# October 2019 P.E. ELECTRICAL POWER



## bufalita

Anyone took the test today? I took it in MO. Would love to hear how you guys felt about it to calm my anxiety haha. Did you feel like you nailed it? Which session was harder?


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## Novanian

I had to random guess on about 8 total and an additional 5-6 were educated guesses? I simply just didn't know the answer and I wasn't able to find a reference on some or I couldn't find a way to link my equations to a solution.

Confident on some of the math but their baited answers could have led me astray too.

The theory / qualitative questions were what I expected, some I was able to find in my references others I had no clue or it was buried so deep in a book I had I didn't have the time to look at it thoroughly. NFPA showed up more than I expected.

I imagine my score will be close to the cutoff zoneish just from how I felt.


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## bufalita

OMG I WAS SURPRISED TOO. I think I random guessed about the same amount you did and probably educated guess another 10 HAHA.  So I really have no clue how I did


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## mjcii

Took the test in MO today too. Was blindsided by a lot of questions asked, to say the least. As mentioned in the above comments, there were a lot of topics I thought were standard and spent a lot of time studying that were completely left off. 

I spent a few-hundred hours studying, and it feels like I studied for the wrong test. (Because I don't what that was...)


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## TakiTaki

I took in TX and I feel the same way. I knew the exam was going to have a lot of theoretical question but I was extremely surprised on so many common types of questions not show up. I studied for about 150 hours and I feel like I wasted past four months studying for something that took me nowhere. I guessed/educated guessed on about 40% of the exam which is not good at all. PM was definitely much harder than AM...at least imo. I can only hope for the best and keep my fingers crossed until December.


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## bufalita

So I felt like AM was harder than the PM.


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## mjcii

The fact that there was a question referencing one of the obscure NFPA sections, was a joke


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## shengna

Do you guys find the last problem is the exact same as the third to the last in the PM session? Or was I fooled by the problem? That’s not good


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## Bmoom

TakiTaki said:


> I took in TX and I feel the same way. I knew the exam was going to have a lot of theoretical question but I was extremely surprised on so many common types of questions not show up. I studied for about 150 hours and I feel like I wasted past four months studying for something that took me nowhere. I guessed/educated guessed on about 40% of the exam which is not good at all. PM was definitely much harder than AM...at least imo. I can only hope for the best and keep my fingers crossed until December.


I took in CA and I also guessed/educated guessed on about 40%.....I thought I studied a lot, but I felt like I took a totally different PE discipline..oh well.....it is what it is...


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## bufalita

shengna said:


> Do you guys find the last problem is the exact same as the third to the last in the PM session? Or was I fooled by the problem? That’s not good


You were not fooled. That is correct, and I know I got that one right so I hope they count it twice!!!!


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## Rashid

shengna said:


> Do you guys find the last problem is the exact same as the third to the last in the PM session? Or was I fooled by the problem? That’s not good


Yes. I was surprised


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## Rashid

Am session was lot of analytical question . Pm session was hard mainly code related question was not comfortable. 

And funny things was same question came twice.


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## Rashid

Hi guys, is there any way to check my score before result publish?


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## shengna

Rashid said:


> Hi guys, is there any way to check my score before result publish?


Don’t think so.


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## MoselyHutHut

Very uncomfortable exam. Especially in afternoon session.

Did NOT match the exam specs that NCEES provides. And why so much code related?  Multiple problems on NFPA 70E and that’s supposed to test competency as an electrical engineer?  What about the T&amp;D, VR, PF correction etc.  Saw none of it. 

Oh yea... and a repeat question at the end. Frustrating. 

Wonder what the cut cut off will be.  I will certainly be close.


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## UKEE PE

The duplicate question in the afternoon was bizarre. I bet I checked the wording in that problem 5 times looking for differences. I narrowed it down to two different choices so I either got that one right twice or wrong twice.


