# Study system summary.



## Jacob_PE (Jul 31, 2011)

I'd like to see study habit summaries from those scheduled to take the exam this coming October 28th and from anyone who passed on their first try.

Here's mine:

On May 1st I began a 6 month schedule I set up on the PPI website, which is based on taking the Water Resources Exam. I'm reading through each assigned CERM chapter. I've written out the solutions to all the CERM WR/ENV chapter practice problems and will be doing the same for the 6 min soln. and NCEES booklets. I'm not writing out all solutions for the morning chapters but mostly reading through them. I'm recognizing my weak spots and using other books like the M&amp;E to try to iron them out.


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## knight1fox3 (Aug 1, 2011)

Jacob said:


> I'd like to see study habit summaries from those scheduled to take the exam this coming October 28th and from anyone who passed on their first try.Here's mine:
> 
> On May 1st I began a 6 month schedule I set up on the PPI website, which is based on taking the Water Resources Exam. I'm reading through each assigned CERM chapter. I've written out the solutions to all the CERM WR/ENV chapter practice problems and will be doing the same for the 6 min soln. and NCEES booklets. I'm not writing out all solutions for the morning chapters but mostly reading through them. I'm recognizing my weak spots and using other books like the M&amp;E to try to iron them out.


Hi Jacob. Have you seen this thread yet? It is a pretty good compilation of the different strategies people used to pass the exam whether it was the first attempt or multiple attempts.


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## Jacob_PE (Aug 2, 2011)

knight1fox3 said:


> Jacob said:
> 
> 
> > I'd like to see study habit summaries from those scheduled to take the exam this coming October 28th and from anyone who passed on their first try.Here's mine:
> ...


Thanks. I have seen that thread. Still interested in hearing about current routines from people preparing for the fall exam. Although I can see how one might argue that the thread says it all.


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## stevenson (Aug 8, 2011)

Some people find it helpful to use specific study systems in their academic career. One of these study systems has the interesting title and acronym of "M.U.R.D.E.R.". Another good study system is the Index Study System.


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## Jacob_PE (Aug 8, 2011)

stevenson said:


> Some people find it helpful to use specific study systems in their academic career. One of these study systems has the interesting title and acronym of "M.U.R.D.E.R.". Another good study system is the Index Study System.


Thought your murder comment some kind of gag but i looked it up and there it is:

Mood:

Set a positive mood for yourself to study in.

Select the appropriate time, environment, and attitude

Understand:

Mark any information you don't understand in a particular unit;

Keep a focus on one unit or a manageable group of exercises

Recall:

After studying the unit,

stop and put what you have learned into your own words

Digest:

Go back to what you did not understand and reconsider the information;

Contact external expert sources (e.g., other books or an instructor) if you still cannot understand it

Expand:

In this step, ask three kinds of questions concerning the studied material:

If I could speak to the author, what questions would I ask or what criticism would I offer?

How could I apply this material to what I am interested in?

How could I make this information interesting and understandable to other students?

Review:

Go over the material you've covered,

Review what strategies helped you understand and/or retain information in the past and apply these to your current studies


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## envirotex (Aug 9, 2011)

Anybody making an index for their references? I saw that some people did this when I took the exam...I just plastic-tabbed everything with labels.


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## PJ3346 (Aug 9, 2011)

envirotex said:


> Anybody making an index for their references? I saw that some people did this when I took the exam...I just plastic-tabbed everything with labels.



I made a "master index" of all my books, and made a spreadsheet with every topic covered in AM and PM sections, helped me a ton in finding info and was a good tool for studying as well so I could cross reference materials in my different references.


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## Jacob_PE (Aug 9, 2011)

PJ3346 said:


> envirotex said:
> 
> 
> > Anybody making an index for their references? I saw that some people did this when I took the exam...I just plastic-tabbed everything with labels.
> ...


That's something I've been thinking of doing, could you upload a copy of that master index, I'd like to see how you put that together. Was the CERM you're main source of information during the exam or was something else primary?


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## PJ3346 (Aug 9, 2011)

Jacob said:


> PJ3346 said:
> 
> 
> > envirotex said:
> ...


PE_Exam_Index.xls

Attached you will find a copy of my master index, hopefully it is helpful. Its partially incomplete due to me writing in some of the remaining information that i put on it. CERM was my main reference, especially during the AM portion. I used it for a good portion of PM but relied more on my geotechnical references for it as needed. One trick that helped me a lot too was tabbing the index on the cerm A-Z to help find topics that may not have been on the Master Index


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## CivilE (Aug 9, 2011)

PJ3346 said:


> PE_Exam_Index.xlsAttached you will find a copy of my master index, hopefully it is helpful. Its partially incomplete due to me writing in some of the remaining information that i put on it. CERM was my main reference, especially during the AM portion. I used it for a good portion of PM but relied more on my geotechnical references for it as needed. One trick that helped me a lot too was tabbing the index on the cerm A-Z to help find topics that may not have been on the Master Index


Thanks for sharing! That's a good idea!!


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## Jacob_PE (Aug 10, 2011)

CivilE said:


> PJ3346 said:
> 
> 
> > PE_Exam_Index.xlsAttached you will find a copy of my master index, hopefully it is helpful. Its partially incomplete due to me writing in some of the remaining information that i put on it. CERM was my main reference, especially during the AM portion. I used it for a good portion of PM but relied more on my geotechnical references for it as needed. One trick that helped me a lot too was tabbing the index on the cerm A-Z to help find topics that may not have been on the Master Index
> ...


That morning index is Gold! Too bad you didn't take the Water Resources afternoon exam. I'm waiting for my All-in-one to arrive in the mail soon, now I'll know exactly where to place its tabs. Thanks!


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## willsee (Aug 10, 2011)

I passed first time April '11 - EE/Power

I started with the nCEES practice test and went through it not knowing how to do 90% of the problems, mainly to get a feel of the types of problems.

Then I worked through the Chelapati manual and Power Systems Analysis

Worked through NCEES again this time trying to find similar questions in any of my books I would be bringing to the exam.

Worked through NCEES again making sure I understood everything, had a book that was tabbed to make sure I could find the topic of the problem to be able to answer similar situations.

Worked through NCEES again under kinda sorta test conditions (I got bored after 3 hours and stopped)


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## Will_Pass (Aug 13, 2011)

PJ3346 said:


> Jacob said:
> 
> 
> > PJ3346 said:
> ...


Thanks...excellent idea!


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## Jacob_PE (Aug 22, 2011)

PJ3346 said:


> Jacob said:
> 
> 
> > PJ3346 said:
> ...


I've updated/refined the master index provided by PJ3346, thanks again for sharing that, and have filled in the Morning and WR/ENV Depth Syllabus for the CERM and All-in-one. I'll soon have the Depth Lin and M&amp;E index columns completed. Do me a favor and look at the blacked out Goswami fields. Let me know if you can suggest a location for those.

PE_Exam_Index___WR_ENV.xls


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## CivilE (Aug 22, 2011)

Jacob said:


> I've updated/refined the master index provided by PJ3346, thanks again for sharing that, and have filled in the Morning and WR/ENV Depth Syllabus for the CERM and All-in-one. I'll soon have the Depth Lin and M&amp;E index columns completed. Do me a favor and look at the blacked out Goswami fields. Let me know if you can suggest a location for those.


Thanks for sharing that Jacob! I have been working on a similar index for the Transportation Depth and hope to have it completed and uploaded soon. With all of these "master indices" popping up now, would it be worth listing the edition used for future downloaders?

:cheers:

CivilE


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## Dexman PE PMP (Aug 22, 2011)

I would add that studying routines for an exam like this needs to consider more than just exam content. It's touched upon within the MURDER system above, but I would elaborate a little more on the environment and the physical act of studying/test taking.

When you start studying (especially for those with limited available time - I had a 3yr old and a newborn as I prepared for the exam), I would recommend establishing a "study zone". Basically a place that you can set-up your books, notes, tools, etc and leave them without needing to pack them up and put them away (I got a cheapo desk from craigslist and set it up in the guest bedroom). It needs to be a place that you can effectively study (quiet, secluded, etc), but still be able to protect from friends/family/kids when you're not studying. This way you're not wasting time setting up and tearing down each time you want to study, and affords you the opportunity to do periodic "quick reviews" if you find an available 15-30 minutes during the day (before work, after you put the kids to bed, etc). It also helps get you into the mental state of studying/test taking, because you can start playing around with desk organization (where you want your book, calculator, exam booklet, answer sheet, etc.) and start streamlining your "work zone". This also helps with the subconscious and data recollection because after a while you train your brain to be in test taking mode when you sit down and your books are in certain positions.

As you get closer to the actual exam date, I would also start to focus on the physical act of test taking. Sitting quietly in one place on a metal folding chair for two 4-hour periods with only an hour break is hard enough as it is (especially for those of us in the construction field), but when combined with the brain-dump and having to handwrite equations at the same time, can become very difficult and highly stressful. You should look into taking a couple full-length practice exams in the last couple of weeks leading up to the exam to get yourself physically prepared. The part I had the hardest time getting used to was handwriting for 4 straight hours. Many of us are used to typing/texting most of what we write, and I don't know many engineers who can grab a pencil and write equations for 8 hours.


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## Jacob_PE (Aug 22, 2011)

CivilE said:


> Jacob said:
> 
> 
> > I've updated/refined the master index provided by PJ3346, thanks again for sharing that, and have filled in the Morning and WR/ENV Depth Syllabus for the CERM and All-in-one. I'll soon have the Depth Lin and M&amp;E index columns completed. Do me a favor and look at the blacked out Goswami fields. Let me know if you can suggest a location for those.
> ...


Good Point, my CERM pages are from the 11th edition and the Goswami All-in-one book is his first edition - 2009.


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## GrabNPavement (Aug 24, 2011)

CivilE said:


> Jacob said:
> 
> 
> > I've updated/refined the master index provided by PJ3346, thanks again for sharing that, and have filled in the Morning and WR/ENV Depth Syllabus for the CERM and All-in-one. I'll soon have the Depth Lin and M&amp;E index columns completed. Do me a favor and look at the blacked out Goswami fields. Let me know if you can suggest a location for those.
> ...


I am interested in seeing what your version of the Transportation Depth will look like. Looking forward to seeing your upload soon. I am going to be putting together my own based on what I have seen uploaded thus far. PJ3346 came up with an excellent version...it is Gold.


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## PJ3346 (Aug 25, 2011)

I didn't expect that the index I came up with would be such a hit! Thank you for all the kind comments!


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## envirotex (Aug 25, 2011)

PJ3346 said:


> I didn't expect that the index I came up with would be such a hit! Thank you for all the kind comments!


You never know what might interest people around here...

Good luck with your studying!


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## Exception Collection (Aug 25, 2011)

Jacob said:


> stevenson said:
> 
> 
> > Some people find it helpful to use specific study systems in their academic career. One of these study systems has the interesting title and acronym of "M.U.R.D.E.R.". Another good study system is the Index Study System.
> ...


Interesting. I'd never put it into words, but this pretty much fits what I do to a T.


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## Jacob_PE (Aug 26, 2011)

willsee said:


> I passed first time April '11 - EE/Power
> I started with the nCEES practice test and went through it not knowing how to do 90% of the problems, mainly to get a feel of the types of problems.
> 
> Then I worked through the Chelapati manual and Power Systems Analysis
> ...


Last night I was reworking the depth NCEES WR/ENV problems. I'm going to be doing what willsee decribed above. For each of the problems, I'm annotating where in the CERM to go to find the equation/subject, (i.e. hydraualic jump, spillway flow eqns.). Several people on the forum have stated that some questions in the NCEES sample questions book are 'very' similar to the PE exam questions. Which to me means, they're the same problem with changed numbers. My concern is that I'll see a problem that looks exactly like the sample problem but with some twist added that changes it so much that I'd have to use some other pricipal or equation. I know we should be ready for any scenario, but, let's say I do see a problem that's very similary on test day, is it very likely that the solution method I used for the sample problem will be exactly the same as for the exam problem?


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## CivilE (Sep 20, 2011)

Ok. It's not complete, but here is what I have so far for the Transportation Depth index. This is based on the current exam specifications and standards. The only exception is that I am using the 5th edition of the ITE handbook. I'm also using the CERM 11th ed, Goswami 2009, Garber and Hoel 4th ed.

Unlike the previous index (thanks PJ3346 &amp; Jacob!!) I formatted this to print on a single page each (AM and PM) so that I can insert them into plastic cover of my binder. For the most part, the pages referenced for the AM section 'jive' with the other index, but a couple are different. Let me know if anyone sees any problems or mistakes and I'll upload the finished product as well. Thanks!

CivilE

Transportation_Exam_Specifications_Index_102811__D_.xls


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## Jacob_PE (Sep 21, 2011)

CivilE said:


> Ok. It's not complete, but here is what I have so far for the Transportation Depth index. This is based on the current exam specifications and standards. The only exception is that I am using the 5th edition of the ITE handbook. I'm also using the CERM 11th ed, Goswami 2009, Garber and Hoel 4th ed.
> Unlike the previous index (thanks PJ3346 &amp; Jacob!!) I formatted this to print on a single page each (AM and PM) so that I can insert them into plastic cover of my binder. For the most part, the pages referenced for the AM section 'jive' with the other index, but a couple are different. Let me know if anyone sees any problems or mistakes and I'll upload the finished product as well. Thanks!
> 
> CivilE


Nice job with that single page format, I think I'll use that in the morning instead of my 2 page version. Looks like you had no luck filling in the Goswami holes for Flood plains/floodways Detention/retention ponds, collection systems, and hydraulic loading. And I can tell you took some time with this, you added plenty of page numbers.


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## Jacob_PE (Dec 21, 2011)

Since it's the future, and I took the October 2011 exam and have learned that I passed, I wanted to mention that I didn't use the index created in this thread at all during the exam. The main index I used was the one at he back of our CERM, although I had a bound version of it that was tabbed alphabetically. I think the reason I didn't need this other index during the exam is because I'd studied so much that I knew my 11th CERM inside and out. If there was an open channel problem, that chp. 19, pumps are 18, groundwater is 21 etc.... I just knew my book. I advise future test takers to do the same.


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## DS58 (Dec 22, 2011)

Jacob said:


> Since it's the future, and I took the October 2011 exam and have learned that I passed, I wanted to mention that I didn't use the index created in this thread at all during the exam. The main index I used was the one at he back of our CERM, although I had a bound version of it that was tabbed alphabetically. I think the reason I didn't need this other index during the exam is because I'd studied so much that I knew my 11th CERM inside and out. If there was an open channel problem, that chp. 19, pumps are 18, groundwater is 21 etc.... I just knew my book. I advise future test takers to do the same.


I had an index of indexes with all my reference indexes photocopied and in their respective tabs. This was very helpful to me on the exam I took (EE-Computer) because there is a wide range of possible topics including many qualitative questions, which led me to choose a large number of reference books. The CERM ("C"omputer Engr Ref Man) was not that great for this particular test - I only used it for a few problems. Using one index-of-indexes made me feel more organized and less frantic when I needed to find something.

I agree that familiarity with your reference(s) is key. I also think that whatever process/habits worked for you as you practiced problems is what you need to do at the test when you are under pressure.


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## ACC_HOKIES (Dec 24, 2011)

Before I start, I should note that my degree was not Civil, so I was still learning some things for the first time. My schooling was strong in fluid flows and general engineering (statics, dynamics, advanced calculus and physics, etc.) and I had 4 years of experience heavy in Stormwater/E&amp;SC with infrastructure projects. I took the Civil- Water Resources/ Environmental test, with little to no knowledge of the environmental aspect, and a general knowledge of highway transportation, geotech, and construction.

I started in June 2011, by purchasing CERM 12. I had no other plan than to start studying. I started by skipping all of the general math and science sections. Then I started trying to read entire sections, but quickly found that to be a fruitless exercise. I don't like straight reading, and wasn't holding the information well. By the middle of July I was frustrated, bored by studying, and had yet to hear from the board that I would, for sure, be sitting in October, so I took a break.

When I finally picked back up, I had collected an entire library of other resources from my coworkers and friends. Most of these resources were sample problems, compiled notes and worked problems, but there was also a solid base of resources identified in CERM as good references for the test itself. The problems, both worked and unworked, became my primary study material, while CERM became my primary reference (rather than learning material), and finally supplemented by the other borrowed references. I focused first on general morning stuff, learning a ton about geotech and highway capacity and geometry, then slowly started shifting to afternoon.

I got side tracked again when work in my office got heavy in September, but in hindsight, this gave me a good break before my final and intense push in October. The final stretch was purely solving problems every spare moment. It was exhausting at times, but I felt unprepared all the way through. I was also tabbing references as I went along. I probably could have been sponsored by post it, I had so many tabs sticking out of books. I also continued to go into work every day up until Friday, despite everyone telling me to take off. I honestly think just going into work did more than anything to keep me on schedule.

Before the test, I was triple checking to make sure I had everything for test day. I had also prepared my final test strategy, and was completely committed to that strategy, no matter how good or bad it got on test day. A good testing strategy and knowing my primary reference is by far the best things in my favor. Finally, I was done at 8pm the night before. Watched some football and got to sleep.

I should note, that despite feeling under prepared, test day was honestly not hard. Still anxious during the results wait, but I felt better as soon as I cracked the test book.


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