# So how do you feel?



## wow (Nov 1, 2011)

So how'd it go guys? Do you think you easily passed/failed or are on the fence? Obviously, if you weren't aware for some odd reason, don't discuss anything specific about any exam questions.

I took the Civil/Structural PE exam for the first time. I feel that both the morning and afternoon sessions were about the same in difficulty with each session having 4-5 questions I either completely guessed or am not very confident of my answer. I hope that will be suitable enough to pass but will hold my speculations until I see my result.


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## pu_grad2001 (Nov 1, 2011)

I feel like I am right on the belly of the curve. I hope I passed but it out of my hands now. The morning was harder than I expected it to be. I heard the morning was easier in past exams.


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## ellebee2001 (Nov 1, 2011)

I don't want to jinx anything, but I think I did okay. I have previously taken this exam twice and feel the most comfortable with this one. I guess I will find out what that means in December.... yikes.


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## AMiller (Nov 1, 2011)

This was my first time taking the Civil/Structural. I felt great about the AM and was humbled a bit by the PM. I think i did OK in the PM, but hopefully my AM will pull me through.

-Andrew


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## HP Junkie (Nov 1, 2011)

I took the Construction module for the second time.. My first time was in April after a few weeks of studying and while sitting in the exam it was clear a few weeks of studying wasn't sufficient. I walked out not knowing how to approach a lot of the basic questions. I ended up with a 28/22 split on the morning and afternoon sections.

This time, I felt prepared and walked out thinking I couldn't have studied anymore than I did. I don't feel like I killed it because there were a few questions I couldn't answer but I felt comfortable not knowing them. I think unpractical, or academic is a good way to describe the ones I am thinking of. I felt some questions were tricky. Given it being an extremely tense and time restricted situation I can't help but have an issue with that kind of stuff.

Even though I studied a significant amount more this time I felt the morning session was more difficult than April. Afternoon felt easier but I didn't even study for the afternoon portion of the test last time so I don't think that's an accurate gauge. I have no regrets, I feel like I did everything I could, if I failed I failed.


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## K=1.0 (Nov 1, 2011)

The exams were easier than I thought.

I think I will pass all three (general/structural, seismic &amp; survey) at one shot. Wait and see...  10 ~12 weeks, long waiting...


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## DS58 (Nov 1, 2011)

I thought it went about as expected, which is not to say I know how it turned out. I felt like my prep and references were right (thanks to this board), my pace was right, now I just hope my answers were right! I took the EE-Computer which is 80 questions total balanced half and half. There is no breadth/depth thing, so morn and aft seemed about even in difficulty for me.


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## thwlruss (Nov 1, 2011)

This was my first time taking the Mechanical Engineering PE Exam. There were a couple in each exam that I guessed on or did not feel good about, and I fell for a trick on two of the afternoon questions, but beyond that I feel pretty confident that I passed. I finished the AM exam with an hour left for checking. I finished the PM section with 45 minutes to check and rework. I did not ace the thing but I dont think I failed either. We'll see i guess.


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## treyjay (Nov 1, 2011)

what I found out is don't believe anyone who tries to tell you what references you need. If NCEES says you need a reference...you better get it, and bring it with you.

the reference you dont have is one that you will need.


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## wow (Nov 1, 2011)

treyjay said:


> what I found out is don't believe anyone who tries to tell you what references you need. If NCEES says you need a reference...you better get it, and bring it with you.
> 
> the reference you dont have is one that you will need.


Goswami's All In One Book came in quite handy, IMO, for mostly the AM but also for some of the PM problems. Never bought the CERM.


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## castonstud (Nov 1, 2011)

This is my first time taking the Civil-Geotech in CA. I felt the afternoon section was long and I ended up guessing 5-6 questions..anyone in the same boat as me?


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## treyjay (Nov 1, 2011)

wow said:


> treyjay said:
> 
> 
> > what I found out is don't believe anyone who tries to tell you what references you need. If NCEES says you need a reference...you better get it, and bring it with you.
> ...




I had Goswami's Book....didn't bring it....CERM was plenty. I dont think i missed anything by not having the Goswami book.


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## treyjay (Nov 1, 2011)

castonstud said:


> This is my first time taking the Civil-Geotech in CA. I felt the afternoon section was long and I ended up guessing 5-6 questions..anyone in the same boat as me?



I outright guessed on three questions. a couple of others I am not sure if i worked them correctly. I am going crazy second guessing everything else. I didn't really have the time to check everything.


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## jharris (Nov 1, 2011)

treyjay said:


> wow said:
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> 
> > treyjay said:
> ...


Goswami's book was good for quick look-ups if you knew where to look. I studied knowing the strengths and weaknesses of both the CERM and the All-In-One. I felt that the Civil am portion was fairly straightforward, but the qualitative questions were the hardest. PM Transportation was reasonable and, had I been a bit stronger in knowing exactly where to look for some answers, I would feel more confident. Unfortunately I think I will be back for a second round in April. It's all good, though. I know how I will approach the exam this time.