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## Shamsdebout

mjcii said:


> Took the test in MO today too. Was blindsided by a lot of questions asked, to say the least. As mentioned in the above comments, there were a lot of topics I thought were standard and spent a lot of time studying that were completely left off.
> 
> I spent a few-hundred hours studying, and it feels like I studied for the wrong test. (Because I don't what that was...)


I think this captures how I felt.  I obviously studied for the wrong test.  If you didn't have a power analysis textbook or the book on motors then you were up the creek.  Albeit even though I had these I still think I was up the creek.


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## Tim - formerly @ NCEES

As a reminder, during your exam, you agreed to and signed the following, “Nor will I reveal in whole or in part any exam questions, answers, problems, or solutions to anyone during or after the exam, whether orally, in writing, on any internet chat rooms, or otherwise. I understand that failure to comply with this statement could result in invalidation of my exam results, limit my ability to retake the exam, and/or result in other sanctions.”


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## Shamsdebout

TakiTaki said:


> I took in TX and I feel the same way. I knew the exam was going to have a lot of theoretical question but I was extremely surprised on so many common types of questions not show up. I studied for about 150 hours and I feel like I wasted past four months studying for something that took me nowhere. I guessed/educated guessed on about 40% of the exam which is not good at all. PM was definitely much harder than AM...at least imo. I can only hope for the best and keep my fingers crossed until December.


How did you know that the exam was going to be more theory?  Has there been a shift in recent years?


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## tangentline

Dang, you got hit by the NEC. Took it two years ago when the specs called for 10 questions max but was surprised by 12. (NEC was probably my weakest section but I did decently on them). Pf correction was pretty heavy then, there was lighting and lightning... pretty much all the topics on the list.

I loved how it still felt 50% practice and 50% theory in cases. (I didn’t count but felt balanced) If you went to school studying power the theory felt really fresh to understand the concepts / math background etc of things


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## bdhlphcdh

mjcii said:


> Took the test in MO today too. Was blindsided by a lot of questions asked, to say the least. As mentioned in the above comments, there were a lot of topics I thought were standard and spent a lot of time studying that were completely left off.
> 
> I spent a few-hundred hours studying, and it feels like I studied for the wrong test. (Because I don't what that was...)


This is exactly how I felt.  Lots of weird questions and not a lot of core principled things you would expect to see.


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## mjcii

Well, it feels 'better' that there is a general consensus that the test was difficult and unexpected. I also agree with what was said above regarding the test being largely inconsistent with the specification provided for us. There were at least double the amount of code questions than what the specification would lead you to believe. And many of which were outside of the NEC, which was a major surprise.

The duplicate question is really shocking to be quite honest. Because I feel like that was either by error or done with intent to purposely fool people. I understand making questions tricky and challenging, but making the test takers question whether or not a 'question is a duplicate or not' seems to skew from the purpose of the test.

I guess we'll all see in 6-8 weeks...


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## Kdpr

What could be a good cut off for Oct PE exam?


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## mjcii

From what I’ve gathered looking at other test threads, it’s incredibly difficult to predict or even find out what the cut off score is. Most of us thought the test was pretty difficult and had a lot of guessed answers, so... It COULD be a lower one. But who knows really.


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## bufalita

Kdpr said:


> What could be a good cut off for Oct PE exam?


I wish I had a clue!


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## Novanian

We won't know. If people guessed correct on a lot of the conceptual questions it will probably be 55-59.

If everyone as a whole did poorly, probably 50-54.

Just my thoughts.


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## mjcii

As of browsing around a lot of threads where "cut off scores" have been discussed, I think the ranges you proposed are pretty good estimates. Though it's all just speculation.

And yeah - I personally had a lot of educated guesses on conceptual questions where I felt as though my answer logically made sense, but wasn't 100% sure. The outcome of those are probably going to be the deciding factor in pass/fail.


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## P-E

Kdpr said:


> What could be a good cut off for Oct PE exam?


Zero.


