# Question: EIT



## xps (Dec 7, 2010)

I'll start my review this coming January 2011 for FE exam. Still busy preparing for LEED AP examination for end of December 2010.

I registered for April 2011 examination, so basically I only have 3months to review for FE (General in PM).

I'm planning for at least 4hours a day to review. Base on your experience, 3months is enough?

I only have FE Review Manual (3rd Ed.) by Lindeburg and Supplied-Reference Handbook from NCEES. Anymore suggestion? Online study course maybe?

Also if I paid for April examination, then suddenly I re-schedule my exam by October 2011 - do I need to pay for October exam fee again?

Thanks in advance.


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## FusionWhite (Dec 7, 2010)

I took the general afternoon and (I hope this doesnt scare you) I studied for about 9 months. I dont think that much time is required, but I had to essentially teach myself several of the topics from scratch. Im a ChE and I had only a very loose grasp on topics like dynamics and statics and I spent a big portion of my time learning these topics.

If you are taking the general afternoon the time you need to study really comes down to how well you know the various topics. If you have a good handle on most of them then yes, 3 months should be enough if you put in the time. If your learning several topics that you've never seen before you may have some problems.

My one piece of advice for the general afternoon session is to really really really know the mathematics stuff. I was never very good in calculus and spent a lot of time brushing up on the math and these were relatively easy IF you have prepared for it. Unless your some calculus genius I doubt most people could have gone in and knocked out the afternoon math problems cold.


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## snickerd3 (Dec 7, 2010)

how long out of school are you?


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## xps (Dec 7, 2010)

snickerd3 said:


> how long out of school are you?


Graduated 1995, BSME


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## xps (Dec 7, 2010)

How about the study materials that I have right now, I can use that too for PM exam or there's another materials that I need?

Thanks!


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## MadDawg (Dec 7, 2010)

xps said:


> How about the study materials that I have right now, I can use that too for PM exam or there's another materials that I need?Thanks!



I took the afternoon general on the FE and all I used to study was the Lindeburg FE book. As long as you're familiar with the NCEES supplied reference and you put in a decent amount of study time (I think 4 hrs/day for 3 months is probably more than enough) you'll do fine.


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## eedave (Dec 11, 2010)

MadDawg said:


> xps said:
> 
> 
> > How about the study materials that I have right now, I can use that too for PM exam or there's another materials that I need?Thanks!
> ...


I took the EIT five year out of school. I averaged 15 hours/week of studying (brushing off the cobwebs) for three months. Know the supplied reference manual well. Use other resources, such as Lindeburg, to give examples and to work problems, but the supplied reference manual is your guide. I cannot emphasize this enough.

Another great piece of advice I was given, when you receive the manual on exam day, open to each section and crease the binding. This makes skipping from section to section much easier and by this time you should be comfortable enough to skip straight to the section you need and to find the necessary equation.

May I ask why you are taking the FE and LEED? Are you making a career change to the HVAC World?


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## smc44 (Dec 11, 2010)

xps said:


> I'll start my review this coming January 2011 for FE exam. Still busy preparing for LEED AP examination for end of December 2010.
> I registered for April 2011 examination, so basically I only have 3months to review for FE (General in PM).
> 
> I'm planning for at least 4hours a day to review. Base on your experience, 3months is enough?
> ...


As others have mentioned, make sure you know the supplied reference manual inside and out. Also decide on a calculator and learn everything you can do with it. A lot of the questions on the exam are a matter of looking up a formula and then applying it, so it helps if you can do this fast. Finally, make sure you're familiar with all the topics.


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## smc44 (Dec 11, 2010)

xps said:


> How about the study materials that I have right now, I can use that too for PM exam or there's another materials that I need?Thanks!


Yeah, if you are taking the general in the afternoon, then the Lindenburg text is sufficient. I found the afternoon section was easier than the morning, but that might have had something to do with nerves and settling into a groove. Do as many practice problems as you can.


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## xps (Dec 13, 2010)

eedave said:


> May I ask why you are taking the FE and LEED? Are you making a career change to the HVAC World?


I want to go back to my field of expertise - HVAC, with FE and LEED AP certificate to back up my 10years of HVAC experience so that I will be ready once the economy improve (hopefully by end of 2011).


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## jv21 (Dec 13, 2010)

Speed is key. (and units... they love to screw you on units :bananadoggywow: )

The problems are not unsolvable..... There just isn't much time to solve them. Speed drill, speed drill, speed drill.... Really familiarize yourself with the equations book and index, equations in the book tend not to be in the most logical of order.

