# Advice please on stress and depression about test going to CBT



## Sparky Bill PE

This is the first time I've been allowed to take PE (passed FE in September of last year) and I was SO EXCITED to buy all my reference books, sign up for Zach's class and DOMINATE this test. I am weird, I semi enjoy learning everything their is to know about electrical engineering. I didn't care if it took 5 years because I will love these books and keep learning my entire life. I'm not the type of engineer that passes this test, sells all my books, and never looks at it again. My goal is to be a chief engineer for a large substation/transmission company. 

I can't stop being stressed and depressed about the fact that if I fail 2 times (this year 2020 April/October) after that the test goes to CBT (Computer Based Testing, Like the FE test), and I can't help but think I'm spinning my wheels and almost wasting time on this one. I try to keep the attitude "well just buckle down and pass it the first time", but I go crazy if I "expect to pass". It is VERY HEALTHY for me to go into the FE/PE with the attitude "If I pass great, if not it's not the end of the world I'll get it next time". So far I have worked 725 problems and spent 242 hours on this PE attempt. 

I just hate knowing that if i don't pass one of these two times, this THOUSANDS I've spent on classes/binders/tabs/reference books etc will literally be a waste because I will have to use the NCEES provided "reference book" and that's it. (Mechanical PE's are already CBT testing). 

Anyways, hopefully one of y'all have a minor in being a therapist and can help me LOL

EDIT: Also doesn't help that I am the go-to engineer on my team so I am constantly teaching/helping less experienced designers/engineers (that is my favorite thing to do!) but they all come to me instead of my boss (which is also an engineer).  Sadly, I also have the same "work load" as everyone else. So all this time that I miss by teaching/helping/guiding I have to make up latter which takes time away from studying.


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## BebeshKing PE

SparkyBill said:


> This is the first time I've been allowed to take PE (passed FE in September of last year) and I was SO EXCITED to buy all my reference books, sign up for Zach's class and DOMINATE this test. I am weird, I semi enjoy learning everything their is to know about electrical engineering. I didn't care if it took 5 years because I will love these books and keep learning my entire life. I'm not the type of engineer that passes this test, sells all my books, and never looks at it again. My goal is to be a chief engineer for a large substation/transmission company.
> 
> I can't stop being stressed and depressed about the fact that if I fail 2 times (this year 2020 April/October) after that the test goes to CBT (Computer Based Testing, Like the FE test), and I can't help but think I'm spinning my wheels and almost wasting time on this one. I try to keep the attitude "well just buckle down and pass it the first time", but I go crazy if I "expect to pass". It is VERY HEALTHY for me to go into the FE/PE with the attitude "If I pass great, if not it's not the end of the world I'll get it next time". So far I have worked 725 problems and spent 242 hours on this PE attempt.
> 
> I just hate knowing that if i don't pass one of these two times, this THOUSANDS I've spent on classes/binders/tabs/reference books etc will literally be a waste because I will have to use the NCEES provided "reference book" and that's it. (Mechanical PE's are already CBT testing).
> 
> Anyways, hopefully one of y'all have a minor in being a therapist and can help me LOL
> 
> EDIT: Also doesn't help that I am the go-to engineer on my team so I am constantly teaching/helping less experienced designers/engineers (that is my favorite thing to do!) but they all come to me instead of my boss (which is also an engineer).  Sadly, I also have the same "work load" as everyone else. So all this time that I miss by teaching/helping/guiding I have to make up latter which takes time away from studying.


Sir @SparkyBill, we are on the same boat. Stressed and depressed with all of these stuffs. I just took the Cram practice Volume 2 and only got 67.5%.    I keep telling myself that I should have done better.Mistakes and errors that are minor were much more depressing when I saw the solution.  We still have 47 days before the exam and hope we could still correct all those errors.


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## DLD PE

I'm not a therapist, and you may not want to hear my advice, but the following is what I would try to keep in mind.  This coming from someone who will be taking the same test with you guys this April:

1.  Keep things in perspective.  This is only a test.  Do not let it define you.  If you fail, so what.  There will be another one to take.

2.  Stress is almost 100% self-induced (also a good book when you get a chance - "The Myth of Stress" by Andrew Bernstein).  If you're already worried about the result or what it's going to mean to re-take it, you're wasting time and energy.  Try telling yourself, "I'm only going to focus on one thing, and that's "THE NEXT PROBLEM."  In other words, let's say you're in the middle of studying or a timed practice exam.  What good does it do to stress about problems you've already worked, or how bad you're going to do on the real test?  The best way to utilize your time is to focus on the problem in front of you.  And after that, try to learn from your mistakes.  That's all you can do right now.  I know it's easier said than done.  Believe me, I stressed enough about the results my previous attempts, but it didn't do me any good.  I could have used that wasted time to read more material or work more problems.  It's like golf.  The most important shot in golf is THE NEXT ONE.  In fact, there is no other important one.

3.  You're both doing way better on your practice exams than I was doing my first time around.  You're both probably doing better than you think.

4.  It's better to make all mistakes now and learn all your weaknesses now than during the exam.


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## Sparky Bill PE

MEtoEE said:


> I'm not a therapist, and you may not want to hear my advice, but the following is what I would try to keep in mind.  This coming from someone who will be taking the same test with you guys this April:
> 
> 1.  Keep things in perspective.  This is only a test.  Do not let it define you.  If you fail, so what.  There will be another one to take.
> 
> 2.  Stress is almost 100% self-induced (also a good book when you get a chance - "The Myth of Stress" by Andrew Bernstein).  If you're already worried about the result or what it's going to mean to re-take it, you're wasting time and energy.  Try telling yourself, "I'm only going to focus on one thing, and that's "THE NEXT PROBLEM."  In other words, let's say you're in the middle of studying or a timed practice exam.  What good does it do to stress about problems you've already worked, or how bad you're going to do on the real test?  The best way to utilize your time is to focus on the problem in front of you.  And after that, try to learn from your mistakes.  That's all you can do right now.  I know it's easier said than done.  Believe me, I stressed enough about the results my previous attempts, but it didn't do me any good.  I could have used that wasted time to read more material or work more problems.  It's like golf.  The most important shot in golf is THE NEXT ONE.  In fact, there is no other important one.
> 
> 3.  You're both doing way better on your practice exams than I was doing my first time around.  You're both probably doing better than you think.
> 
> 4.  It's better to make all mistakes now and learn all your weaknesses now than during the exam.


Thanks Hoss, I needed that. I guess I'm not "stressed about failing". It's more of "wanting to be done" I do plan on getting my PMP directly after my PE, but I honestly don't care. I'm not going to stress and I'll do that for fun in my own time. This is just the final step after a LONG journey. Getting my bachelors, then my masters, then passing my FE. This is the first time in almost a decade where I see light at the end of the tunnel, and my god is that light beautiful from where I'm standing. 

I'm trying my best to not let it define me, and it's hard. 

Also, a TON of my stress is only being able to take this twice. I honestly don't mind it and I love the fact if I fail I will go into the next attempt learning even more. Makes me a better engineer and constantly learning. Just so depressing it going to the CBT (in my opinion). If it's money, I wish they would let people pay 3x as much to take it paper/pencil way it is now. 

I started this test with the idea of "I don't care if it takes 20 times, I will pass this exam".


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## speakeelsy PE

SparkyBill said:


> This is the first time I've been allowed to take PE (passed FE in September of last year) and I was SO EXCITED to buy all my reference books, sign up for Zach's class and DOMINATE this test. I am weird, I semi enjoy learning everything their is to know about electrical engineering. I didn't care if it took 5 years because I will love these books and keep learning my entire life. I'm not the type of engineer that passes this test, sells all my books, and never looks at it again. My goal is to be a chief engineer for a large substation/transmission company.
> 
> I can't stop being stressed and depressed about the fact that if I fail 2 times (this year 2020 April/October) after that the test goes to CBT (Computer Based Testing, Like the FE test), and I can't help but think I'm spinning my wheels and almost wasting time on this one. I try to keep the attitude "well just buckle down and pass it the first time", but I go crazy if I "expect to pass". It is VERY HEALTHY for me to go into the FE/PE with the attitude "If I pass great, if not it's not the end of the world I'll get it next time". So far I have worked 725 problems and spent 242 hours on this PE attempt.
> 
> I just hate knowing that if i don't pass one of these two times, this THOUSANDS I've spent on classes/binders/tabs/reference books etc will literally be a waste because I will have to use the NCEES provided "reference book" and that's it. (Mechanical PE's are already CBT testing).
> 
> Anyways, hopefully one of y'all have a minor in being a therapist and can help me LOL
> 
> EDIT: Also doesn't help that I am the go-to engineer on my team so I am constantly teaching/helping less experienced designers/engineers (that is my favorite thing to do!) but they all come to me instead of my boss (which is also an engineer).  Sadly, I also have the same "work load" as everyone else. So all this time that I miss by teaching/helping/guiding I have to make up latter which takes time away from studying.


I feel you Bill! Honestly, I mostly took today off for my sanity - and it's felt really good. Maybe try taking a day off? I know that feels like the opposite of what you want/need to do, but it may help you reset and get pumped up for an even better week.

We still have a lot of time to work on things, and you haven't failed the first time yet. Concentrate on this test first! Try your best not to worry about something that hasn't happened yet. You're doing awesome and working super hard! And you're definitely making progress! Try to keep a positive attitude, and put your effort into THIS one first. 

Like you, I also have a super stressful job, with a lot of responsibility. And this has been extra work on top of everything. I've learned a ton by explaining things we're studying to the learners. So definitely dont think of that as time wasted. Plus it may help to sit them down and explain why you dont have all the time to help them and try your boss first, or set aside a specific time window that they can ask you for help. Hopefully they will understand.

Overall, my advice - take a night off. Do something to forget about the exam and stress and get in a better mental state. 

The next day when you feel like you can take on the world cause youre refreshed and got a great nights sleep and feel like you can crush this test, buckle down and get some great study time in. Then keep up the good work!

Work on what you can control in the present, which is getting prepared for the exam in April. You're taking it, so do it to the best of your ability. Dont plan on doing something that you might not even have to do. Work on a positive attitude!


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## Zach Stone P.E.

SparkyBill said:


> This is the first time I've been allowed to take PE (passed FE in September of last year) and I was SO EXCITED to buy all my reference books, sign up for Zach's class and DOMINATE this test. I am weird, I semi enjoy learning everything their is to know about electrical engineering. I didn't care if it took 5 years because I will love these books and keep learning my entire life. I'm not the type of engineer that passes this test, sells all my books, and never looks at it again. My goal is to be a chief engineer for a large substation/transmission company.
> 
> I can't stop being stressed and depressed about the fact that if I fail 2 times (this year 2020 April/October) after that the test goes to CBT (Computer Based Testing, Like the FE test), and I can't help but think I'm spinning my wheels and almost wasting time on this one. I try to keep the attitude "well just buckle down and pass it the first time", but I go crazy if I "expect to pass". It is VERY HEALTHY for me to go into the FE/PE with the attitude "If I pass great, if not it's not the end of the world I'll get it next time". So far I have worked 725 problems and spent 242 hours on this PE attempt.
> 
> I just hate knowing that if i don't pass one of these two times, this THOUSANDS I've spent on classes/binders/tabs/reference books etc will literally be a waste because I will have to use the NCEES provided "reference book" and that's it. (Mechanical PE's are already CBT testing).
> 
> Anyways, hopefully one of y'all have a minor in being a therapist and can help me LOL
> 
> EDIT: Also doesn't help that I am the go-to engineer on my team so I am constantly teaching/helping less experienced designers/engineers (that is my favorite thing to do!) but they all come to me instead of my boss (which is also an engineer).  Sadly, I also have the same "work load" as everyone else. So all this time that I miss by teaching/helping/guiding I have to make up latter which takes time away from studying.


Hi @SparkyBill let's cross that bridge if we get there. Try your best to keep things in perspective and to focus on what is in front of you, one foot in front of another. Don't let the possibility of having to take the CBT test distract you from studying for and preparing for April 17th, 2020.


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## ItsStudyTime!

@SparkyBill - I feel so much empathy for you! Ahh! Especially since it sounds like you really do enjoy the learning aspect. I'll echo the words of encouragement from others on this thread - everyone has said some really helpful things. Especially the sentiment about 'not letting the exam define you'. I remember having that exact feeling! My partner at the time was very helpful in encouraging me. To quote him; 'you are valuable and you have something to offer the world'. 'the people writing and administering this test are human, just like you, not all mighty deities creating the ultimate challenge designed for you to fail', and finally, and most helpfully, 'This exam in no way judges your value as a human being, or your competence as an engineer.' Which is what I wrote on my website, along with a bunch of other reminders, like how once you are in the 'community' of 'studying for the PE', your become really sensitive to 'advice' and 'stories' from others who have taken the exam. Exaggeration is real, and emotions run high, and it's hard to filter all the information and actually extract useful nuggets from people. I have this whole section on my website about 'things to be wary of...' because your mind is vulnerable when you have this kind of 'weight' taking up all kinds of room in your brain. 

Let me toss a few more thoughts and words of encouragement your way. LOTS of people pass on their first try! Like, lots! Why not you? I think you are hearing all the stories of people on their 3rd &amp; 4th attempt and 'normalizing' that because those stories are scarier and rise to the top of your memory. Probably lots of people who passed first try move on and never talk about it again...so you don't hear their (boring) story! 'I studied for a reasonable amount of time and passed on my first try' doesn't exactly encapsulate an audience. You even have a whole extra bonus try at it before the CBT doomsday! 

Last thoughts. I originally told myself 'I'm not going to let this exam take over my life, that's so lame, I'm going to make sure to still socialize and work on all my other personal goals'...then I looked at a calendar after I signed up and realized I only had 9 weeks until the exam and I did a full 180. I was like 'why not?' so for the final ~6 weeks before the exam I just gave myself permission to 'be bad at life' and only focused on the exam. I let my good friends know what was going on, and my partner picked up the full share of house-spousing, and I paused all other personal projects. Just 'work' and 'study' for 6 weeks. in the grand scheme of things...that's just not a very long time. Once I had the 'permission' (self-given) I actually felt my stress go down...I didn't realize I was carrying a lot of stress around 'not letting this exam ruin my life' and 'making sure to still eat salad' and 'trying to keep up that personal growth project' and once I was like 'F**k it, all exam, all the time' I was way more relaxed. 

Good luck! You got this! You are valuable and you have something to offer the world.


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## Sparky Bill PE

holly77 said:


> hello, dude. how is going with that now? have the same problem with strss before tests


Thanks for reaching out. Kind if insane how many people "dismiss" using 5 and a half months of peoples life studying just to be gone. NCEES REALLY should have looked into more options about testing even if it costed more money to be "socially distances". 

It's all good on my end though. Studying like crazy now, 7 days a week, would really love to pass this before it goes to CBT testing. CBT testing didn't bother me till I seen that reference handbook. Lord have mercy that thing is terrible compared to us having our own binders + 30 books.


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## akyip

I'll put out my two cents. I was stressed about the fact of eventually transitioning to CBT exam style, since that would eliminate my efforts in my PE Exam "Bible Binder". But for now I'm studying for the upcoming October exam which is still pencil-and-paper based. I'm focusing on that instead of worrying about the upcoming CBT exam style since the October pencil-and-paper based exam is more what's in front of me.

I went over about 1 1/2 months of Zach Stone's online premium review courses. This was on top of already having read through A.S. Graffeo's study guide and the Engineering Pro Guides (as well as several practice exams including Complex Imaginary, Engineering Pro Guides, and Cram for Exam). I did all this to further help drill concepts into my head, rather than just memorize stuff. Taking the time to go over Zach's video examples and quizzes gave me a good amount of relief, in terms of prepping up.

I'm considering ordering the Shorebrook PE Power practice exam. I heard it may not be as good as Cram for Exam, Engineering Pro Guides, etc. but I also think that doing more practice exams is a good way of prepping up for the real PE exam when it comes...


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## Dothracki PE

I am no therapist, meditation coach, or health expert in any way, but here's what I have been doing.

As far as handling the stress, I listen to the Daily Wellness podcast/playlist on the Spotify music app. It is a good selection of personalized music mixed with 5-10 minute podcasts on motivational stories and speeches, breathing and relaxation techniques, and comedy podcasts. You can listen to it while getting ready for the day, driving in the car, or at work. The breathing exercises sometimes do require you to be sitting still not doing anything sometimes with your eyes closed so I wouldn't recommend doing that part while driving or doing something else.

Since I have been working from home, I will usually wake up do some simple core and cardio exercises while listening to that playlist. I definitely feel much better starting out the day with that.

I would also give yourself at least an hour before going to bed to relax and not do anything to stressful or strenuous. Sleep is the most important part of retaining all of the studying you did during the day.

I didn't really do any of the above when I took the FE exam a few years back and I definitely felt similar to what you are/were going through. I too am a go-to guy in my work for many code related issues and mentoring some of the younger engineers.


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## Zach Stone P.E.

akyip said:


> I'll put out my two cents. I was stressed about the fact of eventually transitioning to CBT exam style, since that would eliminate my efforts in my PE Exam "Bible Binder". But for now I'm studying for the upcoming October exam which is still pencil-and-paper based. I'm focusing on that instead of worrying about the upcoming CBT exam style since the October pencil-and-paper based exam is more what's in front of me.
> 
> I went over about 1 1/2 months of Zach Stone's online premium review courses. This was on top of already having read through A.S. Graffeo's study guide and the Engineering Pro Guides (as well as several practice exams including Complex Imaginary, Engineering Pro Guides, and Cram for Exam). I did all this to further help drill concepts into my head, rather than just memorize stuff. Taking the time to go over Zach's video examples and quizzes gave me a good amount of relief, in terms of prepping up.
> 
> I'm considering ordering the Shorebrook PE Power practice exam. I heard it may not be as good as Cram for Exam, Engineering Pro Guides, etc. but I also think that doing more practice exams is a good way of prepping up for the real PE exam when it comes...


Hi @akyip thanks for the mention. Out of the material you've gone through in our online program, what has been the most helpful and what can we add to improve?


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## akyip

Zach Stone said:


> Hi @akyip thanks for the mention. Out of the material you've gone through in our online program, what has been the most helpful and what can we add to improve?


I definitely appreciated the examples and quizzes you have for many of the sections. They help to reinforce and drill more concepts into my head.

I don't have many gripes about your premium review course because of how massively helpful it is. At most, maybe that I felt your sequencing of transformer concepts might be a bit odd (e.g. you cover the basics of transformers first, then later power flow of parallel transformers in a later course instead of putting them together?).

And the only other thing I can think about is a few concepts I see in your practice exam that I did not find covered in your premium review course. For example, the sequence harmonics. There was one good problem I saw in your exam about it, but I didn't see sequence harmonics in your sequence components or fault analysis modules...

Other than that, no major gripes. I definitely appreciated your premium review course.


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## Dothracki PE

akyip said:


> I definitely appreciated the examples and quizzes you have for many of the sections. They help to reinforce and drill more concepts into my head.
> 
> I don't have many gripes about your premium review course because of how massively helpful it is. At most, maybe that I felt your sequencing of transformer concepts might be a bit odd (e.g. you cover the basics of transformers first, then later power flow of parallel transformers in a later course instead of putting them together?).
> 
> And the only other thing I can think about is a few concepts I see in your practice exam that I did not find covered in your premium review course. For example, the sequence harmonics. There was one good problem I saw in your exam about it, but I didn't see sequence harmonics in your sequence components or fault analysis modules...
> 
> Other than that, no major gripes. I definitely appreciated your premium review course.


I concur with akyip @Zach Stone, P.E., too difficult to find any negatives. The boot camps are a great introduction to get back on track and then the review course takes it from there.


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## Novanian

The rate things are going, I would not be surprised if the fall one is also pushed out.

My company had 5 different Waves we planned on returning people to company property with. Wave 1 was in June and Wave 2 just started in July but they already canceled Wave 3-5 for the rest of the year.

Our internal infections are going up a lot too and we have pretty strict mitigation measures in place.

I still plan on studying regardless though.


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## akyip

ryankon518 said:


> I concur with akyip @Zach Stone, P.E., too difficult to find any negatives. The boot camps are a great introduction to get back on track and then the review course takes it from there.


Also, one other god-send I learned from Zach's course.

Power factor correction:

Qc = P * (tan(theta new) - tan(theta old))

MUCH FASTER to solve power factor correction problems, instead of having to calculate and draw out 2 power triangles!!!

This godsend effectively cuts down my time in solving p.f. correction problems.


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## Dothracki PE

akyip said:


> Also, one other god-send I learned from Zach's course.
> 
> Power factor correction:
> 
> Qc = P * (tan(theta new) - tan(theta old))
> 
> MUCH FASTER to solve power factor correction problems, instead of having to calculate and draw out 2 power triangles!!!
> 
> This godsend effectively cuts down my time in solving p.f. correction problems.


I JUST LEARNED THIS TOO LAST NIGHT! Are you spying on me?


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## akyip

ryankon518 said:


> I JUST LEARNED THIS TOO LAST NIGHT! Are you spying on me?


Nope! I just appreciate faster ways to solve problems, in the obvious interest of saving time.


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## BebeshKing PE

akyip said:


> Also, one other god-send I learned from Zach's course.
> 
> Power factor correction:
> 
> Qc = P * (tan(theta new) - tan(theta old))
> 
> MUCH FASTER to solve power factor correction problems, instead of having to calculate and draw out 2 power triangles!!!
> 
> This godsend effectively cuts down my time in solving p.f. correction problems.


One of the best technique I learned as well, in terms of power factor correction using CAPACITOR BANK.   

**correction to your formula though, it should be:

Qc = P * (tan(theta *old*) - tan(theta *new*))


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## akyip

BebeshKing said:


> One of the best technique I learned as well, in terms of power factor correction using CAPACITOR BANK.
> 
> **correction to your formula though, it should be:
> 
> Qc = P * (tan(theta *old*) - tan(theta *new*))


The reason why I have the theta new first and then the theta old after is so that the Q value becomes negative, corresponding to sending VARs. From basic circuit analysis convention for a load, negative value for Q corresponds to actually delivering reactive power. Though if you're just looking for the value of VARs being delivered, what you have is also correct.

That's my perspective. I'm sure others can provide their input on this.


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## roy167

Also remember guys, this test is all relative. If it is difficult for everyone, then they will have to make an adjustment so the pass rate is still what it had been. It might take a cycle or two for it to adjust so one needs to be prepared to take this test for several times. Eventually things should even out. I know the big thing right now is NCEES provided reference material as opposed to you could take whatever you wanted. When I took test, I like many others took boat load of books. They did not help me answer the questions where I really needed help. The stuff that you are supposed to know anyway and is well defined such as per unit system, power factor if you know those topics well, then odds of your passing goes up. There are some open ended areas such as instrument transformer, or ground testing, industrial experience can help there. Put in the work as if you want to ace it and then it is going to be what it is going to be. There is very high chance that if you put a required efforts then you will pass. You have to, because it is not a voodu science.


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## Rajan

BebeshKing said:


> Sir @SparkyBill, we are on the same boat. Stressed and depressed with all of these stuffs. I just took the Cram practice Volume 2 and only got 67.5%.    I keep telling myself that I should have done better.Mistakes and errors that are minor were much more depressing when I saw the solution.  We still have 47 days before the exam and hope we could still correct all those errors.






BebeshKing said:


> Sir @SparkyBill, we are on the same boat. Stressed and depressed with all of these stuffs. I just took the Cram practice Volume 2 and only got 67.5%.    I keep telling myself that I should have done better.Mistakes and errors that are minor were much more depressing when I saw the solution.  We still have 47 days before the exam and hope we could still correct all those errors.


Hi @sparkyBill and BekeshKing, I am on the same boat. I passed my FE exam last August 2019. For the PE exam, I studied for 7 hours a day for five months and on March the exam got canceled. I am registered for October examination. Hopefully it does not get canceled.


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## akyip

Me personally speaking, I'm still a little stressed or nervous that my NCEES account dashboard still says I'm pending board approval... I'm applying from NY State and I was previously approved to take the April 2020 Exam before it got cancelled... If I may ask (am allowed to ask), is anyone in more or less the same boat as me?


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## Dothracki PE

akyip said:


> Me personally speaking, I'm still a little stressed or nervous that my NCEES account dashboard still says I'm pending board approval... I'm applying from NY State and I was previously approved to take the April 2020 Exam before it got cancelled... If I may ask (am allowed to ask), is anyone in more or less the same boat as me?


I WAS ABOUT TO POST THE SAME THING YESTERDAY

I got my approval letter on June 25th, but it never updated on my account. BUT I just checked it and it was finally changed. So maybe the board finally has gotten in. You should check today and see if it changed. If it doesn't change by tomorrow you should use their contact form and they respond within a business day usually.


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## akyip

Dothracki said:


> I WAS ABOUT TO POST THE SAME THING YESTERDAY
> 
> I got my approval letter on June 25th, but it never updated on my account. BUT I just checked it and it was finally changed. So maybe the board finally has gotten in. You should check today and see if it changed. If it doesn't change by tomorrow you should use their contact form and they respond within a business day usually.


Thank you for the update, I just checked and I am now approved!


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## akyip

akyip said:


> Thank you for the update, I just checked and I am now approved!


I just realized something though... Although I am approved on the NCEES website/dashboard, I did not get a letter from my State's Education Department for the October 2020 exam. (I previously got a letter in the mail for the April 2020 exam.) Aren't we required to have this letter in hand when it comes time to take the October 2020 PE exam?


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## Dothracki PE

akyip said:


> I just realized something though... Although I am approved on the NCEES website/dashboard, I did not get a letter from my State's Education Department for the October 2020 exam. (I previously got a letter in the mail for the April 2020 exam.) Aren't we required to have this letter in hand when it comes time to take the October 2020 PE exam?


I think the exam verification you need comes from NCEES. The website says "Exam Authorizations will be available two weeks prior to exam day."


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## DLD PE

You'll get a letter in the mail 2 weeks before the exam.  Just make sure you don't forget it!


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## Dothracki PE

I took my first practice exam using the latest NCEES practice exam over the weekend and definitely was not good. But I identified a few weak areas with auto-transformers, transmission lines, and rectifier circuits that I need to focus on. I also need to learn to really focus on the question because most of my mistakes were really simple ones like missing a simple word like leading instead of lagging or instantaneous. Also trying to figure out what in the question was really important or not. I have three others so hopefully I do better on those after some focused study and more focus on what the questions are saying.


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## Orchid PE

Dothracki said:


> missing a simple word like leading instead of lagging or instantaneous. Also trying to figure out what in the question was really important or not.


This is pretty much what the whole test is about. It's about making sure those who are getting licensed truly understand the material. It's less about whether or not you can perform the math, even though that is important. There will be some problems where no math is required, yet there will be people that get lost in calculations because they didn't read the question carefully. Translates into who will be a good PE in the real world.


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## akyip

I have a silly question. Has anyone already re-registered for the CBT exam? Do you all recommend registering for the CBT exam right away? The only reason I ask this is that while I have received my refund from NCEES, I have not yet received my refund from Scantron... I'm thinking for putting off re-registration for a little bit until I get the refund from Scantron as well.

What are your thoughts about immediately re-registering for the CBT exam? Do you recommend I can hold it off for a little while, or just re-register ASAP?


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## Dothracki PE

My speculation is that they will likely be revising the power exam reference sheet. There has been a lot of buzz online about the reference sheet and hopefully some have given some feedback through official channels. I see other exams have many versions of the specification sheet. The FE reference sheet has at least 10 versions. But again, just my speculation. 

Maybe if you give it a few months they may have some revisions to the reference sheet or at least the questions in their test bank based on performance after at least six months.

I'm going to just get it over with since I've already been preparing for the exam for almost a year now.


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## Novanian

akyip said:


> I have a silly question. Has anyone already re-registered for the CBT exam? Do you all recommend registering for the CBT exam right away? The only reason I ask this is that while I have received my refund from NCEES, I have not yet received my refund from Scantron... I'm thinking for putting off re-registration for a little bit until I get the refund from Scantron as well.
> 
> What are your thoughts about immediately re-registering for the CBT exam? Do you recommend I can hold it off for a little while, or just re-register ASAP?


At least for me, I am going to spend more months December-February.March studying at the minimum to reinforce concepts because I didn't study for an exam with none of my references allowed.

TLDR, I am not taking it right away, and delaying until February/March.

I want to make sure I have a fairly confident understanding of performing well without any of my references. I am hoping the additional time will give the NCEES group time to clean up the reference sheet.

I am sure there are those who just want it over with and believe/actually do have the ability to take it ASAP in December but I am not one of those people. I have never been a great test taker unless I really prepared myself for the exam through and through and this was to be an exam where I could "memorize" a bit less and rely on certain tabbed and notaded references for conceptual questions such as batteries or motors or even what all the TCC protection graphs meant. For example, even though I do a lot of work with TCC time issues in my real job, the questions they ask on this exam are probably 120% more intricate than what I work with as most of my protection schemes are just a Fast Curve and  slow cruve and are more of an arc whereas in this exam they tend to have different blocks of protection depending on the device. A System Protection Engineer may have it in his/her blood but I sure don't so I need to make sure I REALLY have it down pat.

Even if I have the knowledge down pat I need to spend a lot of time with just the PDF open on the computer and practicing using only it.


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## Sparky Bill PE

llugguss said:


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Thank you for the kind words and advice. I have a spreadsheet where I track my hours and problems worked for this PE.  By the end of next week I will have over 500 hours studied, and 2,500 problems worked, and haven't even got to take the test due to Covid. 

Anyone outside the engineering world can't imagine studying 14 months pretty much solid for an exam.


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## LouisFalbo

Sparky Bill PE said:


> This is the first time I've been allowed to take PE (passed FE in September of last year) and I was SO EXCITED to buy all my reference books, sign up for Zach's class and DOMINATE this test. I am weird, I semi enjoy learning everything their is to know about electrical engineering. I didn't care if it took 5 years because I will love these books and keep learning my entire life. I'm not the type of engineer that passes this test, sells all my books, and never looks at it again. My goal is to be a chief engineer for a large substation/transmission company.
> 
> I can't stop being stressed and depressed about the fact that if I fail 2 times (this year 2020 April/October) after that the test goes to CBT (Computer Based Testing, Like the FE test), and I can't help but think I'm spinning my wheels and almost wasting time on this one. I try to keep the attitude "well just buckle down and pass it the first time", but I go crazy if I "expect to pass". It is VERY HEALTHY for me to go into the FE/PE with the attitude "If I pass great, if not it's not the end of the world I'll get it next time". So far I have worked 725 problems and spent 242 hours on this PE attempt.
> 
> I just hate knowing that if i don't pass one of these two times, this THOUSANDS I've spent on classes/binders/tabs/reference books etc will literally be a waste because I will have to use the NCEES provided "reference book" and that's it. (Mechanical PE's are already CBT testing).
> 
> Anyways, hopefully one of y'all have a minor in being a therapist and can help me LOL
> 
> EDIT: Also doesn't help that I am the go-to engineer on my team so I am constantly teaching/helping less experienced designers/engineers (that is my favorite thing to do!) but they all come to me instead of my boss (which is also an engineer).  Sadly, I also have the same "work load" as everyone else. So all this time that I miss by teaching/helping/guiding I have to make up latter which takes time away from studying.


I understand you admirably, I just started preparing, but I already have crazy emotions and stress. For me, preparing for such exams is always stressful. Because my future career largely depends on this. The first time I failed I was depressed for a couple of months. I recently found a method to solve this. I read people's stories about their problems and how they dealt with them. This also allowed for a reassessment of priorities. I realized that study and career are not the most important thing in life. So we need to be less nervous about this and stay calm, even in bad moments.


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## WingNut

OK, take a CHILL PILL and relax-- RELAX. This is NOT the big deal that you make it out to be. I have been an Exam development Chair/Co-Chair for the past 10 years-- let me put your mind at ease here-- this is NOT the big deal that you think it is. Yes, you need to pass, yes there is pressure on you, but there is no reason to put anymore artificial pressure on you either. I promise, the sun will rise tomorrow regardless if you pass or fail this exam. If you fail, then try again.

A. The test is designed to ascertain the minimally competent engineer-- the C- student. The test is written to ascertain if the candidate is minimally competent, nothing else.

B. All of the testable material is listed on the test specification-- you should know all of the material on the specification, understand what is being asked for and be able to answer a question(s) related to that.

C. All of the formulae needed to work the exam is in the PE Reference Handbook, which you got from NCEES when you registered for the exam. Any formula you need to work the CBT exam is in the handbook. NOW-- you need to know the handbook-- really know where the formulae are located and how to use the formulae-- time management is crucial on any exam-- if you flounder for 20 min trying to find a formula, then a) you don't understand the concept being measured or b) you are headed down the wrong path or c) you don't know the handbook. Makes no difference which it is-- you lost 20 min. Don't allow this to happen to you.

D. Work the problems to understand the principles being measured. Really understand what is being tested. Sure, you can memorize concepts, but if you don't know the concepts, you are stuck. Really understand the concept that is being tested. Once you have this, you are home free!

E. Each question is designed to take 6 min or less to answer. In some cases, you should be able to answer the question by inspection-- "Oh, that answer is A." Others, you may have work 4-5 calculation steps-- it may take 12 min to do so, however, you had 3 questions that you should have been able to answer by inspection.

F. The exam committee has reviewed each exam probably 5-6 times BEFORE it is administered. We have worked the problem every possible way to be sure that the options listed for answers are viable, with only 1 answer correct.

G. Make sure that your units and conversions track-- if you forget to take the square root of something, you might find an answer option on the exam. Of course, it is the wrong answer, because you failed to take the square root of the intermediate result-- just go slow and carefully.

To further put your mind at ease, I took the PE exam after being out of school for 30 years and not in the discipline that I originally studied at the undergraduate level. Yes, I was just as spooked as you are today, yes, I stewed just as hard as you are now, but I decided that this is just a bachelor's level examination, I had good undergraduate preparation (and great graduate preparation) and I was going to crush this exam. Did I? Will never know, I passed-- that is all that counts. Makes no difference if you get a 71 or a 99, you passed. You can do this-- one and done.

I got my results about a week before Christmas-- was the best Christmas present that I got that year. Good luck-- you can do this-- walk in acting like you know what you are doing and then do it. Just do it! When you get your results-- take your wife/husband/spouse out for dinner-- buy a good bottle of wine and a big juciy steak-- you earned it.


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