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## RadioBox

I failed the October 2018 exam, but passed my second try in April 2019. Reading these comments aligns to how I felt when I first took the exam in October. If you want to pass the power p.e. exam  you need to know Protection and Code (NEC, NFPA, etc) like the back of your hand. Under the new specifications,  these two topics are the most important.  if you do poor in either one your chances of passing are non existing. The exam might be easier once it transitions to computer based in one year.  You won't be required to haul all of your references to the test site and you can take the exam any month you like.


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## tmntjmc

This was my 4th attempt and man the afternoon portion was so bizarre to say the least. I was shocked about how different it was, and how confused I felt about it. I felt really good about my 2nd and 3rd attempts and this one I feel poor to say the least. May luck be on our side folks. I know of a guy who is a ME background and passed the EE PE with 1 day studying/gathering references.. I'm shocked that my luck hasn't been this good yet.. 4 times is taking it's toll on my soul


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## DLD PE

tmntjmc said:


> This was my 4th attempt and man the afternoon portion was so bizarre to say the least. I was shocked about how different it was, and how confused I felt about it. I felt really good about my 2nd and 3rd attempts and this one I feel poor to say the least. May luck be on our side folks. *I know of a guy who is a ME background and passed the EE PE with 1 day studying/gathering references.*. I'm shocked that my luck hasn't been this good yet.. 4 times is taking it's toll on my soul


I have a very hard time believing this.  I don't see how it's possible, unless the guy is a genius with total recall.  Even then I find it hard to believe, but I guess anything is possible.


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## roy167

TakiTaki said:


> I took in TX and I feel the same way. I knew the exam was going to have a lot of theoretical question but I was extremely surprised on so many common types of questions not show up. I studied for about 150 hours and I feel like I wasted past four months studying for something that took me nowhere. I guessed/educated guessed on about 40% of the exam which is not good at all. PM was definitely much harder than AM...at least imo. I can only hope for the best and keep my fingers crossed until December.


That goes to show how genius test makers are.


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## bdhlphcdh

For an organization responsible for licensing, I am still completely baffled at how or why they would allow a question to appear twice, talking Power Afternoon session.  As controlled as the exams are, I find it very difficult to believe it slipped through their proofing process.


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## tmntjmc

MEtoEE said:


> I have a very hard time believing this.  I don't see how it's possible, unless the guy is a genius with total recall.  Even then I find it hard to believe, but I guess anything is possible.


It's very true, he seems to be a genius when it comes to taking these types of tests. He doesn't just have an ME and EE PE., he also has LEED AP, CEM, and a ton of other ones.. If you think about it somebody with zero knowledge could very well pass this test just on sheer probability though it's unlikely he seems to have the wits for this sorta thing. In any event it's very discouraging to get the fail almost like a punch to the gut everytime


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## Orchid PE

Tim @ NCEES said:


> As a reminder, during your exam, you agreed to and signed the following, “Nor will I reveal in whole or in part any exam questions, answers, problems, or solutions to anyone during or after the exam, whether orally, in writing, on any internet chat rooms, or otherwise. I understand that failure to comply with this statement could result in invalidation of my exam results, limit my ability to retake the exam, and/or result in other sanctions.”


There are definitely some posts here that violate this....


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## DLD PE

I agree with most of the above sentiments.  I took it in October 2018 and scored 43/80.  I spent a lot of time studying and took Zach Stone's class.  After the exam I felt like I had a 50/50 chance of passing, so I wasn't too shocked when I didn't.  

I did not take the exam in April due to personal reasons.  We had our house on the market and there were too many distractions.

This time around I studied at least as much as last time, if not more.  I took "It's Study Time's" approach and took more practice exams this time, and also bought Justin Kauwale's stuff, Eng Pro Guides Technical Study Guide and all his practice exams.  I put in a TON of time and effort and felt great after the morning session and awful about the afternoon part.