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## pu_grad2001 (Nov 1, 2011)

castonstud said:


> This is my first time taking the Civil-Geotech in CA. I felt the afternoon section was long and I ended up guessing 5-6 questions..anyone in the same boat as me?



Yes I thought it was long too. It was easier than past geotech exams and I think it might have saved my score.


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## eselcen (Nov 1, 2011)

Mechanical HVAC&amp;R

I had a hard time on AM as well.

AM section killed me. 8 questions bubbled without any idea

I tried to catch up with PM section (bubbled 3 without any idea) but I am not sure about my passing


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## eselcen (Nov 1, 2011)

pu_grad2001 said:


> I feel like I am right on the belly of the curve. I hope I passed but it out of my hands now. The morning was harder than I expected it to be. I heard the morning was easier in past exams.





thwlruss said:


> This was my first time taking the Mechanical Engineering PE Exam. There were a couple in each exam that I guessed on or did not feel good about, and I fell for a trick on two of the afternoon questions, but beyond that I feel pretty confident that I passed. I finished the AM exam with an hour left for checking. I finished the PM section with 45 minutes to check and rework. I did not ace the thing but I dont think I failed either. We'll see i guess.


Mechanical HVAC&amp;R

I had a hard time on AM as well.

AM section killed me. 8 questions bubbled without any idea

I tried to catch up with PM section (bubbled 3 without any idea) but I am not sure about my passing


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## Ambrug20 (Nov 2, 2011)

this is not my first time. This time I felt that exam was easier. But I think it because I was prepared better, not because NCEES decided to throw something light on us. I had 4 "blanks" and about 4 "not sure" in the morning and 4 "blanks" and 2 not sure in the afternoon. I was able to find answers in the reference material from the first try of opening the book. Only one question I spend more than a minute searching for an answer in Green Book. Before, I spend much more time searching Green Book or other references. I took Dr. Goswami prep class and few days before the test he sent us revisions for one of our reference book in Transp. I had it, but didn't pay attention. This time, night before the exam, I marked each revised page "see revisions". I had 3 questions out of these revisions! It was so awesome - I knew where to find them in a seconds. I finish afternoon after little over than in 3 hrs and had time to work out 4 mystery problems (didn’t make it). Oh, well, two month and get back to the books again or to the bar and have my life back.


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## gaurav0323 (Nov 3, 2011)

Guys,

I attempted Machine Design mechanical PE from Texas. I had worked on studying HT, fluid mechanics and Machine Design for last 4-5 months. I did solve 6MS and NCEES practise exam 2X times. If there was a third party person looking over me even he would testify that yes I did it all.

Said so not trying to be pessimistic, I know that I did not crack the exam. Here are couple of mistakes which I think I have done.

1) underestimated HVAC. Many questions were asked on complex HVAC problems in morning session which require moderate to high skill of understanding of subject. Since I have never studied HVAC not even in my Bachelor's I had no clue except simple COP problems.

2) Low skill level in problems of conduction, convection and radiation. Should have worked on more complex problems for better understanding on subject.

I was at impression from start that ME PE is designed for HVAC and Thermal guys but exam was pretty fair and square. They gave equal emphasis on understanding of three breadth modules.

Afternoon session was of moderate level for MD. After my first glance I was releived that they did not ask any thermal or economics problems in MD. Still I did not fair well towards the end and was only able to complete 25/40 problems with surety towards end. Completely guessed 12-15 porblems due to lack of time.

In all I feel that I will get total score of 47-48/80 two sessions combined, and I know with surety that I will have to fight another battle in hot summer of Texas.

Lessons learned: I will study HVAC in more depth this time. @ "thwlruss" I know you are a HVAC guy, please recommend me a book that you used for studying HVAC so that I can prepare well next time. I will study basic concepts of convection and radiation good next time.

Many board members have indicated earlier to practise problems. I did practise but also read a lot. The jist is by practising make concepts clear. Read minimal but practise hard "make walmart aisle empty of notebooks".


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## Krakosky (Nov 3, 2011)

Did you spend time to read thru the MERM or mainly just do practice problems? I plan on taking the ME MD depth exam in April and am trying to decide whether I should take the time to read thru the MERM. I've already read thru most of the T/F chapters.


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## jco0518 (Nov 3, 2011)

jharris said:


> treyjay said:
> 
> 
> > wow said:
> ...


I feel that Goswami's book is great, but it's index needs a major makeover....


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## eselcen (Nov 3, 2011)

gaurav0323 said:


> Guys,
> 
> I attempted Machine Design mechanical PE from Texas. I had worked on studying HT, fluid mechanics and Machine Design for last 4-5 months. I did solve 6MS and NCEES practise exam 2X times. If there was a third party person looking over me even he would testify that yes I did it all.
> 
> ...


