# How difficult is the real exam from the NCEES sample test ?



## Messi (Feb 4, 2019)

I have read on the posts that the real exam was way more difficult than the NCEES sample exam, is it always the same case or just October 18 ?


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## Sebastian (Feb 4, 2019)

In my opinion, the real exam was harder that the NCEES sample exam; particularly the afternoon (depth portion). I think the NCEES sample exam is the best available material to get you prepared on how problems are written (verbiage, etc...) and semi-accurate level of complexity. As a point of reference, when I was done with my studying ( I took EET as a prep course)...I was able to breeze through the sample exam ( missing around 6-7 questions overall); the actual exam was far tougher I thought. I was lucky enough to pass, but there were at least 5-6 problems in the depth portion where I was completely stumped and a several in the morning portion where I was able to narrow my answer to two choices instead of four. Good luck! Oh, and I did take the exam last OCT.

BARCA rules.


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## Messi (Feb 4, 2019)

Sebastian said:


> In my opinion, the real exam was harder that the NCEES sample exam; particularly the afternoon (depth portion). I think the NCEES sample exam is the best available material to get you prepared on how problems are written (verbiage, etc...) and semi-accurate level of complexity. As a point of reference, when I was done with my studying ( I took EET as a prep course)...I was able to breeze through the sample exam ( missing around 6-7 questions overall); the actual exam was far tougher I thought. I was lucky enough to pass, but there were at least 5-6 problems in the depth portion where I was completely stumped and a several in the morning portion where I was able to narrow my answer to two choices instead of four. Good luck! Oh, and I did take the exam last OCT.
> 
> BARCA rules.


Thanks for the clarification.

and yes Barca rules haha


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## Phenomenon083 (Feb 4, 2019)

_Més que un club_


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## RadioBox (Feb 4, 2019)

Sebastian said:


> In my opinion, the real exam was harder that the NCEES sample exam; particularly the afternoon (depth portion). I think the NCEES sample exam is the best available material to get you prepared on how problems are written (verbiage, etc...) and semi-accurate level of complexity. As a point of reference, when I was done with my studying ( I took EET as a prep course)...I was able to breeze through the sample exam ( missing around 6-7 questions overall); the actual exam was far tougher I thought. I was lucky enough to pass, but there were at least 5-6 problems in the depth portion where I was completely stumped and a several in the morning portion where I was able to narrow my answer to two choices instead of four. Good luck! Oh, and I did take the exam last OCT.
> 
> BARCA rules.


EET prep course? Are you a civil who took and passed the power exam?


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## Sebastian (Feb 4, 2019)

Nope...Civil/WRE.


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## ItsStudyTime! (Feb 5, 2019)

I also recall the real exam being a touch harder than the provided NCEES exam, but still found that exam to be VERY useful to do as prep. It opened my eyes to a few question styles/topics that I hadn't been paying attention to. I wrote out full solutions to each problem to bring in my study binder and found them very useful.


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## Elec_PE18 (Feb 5, 2019)

I found the real exam quite different than the sample exam. However, it's important to grasp at least all the concepts presented in NCEES sample exam. This will help in one way or the other.


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## roy167 (Feb 6, 2019)

So far I have done Spinup, Complex Imaginary, Graffeo, ENgPROguide exams. A lot of people know spinup is very basic, leave that aside. Even in the other practice tests, I have not seen problems on equivalent diagrams of induction motor, transformer, AC/DC motors. Iron losses, copper losses, starting torque etc. I don't think these are terribly hard problems that exam won't ask. So the fact that these professional did not include in their exams is because the exam doesn't go to that level? 

You don't want to prepare on higher difficulty level and not being able to answer simple ones because your focus was different and you prepared it differently than what the exam asks you.


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## eatsleep (Feb 6, 2019)

roy167 said:


> So far I have done Spinup, Complex Imaginary, Graffeo, ENgPROguide exams. A lot of people know spinup is very basic, leave that aside. Even in the other practice tests, I have not seen problems on equivalent diagrams of induction motor, transformer, AC/DC motors. Iron losses, copper losses, starting torque etc. I don't think these are terribly hard problems that exam won't ask. So the fact that these professional did not include in their exams is because the exam doesn't go to that level?
> 
> You don't want to prepare on higher difficulty level and not being able to answer simple ones because your focus was different and you prepared it differently than what the exam asks you.
> 
> I have done shorebook, chaya, and one of the camara exams. I remember there being more motor questions in those, I specifically remember there was an induction motor eq circuit question, but it just asked which one was for iduction motors. As long as you have some notes on refrences for motors i think youll be ok, the practice exam questions about torque/losses have been overwhelmingly conceptional. Basically asking about how speed, voltage, etc affects torque and vice versa


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