I think it's silly and nonsense how we can't even begin to comment about any part of the exam without getting reprimanded by the NCEES.  How are future test takers expected to prepare when the only guide offered by the NCEES is a practice exam booklet that basically hasn't chanced since 2011?  I know they changed 6 questions for the 2017  version but that's not much.  I'm very disappointed by the amount of questions thrown at us in the afternoon session that are not covered in any of my reference materials.  Also the fact that there is a lot of material I studied and knew well that was NOT covered.  If I don't pass, there is no way I could begin to grasp what I would need to work on or do differently to improve my chances.  What's the point?

Also think it's petty that my account was blocked and I was not allowed to see or even post anything about the exam because someone from the boards decided to block my account to keep me from commenting about the exam.  I've NEVER posted any details about the exam nor been accused at any time in the past for violating any agreement.  This is all so petty.  The comment I received was:

"So on exam weekend I shut some of the board down to keep folks from posting exam questions while they are fresh in there head - will be back open tomorrow afternoon-
Thanks!"
 
Does this board really think I would post exam questions on here?  On what basis?  Also, if they WERE suspecting I might do that, do they really think I'm going to forget all these problems after TWO days?  It's insulting to say to the least.  At this point I don't even care if I get in trouble for anything I've said about the exam.  My feelings echo 'It's Study Time' to the core, even more after Friday afternoon's debacle.  I could make a few more pages of comments about that, but most of it has already been commented on.
After all that, I believe overall I did much better than last year, but not sure if it's enough to put me over to the top to passing status.  I guess I'll find out in the 6 weeks or so it takes to grade scan-tron sheets.


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## leggo PE

Hey everyone! Just a reminder not to post about any specific exam question contents. We all know better, right?


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## leggo PE

MEtoEE said:


> Also think it's petty that my account was blocked and I was not allowed to see or even post anything about the exam because someone from the boards decided to block my account to keep me from commenting about the exam.  I've NEVER posted any details about the exam nor been accused at any time in the past for violating any agreement.  This is all so petty.  The comment I received was:
> 
> "So on exam weekend I shut some of the board down to keep folks from posting exam questions while they are fresh in there head - will be back open tomorrow afternoon-
> Thanks!"
> 
> Does this board really think I would post exam questions on here?  On what basis?  Also, if they WERE suspecting I might do that, do they really think I'm going to forget all these problems after TWO days?  It's insulting to say to the least.  At this point I don't even care if I get in trouble for anything I've said about the exam.  My feelings echo 'It's Study Time' to the core, even more after Friday afternoon's debacle.  I could make a few more pages of comments about that, but most of it has already been commented on.
> After all that, I believe overall I did much better than last year, but not sure if it's enough to put me over to the top to passing status.  I guess I'll find out in the 6 weeks or so it takes to grade scan-tron sheets.


You weren't the only one the site was closed down to, and it was only for a couple of days. There was also warning given here:


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## DLD PE

leggo PE said:


> You weren't the only one the site was closed down to, and it was only for a a couple of days. There was also warning given here:


Well in that case I stand corrected and I appreciate the intent (not allowing us to accidently post something about the exam that we shouldn't.  It just seemed silly at the time but I guess they have a point.


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## DLD PE

tmntjmc said:


> It's very true, he seems to be a genius when it comes to taking these types of tests. He doesn't just have an ME and EE PE., he also has LEED AP, CEM, and a ton of other ones.. If you think about it somebody with zero knowledge could very well pass this test just on sheer probability though it's unlikely he seems to have the wits for this sorta thing. In any event it's very discouraging to get the fail almost like a punch to the gut everytime


That explains it.  Kudos to him!