HVAC&amp;R

I had the same impression about the AM portion. I felt that there were too many MD problems in the AM section.

After reading your post it seems like the exam was fair in AM section.

I now regret that I did not work on MD subjects

for your AM portion Lindeburg will be fine if you can solve the first 5-6 end of chapter practice problems without any hesitation

if you can find a HVAC guy to teach you you only need a couple of hours to catch 5-6 questions that is it.

Lastly Kaplan Problems and Solutions has two chapters dedicated to HVAC&amp;R

it is full mistakes but it makes you learn


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## gaurav0323 (Nov 3, 2011)

Krakosky said:


> Did you spend time to read thru the MERM or mainly just do practice problems? I plan on taking the ME MD depth exam in April and am trying to decide whether I should take the time to read thru the MERM. I've already read thru most of the T/F chapters.


I read a lot but feel that practice was not adequate. I will suggest practise from lindeburgs sample problems, though complex they give great understanding. Do not discount HVAC to my dismay they asked them a lot.


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## Jazzymania (Nov 3, 2011)

Ambrug20 said:


> this is not my first time. This time I felt that exam was easier. But I think it because I was prepared better, not because NCEES decided to throw something light on us. I had 4 "blanks" and about 4 "not sure" in the morning and 4 "blanks" and 2 not sure in the afternoon. I was able to find answers in the reference material from the first try of opening the book. Only one question I spend more than a minute searching for an answer in Green Book. Before, I spend much more time searching Green Book or other references. I took Dr. Goswami prep class and few days before the test he sent us revisions for one of our reference book in Transp. I had it, but didn't pay attention. This time, night before the exam, I marked each revised page "see revisions". I had 3 questions out of these revisions! It was so awesome - I knew where to find them in a seconds. I finish afternoon after little over than in 3 hrs and had time to work out 4 mystery problems (didn’t make it). Oh, well, two month and get back to the books again or to the bar and have my life back.


So I guess I got atleast 3 questions wrong for sure because I didn't use any of the revised pages at all. I thought coming out of the exam I was a sure pass, now I guess not.

How many problems do you think you guessed on? What was your score last April?


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## jco0518 (Nov 3, 2011)

which reference book was this?


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## jco0518 (Nov 3, 2011)

Jazzymania said:


> Ambrug20 said:
> 
> 
> > this is not my first time. This time I felt that exam was easier. But I think it because I was prepared better, not because NCEES decided to throw something light on us. I had 4 "blanks" and about 4 "not sure" in the morning and 4 "blanks" and 2 not sure in the afternoon. I was able to find answers in the reference material from the first try of opening the book. Only one question I spend more than a minute searching for an answer in Green Book. Before, I spend much more time searching Green Book or other references. I took Dr. Goswami prep class and few days before the test he sent us revisions for one of our reference book in Transp. I had it, but didn't pay attention. This time, night before the exam, I marked each revised page "see revisions". I had 3 questions out of these revisions! It was so awesome - I knew where to find them in a seconds. I finish afternoon after little over than in 3 hrs and had time to work out 4 mystery problems (didn’t make it). Oh, well, two month and get back to the books again or to the bar and have my life back.
> ...


which reference book was this?


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## kenny911 (Nov 3, 2011)

Roadside design. I just looked at mine and thankfully mine was already updated.


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## Jazzymania (Nov 3, 2011)

jco0518 said:


> Jazzymania said:
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> > Ambrug20 said:
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AASHTO Green Book


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## CntrSnr2001 (Nov 3, 2011)

I feel good and bad. I feel that the questions where I had a fighting chance, I did well percentage-wise. Or at least better than the last two times...

I guess that's all you can hope for - don't leave any money on the table and give yourself a chance (at least) on each and every question. Past two times I took it I had to fill in bubbles with a few minutes remaining. This time didn't have to. I hope that is a sign!


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## jco0518 (Nov 3, 2011)

Jazzymania said:


> jco0518 said:
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> 
> > Jazzymania said:
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did you have 2001 or 2004 (5th edition) ? I don't think there is any revisions to 5th edition???


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## jco0518 (Nov 3, 2011)

kenny911 said:


> Roadside design. I just looked at mine and thankfully mine was already updated.


i just checked mine and it was up to date, thank god!


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## WV_Boiler (Nov 3, 2011)

Took the ME-Machine Design.

I feel like I smoked the morning. There was a non-quantitative question where I easily eliminated two choices, but had an awful time selecting between the other 2 options. I wrote NCEES about it. As far as the rest of the AM, I got good answers on everything else. I feel like even if I made a few silly mistakes that I got somewhere in the high 30's in the AM.

The afternoon was a bit tougher for me. After an initial pass through the 40 Q's, I only had completed somewhere in the mid-20's. After a few more passes through, I had 3-4 left that I didn't get a good answer on. Of these, I feel like I had intelligent guesses on all but one. One question I completely punted and picked B. I knew I wasn't going to get anything resembling an answer and didn't want to waste any minutes.

I feel pretty good, but with all the pitfalls, I know it is likely that I made some stupid mistakes.

As for reference material. I used MERM almost exclusively. I used Mark's once, Machinery Handbook 2-3 times, Shigley 2-3 times and the rest was covered in MERM. The one book that I really enjoyed having was Lindeburg's conversion book. I found it very valuable and quick.


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## AdamA (Nov 4, 2011)

Civil-Structural

I felt like I nailed the morning portion and felt good during lunch. Then did the afternoon portion and felt completely humbled. I'm on the bubble


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## Krakosky (Nov 4, 2011)

WV_Boiler:

What was your study plan that you followed? Is there anything you would have done differently? Which practice tests did you use? NCEES, 6 Minute Solutions etc.

Thanks.


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## Pratap (Nov 4, 2011)

Civil-Transportation

Felt good about the morning section… met up with a few friends who’d taken a review course together during the afternoon break….compared a few of my morning guesses with theirs …most of my answers matched theirs… felt good about it…then realized that it didn’t really mean anything coz all of us could have guessed wrong on the answers.

The PM was a bit trickier… I think there were 1 or 2 straightforward questions ….plug in the formula kinds… but the tricky part was selecting a correct answer for these questions since they weren’t asking for the direct result of the formula, but more of a design selection based on formula calculation.

Overall felt good about the exam… I think the approach of using the first few minutes to rank the difficulty level of questions into “easy” , “not so easy” and “no clue whatsoever/will take more than 6 minutes to solve” worked tremendously well for me. I had never tried this approach before… and was a bit skeptical about it. It scared the hell out of me in the AM session when I placed 10-12 questions into Type#3. After solving all of my Type#1s and Type#2s I felt like my mind was in the zone. I felt pretty confident about my Type#3 answers when I left the hall.

The part that I really screwed up was not wearing a watch. I usually have my cell phone on me all the time so it’s never a problem… but when I left my cell phone in the car as per NCEES instructions I shot myself in the foot. Luckily my pace was spot on and I finished the AM and PM sessions 15 minutes ahead of time…leaving plenty of time to re-check my answers. Had I fallen short of time I would be really pissed at myself


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## WV_Boiler (Nov 4, 2011)

Krakosky said:


> WV_Boiler:
> 
> What was your study plan that you followed? Is there anything you would have done differently? Which practice tests did you use? NCEES, 6 Minute Solutions etc.
> 
> Thanks.


I did the practice problems supplement to MERM. Chapters 14-59 &amp; 69. NCEES Sample Exam &amp; the MD Six Minute Solutions. It took about 300 hours starting at the begining of August and only taking 2-3 days off. As I have previously stated, Lindeburg's ME Sample Exam is impossible.


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## StaciaZ (Nov 4, 2011)

I took the Civil/Geotechnical exam for the first time. I feel pretty good about it. The morning was easier than I was expecting, and I was feeling very confident at the lunch break.

The afternoon was much more difficult, but I still feel like I did well enough to pass. Won't know for sure for several weeks, though.


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## ellebee2001 (Nov 4, 2011)

Pratap said:


> Civil-Transportation
> 
> Felt good about the morning section… met up with a few friends who’d taken a review course together during the afternoon break….compared a few of my morning guesses with theirs …most of my answers matched theirs… felt good about it…then realized that it didn’t really mean anything coz all of us could have guessed wrong on the answers.
> 
> ...



I did something similar except I went thru the AM portion and separated the questions into the different modules. Figured I would save time by not flipping between the sections of the CERM (and other references) and keep my brain on the same wavelengths by going after the problems by module. Also, that extra time helped to calm my nerves and still feel productive. The PM portion (transportation) was straight thru, which I think worked for me. I did read through problems and if thought too difficult right away or had to spend time finding equations (not easily on-hand) I skipped and came back to later.


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## Mike in Gastonia (Nov 5, 2011)

Pratap said:


> Civil-Transportation Felt good about the morning section… met up with a few friends who’d taken a review course together during the afternoon break….compared a few of my morning guesses with theirs …most of my answers matched theirs… felt good about it…then realized that it didn’t really mean anything coz all of us could have guessed wrong on the answers.


Remember you signed an agreement saying you weren't going to talk about the exam. I'm sure ncees isn't so naive as to think people won't talk with their buddies, but I don't think I admit it in writing on a forum that they monitor......


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## treyjay (Nov 5, 2011)

ellebee2001 said:


> Pratap said:
> 
> 
> > Civil-Transportation
> ...



I agree with your methodology.....that is what I did for the same reason....i just had a hard time before the exam with the "go through the whole thing and rank each question" advice...seemed like that would actually hurt, time wise, more than help.


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## Pratap (Nov 5, 2011)

Mike in Gastonia said:


> Remember you signed an agreement saying you weren't going to talk about the exam. I'm sure ncees isn't so naive as to think people won't talk with their buddies, but I don't think I admit it in writing on a forum that they monitor......


Thanks Mike... I'll be more careful with what I say here.


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## Surfer357 (Nov 6, 2011)

I took Mechanical - MD depth for the first time. Overall I walked out feeling pretty good, at least well enough that I'm not spending any time studying until I get my results. After going through NCEES practice exam though I know it's not hard to get a false sense of security. They're tricky suckers.

I struggled with one of the early qualitative questions in the AM that I know should have been an "any idiot would know" question, but I've since figured out I blew it. In retrospect I'm upset because it should have been obvious but I blew it. At the end I think there were about 5 left in the AM I straight up guessed on. HVAC got me which didn't surprise me but still frustrated me. I was pleased to see there was a pretty good balance between the 3 depth areas. I ended up bringing an extra roller bag full of references that I hadn't planned on just in case. Turned out I used the majority of them and was glad I'd brought them. Just wish I would have grabbed my manufacturing processes book from work when I was packing.

I felt ok about the PM portion but it was definitely harder. I had a rough start and started getting really worried but about 7 or 8 questions in I got into a groove and most of the rest of the exam went much better. I felt pretty confident with 29-30, made educated guesses on a couple more and had probably 7-8 that were straight guesses. Now just have to endure another 9 agonizing weeks to find out if I can move on with life or have to go through this all over again.

As for those looking for study tips...MERM is critical. I also found the MERM quick reference companion invaluable both for unit conversions and equation look ups. I tabbed the heck out of both books which was helpful for finding stuff in a matter of seconds. Biggest things to understand in my mind are 1) that learning this stuff is just going to take time so start early and make a schedule to make sure you get to everything you want to. I spent probably around 230-250 hours prepping for this go around. And 2) make sure you study with any reference you're going to use. They'll be no use to you unless you're pretty familiar with them or they're easy to find things in. My study recommendations in order of priority would be


500 problems accompanying MERM. That provides a good methodical overview.

6Ms at least for your depth.

NCEES practice exam and review the solutions. I think I got at least 2 questions on the PM portion because of stuff I learned going through the NCEES practice solutions.

I agree with what was stated above, the Lindberg practice exam is far too difficult to be an effective gauge of your readiness. Nevertheless it is worthwhile for practice problems.


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## Krakosky (Nov 7, 2011)

Surfer357:

I've read mixed reviews on the equation companion to the MERM. Did you mostly use that in place of searching for the equations in the MERM or did you still need to use both? Is the equation companion similar to the layout of the FE reference handbook? I'm considering using that rather than creating my own equation book. I haven't tabbed my MERM yet but equations have been easier to locate in the FE reference manual so far. I'll be taking the MD depth in April.


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## WV_Boiler (Nov 7, 2011)

Krakosky said:


> Surfer357:
> I've read mixed reviews on the equation companion to the MERM. Did you mostly use that in place of searching for the equations in the MERM or did you still need to use both? Is the equation companion similar to the layout of the FE reference handbook? I'm considering using that rather than creating my own equation book. I haven't tabbed my MERM yet but equations have been easier to locate in the FE reference manual so far. I'll be taking the MD depth in April.


I had the quick reference and did not use it. Know MERM inside out and just use it instead of the companion. Also, I prefer to have the index printed separetely and in a 3-ring binder. It prevents flipping back and forth constantly. In retrospect, having the entire appendix copied in a seperate binder would not have been awful either. Do these things now and use them as you study. Just like in football, practice like you play.


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## Callan74 (Nov 7, 2011)

jco0518 said:


> kenny911 said:
> 
> 
> > Roadside design. I just looked at mine and thankfully mine was already updated.
> ...




Can someone please post the revisions so I can check..I used the 2001 but thought I made all the 2004 updates.

thanks

C


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## jco0518 (Nov 8, 2011)

Callan74 said:


> jco0518 said:
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> > kenny911 said:
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/&gt;http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=asshto%20roadside%20design%20gude%20revision&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0CDIQFjAA&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fbookstore.transportation.org%2Fimageview.aspx%3Fid%3D129%26DB%3D3&amp;ei=fR25TpWsKZGCtge-8Pm7Bw&amp;usg=AFQjCNGlRzMHlWKtV4-dmcoodHMYbkz9_g


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## ptatohed (Nov 8, 2011)

Mike in Gastonia said:


> Pratap said:
> 
> 
> > Civil-Transportation Felt good about the morning section… met up with a few friends who’d taken a review course together during the afternoon break….compared a few of my morning guesses with theirs …most of my answers matched theirs… felt good about it…then realized that it didn’t really mean anything coz all of us could have guessed wrong on the answers.
> ...



I am pretty certain there is no breach of contract when you discuss the exam with others who have seen the same exam. I read that somewhere (maybe in the CERM?).


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## Mike in Gastonia (Nov 8, 2011)

ptatohed said:


> Mike in Gastonia said:
> 
> 
> > Pratap said:
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I think I'd believe the people in charge rather than someone who writes a review book.......

http://engineerboards.com/index.php?showtopic=3039

Apparently, every agrees to not talk to anyone about the exam.


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## Callan74 (Nov 8, 2011)

jco0518 said:


> Callan74 said:
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> > jco0518 said:
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Thanks..It was updated!


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## jmsansone (Nov 9, 2011)

I took the civil/structural. Thought the morning was quite easy but the afternoon was difficult. Not a lot of stuff I do day-to-day, or that was in the CERM or NCEES practice exams


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## ptatohed (Nov 9, 2011)

Mike in Gastonia said:


> ptatohed said:
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> 
> > Mike in Gastonia said:
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Thanks. Your link didn't disprove my contention that there is no breach of contract by discussing the exam with someone who saw the exact same exam.


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## biofem2011 (Nov 9, 2011)

How do I feel?

I`m still having nightmares!!!! Today, I dreamt that I was going into the exam and I forgot my CERM at home. I pray that translates to I`ll never need the CERM for an exam like the PE ever again.

If only I can get over this exam!!!!!! :angry:


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## Mike in Gastonia (Nov 9, 2011)

ptatohed said:


> Mike in Gastonia said:
> 
> 
> > ptatohed said:
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Well, if you can discuss the exam with someone and not_ "__reveal__ in whole__ or__ in part __any exam questions__, answers, problems or solutions __to anyone__ during or __after the exam__ whether __orally__, in writing, or any Internet chat rooms, or otherwise"_, then go for it (underline emphasis is mine). I'm not sure how you can talk to anyone about it without breaking this agreement.

But back to my original point. I'm sure they wouldn't be surprised if you and a couple buddies go get a beer afterwards and compare notes. But if you share on a message board that you and your buddies got a beer and talked about the exam, you shouldn't be surprised if they contact you.


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## ptatohed (Nov 9, 2011)

Mike in Gastonia said:


> ptatohed said:
> 
> 
> > Mike in Gastonia said:
> ...


Thanks. By discussing the exam with another examinee who saw the exact same questions as you, you are not *revealing* anything to anyone. No breaking of the agreement. Please see page xxxviii (upper left) of the 12th edition of the CERM. http://ppi2pass.com/shop/pe-exams/civil-pe-exam/civil-engineering-reference-manual-for-the-pe-exam-cerm12.html (Google Preview).


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## knight1fox3 (Nov 9, 2011)

Mike in Gastonia said:


> Well, if you can discuss the exam with someone and not_ "__reveal__ in whole__ or__ in part __any exam questions__, answers, problems or solutions __to anyone__ during or __after the exam__ whether __orally__, in writing, or any Internet chat rooms, or otherwise"_, then go for it (underline emphasis is mine). I'm not sure how you can talk to anyone about it without breaking this agreement.
> 
> But back to my original point. I'm sure they wouldn't be surprised if you and a couple buddies go get a beer afterwards and compare notes. But if you share on a message board that you and your buddies got a beer and talked about the exam, you shouldn't be surprised if they contact you.


AGREED!


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## knight1fox3 (Nov 9, 2011)

ptatohed said:


> Thanks. By discussing the exam with another examinee who saw the exact same questions as you, you are not *revealing* anything to anyone. No breaking of the agreement. Please see page xxxviii (upper left) of the 12th edition of the CERM. http://ppi2pass.com/...xam-cerm12.html (Google Preview).


You are if you proceed to have that discussion on a message board.


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## WV_Boiler (Nov 9, 2011)

ptatohed said:


> Mike in Gastonia said:
> 
> 
> > ptatohed said:
> ...


If they have taken the same test, AM &amp; PM, then it is impossible for you to reveal it to them. They have already seen it.


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## ptatohed (Nov 9, 2011)

knight1fox3 said:


> ptatohed said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks. By discussing the exam with another examinee who saw the exact same questions as you, you are not *revealing* anything to anyone. No breaking of the agreement. Please see page xxxviii (upper left) of the 12th edition of the CERM. http://ppi2pass.com/...xam-cerm12.html (Google Preview).
> ...



Mmmmm.... I don't think there is one person on here that would dispute that. Not sure why you mentioned it.

Again, what I said was: By discussing the exam with another examinee who saw the exact same questions as you, you are not *revealing* anything to anyone. No breaking of the agreement.


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## knight1fox3 (Nov 9, 2011)

ptatohed said:


> Mmmmm.... I don't think there is one person on here that would dispute that. Not sure why you mentioned it.
> 
> Again, what I said was: By discussing the exam with another examinee who saw the exact same questions as you, you are not *revealing* anything to anyone. No breaking of the agreement.


I wasn't disagreeing with you there. I was in agreement with what MIG said. Because what you didn't specify is in what *capacity* you would be discussing the exam in. Your statement is subjective because you don't specify in what capacity the discussion is taking place. Discussing the exam on a message board, agreement is in breach.


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## ptatohed (Nov 9, 2011)

knight1fox3 said:


> ptatohed said:
> 
> 
> > Mmmmm.... I don't think there is one person on here that would dispute that. Not sure why you mentioned it.
> ...


Really? You interpreted what I said (limiting one's discussion of the exam solely to those who have also seen the exact same exam content) to mean posting exam content on a public internet forum for anyone to see? Interesting.


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## Mike in Gastonia (Nov 9, 2011)

ptatohed said:


> Mike in Gastonia said:
> 
> 
> > ptatohed said:
> ...


Well, good luck with the "Michael Lindeburg told me I could" defense. And also the "Bill Clinton definition of is" defense as you get into a semantic argument with ncees over the definition of "reveal"........


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## wow (Nov 9, 2011)

Getting a little off topic guys.


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## wow (Nov 9, 2011)

jmsansone said:


> I took the civil/structural. Thought the morning was quite easy but the afternoon was difficult. Not a lot of stuff I do day-to-day, or that was in the CERM or NCEES practice exams


As everyone said, it's all about knowing where to look in your references to find how to solve the problem. Gowsami's book helped me out on some PM structural problems. Never bought the CERM because I was afraid I'd take too long finding what I was looking for.


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## ptatohed (Nov 9, 2011)

Mike in Gastonia said:


> ptatohed said:
> 
> 
> > Mike in Gastonia said:
> ...



Thanks for the 'good luck' but there will be no need for any defense nor will there be any argument with NCEES.


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## knight1fox3 (Nov 9, 2011)

ptatohed said:


> Really? You interpreted what I said (limiting one's discussion of the exam solely to those who have also seen the exact same exam content) to mean posting exam content on a public internet forum for anyone to see? Interesting.


This will be the last post on this because as the OP indicated, it is now off topic. I didn't interpret anything. You didn't specify the context of how discussing the exam would take place. Your words:



> Thanks. Your link didn't disprove my contention that there is no breach of contract by discussing the exam with someone who saw the exact same exam.


I do not see you mentioning anything about where and how you would be discussing the exam, therefore it is a subjective comment. Case and point.


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## Surfer357 (Nov 10, 2011)

Krakosky said:


> Surfer357:
> 
> I've read mixed reviews on the equation companion to the MERM. Did you mostly use that in place of searching for the equations in the MERM or did you still need to use both? Is the equation companion similar to the layout of the FE reference handbook? I'm considering using that rather than creating my own equation book. I haven't tabbed my MERM yet but equations have been easier to locate in the FE reference manual so far. I'll be taking the MD depth in April.


I used both about equally and was glad I spent the money to have both. I had MERM tabbed extensively with individual topics as well as all the appendices. I also had the equation book tabbed with the chapter headings. I liked it because it has many of the key equations and tables for a given chapter laid out on a page or two so you could look over a whole chapter in a few seconds rather than looking for a specific tab in a chapter in MERM.

A couple of items to note about the equation book. 1) It isn't comprehensive and you really have to know what is and isn't in there so that you don't waste time trying to find something that you'll ultimately only find in MERM anyway; 2) you'll only find equations and tables of equations in the equation book. It doesn't define variables, title equations, etc. so you either have to know exactly what you're looking at and/or make notes in the equation book to remind you what certain variables are, what a certain equation is used for, etc. A lot of it is obvous based on section titles and such but I still made quite a few notes and used a lot of post-its to make sure I wouldn't forget things I'd learned while under test pressure.

I honestly haven't looked at the FE equation book since I took the test in 2006 so I don't really recall what it's layout was like. One advantage the Lindberg equation book will give you is that it's chapters exactly mirror the MERM so you gain a lot of efficiencies in getting to know both sources as you study. If you are studying MERM and using the FE book you may not get that synergy. Whatever you ultimately decide just make sure you study with the sources you plan to take and you should be fine. The key is to know your sources inside and out.


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## jmsansone (Nov 10, 2011)

wow said:


> jmsansone said:
> 
> 
> > I took the civil/structural. Thought the morning was quite easy but the afternoon was difficult. Not a lot of stuff I do day-to-day, or that was in the CERM or NCEES practice exams
> ...


I am aware of that. A lot of the problems were not as easy as 'what's this coefficient?'

I thought it was hard because I didn't have a lot of practice using most of the references I needed. Wish I knew about Gowsami prior to the test!


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## ptatohed (Nov 11, 2011)

knight1fox3 said:


> ptatohed said:
> 
> 
> > Really? You interpreted what I said (limiting one's discussion of the exam solely to those who have also seen the exact same exam content) to mean posting exam content on a public internet forum for anyone to see? Interesting.
> ...


I'm not sure what you mean by "I didn't specify the context". I didn't need to, to make my point. My point was and still is: There is no breach of the contract you signed if you discuss the exam only with another examinee who saw the exact same exam. Period. I think that is pretty clear. I'm not sure why you brought up forum posting. Posting exam specifics on a public forum where anyone can view it is obviously outside the range of 'discussing the exam only with another examinee who saw the exact same exam'. Hopefully that clears up any misunderstandings. Thanks.


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## WV_Boiler (Nov 13, 2011)

Mike in Gastonia said:


> ptatohed said:
> 
> 
> > Mike in Gastonia said:
> ...



History lesson: Clinton won..


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## noghre111 (Nov 15, 2011)

jmsansone, I took civil-structural also. I agree with you completely. Alot of "surprises" in depth section .


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## noghre111 (Nov 15, 2011)

biofem2011 said:


> How do I feel?
> 
> I`m still having nightmares!!!! Today, I dreamt that I was going into the exam and I forgot my CERM at home. I pray that translates to I`ll never need the CERM for an exam like the PE ever again.
> 
> If only I can get over this exam!!!!!! :angry:



biofem2011, forgetting my CERM &amp; AISC manual was my worst nightmare before the exam, I must have checked my suitcase a few times on the day of the test to make sure I have it with me. Now that the test is gone, I dream that I mis-bubbled the answer sheets...

I can NOT wait to get the results too! hopefully last time we see the exam!


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## cpguitar (Dec 13, 2011)

I agree with elliebee2001, I don't want to jinx myself either but I felt it went better this time. I had taken a course by the author of the the All In One PE Exam Guide. I also tried to put all my confidence in this book to move me through to answers faster. I did have the CERM for back up (I know it pretty well but there is a lot in it that I spend too much time in it). One thing that is really different this time. I do not recall any questions that Haunted me after the exam. Usually, the haunting questions are the ones that I keep doubting my answers on. Good luck to everyone.


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## MA_PE (Dec 13, 2011)

A little congested. not sure if it's winter cold coming on, but overall I'm feeling ok. thanks for asking.


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## Ambrug20 (Dec 15, 2011)

:dunno:   As the time goes by and some states already have the results, I am freaking out. After I left exam room, I felt confident, had only 8 blanks for the entire exam and may be few was marked “not sure”. Now, when is getting closer to know my verdict, I fill worse than ever. I don’t believe that it is possible for me to pass this damn test. I had spare time on both sessions, but did not recheck my answers, cause felt they all done fine, now everything is getting backwards…… Oh, I need it to be over with. The worth part is the feeling, that somebody is keeping my verdict on his/her desk, and follows the stupid state rule do not release info till somebody decided to ok it.

Well, 3 more weeks for me. I am from TN, by the way.

Good luck to everyone.


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## Jordan S (Dec 15, 2011)

Wait, you left 8 questions BLANK? Or do you mean you had 8 questions you didn't know, so you had to do a shot in the dark guess?


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## AdamA (Dec 15, 2011)

8 blank on a 80 question exam = approximately a 2 question difference, possibly 4 if you are lucky.


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## Jordan S (Dec 15, 2011)

But 2-4 questions can very easily be the difference between passing and failing.


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## wow (Dec 15, 2011)

Passed. Well i guess that answers my question from post #1


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## Surfer357 (Dec 16, 2011)

Wait, some states have already released results???? I just got on here to say I'm going crazy knowing that CA won't release results for another 3 weeks. I thought I was only going to have to endure 2 weeks of knowing other people already had their results. WHY Californing WHY do you do this to us?


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## Mike in Gastonia (Dec 16, 2011)

Surfer357 said:


> Wait, some states have already released results???? I just got on here to say I'm going crazy knowing that CA won't release results for another 3 weeks. I thought I was only going to have to endure 2 weeks of knowing other people already had their results. WHY Californing WHY do you do this to us?


If you look around before posting, you'd see that CA released surveying results today and are planning on releasing fe and pe + str results on Monday.


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## Surfer357 (Dec 16, 2011)

Mike in Gastonia said:


> Surfer357 said:
> 
> 
> > Wait, some states have already released results???? I just got on here to say I'm going crazy knowing that CA won't release results for another 3 weeks. I thought I was only going to have to endure 2 weeks of knowing other people already had their results. WHY Californing WHY do you do this to us?
> ...


Well I'd read a bunch of stuff in here and didn't see that anywhere. I do see that on the CA board now though. That's fantastic...hopefully it won't ruin my Christmas


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## thwlruss (Dec 27, 2011)

thwlruss said:


> This was my first time taking the Mechanical Engineering PE Exam. There were a couple in each exam that I guessed on or did not feel good about, and I fell for a trick on two of the afternoon questions, but beyond that I feel pretty confident that I passed. I finished the AM exam with an hour left for checking. I finished the PM section with 45 minutes to check and rework.* I did not ace the thing but I dont think I failed either*. We'll see i guess.


ha, I stand corrected - 93% :juggle:


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