# Exam day



## Messi (Mar 20, 2019)

I wanted to know few things regarding the exam day.

- How long is the break between morning &amp; afternoon session ?

- Are we allowed to take 2 Calculators in the exam hall ?


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## txjennah PE (Mar 20, 2019)

Messi said:


> I wanted to know few things regarding the exam day.
> 
> - How long is the break between morning &amp; afternoon session ?
> 
> - Are we allowed to take 2 Calculators in the exam hall ?


1.  Roughly an hour.

2.  Yes.  I think I took 3? Which is excessive but idk, it seemed like a good idea at the time


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## Messi (Mar 20, 2019)

txjennah PE said:


> 1.  Roughly an hour.
> 
> 2.  Yes.  I think I took 3? Which is excessive but idk, it seemed like a good idea at the time


Thank you


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## Phenomenon083 (Mar 20, 2019)

Messi will score a hatrick on exam day!


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## Messi (Mar 20, 2019)

Phenomenon083 said:


> Messi will score a hatrick on exam day!


Haha. Amen


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## tpkjr2006 (Mar 20, 2019)

Messi said:


> I wanted to know few things regarding the exam day.
> 
> - How long is the break between morning &amp; afternoon session ?
> 
> - Are we allowed to﻿ take 2 Calculators in the exam hall ?


You should be aware exam day is a very brutal experience,

1.) You have to stand outside of the room while your checked in carrying all your books. Lets hope your not one of those people that brinks several boxes worth of books.

2.) Its an absolute mental game while your wait for the exam to start. Lets hope theres not my little pony convention next door or comic con.

3.) Lunch break is not long enough. At this time you will probably sit in your car and question your sanity of why you want to take this exam.

4.) PM session you will want to cry and hope for some mercy from the exam proctors.

5.) You really should read the NCEES examine handbook they do explain the calculator policy.


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## roy167 (Mar 20, 2019)

Do you recommend ear plugs or head phones? What is more comfortable where you don't even know that you have something in your ear/on ear feels natural but not hear any external disturbance. Please suggest


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## txjennah PE (Mar 20, 2019)

roy167 said:


> Do you recommend ear plugs or head phones? What is more comfortable where you don't even know that you have something in your ear/on ear feels natural but not hear any external disturbance. Please suggest


I highly doubt you can take in head phones.  I used ear plugs and was fine.


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## LyceeFruit PE (Mar 20, 2019)

roy167 said:


> Do you recommend ear plugs or head phones? What is more comfortable where you don't even know that you have something in your ear/on ear feels natural but not hear any external disturbance. Please suggest


If you're taking a paper test, you can bring earplugs. If you're taking a CBT test, either is allowed per the NCEES Examinee Guide.

I personally don't bother with earplugs. 

https://ncees.org/wp-content/uploads/ExamineeGuide_November-26_2018_opt.pdf



txjennah PE said:


> I highly doubt you can take in head phones.  I used ear plugs and was fine.


If you take the CBT exams, you are allowed noise cancelling headphones. It's listed in the NCEES Examinee Guide


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## txjennah PE (Mar 20, 2019)

LyceeFruit said:


> If you're taking a paper test, you can bring earplugs. If you're taking a CBT test, either is allowed per the NCEES Examinee Guide.
> 
> I personally don't bother with earplugs.
> 
> ...


Good to know, thanks. I didn't take CBT so was assuming the large general auditorium for the exam.


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## LyceeFruit PE (Mar 20, 2019)

txjennah PE said:


> Good to know, thanks. I didn't take CBT so was assuming the large general auditorium for the exam.


Yeah, same. I went &amp; checked the guidebook because maybe they added the option for headphones for the paper exam, NOPE lol


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## Messi (Mar 20, 2019)

I got the exam authorization today &amp; it mentions to bring Earplugs as there could be unexpected noise. I plan on taking it, WILL USE IT ONLY IF NEEDED.


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## tpkjr2006 (Mar 20, 2019)

Messi said:


> I got the exam authorization today &amp; it mentions to bring Earplugs as there could be unexpected noise. I plan on taking it, WILL USE IT ONLY IF NEEDED.


Yes yes. Earplugs is important.


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## daydreambeliever (Mar 20, 2019)

Whatever you choose to do you just want to make sure you are able to hear the proctors. They will notify you of the 15min, 5min and 1min mark.


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## Messi (Mar 20, 2019)

daydreambeliever said:


> Whatever you choose to do you just want to make sure you are able to hear the proctors. They will notify you of the 15min, 5min and 1min mark.


Thats a good point


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## roy167 (Mar 20, 2019)

I'm planning on taking my stuff in a clear tote, something like this. Do you see any negatives of that? What are other ideas folks have?


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## daydreambeliever (Mar 20, 2019)

roy167 said:


> Do you see any negatives of that?


It doesn't have wheels. Depending on how many references you have it will be heavy to lug around. The testing facility I'm at may require a long walk depending on how early I get there. Here's what I use.


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## Messi (Mar 20, 2019)

I am gonna be using a small carry on suitcase. I am not sure if they allow it to be taken inside or I'll have to take my books out to my desk.


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## daydreambeliever (Mar 20, 2019)

At the testing location in NC they allow suitcases. I've seen some bring in fill size luggage.


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## LyceeFruit PE (Mar 20, 2019)

daydreambeliever said:


> It doesn't have wheels. Depending on how many references you have it will be heavy to lug around. The testing facility I'm at may require a long walk depending on how early I get there. Here's what I use.
> 
> View attachment 12714


There was a woman who used one of these one time I took the test, the area we were in had stairs (college lecture hall but half height stairs). She couldn't lift it and her dad assisted her in bringing it to her desk. No idea how she got it out since I was done before she was. 



Messi said:


> I am gonna be using a small carry on suitcase. I am not sure if they allow it to be taken inside or I'll have to take my books out to my desk.


I've never seen someone be turned away with a carry-on suitcase.

I use a Staples paper box and a backpack


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## daydreambeliever (Mar 20, 2019)

LyceeFruit said:


> There was a woman who used one of these one time I took the test, the area we were in had stairs (college lecture hall but half height stairs). She couldn't lift it and her dad assisted her in bringing it to her desk. No idea how she got it out since I was done before she was.


HAHA..yeah I can see that being an issue! My testing location only has a couple curbs in the parking lot I have to go over. Last time I took the test my books were overflowing from my little crate which resulted in this story.



I may try luggage this time  :laugh:


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## a4u2fear (Mar 21, 2019)

i brought a suitcase and it weighed nearly 100 lbs.  But i wasn't leaving any possible resource at home.  If you're fast enough, you will have plenty of time to search for that weird question in every book; I did.


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## daydreambeliever (Mar 21, 2019)

a4u2fear said:


> i brought a suitcase and it weighed nearly 100 lbs.  But i wasn't leaving any possible resource at home.  If you're fast enough, you will have plenty of time to search for that weird question in every book; I did.


Was it full size? Did you have any issues with space around your desk during the exam? That's the main reason I haven't tried that yet.


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## roy167 (Mar 21, 2019)

a4u2fear said:


> i brought a suitcase and it weighed nearly 100 lbs.  But i wasn't leaving any possible resource at home.  If you're fast enough, you will have plenty of time to search for that weird question in every book; I did.


Why do you think you will have plenty of time? I thought that 6 mins per question is not very much to start with. My exam is in Holiday Inn if someone can comment of the space you get? I presume this is going to be in one of the conference hall.


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## DoctorWho-PE (Mar 21, 2019)

roy167 said:


> Do you recommend ear plugs or head phones? What is more comfortable where you don't even know that you have something in your ear/on ear feels natural but not hear any external disturbance. Please suggest


Headphones are not allowed.  And earplugs bother me, so I was actually better off without them.  I did take some earplugs, but never used them.


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## Stardust (Mar 21, 2019)

Don't assume it'll start at exactly 8 AM like I did, got caught off guard while I was assuming they would just wait a few minutes until exactly 8 AM !


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## SacMe24 (Mar 21, 2019)

roy167 said:


> Do you recommend ear plugs or head phones? What is more comfortable where you don't even know that you have something in your ear/on ear feels natural but not hear any external disturbance. Please suggest


You won't be allowed to wear headphones but I strongly suggest ear plugs, in particular, try the Hearos brand, they're very comfortable and block out nearly all the noise. It's just enough for you to be able to stay focused on the exam and not be distracted by people coughing in the room, dropping stuff or other types of noise.


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (Mar 21, 2019)

If you're lucky, your table neighbor will wash out after lunch and not return. Then, you can REALLY spread your references on the table around you!


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## Zach Stone P.E. (Mar 21, 2019)

Here is one of our older videos on discussing the actual exam day that a lot of engineers have found helpful:





The video covers:

I. What to Expect:
•Exam Room, Proctoring, Exam Pace 6min per question

II. What to Bring and What not to Bring:
 •Plus examples of non-authorized items will get you thrown out! 

III. Advanced Test Taking Strategy:
•Do's and Don't, Take Multiple Passes, Don't get Stuck

IV. What to do When you Finish:
•Avoid this one thing, Don't finish early

Hope it helps!


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## roy167 (Mar 21, 2019)

squaretaper PE said:


> If you're lucky, your table neighbor will wash out after lunch and not return. Then, you can REALLY spread your references on the table around you!


I like this on a long flight. A free business class for the price of economy.  I won't wish this for anyone for PE exam though.


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## Messi (Mar 21, 2019)

> 1 hour ago, Zach Stone, P.E. said:
> 
> Here is one of our older videos on discussing the actual exam day that a lot of engineers have found helpful:



Thanks  Zach. You covered lot of ground there


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## Zach Stone P.E. (Mar 21, 2019)

Messi said:


> Thanks  Zach. You covered lot of ground there


@Messi Happy to help, I'm glad you enjoyed it.


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## DoctorWho-PE (Mar 21, 2019)

squaretaper PE said:


> If you're lucky, your table neighbor will wash out after lunch and not return. Then, you can REALLY spread your references on the table around you!


I had a whole 6 ft table to myself.  Might even have been 8 ft, as I had a crate on each side of my chair, and some wiggle room.


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## txjennah PE (Mar 21, 2019)

My table partner erased ferociously like his score depended on it.  It shook the entire table and I was ready to throw my calculator at him by the end of the day.


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## LyceeFruit PE (Mar 22, 2019)

txjennah PE said:


> My table partner erased ferociously like his score depended on it.  It shook the entire table and I was ready to throw my calculator at him by the end of the day.


YES. I had a dude like that once. When we came back from lunch, I told him he was a very aggressive eraser-er. He wasn't as bad in the afternoon.


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## a4u2fear (Mar 25, 2019)

daydreambeliever said:


> Was it full size? Did you have any issues with space around your desk during the exam? That's the main reason I haven't tried that yet.


Yes, it was normal.  I'm sure proctors thought i was a  mess.  I literally had books all around me and i was ferociously looking through them.  I had some at my feet, under my chair, on my desk, behind me, in the suitcase etc.  No one complained or asked me to move anything.  As long as it wasn't in the walkway I assumed it was fair game.


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## a4u2fear (Mar 25, 2019)

roy167 said:


> Why do you think you will have plenty of time? I thought that 6 mins per question is not very much to start with. My exam is in Holiday Inn if someone can comment of the space you get? I presume this is going to be in one of the conference hall.


there were literally questions i answered in 15 secs or less.  if you are prepared, you will have some very easy ones and you will spend time on the hard ones.  I had time to search every index of every book.  Now there weren't 10-15 of these questions where I had no clue and was searching for a needle in a haystack, but there were maybe 2-3.  And i found the needle on two of them.  I work in a very old company and very old power books are laying around.  I looked through them and took them if they seemed at all useful.  Then skimmed the indexes during exam day for that topic.


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## Phenomenon083 (Mar 25, 2019)

a4u2fear said:


> Yes, it was normal.  I'm sure proctors thought i was a  mess.  I literally had books all around me and i was ferociously looking through them.  I had some at my feet﻿, under my chair, on my desk, behind me, in the suitcase etc.  No one complained or asked me to move anything.  As long as it wasn't in the walkway I assumed it was fair game.


I can see myself in similar situation on April 5th, I have so many reference materials. I even think it will be embarrassing on the exam day.


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## Messi (Mar 25, 2019)

I am using these 1" &amp; 3" binders for the exam. I plan on using an A4 size paper as cover page with book name written. Is this considered a loose paper or do I need to glue it to the binder ?


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## daydreambeliever (Mar 26, 2019)

Messi said:


> View attachment 12723
> 
> 
> I am using these 1" &amp; 3" binders for the exam. I plan on using an A4 size paper as cover page with book name written. Is this considered a loose paper or do I need to glue it to the binder ?


Will you be inserting it behind a clear plastic cover? If so I would think you're good. If not I would just tape your cover sheet down. All of my binders are different colors so I know when I come to a Protection problem that's in my blue binder, motors are in purple so on and so forth. In each binder I have inserted a piece of paper behind the plastic cover with topics for that binder just in case I freeze up and forgot which color binder has which topics . I'm a multiple time test taker and no one has said anything to me about the loose piece of paper behind the plastic cover.


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## Messi (Mar 26, 2019)

daydreambeliever said:


> Will you be inserting it behind a clear plastic cover? If so I would think you're good. If not I would just tape your cover sheet down. All of my binders are different colors so I know when I come to a Protection problem that's in my blue binder, motors are in purple so on and so forth. In each binder I have inserted a piece of paper behind the plastic cover with topics for that binder just in case I freeze up and forgot which color binder has which topics . I'm a multiple time test taker and no one has said anything to me about the loose piece of paper behind the plastic cover.


Thanks for the info. Yes I was planning on putting the paper behind the plastic.


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## Ken PE 3.1 (Mar 26, 2019)

2 Advil at 7:30 , and 2 more at 1:00.


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## Messi (Mar 26, 2019)

Ken PE 3.1 said:


> 2 Advil at 7:30 , and 2 more at 1:00.


I am planning on having Nyquil to fall asleep on the night before the exam


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## SacMe24 (Mar 26, 2019)

Messi said:


> I am planning on having Nyquil to fall asleep on the night before the exam


I took 1/2 cap of Zzzquil and slept like a baby... didn't take a full cap because I didn't want to feel groggy the morning after.

Good luck to you next week !


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## Messi (Mar 26, 2019)

SacMe24 said:


> I took 1/2 cap of Zzzquil and slept like a baby... didn't take a full cap because I didn't want to feel groggy the morning after.
> 
> Good luck to you next week !


Haha I agree with you.  So 1/2 cup it is ! Thanks


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## roy167 (Mar 26, 2019)

Are you allowed to stick few pages with clear tape? Like there are 15-20 pages in the beginning in NEC code book with author biography etc  which are useless and I don't want this to be in the way. 

Do you feel drowsy etc after taking sleeping pills the night before? I know it would be very hard to sleep the night before and you need to be well rested for 10 hour marathon day.


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## daydreambeliever (Mar 26, 2019)

roy167 said:


> Are you allowed to stick few pages with clear tape? Like there are 15-20 pages in the beginning in NEC code book with author biography etc  which are useless and I don't want this to be in the way.
> 
> Do you feel drowsy etc after taking sleeping pills the night before? I know it would be very hard to sleep the night before and you need to be well rested for 10 hour marathon day.


Have you purchased the NEC Handbook tabs? They are amazing.

I tend to do well with a little bit of over the counter help. I can take one benadryl and be ok the next day if I take 2 I'm groggy all morning but that's just me. You should do what works for you. Don't test something new out the night before the exam.


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## SacMe24 (Mar 26, 2019)

Messi said:


> Haha I agree with you.  So 1/2 cup it is ! Thanks


Try it tonight or this weekend to see how you feel the morning after...don't wait until the day of the exam to see how the medication affects you...


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## LyceeFruit PE (Mar 26, 2019)

roy167 said:


> Are you allowed to stick few pages with clear tape? Like there are 15-20 pages in the beginning in NEC code book with author biography etc  which are useless and I don't want this to be in the way.
> 
> Do you feel drowsy etc after taking sleeping pills the night before? I know it would be very hard to sleep the night before and you need to be well rested for 10 hour marathon day.


If you bought the book &amp; not your employer, just slice them out.

I did this with similar pages in my copy of the NESC because my binder is janky and pages catch on one of the rings.


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## Messi (Mar 26, 2019)

SacMe24 said:


> Try it tonight or this weekend to see how you feel the morning after...don't wait until the day of the exam to see how the medication affects you...


Good idea, I will. I know for sure I wont be able to sleep normally due to exam and new place i.e Hotel.


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## LyceeFruit PE (Mar 26, 2019)

Messi said:


> Good idea, I will. I know for sure I wont be able to sleep normally due to exam and new place i.e Hotel.


Another option is melatonin.


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## RBHeadge PE (Mar 26, 2019)

Messi said:


> I am planning on having Nyquil to fall asleep on the night before the exam






SacMe24 said:


> I took 1/2 cap of Zzzquil and slept like a baby... didn't take a full cap because I didn't want to feel groggy the morning after.
> 
> Good luck to you next week !


The active ingredient in Nyquil, Zzzquil (aka benadryl) that makes you tired are antihistamines. Doxylamine (or diphenhydramine) for Nyquil and diphenhydramine for the zzzquil/benadryl.

Liquid nyquil has a few other active ingredients, like dextromethorphan (DM) that may cause some individuals to not operate mentally at 100%. DM metabolizes at different rates for different people and can linger in the system for a while. Some individuals, for a couple of different reasons, are very sensitive to it. If you've ever complain about "dayquil or nyquil head", then you should avoid taking it before the mental marathon that is the PE exam. _Plus it's not like the other ingredients in Nyquil will benefit you much anyway vs antihistamines._



SacMe24 said:


> Try it tonight or this weekend to see how you feel the morning after...don't wait until the day of the exam to see how the medication affects you...


Yep, agreed. Like DM above, diphenhydramine can linger in the system longer than expected. You shouldn't handicap yourself for the test.

Nerves kept me up most of the night before the exam - I got _maybe_ 3 hours of sleep. But I refused to take antihistammines because I knew it and eight hours of sleep would be worse for me during the test, than three hours of sleep + caffeine.


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## RBHeadge PE (Mar 26, 2019)

Messi said:


> Good idea, I will. I know for sure I wont be able to sleep normally due to exam and new place i.e Hotel.


or nerves...



LyceeFruit said:


> Another option is melatonin.


True, so long as it actually works. Many people have success with it and no ill effects the next day.


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## roy167 (Mar 26, 2019)

RBHeadge PE said:


> Any downside of getting liquored up? one or two pegs just enough to put you to sleep and not feel hangover the next day. All the chemicals seem to have some side effects and some may not be able to tolerate.


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## RBHeadge PE (Mar 26, 2019)

I don't remember posting that.

:winko:

:beerbang:

:beerchug:

:drunk1:


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## Matt Skillet (Mar 26, 2019)

I take dyphenhydramine most nights before going to sleep. If you want to use it before test day I recommend trying it a few nights before the exam. It doesn't negatively affect me as long as I take it 1 hr before bed and 9 hrs before I wake up.


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## ChebyshevII PE PMP (Mar 28, 2019)

I got up super early the day before the test and didn’t take anything to help me sleep the night before. It works for me when I’m on a normal schedule, so I figured it would help the night before the test also. I ended up getting maybe 6 hours, which is pretty normal for me.

The beer I had at dinner might have helped a bit, too...


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## Phenomenon083 (Mar 29, 2019)

ChebyshevII_PE said:


> I got up super early the day before the test and didn’t take anything to help me sleep the night before. It works for me when I’m on a normal schedule, so I figured it would help the night before the test also. I ended up getting maybe 6 hours, which is pretty normal for me.
> 
> The beer I had at dinner might have helped a bit, too...


Before my Mechanical PE exam I trained myself for 2 weeks going to bed by 11 pm and wake up at 6 am. As usual on the exam night I went to bed at 11 PM but guess what I woke up at 12:30 AM. I had only 1 hour 30 minutes sleep, I couldn't sleep the whole night. The worst thing going to the exam hall on that morning was the pessimistic mindset, I was terrified how I am gonna survive this brutal 8 hours exam. But anyway I passed, so at the end lack of sleep didn't become a big issue.


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## a4u2fear (Apr 1, 2019)

Good lucky everyone.  I must say, after taking this twice, passing the second time, I will be looking forward to harassing everyone up until the results are released (as everyone did before me).  Even after passing I still visited this site quite often because I was so obsessed with the exam.  Now it's less frequent, but I still stop by to see what's going on.


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