# PE exam ending on time?



## zephyr (Oct 20, 2009)

I'm writing the PE exam this friday at the Cow Palace in the Bay Area of California. I know that there is no set times for the test to start and end, but can anyone give me a ballpark idea of when I should expect the afternoon session to end?

I unfortunately have a flight that evening and it's going to be tight (yikes!).

Thanks.


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## JoeysVee (Oct 20, 2009)

I can only speak for the last time I took the exam. I took the exam in SC in Apr 06. I just remember by the time you wait in line and get admitted then they go over the instructions, then fill out the exam answer sheet with name, etc., the exam starts late. That means you go to lunch late. Then you come back from lunch late only to get another long instruction set. All in all I was at the exam site from 7AM til about 6PM.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Oct 20, 2009)

I got there at 7 for I believe, doors closing at 7:40, instruction from then until 8, then the morning session started right about 8. Finished around 11:30, signed out, and had lunch and took a walk until about 12:30.

I then hung out back at the site while waiting to be admitted again. Exam maybe started about 1:15, again finished a little early, collected my stuff and was out around 5.

Drove the hour home and collapsed.


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## chaocl (Oct 20, 2009)

I took FE twice. First time end around 6:15PM and second time end around 5:45PM................The lunch hour is not always one hour. It is around 40 to 45 mins.

I am going to take PE in CA on this Friday (For my first time)and I assume the time should be end around 6 PM. If you coming back directly from CA to another city that I recommand to book your return flight around 9PM or later.


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## zephyr (Oct 20, 2009)

Thanks for the feedback so far!



chaocl said:


> I recommand to book your return flight around 9PM or later.


So my 615 flight is going to be really tight then! Suppose I could book one at 730 aswell and then cancel one of them at lunch when I'll have a better sense of timing.


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## Matt-NM (Oct 20, 2009)

When I took it I think I got out of there at about 5:00. Probably no way you'll make a 6:15 flight. Even the 7:30 flight could be tight with security and all, along with the exam being done right at rush hour.

Man that's extra stress I definitely would not want on that particular day! Good luck!


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## chaocl (Oct 20, 2009)

Try the connecting flight(such as flight to nearby internation airport and from there you transfer your flight back) and they should have late time (If your 7:30 is the latest flight to your destination)....


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Oct 20, 2009)

zephyr said:


> Thanks for the feedback so far!
> So my 615 flight is going to be really tight then! Suppose I could book one at 730 aswell and then cancel one of them at lunch when I'll have a better sense of timing.


You'll get nailed with all sorts of cancellation fees. Assuming you can find a cheap enough motel somewhere, why not just stay Friday night. By the time you finish the exam, drive to the airport, dump the rental car, and get through security, there won't be many flights left unless are taking a redeye to the east coast.

Go back to your room and unwind for a bit, treat yourself to a nice meal somewhere, and watch something naughty on the motel select-o-vision.


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## SparksFlyingPE (Oct 20, 2009)

zephyr said:


> Thanks for the feedback so far!
> 
> 
> 
> So my 615 flight is going to be really tight then! Suppose I could book one at 730 aswell and then cancel one of them at lunch when I'll have a better sense of timing.


Yeah, that's probably not gonna work. I took the FE/EIT at the Cow Palace in October 2006, and we ended at 5:45pm. For you, on a Friday afternoon with city traffic/rush hour, it's gonna be tough. How are you going to get from Cow Palace to SFO? Cab? BART?

I'm taking the PE this Friday at the Cow Palace too. I hope it doesn't stink as bad as it did for the EIT. It really does smell like cow poo.

Anyways. I recommend you stay in San Francisco for the night - like others said, one less thing to worry about on an already stressful day. Go out and have a few drinks :Banane35: then go to bed early.

Good luck- keep studyin', it's almost over :reading:


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## zephyr (Oct 20, 2009)

Thanks for all the feedback. I actually live in SF, but am going to a U2 concert in Vegas on Friday night so it's important that I catch a flight as soon as possible once the exam ends (as not to miss the concert). I ended up getting fully refundable tickets for both a 615 and 730 departure. Fortunately SFO is really close to the exam site so I should be able to just valet my car at the airport and make the 730 flight worst case.

Thanks so much for all the feedback and Good luck to all the fellow exam takers!


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## wilheldp_PE (Oct 20, 2009)

The afternoon session lasts as long as you need. I was out of there 2 hours before the official end of the exam because I had already answered all of the questions I knew, and triple checked my references/math for the ones that I didn't really know. I had nothing else to do that I felt would help my chances of passing the exam. So I could have easily made your scheduled flight, but I am sure that there are people that were fighting to not put down their pencils at the end of the exam. That being said, I wouldn't count on getting out early because the last thing in the world you want is to feel unnecessarily rushed. Another thing to consider is that before lunch, unless you finished one hour or more ahead of lunch time, you couldn't leave the exam room early.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Oct 21, 2009)

> I actually live in SF, but am going to a U2 concert in Vegas on Friday night so it's important that I catch a flight as soon as possible once the exam ends (as not to miss the concert).


Uhhh...prioritize dude.


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## roadwreck (Oct 21, 2009)

VTEnviro said:


> Uhhh...prioritize dude.


seriously. Forget the test, catch the 8am flight to Vegas!


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## Dexman1349 (Oct 21, 2009)

VTEnviro said:


> Uhhh...prioritize dude.


+1

You're stressing yourself out over catching a flight to see a f'ing concert? Not to mention, you're jeopardizing something that is a career-changing event over about 2 hours of music.

Just sayin...


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## Capt Worley PE (Oct 21, 2009)

You're worried about making a U2 concert?

Ummm...VT's right. You really nee to prioritize.


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## chaocl (Oct 21, 2009)

Depends which is important to you....

PE exam ---&gt; twice a year

U2 concert ---&gt; ???


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## Capt Worley PE (Oct 21, 2009)

chaocl said:


> Depends which is important to you....
> PE exam ---&gt; twice a year
> 
> U2 concert ---&gt; ???


According to the tour website, one two days later in LA and one three days after that in Vancouver.

It isn't like a U2 tour is really rare or anything.


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## roadwreck (Oct 21, 2009)

Capt Worley PE said:


> It isn't like a U2 tour is really rare or anything.


I've never been to a U2 concert, but I have taken the PE


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## Road Guy (Oct 21, 2009)

Why does Bono hate engineers?


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## Dexman1349 (Oct 22, 2009)

Road Guy said:


> Why does Bono hate engineers?


I think it's because he hasn't met a LEED AP certified one yet...


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## tucents (Oct 22, 2009)

Just what I needed to help unwind before the test! You guys are HILARIOUS!!!


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## dastuff (Oct 22, 2009)

Damn... That's so much more hardcore than when I took the test....

I only got myself to a bar...

But it would've totally been better if you were taking seismic/surveying the next day


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## SparksFlyingPE (Oct 26, 2009)

Zephyr, did you make your flight after the exam? The afternoon portion for the room I was in (electrical chem, mechanical, traffic, fire) didn't start the afternoon exam until around 2:20pm!


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## JoeysVee (Oct 26, 2009)

SparksFlying said:


> Zephyr, did you make your flight after the exam? The afternoon portion for the room I was in (electrical chem, mechanical, traffic, fire) didn't start the afternoon exam until around 2:20pm!


Why so late?


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## SparksFlyingPE (Oct 26, 2009)

They started the morning portion just after 9:00am. Of course, the admission letter says you MUST, ABSOLUTELY MUST arrive there at 7:00am when the doors open. So I did. We all stood around in line until 8am, then we shuffled our way into the exam rooms, got seated, listened to about 40 mins worth of instructions, got checked off and started the exam around 9am. That just pushed the whole day back - plus, we didn't get started on the afternoon portion until almost 2:30pm.


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## Road Guy (Oct 27, 2009)

how was the concert?


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## zephyr (Oct 28, 2009)

The morning session didn’t start until 9am. The afternoon started around 2:20pm. I did the Thermo-Fluids section. After the first hour of the test I had made it through only the first 10 questions and had answered only 6 out of them. So I said to myself: don't worry about the first flight, just work hard all the way through the test, end at 620pm, and you'll have enough time to catch the later flight.

Luckily the next 30 questions went very quickly (~1:30) and so I was able to return to the 4 Q's I missed at the start. I got two of them, and then decided to guess on the other two as I was able to make it through the morning session without any guesses so felt pretty confident overall.

I finished right at 5pm, booked it to the airport, made the flight and made it to the concert just as the black eyed peas were finishing their opening act. U2 was great, and my wife was really happy that I made it. Seeing U2 live has been one of her dreams since she was in high school.

Thanks for all the feedback, and the many laughs. Bono does hate Engineers!

Happy waiting to all!

PS. I'm not trying to insinuate that the test was easy in any way. The only reason I was able to move through it so quickly is that I prepared very extensively, and work with detailed thermo-fluids on a daily basis at my job.


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