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## RadioBox

tmntjmc said:


> This was my 4th attempt and man the afternoon portion was so bizarre to say the least. I was shocked about how different it was, and how confused I felt about it. I felt really good about my 2nd and 3rd attempts and this one I feel poor to say the least. May luck be on our side folks. I know of a guy who is a ME background and passed the EE PE with 1 day studying/gathering references.. I'm shocked that my luck hasn't been this good yet.. 4 times is taking it's toll on my soul


I doubt it. I know the type. That guy is just playing the game. What sounds better? I just studied for one day and passed. Or I studied for a year and passed.  Don't believe that B.S.


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## tmntjmc

RadioBox said:


> I doubt it. I know the type. That guy is just playing the game. What sounds better? I just studied for one day and passed. Or I studied for a year and passed.  Don't believe that B.S.


I've known plenty of "I barely studied" peeps throughout school and college, and I knew they had this ego thing about them, but trust me this guy could care less about any recognition or attention. Very humble guy. In any event, I pray that we pass!! we deserve it!! I hope lol. This is attempt #4. Let's see what happens.


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## Vette388

Hi All,

This was my second time around, I believe the first try I was around an 45/80. I felt like the morning was much harder than the afternoon. I almost did not want to go back in after lunch. I decided to go in with a positive mind set and try the afternoon. It went a lot better, it was everything I studied, the morning was not at all what I studied, I felt tricked. I still cant find answers to some of the questions. I also did not have some of the reference material for some of the questions. I need to see if the syllabus even listed that.


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## Road Guy

This exam period _sneaked _up on me (new job, lots of travel) so I took the easy way out and just made it where the "member" group couldn't see the majority of the testing forums - Sorry for any chaos as a result of this..


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## RadioBox

MEtoEE said:


> Also think it's petty that my account was blocked and I was not allowed to see or even post anything about the exam because someone from the boards decided to block my account to keep me from commenting about the exam.  I've NEVER posted any details about the exam nor been accused at any time in the past for violating any agreement.  This is all so petty.  The comment I received was:
> 
> "So on exam weekend I shut some of the board down to keep folks from posting exam questions while they are fresh in there head - will be back open tomorrow afternoon-
> Thanks!"


That was everybody. They blocked everybody from posting.


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## Zach Stone P.E.

So far it seems that the feedback from this exam is similar to the feedback from every exam prior to it: very difficult to really anticipate what exactly will appear on the exam, a lot of curveball questions, and ultimately what I typically call the shock factor. 

Just a reminder, no one ever leaves the exam room feeling confident, and the exam is graded based off some type of cut score, so please keep your head up and enjoy your free time off to relax and pick back up on your social life, family life, and career. 

Best of luck to everyone that took the exam, it is not an easy tasks and I know the vast majority of you put in a serious effort and time commitment.


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## a4u2fear

What makes sense to me about the double question is....they likely had 80 different questions, and for whatever reason, late in the game one was pulled.  Who knows, could be anything.  And instead of further delaying whatever process they have to review and submit a new question, they doubled up on one.

If you think it's easy for them to just put in a new question, read around on this board.  A lot of time and money goes into new questions.   Seems feasible to me


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## RadioBox

a4u2fear said:


> What makes sense to me about the double question is....they likely had 80 different questions, and for whatever reason, late in the game one was pulled.  Who knows, could be anything.  And instead of further delaying whatever process they have to review and submit a new question, they doubled up on one.
> 
> If you think it's easy for them to just put in a new question, read around on this board.  A lot of time and money goes into new questions.   Seems feasible to me


Two easy points for those who got it right...sucks for those who got it wrong twice.


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## Vette388

a4u2fear said:


> What makes sense to me about the double question is....they likely had 80 different questions, and for whatever reason, late in the game one was pulled.  Who knows, could be anything.  And instead of further delaying whatever process they have to review and submit a new question, they doubled up on one.
> 
> If you think it's easy for them to just put in a new question, read around on this board.  A lot of time and money goes into new questions.   Seems feasible to me


That is weird, I re read it about 6 times to make sure it was a double


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## Orchid PE

Zach Stone said:


> Just a reminder, no one ever leaves the exam room feeling confident


I disagree. Like I said in a different discussion, I surprisingly feel better now than I did before the exam and I still feel pretty confident in my answers. I finished my first pass of the morning and afternoon sessions in 1.5 hours, then second and third passes in about 45 minutes each. Then the last hour of just reading over questions making sure I didn't misread a question, or type something in my calculator wrong.