Get a bank of practice problems, randomly pull out 20 at a time, set your stop watch and go at it.... then score it, and figure out what slowed you you down... was it the material or the ability to find the right equation.

rinse - lather - repeat


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## Callan74 (Dec 19, 2010)

jv21 said:


> Speed is key. (and units... they love to screw you on units :bananadoggywow: )
> The problems are not unsolvable..... There just isn't much time to solve them. Speed drill, speed drill, speed drill.... Really familiarize yourself with the equations book and index, equations in the book tend not to be in the most logical of order.
> 
> Get a bank of practice problems, randomly pull out 20 at a time, set your stop watch and go at it.... then score it, and figure out what slowed you you down... was it the material or the ability to find the right equation.
> ...


Agreed..I would say for the FE...knowing supplied reference book is just as valuable as knowing material.. I tell my engineers taking FE to know book inside and out... U will be surprised what answers are spelled out verbatim.


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## St_Kentucky (Dec 19, 2010)

3 months will be plenty of time to study for the FE. Do lots of practice problems, know the NCEES reference, and be familiar with your calculator. The most helpful thing for me for the FE was to take a practice test a couple of weeks before the exam. I did the AM session one day and the PM the next, but if you can give up an entire day to take a practice test it would be better to do both sessions in one day. I locked myself in a quiet room, timed the 4 hour window, and used nothing but my calculator, pencil, and NCEES reference. I believe doing this helped to calm my nerves during the actual test.


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## marsuconn (Dec 22, 2010)

xps said:


> I'll start my review this coming January 2011 for FE exam. Still busy preparing for LEED AP examination for end of December 2010.
> I registered for April 2011 examination, so basically I only have 3months to review for FE (General in PM).
> 
> I'm planning for at least 4hours a day to review. Base on your experience, 3months is enough?
> ...


The online practice tests by NCEES helped me a lot. I didnt find Linderburg's that helpful.


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## xps (Dec 23, 2010)

marsuconn said:


> xps said:
> 
> 
> > I'll start my review this coming January 2011 for FE exam. Still busy preparing for LEED AP examination for end of December 2010.
> ...


Anybody use the online practice test by NCEES? How is it compare to Linderburgh's review materials?

I don't have problem using NCEEs practice test first just to maximize my time.


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## gt2004 (Dec 23, 2010)

I was 5 years out of school and did my discipline specific (chemical) in the afternoon. I procrastinated too long, so all I left time for was to study the handbook and familiarize myself with it before the test. I was surprised I passed, but I made sure to focus on questions I knew how to do in the morning and not worry about things like the electrical problems that were outside my area. I didn't think the discipline specific part was too bad. Five years removed from school most of it was still fresh and I had plenty of time.


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## Jordan S (Dec 23, 2010)

I was 9 years out of school and when studying on my own, I felt overwhelmed at the amount of information I needed to relearn. I put off taking the exam twice. I finally took it this October (and passed)...but I would not have passed if I hadn't taken an online course for it. Mine was through the Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers (though I'm an Ohio guy...Ohio did this course in conjunction with MN). Three hour sessions twice a week, plus some homework. I didn't even do everything...I slacked a lot on the homework and problems, but just listening to all the classes and observing the sample problems and having knowledgeable instructors helped SO much. I went in feeling unprepared but walked out moderately confident. Without the class, I'd have been sunk. With the class, well, I obviously did just fine. I took the General in the afternoon as I did not want to dedicate just as much time to relearning the electrical stuff that I don't use in my job. I'm a consulting engineer who primarily designs lighting, power systems and fire alarm systems, so not a whole lot of the core electrical coursework is used by me on a daily basis...it's much more code knowledge and practical application of design principles, so if I had to relearn all the EE stuff, it would have taken twice as long (though the refreshing probably would have come easier).

Three months should be fine if you either study a lot and do a lot of problems, or take a course to help refresh (or teach new) information you've either forgotten, has changed, or have never learned.


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## marsuconn (Dec 23, 2010)

xps said:


> marsuconn said:
> 
> 
> > xps said:
> ...


I did and they were really helpful. You will get real exam like questions there.


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## raycpe (Dec 24, 2010)

I took the testmasters course. It help a lot, but I have been out of school for about 7 years, so it was a good review for me.


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## cpp11 (Dec 25, 2010)

xps said:


> I'll start my review this coming January 2011 for FE exam. Still busy preparing for LEED AP examination for end of December 2010.
> I registered for April 2011 examination, so basically I only have 3months to review for FE (General in PM).
> 
> I'm planning for at least 4hours a day to review. Base on your experience, 3months is enough?
> ...


I studied for exactly one day.

Take that as you may.


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## Sleepy (Dec 25, 2010)

Callan74 said:


> jv21 said:
> 
> 
> > Speed is key. (and units... they love to screw you on units :bananadoggywow: )
> ...


lusone:

I studied 3 hrs/night and 4 nights/week for a month.

1/3 of that time = read and know the reference book inside out...red marked and highlighted the hankbook everywhere, very colorful !!!

The other 1/3 = learn how to the hp35s (?) calculator. I even spent time studying the calculator's handbook and practicing 2-keys calculator punching too ( :screwloose: I know)

Also, I got the testmasters' notes from a friend and I studied her notes instead of those big review books for the morning. If you have the money to pay for the class, I think it is worth it. If not, you can try to borrow someone's notes like I did and study on your own.

I took the Civil one for the PM, and thought it was a lot easier than the AM even though I only spent the last 3 days to review CE stuff...but I already felt that I knew the Civil subjects better and I shouldn't take the General PM (like so many friends advised me to) I think many people think that it will be easier and more convenient to take the General PM because that means they won't have to cover as many subjects. However, this may not be wise if you are more confident about the subjects in your specific discipline.

Just my :2cents:

Good luck


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## Trev... P.E. (Dec 25, 2010)

I took the FE 5 years out of school, and given the last couple of years of my ME/Aero degree were so specialized, it was basically 6-7 years since I had touched on most subjects. I used the Lindeburg FE manual as well as the NCEES supplied reference for about 3 months, although the time spent each night steadily increased as the exam approached. I would also recommend getting your calculator now and becoming familiar with all its functions (matrices will save you a ton of time on the day).

I also got the NCEES sample (Mech PM) as well as the Lindeburg Mech specific sample problems. I took the mechanical PM exam April this year and the actual exam problems were way tougher than the NCEES sample problems. The Lindeburg sample Mech problems were the exact opposite, being way tougher than the real thing.

The other thing I would recommend is taking the big ugly yellow book down to your local Kincos and having them slice the spine off and spiral bind it into ~6 volumes. This makes that phone book a lot more manageable and less overwhelming too.


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## smc44 (Dec 25, 2010)

I'll elaborate on my earlier post since I'm bored and now I know I passed.

My motivation for taking this exam was to qualify to take the USPTO Patent Registration exam. I have a BA in English and an MS in Computer Science and had never seen most of the stuff on the test. I'm 10 years out of undergrad, and about 5 years out of graduate school. I signed up 3 months before the exam, not really sure what to expect, and luckily I found this board and became a permanent lurker.

I took the General in the afternoon since I didn't have a specialty. I used the FERM by Lindeburg as my primary book for learning the material, and the Barron's book as a secondary resource. The Barron's book does have errors, but for the price I thought it was worth it. I also bought 1001 Solved Engineering Fundamentals Problems also by Lindeburg. I also used the videos from Texas A&amp;M (http://engineeringregistration.tamu.edu/tapedreviews/). These are about 10 years old, but I thought they were great. Another site that I found was great for review was www.khanacademy.org. That site isn't geared toward the FE, but he covers a lot of topics that are found on the test, and he is very good at it.

Since I had to learn most of the stuff on the exam in a short amount of time, I focused on the subjects that were on the morning and the afternoon of my exam. So I concentrated on the following:

Math (Including Probability and Statistics)

Fluid Dynamics

Thermodynamics

Electricity and Magnetism

Economics

Mechanics

I made sure I studied Ethics and Computers, and then at the end I studied Chemistry and Materials briefly.

I had a pretty consistent schedule where I'd study for a couple hours at night, and wake up early before work and do a couple of hours of practice problems out of the 1001 Solved book. I would also keep doing problems over and over again, getting used to the reference manual and my calculator. Make sure you know everything your calculator can do. This can save a ton of time on the Math section. Most everything you'll need to do with a matrix or a vector can be done with a calculator. The one thing I didn't do which hurt me was take a practice test to get the timing down. I ran out of time in the AM partly because of poor timing, and partly because I drank too much water and had to frequent the rest room during the exam.

Based on the way I had studied, I found the afternoon pretty straight forward, and finished in about 2 hrs. I thought the problems in the 1001 book were more difficult, trickier, and required far more steps than the problems I found on the test. I was a little disappointed that some of the subjects weren't tested more in depth because I was ready for it.

So my strategy was probably overkill, but I didn't really know what to expect, and I didn't want to sit through an 8 hour exam again if I didn't have to.


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## elyse613 (Dec 25, 2010)

Hi -

I just took the FE in October, and my state's results aren't out yet, so I can't comment if I passed doing this, but I feel pretty good about it. I did the 99 day plan in the FE Review Manual. I took the exam in October 2010 and graduated from college in 2009 with a BS in Environmental Engineering. (I went to an excellent school and am a very good test taker, and I thought the FE was pretty straightforward with that prep, but still a little anxious about the results)!

What I can really help you out with is the LEED AP exam. I work every day with LEED; I'm on the green building team of my company. I have three LEED AP specialties...

Have you already taken the LEED Green Associate exam? If so, what did you think of it?

Which specialty track are you pursuing?

What industry do you work in? Some people are better at certain categories based on their background.

What I would recommend for studying. I team classes on how to pass this exam, so I have many many tips, but here are a few. These are only general tips, if I get an answer about which exam you're taking, I can give you some more specific ideas.

-when studying, a good method is to go through each credit and write out what you know about it. For example, if you are taking the O+M test, you'd start with SSc1 and you'd want to be able to write out (from memory) that you earn the point if the building had NC certification or if it was CS certified and 75% by floor area CI, etc. You can use this as a diagnostic part way through your studying and also to demonstrate that you are comfortable with the material at the end.

-Look at the LEED AP handbook. There are some sample questions in there - know the sample questions. They're good examples of what the difficulty and types of questions will be.

-Know your standards (e.g. ASHRAE 62.1 is about ventilation) and also know the years of the standards that LEED references. You'll want to be comfortable with all of the standards, the questions can be tricky when you're in the thick of the exam.

-Read each question carefully and slowly - they can be tricky if you don't take your time reading the question.

-Use the questions to your advantage - you might be able to figure out the right answer by looking at three different questions on the same topic.


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## SAEngineer (Dec 25, 2010)

I took the FE in October 2010 in San Fran CA doing the Mech section in the afternoon. I have been out of college for 14 years so I had a lot to refresh myself on. I did two hours a night Mon-Fri for about 4 months. I used the big yellow book,2010 and 1996 NCEES practice problems as well as lindeberg problems ( I think it was 1001 FE solved problems). The mech in the afternoon was very tough, with everybody doing the mech exam, left looking as white as ghosts after the 4 hours, myself included. Thursday I found out I passed! Although I worked hard, I have to thank God for this one.


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## xps (Dec 29, 2010)

elyse613 said:


> Hi -
> I just took the FE in October, and my state's results aren't out yet, so I can't comment if I passed doing this, but I feel pretty good about it. I did the 99 day plan in the FE Review Manual. I took the exam in October 2010 and graduated from college in 2009 with a BS in Environmental Engineering. (I went to an excellent school and am a very good test taker, and I thought the FE was pretty straightforward with that prep, but still a little anxious about the results)!
> 
> What I can really help you out with is the LEED AP exam. I work every day with LEED; I'm on the green building team of my company. I have three LEED AP specialties...
> ...


thanks for the advice. I already passed my LEED AP BD+C today....will start my FE exam preparation beginning Jan 2011.

I already have Linderburgh Review Manual (3rd Edition), NCEES Online Practice Test and Supplied-Reference Handbook (8th edition, 2nd rev.).

Also I'm planning to get 1001 Solved Engineering Fundamentals Problems or FE/EIT Sample Examinations - any advice (General exam in PM)? thanks


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## kilik2 (Dec 30, 2010)

Well I intended to come into this thread and contribute but it seems that many people in here have done a pretty good job.

I didnt study that much for my FE exam, I did about 2 hrs every other night, but I am also still a student so many of the concepts were still fresh. I also tutor at my school so that helped me keep a lot of the theory and formulas fresh in my mind. That said, I did know how to use the reference from front to back, and I would suggest taking a practice exam or two. I bought one of those lindburgh review books, but I didnt get all the way through it (probably about half way) and to be honest its a great review if you plan on starting today. But remember the more time you put off studying the bigger the task of catching up is going to get, so start early and it will be the shortest 8 hr test you have ever taken.


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## elyse613 (Dec 31, 2010)

xps said:


> thanks for the advice. I already passed my LEED AP BD+C today....


congrats!! I have BD+C, ID+C, and O+M, and BD+C was more difficult than the others, good job!


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## komeso (Jan 2, 2011)

-eitexperts (online)

-NCEES sample q/a

-FERM


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## jrf500 (Jan 4, 2011)

This may be a repeat, but it's another opinion for you.

I took the General FE test as I had a Construction Engineering degree and I didn't fit well into the Civil specific afternoon portion. Now to your question:

All I used was the FERM and the NCEES supplied handbook. This was enough. As others have stated, know the NCEES handbook well and you'll be OK.

Good luck. Also, good idea on partnering engineering licensure with LEED.


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## xps (Jan 13, 2011)

Do you guys solve each FE style exam problem on FERM?

Most of the FE style exam problem took me ~30mins to understand and familiarize with the problem. If I will solve all the problem I can't finish the FERM on time for April exam.

Need advice. Thanks in advance.


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## floridaengineerintraining (Jan 19, 2011)

xps said:


> I'll start my review this coming January 2011 for FE exam. Still busy preparing for LEED AP examination for end of December 2010.
> I registered for April 2011 examination, so basically I only have 3months to review for FE (General in PM).
> 
> I'm planning for at least 4hours a day to review. Base on your experience, 3months is enough?
> ...


I opted to take the General FE/EIT Exam. I am Electrical but decided that since I had to study a lot of general items (statics, methods of materials) that I would study General to a greater depth and take the General (other disciplines) Exam. I elected to drive down to South Florida (Fort Lauderdale), stay in the Hilton and take the Testmaster's General FE Exam Prep Class. I am an enrolled Senior at UCF so I got a break on the class cost. I met a bunch of GREAT people and do not feel like a single minute was wasted - awesome instructors as well. Everything a person needs (except time) is provided by Testmasters and I have to give them 85% of the credit that I passed the exam on the first attempt (October 2010). I give the balance of the credit to my study buddies, the UCF weekend prep class, my own use of my study time and most of all having a strategy at test time. Yes, the exam has changed and will continue to change but the attitude that you adopt as you approach the test to pass it is what a person has to focus on. I would say that PacMan is the picture I would paint. You have to grab the points, the easy points, the fairly easy points, the takes a little bit of work points, the oh my gosh I think I can do this points and finally the last 10 minutes best educated guess points. Time is the killer, you literally have to take the first 8 minutes of the test and categorize the problems: 1, 2, 3, 4 - easiest to hardest, and force yourself to attack the test in this manner. Do the 1's first, come back and do the 2's and so on. If you stay focused and force yourself not to get bogged down (about 2.6 minutes per problem), you will literally have 30 seconds left before you run out of time. It is not a test that you are trying to ace - you are trying to maximize the number of points that you can get before the whistle blows - PacMan style. There is not a pass/fail scale - you are literally pitted against your peers. The cut-off is based on how the National Pack does overall and you end up somewhere on the bell curve. I actually felt the cut-off score coming down my back like a closing garage door - Thank God I did not have a fat wallet in my back pocket - I really feel like it was that close. Now, with all this said, I want to encourage you. You have chosen to raise the bar personally and professionally and you should be commended. Pass the test or not, you have accepted the challenge and you will be a changed person for it. Good luck, to you and your family (no one truly does this by themselves).

John_V


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## xps (Jan 20, 2011)

floridaengineerintraining said:


> You have to grab the points, the easy points, the fairly easy points, the takes a little bit of work points, the oh my gosh I think I can do this points and finally the last 10 minutes best educated guess points. Time is the killer, you literally have to take the first 8 minutes of the test and categorize the problems: 1, 2, 3, 4 - easiest to hardest, and force yourself to attack the test in this manner. Do the 1's first, come back and do the 2's and so on. If you stay focused and force yourself not to get bogged down (about 2.6 minutes per problem), you will literally have 30 seconds left before you run out of time. It is not a test that you are trying to ace - you are trying to maximize the number of points that you can get before the whistle blows - PacMan style. There is not a pass/fail scale - you are literally pitted against your peers. The cut-off is based on how the National Pack does overall and you end up somewhere on the bell curve. I actually felt the cut-off score coming down my back like a closing garage door - Thank God I did not have a fat wallet in my back pocket - I really feel like it was that close. Now, with all this said, I want to encourage you. You have chosen to raise the bar personally and professionally and you should be commended. Pass the test or not, you have accepted the challenge and you will be a changed person for it. Good luck, to you and your family (no one truly does this by themselves).John_V


thanks for sharing!

can you please give me more detail explanation/experience on this:



> Time is the killer, you literally have to take the first 8 minutes of the test and categorize the problems: 1, 2, 3, 4 - easiest to hardest, and force yourself to attack the test in this manner. Do the 1's first, come back and do the 2's and so on.


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