  There were no look-up questions on the first pass, but after looking up in a LOT of places, 2-3 appeared, at a cost of well over 6 minutes.

Where's the "bend over" icon?


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## csb (Apr 14, 2008)

^ I panicked on transpo, because there were no easy questions and made the ultimate dumb move...I erased the six questions I had answered in 90 minutes and moved over to the Construction depth.

Ahem.


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## Mike in Gastonia (Apr 14, 2008)

squishles10 said:


> The construction was basic except for a random surveying question- where was that on the possible topics list? I know, the disclaimer at the bottom, but sheesh.


Wasn't there a topic called "Site Layout and Control"?


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## squishles10 (Apr 14, 2008)

Mike in Gastonia said:


> Wasn't there a topic called "Site Layout and Control"?


Oh. I call that "Surveying".  Regardless, I got it.


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## inspirit00 (Apr 14, 2008)

I thought the AM exam was pretty easy and so was the PM 'Transportation' depth. The questions itself were pretty straight forward, if you knew how to solve them (if that makes any sense).


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## Vishal (Apr 14, 2008)

squishles10 said:


> I thought the morning was pretty straight-forward.


i know i asked it somewhere else too...still, did they follow their guidelines for Trans AM of not asking traffic related questions? I guess the new "syllabus" calls for geometric design related questions only..


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## inspirit00 (Apr 14, 2008)

Vish said:


> i know i asked it somewhere else too...still, did they follow their guidelines for Trans AM of not asking traffic related questions? I guess the new "syllabus" calls for geometric design related questions only..


Yeah, I replied in the other thread too and the answer is 'Yes - they did'.


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## wilheldp_PE (Apr 14, 2008)

I thought the morning (Electrical) session was easier than I expected it to be, but the afternoon (Computer) section was VERY different than the sample exam, and IMO a lot harder. I guess that is the price I pay for being a techie (ever changing technology), but if it's going to change that much, they need to start releasing sample exams more often.


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## Brentum (Apr 14, 2008)

Two things,

A. it wasn't has bad as I had it made up in my mind (ME-Fluids/Thermo). I was totally psych'd out for it. I knew more than I thought.

B. I don't think I passed. it wasn't so much that I didn't know the problems. It was that I totally ran out of time and had to guess on problems I am pretty sure I knew how to do, because I didn't want to leave any unanswered.

It was worse in the afternoon session, but it got caught twice in a time crunch. In the morning, I had about 15 left with an hour to go. And in the afternoon I had about 15 left with 1/2 hour left to go.

Fortunately in the afternoon, there were about 5 non-quantitative right there at the end. I think I got 4 of them right.

If I'd had the time I needed, I think I would have only had maybe 5-6 unknown in the morning session and maybe around 8 I didn't know on the afternoon.

So, unless my guessing was very lucky, or the cut score if very low, I'm skeptical about my chances.

The good news (if it can be called that) is I certainly identified some weak spots that I think if I knew properly, would have really helped this time (thermo turbine problems), and if I can manage my time better, that would have really helped to. I fully meant to pick the low hanging fruit, and go through the whole thing, but I kept hitting a problem that I -thought- I knew how to do...and then after dickering with it for 20 minutes, realized I couldn't figure it out, and just pissed away a lot of time.

In the afternoon session, the first 10 problems were like that. Spent like the first 2 hours on the first 10 problems, and didn't even get them all right. Hit a bunch of fluids problems after that that I knew pretty good, but just take time to work out. Then was scrambling over some fairly easy problems that I just didn't have time to do.

Poor time management coupled with not knowing my turbines well enough really sunk my efforts I'm afraid.

I think if I don't pass and take it again, I'll work the problems starting with the last and working forward. Seemed to be some relatively easy ones hiding right at the end and that was was freakin' out about time when I hit them.


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## benbo (Apr 14, 2008)

wilheldp said:


> I thought the morning (Electrical) session was easier than I expected it to be, but the afternoon (Computer) section was VERY different than the sample exam, and IMO a lot harder. I guess that is the price I pay for being a techie (ever changing technology), but if it's going to change that much, they need to start releasing sample exams more often.


Almost everybody (including me) thinks that about the PM. There are just too many different things they can ask. Especially in computers, if that's what you took. I took ECC, I was sure I failed when I took it, and I passed, primarily because of the AM. And on ECC there are a lot of things that just don't change that much.


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## squishles10 (Apr 14, 2008)

inspirit00 said:


> Yeah, I replied in the other thread too and the answer is 'Yes - they did'.


I had an equation sheet for transpo that included H/V curve equations, stopping distance, max radius (I think?), and superelevation, and it is all I needed. Didn't use CERM at all.


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## wilheldp_PE (Apr 14, 2008)

benbo said:


> Almost everybody (including me) thinks that about the PM. There are just too many different things they can ask. Especially in computers, if that's what you took. I took ECC, I was sure I failed when I took it, and I passed, primarily because of the AM. And on ECC there are a lot of things that just don't change that much.


I felt bulletproof going into the afternoon because the morning was easier than expected, and I had always done really well on the computer afternoon practice tests. I gotta say that it was very ego deflating to totally whiff on a section that I thought I would nail.


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## Vishal (Apr 14, 2008)

squishles10 said:


> I had an equation sheet for transpo that included H/V curve equations, stopping distance, max radius (I think?), and superelevation, and it is all I needed. Didn't use CERM at all.


I thought so, since they were so specific about the morning topics and limited that to pretty much H/V curver, superelev., SSD there isn't much left to ask... So those not taking Trans PM, no need to carry Highway Capacity Manual and MUTCD.. I would still recommend carrying AASHTO just coz I am sure there will be look-up type question.

Good luck for your results... I see you are in Texas, so you are in luck.. the results will be posted online as soon as the board gets them. Are you subscribed to the mailing list on yahoo?


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## PE-ness (Apr 14, 2008)

EIT Testee said:


> ^^I don't get to watch much TV.
> Regarding the PE exam, I think I spent too much time organizing the problems into categories and should have been solving more.


Yeah, next time leave the thinking to ME. With YOU in the driver's seat, we'd never get anywhere.


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## Brentum (Apr 14, 2008)

This seems extraordinarily paranoid, but do double check which morning disapline you did (mechanical, civil, etc), and when afternoon depth session you did.

in the afternoon, they had 3 depth sections in the booklet, but only one place for answers.

I didn't even think about it until I was fretting later, that maybe I accidentally filled in the "HVAC" bubble rather than the "Thermal and Fluid Systems" bubble.

Or that I filled out the "mechanics" instead of "mechanical" bubble for the morning.

It's just one of those "did I leave the oven on?" questions you think about later, but I was wondering if they double check vs. what afternoon section you have all of your computations in, in your booklet, or anything like that?

I'd hate to have my test get scored wrong due to a brain fart (although, who knows, that might actually help my score!)


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## 4william (Apr 14, 2008)

I took the construction depth. This was my first try at the PE.. Are the cut scores usually around 48? I thought they were around 55 to 56. Also, do you think the cut score will be lower for the construction depth, sice this was the first time it has been offered.


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## starkman (Apr 14, 2008)

4william said:


> I took the construction depth. This was my first try at the PE.. Are the cut scores usually around 48? I thought they were around 55 to 56. Also, do you think the cut score will be lower for the construction depth, sice this was the first time it has been offered.



It's hard to say what they will do with the cut score, this being a new depth and all. I also felt the morning was pretty easy, think I only missed like 3 or 4. Construction afternoon was something else. I thought it was much harder than the practice exam, and had such a broad spectrum of questions. If the cut score is 48/80, then I think I will pass, mainly based on the morning strength. Remember though, 56/70 = 70% raw, not scaled. If you got 56/70 raw, you are all good. 48/70 would be a scaled number, and they will determine the exact cut score to scale sometime in the next two months here. P.S. I would love a 48/80 cut score.....


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## Vishal (Apr 14, 2008)

4william said:


> I took the construction depth. This was my first try at the PE.. Are the cut scores usually around 48? I thought they were around 55 to 56. Also, do you think the cut score will be lower for the construction depth, sice this was the first time it has been offered.


the cut score is anybody's guess at this point. we have tried to "de-code" the thing for the past few attempts, and as much as i would like to tell you that 48 is the magic number... i can safely say that for transportation (or i may even say that for all the disciplines of civil) it is in low to mid-50s... again, we are all taking a shot in the dark.

due to the lack of sample size for the construction depth, we can not specifically answer your cut score question for construction PM... (how's that for leagal language???!!!)... the cut score is different each time, depending on the group of test takers and the difficulty of the exam.

long story short... welcome to THE WAIT!!!

Good luck for your result.

Vish.


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## 4william (Apr 14, 2008)

Starkman, forgive me for this. What is the difference between a raw score and a scaled score?


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## starkman (Apr 15, 2008)

4william said:


> Starkman, forgive me for this. What is the difference between a raw score and a scaled score?



Raw is what your actual score is...correct/total. Scaled is however they adjust the curve, which could be alot, or none at all. The scaled scores are what they say you must achieve 70% on to pass, not the raw.


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## neer (Apr 17, 2008)

jregieng said:


> So, come on everyone - tell us how you did!
> Let the waiting begin!!!! :w00t:
> 
> JR


i think i did preety good, especially when i had studied just 15 hrs (including 5 hrs in exam room).


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## ME_FPE (Apr 18, 2008)

Brentum said:


> This seems extraordinarily paranoid, but do double check which morning disapline you did (mechanical, civil, etc), and when afternoon depth session you did.in the afternoon, they had 3 depth sections in the booklet, but only one place for answers.
> 
> I didn't even think about it until I was fretting later, that maybe I accidentally filled in the "HVAC" bubble rather than the "Thermal and Fluid Systems" bubble.
> 
> ...


Like an idiot, I quintuple checked the correct PM discipline bubble was filled. I'm always obsessive about things like that. For example, I waste about 3 minutes every night triple checking my alarm clocks.


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## starkman (Apr 18, 2008)

Just a quick question, wondering what people think about this. Most people seem to think that the morning is much easier than the afternoon. So if you have the following breakdown:

Morning: 30-35 right

Afternoon: 20-30 right

You have at minimum a 50/80 raw or 63%, probably very near passing. I'm guessing this is how the usual breakdown in the score goes, people relying on their morning score to pull them through. If the pass rate is around 2/3, and the majority of the people believe afternoon was tough, most of those people should still be passing, based on their strength in the morning. So basically, unless you did poorly on the morning, if you did okay in the afternoon, you should have a decent chance at getting a "pass" notice. I took the construction, which was kinda screwy, so I am hoping this is how it goes for most people.

(overanalyzing...I know, but I gotta survive the next 8 weeks)


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## FL_Civil (Apr 18, 2008)

i'm on track with most posters here...i think i did fairly well.

my confidence coming out may have been due to practice exam problems being so much more complicated. whatever the reason, i left feeling pretty good about things.

i took the water/env depth and wasn't too overwhelmed by the majority of the problems. i guess we'll see how it all turns out! good luck everybody.


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## calculator (Apr 18, 2008)

starkman said:


> Just a quick question, wondering what people think about this. Most people seem to think that the morning is much easier than the afternoon. So if you have the following breakdown:
> Morning: 30-35 right
> 
> Afternoon: 20-30 right
> ...


I doubt that 30 right in morning session &amp; 20 right in afternoon can get one through!!!

I will be the happiest person, if that is the case. May be it is more like 35 in morning $ 25 in afternoon???


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## starkman (Apr 18, 2008)

calculator said:


> I doubt that 30 right in morning session &amp; 20 right in afternoon can get one through!!!I will be the happiest person, if that is the case. May be it is more like 35 in morning $ 25 in afternoon???



35 and 25 = 60/80 or 75% raw, so most likely it requires less than that for passing. 56/80 is 70% raw. I am assuming they usually scale up, not down. I am hoping anyway.


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## Brentum (Apr 18, 2008)

25 in the morning and 20 in the afternoon....what are my odds?

doh!


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## IlPadrino (Apr 18, 2008)

calculator said:


> I doubt that 30 right in morning session &amp; 20 right in afternoon can get one through!!!I will be the happiest person, if that is the case. May be it is more like 35 in morning $ 25 in afternoon???


From the PE Notes wiki:



> What it Takes to Pass
> Conventional wisdom says you need to answer about 70% of the questions correct to pass - that's 56 out of the 80 questions. So 28 correct answers in each of the morning and afternoon sessions is good enough to pass. However, given that the breadth questions are often easier and less-involved, you may shoot for 35 correct in the morning session, leaving just 23 for the afternoon session. Of course, you might also shoot to become extremely proficient in your depth area and shoot for 35 correct in the afternoon session, leaving just 23 for the morning session. The bottom line: you can do poorly in one session or the other and still pass.


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## ccollet (Apr 22, 2008)

csb said:


> ^ I panicked on transpo, because there were no easy questions and made the ultimate dumb move...I erased the six questions I had answered in 90 minutes and moved over to the Construction depth.
> Ahem.


i did the same thing, i've teken the test before and the transpo. afternoon semed to be quite a bit different than last time.

according to the diagnostic report on my previous results, i did great on the transpo. afternoon (33-34 correct) ad bombed in the morning. this time was the exact opposite, 26 "easy" answers in the morning, 6 "pretty sure" answers, 4 educated guesses and 4 total guesses. conservatively i'm thinking 32-33 in the morning.

but i wasted 30-40 minutes after lunch before i switched to construction and i had none of the references that were suggested for the construction module, it was definetly passable, (with the correct references)

i guess i'll see you all in september,


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## rmmedina1 (Apr 23, 2008)

So I traveled all the way to CT from NY-LI via ferry (which was actually nice) and stayed in a cheapie motel (which was really great...had a nice continental b-fast...too bad about how close it was to RT91 because I could hear every truck drive by...)

I brought every book under the sun. Some of you may remember me as the girl with the broken cart (so when they say 150lb max, they mean it!!). Thank you again to the two gents that helped me.

By the way, CT has a VERY nice testing facility, free parking, and the proctors were very nice and understanding...

I'm glad I brought all those books, because some "gimme" questions came right out of them.

The AM exam: I kicked butt. Big time. I finished an hour and a half early, and had time to review all of my work AND find answers to three problems that had initially stumped me.

The PM exam: kicked my butt. Big time. I may have gotten 10 right on my own, and maybe another 10 because of that "monkey taking a test gets 25% right" rule. I hope.

I give myself a 40% chance of passing. I actually think I failed. But after reading all of the diagnostics and whatnot...there may be a *very small* chance that I passed. I doubt it though.

The PM Construction portion had way to many "out there" problems that were in no book, and I've never come across in my career (four years design and construction support, one year construction inspection).

I was very PO-ed about the PM, because I was flying high coming out of the AM, but that seems to be the consensus. I studied my rear end off, and nothing prepared me for some of the questions on the PM portion. I'm also graduating with an MSEM next month, and I've never seen such difficult, shall we say, management problems. AARGH!

I guess we'll all see come late June.

M


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## Polysloman (Apr 23, 2008)

The PM Construction portion had way to many "out there" problems that were in no book, and I've never come across in my career "

I feel the same way. I did not see Engineering practice problems. They should call it school exam in a sort of practice environment. The problems in the const field are nothing like the exam. A few problems were from structure design references that were not on the long list of const standards.

I think the old ways was better 8 vs 80 problems now days.


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## amn14 (Apr 24, 2008)

ccollet said:


> i did the same thing, i've teken the test before and the transpo. afternoon semed to be quite a bit different than last time.according to the diagnostic report on my previous results, i did great on the transpo. afternoon (33-34 correct) ad bombed in the morning. this time was the exact opposite, 26 "easy" answers in the morning, 6 "pretty sure" answers, 4 educated guesses and 4 total guesses. conservatively i'm thinking 32-33 in the morning.
> 
> but i wasted 30-40 minutes after lunch before i switched to construction and i had none of the references that were suggested for the construction module, it was definetly passable, (with the correct references)
> 
> i guess i'll see you all in september,


I am curious but if you got 32-33 correct in the afternoon and failed - how many did you get right in the morning?


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## Matt-NM (Apr 24, 2008)

Did anybody take the Mechanical PE and answer "It was a piece of cake-I Passed" on the poll. I know I didn't.


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## DIZZEE (May 7, 2008)

Vish said:


> I thought so, since they were so specific about the morning topics and limited that to pretty much H/V curver, superelev., SSD there isn't much left to ask... So those not taking Trans PM, no need to carry Highway Capacity Manual and MUTCD.. I would still recommend carrying AASHTO just coz I am sure there will be look-up type question.
> Good luck for your results... I see you are in Texas, so you are in luck.. the results will be posted online as soon as the board gets them. Are you subscribed to the mailing list on yahoo?



i used my HCM quite a bit in the afternoon and the Traffic Handbook. Maybe we had different tests, but there were definately Traffic questions on my test


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## ccollet (May 7, 2008)

amn14 said:


> I am curious but if you got 32-33 correct in the afternoon and failed - how many did you get right in the morning?


going thru the diagnostics i figured 22 in the AM.


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## Vishal (May 7, 2008)

DIZZEE said:


> i used my HCM quite a bit in the afternoon and the Traffic Handbook. Maybe we had different tests, but there were definately Traffic questions on my test


i was asking about the AM portion of the test. i passed the October 2007 test, there was traffic in AM section back then, per the guidelines. I also mentioned that HCM and other references will be required for the PM section and not for the AM section.


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## IndyIllini (Jun 10, 2008)

Sure I failed, but actually passed!!!


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## ccollet (Jun 10, 2008)

IndyIllini said:


> Sure I failed, but actually passed!!!


last time i was sure i passed and i failed. this time i am pretty sure i failed.

:brickwall:


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