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## RadioBox

Chattaneer said:


> I disagree. Like I said in a different discussion, I surprisingly feel better now than I did before the exam and I still feel pretty confident in my answers. I finished my first pass of the morning and afternoon sessions in 1.5 hours, then second and third passes in about 45 minutes each. Then the last hour of just reading over questions making sure I didn't misread a question, or type something in my calculator wrong. I took the test with a friend of mine, so after some discussions we feel very good about our answers.


uh-oh, this has all the telltale signs that you failed. =/ you guys fell for baited answers


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## bdhlphcdh

There are months of preparation for the exam, administered twice a year, therefore I have no way to believe it was a mistake especially from a licencing organization responsible for the health and safety of the public domain.  It just added another layer of weirdness to the exam, why would they allow this to happen?


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## Orchid PE

RadioBox said:


> uh-oh, this has all the telltale signs that you failed. =/ you guys fell for baited answers


I don't believe so. We felt prepared enough to work problems multiple ways to see where they would try to trip us up. For example, working problems using phase vs line voltages, or using 115%, 140%, 156% or 125% multipliers 

I've been fortunate enough to have a very broad background. I spent 5 years working as the only EE at a firm where I had to teach myself the NEC (conduit filling sizing, derating, etc., all before starting my junior year), and then working for 5+ years in generation, transmission, and distribution.

Most of the "theory" questions I was able to use knowledge I've received from spending time in the field.

There's nothing to say I passed, but there's also no reason to believe that a prepared person couldn't feel confident in their answers.

I worked the following exams in preparation:


Complex Imaginary (1-4)

NCEES Practice (Current and previous versions)

Cram for the PE 1 &amp; 2

Engineering Pro Guides (Final Exam)

Graffeo

I'm definitely glad I practiced the Cram #1 exam. Along with NCEES. I feel like the Complex Imaginary and Eng Pro exams weren't very helpful. The Cram for the PE Electrical book was very useful along with Power System Analysis and Design by Glover.

I also took:


Electric Machinery and Power System Fundamentals (Chapman) - Very useful for studying motors, didn't use on the exam

Power System Analysis (Saadat) - Used for studying, didn't use on the exam

Protective Relaying (Blackburn) - Didn't use for studying or during the exam

Electrical Engineer's Guide to Passing the Power PE (Graffeo) - Used for studying, didn't use on the exam

Power System Analysis (Grainger) - Didn't use for studying or on the exam

Power Electronics (Rashid) - Didn't use on the exam

NEC, NFPA 70E, NESC, NFPA 497, 499, &amp; 30B - Used these

Personal Notes - Used this the most


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## Shamsdebout

Chattaneer said:


> I don't believe so. We felt prepared enough to work problems multiple ways to see where they would try to trip us up. For example, working problems using phase vs line voltages, or using 115%, 140%, 156% or 125% multipliers
> 
> I've been fortunate enough to have a very broad background. I spent 5 years working as the only EE at a firm where I had to teach myself the NEC (conduit filling sizing, derating, etc., all before starting my junior year), and then working for 5+ years in generation, transmission, and distribution.
> 
> Most of the "theory" questions I was able to use knowledge I've received from spending time in the field.
> 
> There's nothing to say I passed, but there's also no reason to believe that a prepared person couldn't feel confident in their answers.
> 
> I worked the following exams in preparation:
> 
> 
> Complex Imaginary (1-4)
> 
> NCEES Practice (Current and previous versions)
> 
> Cram for the PE 1 &amp; 2
> 
> Engineering Pro Guides (Final Exam)
> 
> Graffeo
> 
> I'm definitely glad I practiced the Cram #1 exam. Along with NCEES. I feel like the Complex Imaginary and Eng Pro exams weren't very helpful. The Cram for the PE Electrical book was very useful along with Power System Analysis and Design by Glover.
> 
> I also took:
> 
> 
> Electric Machinery and Power System Fundamentals (Chapman) - Very useful for studying motors, didn't use on the exam
> 
> Power System Analysis (Saadat) - Used for studying, didn't use on the exam
> 
> Protective Relaying (Blackburn) - Didn't use for studying or during the exam
> 
> Electrical Engineer's Guide to Passing the Power PE (Graffeo) - Used for studying, didn't use on the exam
> 
> Power System Analysis (Grainger) - Didn't use for studying or on the exam
> 
> Power Electronics (Rashid) - Didn't use on the exam
> 
> NEC, NFPA 70E, NESC, NFPA 497, 499, &amp; 30B - Used these
> 
> Personal Notes - Used this the most


I also had the Power System Analysis and Design by Glover book and found it very helpful.


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## Orchid PE

Shamsdebout said:


> I also had the Power System Analysis and Design by Glover book and found it very helpful.


I found this book and ordered it, got here the 23rd. I read some topics on my flights in (6.5 hours out from testing center). He had some awesome examples and worked everything step-by-step. I enjoyed reading his explanation on phasor diagrams.


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## Shamsdebout

Chattaneer said:


> I found this book and ordered it, got here the 23rd. I read some topics on my flights in (6.5 hours out from testing center). He had some awesome examples and worked everything step-by-step. I enjoyed reading his explanation on phasor diagrams.


Oh wow, that was close but glad it worked out well.  I used this book for some of the concept questions as well.


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## roy167

a4u2fear said:


> What makes sense to me about the double question is....they likely had 80 different questions, and for whatever reason, late in the game one was pulled.  Who knows, could be anything.  And instead of further delaying whatever process they have to review and submit a new question, they doubled up on one.
> 
> If you think it's easy for them to just put in a new question, read around on this board.  A lot of time and money goes into new questions.   Seems feasible to me


I think that was a trick question to see if same person comes with  same choice after due diligence  in the morning and in afternoon session, otherwise you know that person was playing some video game.


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## RBHeadge PE

shengna said:


> Do you guys find the last problem is the exact same as the third to the last in the PM session?






bufalita said:


> You were not fooled. That is correct, and I know I got that one right so I hope they count it twice!!!!






Rashid said:


> And funny things was same question came twice.






mjcii said:


> The duplicate question is really shocking to be quite honest. Because I feel like that was either by error or done with intent to purposely fool people.






bdhlphcdh said:


> For an organization responsible for licensing, I am still completely baffled at how or why they would allow a question to appear twice, talking Power Afternoon session.  As controlled as the exams are, I find it very difficult to believe it slipped through their proofing process.


All, please report the duplicate question to NCEES. In the past there was an option on their website or on your dashboard to report things like this. These sorts of mistakes happen and they can take actions so it won't adversely effect the final result.



a4u2fear said:


> What makes sense to me about the double question is....they likely had 80 different questions, and for whatever reason, late in the game one was pulled.  Who knows, could be anything.  And instead of further delaying whatever process they have to review and submit a new question, they doubled up on one.
> 
> If you think it's easy for them to just put in a new question, read around on this board.  A lot of time and money goes into new questions.   Seems feasible to me


It was probably just a simple mistake. It happens more often that you'd think.



Vette388 said:


> That is weird, I re read it about 6 times to make sure it was a double






roy167 said:


> I think that was a trick question to see if same person comes with  same choice after due diligence  in the morning and in afternoon session, otherwise you know that person was playing some video game.


No, nothing like that. I would expect it to be an accident.


----------



## Saul Good

I just reported it to NCEES.  I’m sure they are well aware of it by now but just Incase they weren’t they should be now.


----------



## RBHeadge PE

Rashid said:


> Hi guys, is there any way to check my score before result publish?


Nope.



MoselyHutHut said:


> Wonder what the cut cut off will be.  I will certainly be close.


Don't bother trying to figure out the cut score. It's pretty meaningless in the scheme or things, and it really really doesn't matter at this stage.

One should study as if the cut score is 80/80.



Novanian said:


> We won't know. If people guessed correct on a lot of the conceptual questions it will probably be 55-59.
> 
> If everyone as a whole did poorly, probably 50-54.
> 
> Just my thoughts.


The cut score will vary between sessions and disciplines. It's based on the difficulty of the individual exam and what the average minimally competent PE would be expected to get on that test. The cut score is NOT based on how the other examinees perform.

Not that at it matters, but for a major exam, like EE/Power, we'd typically see something like (~51,57]. And it's probably closer to the high end of that range.


----------



## DilutedAr18_PE

RBHeadge PE said:


> All, please report the duplicate question to NCEES. In the past there was an option on their website or on your dashboard to report things like this. These sorts of mistakes happen and they can take actions so it won't adversely effect the final result.
> 
> It was probably just a simple mistake. It happens more often that you'd think.
> 
> No, nothing like that. I would expect it to be an accident.


For the duplicate question, to me it looked like one was in a final format and one was in a preliminary format. In one question, a couple words were bold, there was an additional clarifying phrase added, and the question was in a separate paragraph below the paragraph with the problem information. I would not be surprised if they had loaded the problem into the test and ended up also selecting the same problem that was previously loaded with modified formatting.

Talking with a coworker who is involved with some organizations that do accrediting tests like NCEES, it sounds like it one of the two questions will get thrown out. Disappointing for me as I am quite sure I got them both right and spent about 10 minutes flipping back and forth between the two problems to make sure they were indeed the same exact question. I could have instead used that time to solve/check work on other problems.


----------



## mjcii

RBHeadge PE said:


> Not that at it matters, but *for a major exam, like EE/Power, we'd typically see something like (~51,57].* And it's probably closer to the high end of that range.


Do you have a source for this, or is this just speculation?


----------



## RBHeadge PE

mjcii said:


> Do you have a source for this, or is this just speculation?


It's from 7+ years of active observation on this board. But If you don't believe me, feel free to go back through the last decades worth of results forums, and read through all of the many different "post fail score here" threads to check for yourself. Don't forget to eliminate the n=1 data sets where the highest score is like a 41.

We never get enough data points from the minor exams to form a defendable conclusion.


----------



## mjcii

Was not trying to come of as confrontational. I was just wondering if that range was derived from those "post your failing scores" threads, or if these scores have previously been released.

I will absolutely take your word for it. As you stated previously, there's no use making guesses at it.


----------



## RBHeadge PE

yeah sorry about that reaction; it was a knee jerk reaction from so many years of people pushing back on this subject.


----------



## THRILLHO

DilutedAr18 said:


> For the duplicate question, to me it looked like one was in a final format and one was in a preliminary format. In one question, a couple words were bold, there was an additional clarifying phrase added, and the question was in a separate paragraph below the paragraph with the problem information.


Those were my exact thoughts when I saw it. IIRC, the few bolded words could be changed to make any one of the four answers correct. And as was previously mentioned, I spent more time than necessary flipping back and forth to check to find the difference between the two questions. It legit took me ~4 more minutes to answer the same question the second time as it did the first.  There's absolutely no chance that it was intentional, as there was only one question separating the two. If one was in the morning session and one was in the evening, then there would at least be a (weak) argument that it was intentional. 

As for the exam in general, count me in among the relatively few that found the AM portion to be tougher than the afternoon. The PM was heavy on code and I use the NEC for work, so that was the only portion of the exam that I was fresh for when I started studying. I had 70E with me, which was good as there were ~3 questions on that. