# How did you do in the AM & PM Electrical April, 2014 PE exam



## EE_PE_AP (Apr 16, 2014)

Please share your exam experience. Thanks in advance.


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## PEoct (Apr 16, 2014)

am was good, but pm tricky and depth knowledge required ! didn't do well in pm

plus i was looking at the passing % u have to get 56/80 so no chance


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## EE_PE_AP (Apr 16, 2014)

Please don't lose your hopes for a good result. Mine was the other way around. AM shattered my confidence, but felt comparatively better for the pm.


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## PEoct (Apr 16, 2014)

ya true. was this your first time.


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## EE_PE_AP (Apr 16, 2014)

No it was my 2nd time.


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## crunchercrunch (Apr 17, 2014)

PEoct said:


> am was good, but pm tricky and depth knowledge required ! didn't do well in pm
> 
> plus i was looking at the passing % u have to get 56/80 so no chance




where did you find out the passing %?


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## PEoct (Apr 17, 2014)

i was looking through old threads...... so some one was discussing failing %


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## Ship Wreck PE (Apr 17, 2014)

PEoct said:


> am was good, but pm tricky and depth knowledge required ! didn't do well in pm
> 
> plus i was looking at the passing % u have to get 56/80 so no chance





Don't give up hope. I attached some old cut scores.

98statssmallpdf.com.pdf


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## PEoct (Apr 17, 2014)

Ship Wreck PE : thank you !


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## EE_PE_AP (Apr 17, 2014)

Ship Wreck PE said:


> PEoct said:
> 
> 
> > am was good, but pm tricky and depth knowledge required ! didn't do well in pm
> ...




Ship Wreck PE I really appriciate it, but do you have this info for recent years?...


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## Ship Wreck PE (Apr 17, 2014)

^^ I don't have any more.


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## KatyLied P.E. (Apr 21, 2014)

New to the forum here. Took the Power PE earlier this month. Don't know if I passed but the test appeared to be reasonably fair in that I'd seen comparable problems in my studies. I used a combination of GA Tech, Graffeo, C&amp;I, Spin-up, Camara and various info culled from the internet. The internet info came in handy for VFD and harmonic questions. Let me add this. I actually ordered a copy of Wildi's book after the exam and received it this weekend. I can use it as a general reference and just in case I have to take it again in October. Aafter a cursory read, it apppears to be very good source for the PE. Very straightforward and readable. In some of the material it was almost like they pulled questions straight from this book. I hope I won't have to take it again but I could see this book taking me over the hump. Finally, I have read postings in this forum for awhile. The info here was invaluable to me being as well prepared as I was. I took the PE almost 17 years ago and even though I had the years of experience did not hve the depth required. thanks to the tips from this forum I was much better prepared. if I didn't pass this time time I feel really confident about October.


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## jagster (Apr 21, 2014)

Marcus Givan said:


> New to the forum here. Took the Power PE earlier this month. Don't know if I passed but the test appeared to be reasonably fair in that I'd seen comparable problems in my studies. I used a combination of GA Tech, Graffeo, C&amp;I, Spin-up, Camara and various info culled from the internet. The internet info came in handy for VFD and harmonic questions. Let me add this. I actually ordered a copy of Wildi's book after the exam and received it this weekend. I can use it as a general reference and just in case I have to take it again in October. Aafter a cursory read, it apppears to be very good source for the PE. Very straightforward and readable. In some of the material it was almost like they pulled questions straight from this book. I hope I won't have to take it again but I could see this book taking me over the hump. Finally, I have read postings in this forum for awhile. The info here was invaluable to me being as well prepared as I was. I took the PE almost 17 years ago and even though I had the years of experience did not hve the depth required. thanks to the tips from this forum I was much better prepared. if I didn't pass this time time I feel really confident about October.


How many hours in total you have prepared for the exam?

Thank you,

Krishna


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## KatyLied P.E. (Apr 21, 2014)

I averaged about 15 hours a week over a 4 month period. In the last 2 months I ramped up the number of weekly hours. I spent a lot of time during the first 2 months looking at GA Tech lectures. Great source. Last two months spent a lot of time working through 8-9 sample tests from C&amp;I, spinup, and NCEES. I'd work through test on weekends and spent weeknights tryin to really understand the ins and outs of problems I'd worked the previous weekend. the last three weeks I spent a lot of time organizing material. I used two binders and had all material tabbed and divided in sections similiar to what GA had. In each section I also cross referenced where I could find sample test problems related to that material. I also prepared a very detailed note sheet. the cross referencing really helped in that I was able to locate some test solutions rather quickly. One more thing. C&amp;I publishes an NEC drill book. I recommend it. It helps you get used to how the NEC book is organized. Apologies if that's more than what you wanted to know.


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## GTOShoota (Apr 22, 2014)

That's the approach I took this time around (2nd time). I worked sample exams on the weekend, then did my research on each through the following week. Last two weekends before, I timed the 2 exams, which helped with time management for test day. I felt the AM was a bit shakey, but PM felt solid.


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## PEoct (Apr 22, 2014)

omg cant wait for the results,,,,, yest i saw my books and was praying that i never have to touch them again :juggle:

some days i totally forget about PE and some days are so anxious thinking about it whole day.


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## jagster (Apr 22, 2014)

Marcus Givan said:


> I averaged about 15 hours a week over a 4 month period. In the last 2 months I ramped up the number of weekly hours. I spent a lot of time during the first 2 months looking at GA Tech lectures. Great source. Last two months spent a lot of time working through 8-9 sample tests from C&amp;I, spinup, and NCEES. I'd work through test on weekends and spent weeknights tryin to really understand the ins and outs of problems I'd worked the previous weekend. the last three weeks I spent a lot of time organizing material. I used two binders and had all material tabbed and divided in sections similiar to what GA had. In each section I also cross referenced where I could find sample test problems related to that material. I also prepared a very detailed note sheet. the cross referencing really helped in that I was able to locate some test solutions rather quickly. One more thing. C&amp;I publishes an NEC drill book. I recommend it. It helps you get used to how the NEC book is organized. Apologies if that's more than what you wanted to know.


Hi Marcus Givan,

Nothing you written is waste or unwanted by the future test takers. Thats really good. the more we read the stories on this forum, the more we will get familiar with what to expect and how to prepare for the test. Over all, what i am getting is you spent close to 300 hrs for the test.

is that right?

Thank you,

Krishna


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## KatyLied P.E. (Apr 23, 2014)

Yes 300 hours is just about right. these were the books I took in with me:

Two three ring binders. Composed of GA Tech material, solved problems, and miscellaneous info I printed from the internet. One of the binders was the GA Tech one. By the time I included all the supplemental info I had to split it in two. GA Tech really gives you a good foundation. It also has a good section on code and NESC.

Camara reference manual along with the associated sample test and solved problems. the reference manual came in handy but I did not really use the other two books.

Graffeo book. Electrical Engineers Guide to Passing the PE Exam. Handy reference manual good and concise. Good lighting and wattmeter info. I recommend a good cursory reading of this book. A nice amount of miscellaneous info which could come in handy. Good section on CT's. also has helpful sample test.

Complex Imaginary sample tests. Good sections on ideal transformers, motors, and code problems. Some problems are on par with actual exam problems.

Spin Up exams. Problems are not as difficult as exam problems but they focus on details which come in handy during exam.

NEC handbook, as opposed to actual NEC book. The additional, clear explanations worked better for me.

Grainger and Stevenson's Power System Analysis. I used it more as moral support than an actual reference.

NESC book. Focus more on NEC as opposed to NESC. I would recommend becoming familiar with the basic goals of NESC and what it covers and doesn't cover. If you read through NESC introduction I think that will be sufficient.

Complex Imaginary NEC drill book. I highly recommend getting this. Time was tight so I only worked through about a third of the book. the drills helped me become familiar with where the topics were located. As I attempted each problem I would underline the nouns in each question. then go to the index, look up the nouns and go from there. You just have to grind it out but if you use that process you should be able to answer the drill problems in 6 minutes or less. I felt really good about the NEC test questions as a result of this book.

As I worked through each sample test, if I couldn't find the answer in my reference book I would google it. I'd then print that info out and add to my notebook. A lot of this included PLC's, VFD's, GFCI's, harmonics, voltage classifications, short circuit calc, generation prime movers, load flows/bus types and any other subject I couldn't find.

NCEES sample test. Good overall study guide. Know different ways that the problems can be asked. I only carried in the 2011 edition but also had 2009. Problems are exactly the same. 2009 contained a lot of general info which is now found on NCEES website. My guess is NCEES wanted to be able to quickly update any rule/guideline changes. If I have to do it again I will spend a little more time on this test.

Finally spin-Up suggested a good test day strategy.

1) Don't skip around the test but go through each problem in order. On first pass, work the ones that you know off the bat and don't necessarily have to dig deep to solve.

2) Mark the NEC/NESC problems with a "2" and work on the second pass. That way you don't have to worry about going back and forth between the code books and other reference matl's.

3) Mark all problems with a "3" that you think you can solve after digging deeper in your reference matl's. Also, any code problems that you couldn't work on the 2nd pass should also be marked with a "3".

4) Mark all problems with a "4" that you really don't know but maybe can use solid engineering reason to solve. Hopefully by this time you only have about 20% of test left. I'm not saying I was fortunate enough to have this happen to me I'm just telling you my strategy.

5) Mark all problems with a "5" that you have no idea how to work. Assuming the light bulb doesn't come on for these, I would recommend doing a quick scan on the rest of your answers, seeing what letter is trending and go with that.

On some of the "4" and "5" the light bulb did come on for me after a 2nd or 3rd look. Hopefully that made up for any careless errors I might have made on 1-3. I actually used that same strategy to pass the CEM (Certified Energy Manager) exam in 2013.

Hopefully all this translates into a passing score but nonetheless I felt really good about my test prep. As a result of my cross referencing and various tabs I was able to quickly access a good amount of info. How you organize your references and sticking to a test strategy are just as important as knowing the material.


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## KatyLied P.E. (Apr 23, 2014)

Also if you can get your hands on a CEM textbook/formal class notes it has good sections on customer billing and metering , power factor correction and motors. There's actually a kVar chart which can save you time on PF calcs. Association of Energy Engineers has the textbook called Guide to Energy Management. One more thing. Complex Imaginary has YouTube videos on several subjects. Excellent stuff. In fact, Youtube in general has many videos - some good, some bad. Could be helpful. Man I'm tired. Time for bed.


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## jagster (Apr 23, 2014)

Marcus Givan said:


> Also if you can get your hands on a CEM textbook/formal class notes it has good sections on customer billing and metering , power factor correction and motors. There's actually a kVar chart which can save you time on PF calcs. Association of Energy Engineers has the textbook called Guide to Energy Management. One more thing. Complex Imaginary has YouTube videos on several subjects. Excellent stuff. In fact, Youtube in general has many videos - some good, some bad. Could be helpful. Man I'm tired. Time for bed.


You are awesome Marcus.


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## Matt Bellott (Apr 23, 2014)

I took the power P.E. for the third time this April in Arkansas. The first two times I didn't really prepare very well, and overall the experience was pretty rough obviously, I failed. Anyway, I think that the biggest thing that one who needs to pass can do is to take a course or get a book like MGI's P.E. book. This will take you through different subjects so you can easily discriminate the different types of problems. Once you know the different types of problems then the test is not easy, but you can pass for sure. Just my take away. That being said I hope the third time is the the charm.


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## EE_PE_AP (Apr 24, 2014)

Marcus Givan said:


> Yes 300 hours is just about right. these were the books I took in with me:
> 
> Two three ring binders. Composed of GA Tech material, solved problems, and miscellaneous info I printed from the internet. One of the binders was the GA Tech one. By the time I included all the supplemental info I had to split it in two. GA Tech really gives you a good foundation. It also has a good section on code and NESC.
> 
> ...


Marcus this info should be a gem for so many first time test takers. I pretty much followed the same prep schedule and felt pretty confident till the test started.


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## Bruno (Apr 28, 2014)

EE_PE_AP said:


> Please don't lose your hopes for a good result. Mine was the other way around. AM shattered my confidence, but felt comparatively better for the pm.


I'm wondering about this exam. Seems like many people had trouble with either the AM or the PM. I thought the AM was brutal but the PM not so much. My feeling is that they swapped them around depending on where you sat in the exam site relative to other PE Power examinees. Just a guess. That said, one half of the exam just simply sucked - like a test by the meanest engineering professor you ever had!

Bruno


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## EE_PE_AP (Apr 30, 2014)

Bruno said:


> EE_PE_AP said:
> 
> 
> > Please don't lose your hopes for a good result. Mine was the other way around. AM shattered my confidence, but felt comparatively better for the pm.
> ...


Bruno I agree with you (like a test by the meanest engineering professor you ever had!) It was a tricky exam, but I the only way to become a winner in this game is to eventually pass the exam.


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## warchild0018 (Apr 30, 2014)

Has anyone tried using the MGI course? I am just curious if it's worth the time and money to signup for it. I took the exam this past April and lost A LOT!!! of confidence after that PM session. I felt alright about the morning but I was completely lost in the afternoon.


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## KatyLied P.E. (May 1, 2014)

I actually ordered it but did not use it that much. It had some good info but did not really seem to correlate with the current exam problem types. It also skirted over details. if I have to take the exam again I may use it to provide additional problems. They do provide the opportunity for you to submit mini-exams so they can be graded. However I don't recommend it as a primary study source, particularly if you use some of the resources I mentioned in my earlier post.


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## wattersa81 (May 1, 2014)

I did the MGI course last October and thought it was good until I started going through the GA review this time around. I felt the MGI lacked a lot of explanation.


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## daw4888 (May 1, 2014)

I would Highly Recommend the GaTech course, especially for people that didn't take many power system related classes in college.


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## KatyLied P.E. (May 1, 2014)

Agreed! GaTech course is a great course and a good bargain compared to others. The instructor is very accessible and will usually respond to emails within a 2 day period.


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## warchild0018 (May 1, 2014)

Thank you for all of the responses. I will probably give the GA course a try then. I bought the 5 spin up exams and thought the practice exams weren't that great. The spinup exams are good if you don't remember a single thing from school or if you just need to build a foundation to start doing more difficult problems.


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## KatyLied P.E. (May 1, 2014)

Don't discount spin-up too much. After taking the exam in April I gained an even better appreciation for them. a significant number were harder but the repetition dictated by Spin-up does drill basic concepts into your head. And there are a good number of actual exam problems that on the same level as Spin-up. Finally, see my earlier post regarding Spin-up's test taking strategy found in the introduction. Just my 2 cents.


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## PEoct (May 2, 2014)

Marcus Givan said:


> Don't discount spin-up too much. After taking the exam in April I gained an even better appreciation for them. a significant number were harder but the repetition dictated by Spin-up does drill basic concepts into your head. And there are a good number of actual exam problems that on the same level as Spin-up. Finally, see my earlier post regarding Spin-up's test taking strategy found in the introduction. Just my 2 cents.


i totally agree with u, spin up and complex imaginary are the winners


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## ilikespe (May 12, 2014)

I don't know what will happen pass or fail. There are days I wish I knew the outcome.


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## ilikespe (May 12, 2014)

I was looking at my suitcase and I hope I pass. Please for gods sake pass.


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## PEoct (May 12, 2014)

hungryguy said:


> I was looking at my suitcase and I hope I pass. Please for gods sake pass.


same here, i wish the same, every time i look at my cart of books, i wish i dnt have to open it again and the just the thought of opening them again just shatters me  finger crossed ,, i wish n hope u PASS


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## Enmascarado88 (May 16, 2014)

Has anyone taken the Computer exam? I was hoping to get an idea of what people thought about it...


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## JRAMAMU (May 21, 2014)

Just got PE power results 2014 passed on 1st try... I have no idea what the cut off would have been, but strongly felt having gone over the NEC book and some practical safety stuff helped me a lot, quite a few questions I had to think an answer based on work knowledge, having undergrad books were helpful but I guess lot of questions were practical knowledge based. Helpful tips: all topics were important (approx. the % in NCEES spec sheet), dont neglect NEC questions - they can't trick you a whole lot there, take 3 - 4 good power books you are familiar with, I recommend:

Power System Analysis, Glover and Sharma

Electric machines and drives, Wildi

Protective relaying blackburn (depends, lot of people think it is difficult to follow, there is a chapter in Glover and Sharma too)

and Power Electronics (M.H. Rashid - very few people know this book, but I feel it is easy to follow for a power systems guy rather than power electronics)

Would love to hear what others have to say !


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## working on PE (May 21, 2014)

JRAMAMU congrats. Even I took electrical PE and I felt kind of more practical based questions than solved problems. Still waiting on results.


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## the_gooch (May 22, 2014)

Wooohooo passed electronics 1st try. Put in the time for sure. School of PE Notes were clutch.


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## EE_PE_AP (May 22, 2014)

the_gooch said:


> Wooohooo passed electronics 1st try. Put in the time for sure. School of PE Notes were clutch.


Which state the_gooch?


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## KatyLied P.E. (May 22, 2014)

Alabama posted today and I passed Power. As stated in one of the other forums this board was very helpful and I plan to pay it forward along with sending in a donation.


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## Wheretostart (May 22, 2014)

google mike holt's NEC video, really helpful


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## the_gooch (May 22, 2014)

EE_PE_AP said:


> the_gooch said:
> 
> 
> > Wooohooo passed electronics 1st try. Put in the time for sure. School of PE Notes were clutch.
> ...


Florida


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## iwire (May 22, 2014)

I think I did good in the afternoon. Did really good on the NEC code questions and a lot of the calculation type..not sure about the theory but luckily i passed


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## goldust (May 23, 2014)

Found out last night that I passed Electrical/Electronics in Connecticut. Imprudent references for me that I can remember off the top of my head:.

1. Ogata control theory book

2. Lin electronics book

3. NCEES practice exam

4. Camara electronics review manual

5. Camara electronics problems

6. Camara electronics practice exam

7. The free, PDF practice exam from that professor gentleman who just requires your email address (others have mentioned him here)

8. A small, but thick, red electrical reference book (Amazon sells it; someone on the board recommended it)

This was my first try. Congrats to those who have received passing results already. To those who are still waiting, I know it's agonizing, but try to think of something else.


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## knight1fox3 (May 23, 2014)

the_gooch said:


> Wooohooo passed electronics 1st try. Put in the time for sure. School of PE Notes were clutch.


Congrats! :thumbs:


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## goldust (May 23, 2014)

I quickly typed my previous post on my phone; please excuse the nonsensical stuff. Some more info on references:


The small, thick, red book is _Electrical Engineering _by Kories and Schmidt-Walter.

I am still trying to track down the website for the free practice exam I used.


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## sskh1212 (May 23, 2014)

I found out this morning that I passed the PE (California) exam. It was my first attempt.

Below are the books I used:

- Wildi

-Grainger &amp; Stevenson

-GA. tech notes

- Blackburn

- Electrical handbook , Beatty (found pdf online)

books I regret buying:

- Camara (I took it to the exam though)

I purchased the international print for Stevenson and Wildi books. Half the price and exactly the same as the US edition.


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## Wheretostart (May 23, 2014)

sskh1212 said:


> I found out this morning that I passed the PE (California) exam. It was my first attempt.
> 
> Below are the books I used:
> 
> ...


I also regret buying Camara reference manual... I borrowed Stevenson and Wildi books from a local university library, and download some calculation handbook, printed several sections.


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## jglavin PE (May 23, 2014)

sskh1212 said:


> I found out this morning that I passed the PE (California) exam. It was my first attempt.
> 
> Below are the books I used:
> 
> ...


I remember getting a couple questions answered in the Camara book (mainly in the afternoon, IIRC); The one I really didn't use was the NESC handbook (sure glad I didn't drop the cash for the actual NESC!).


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## panna1 (May 23, 2014)

congratulations to all of you guys who passed the PE exam. hope i can post in november/december 2014 that i passed. Don't loose hope. there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel.


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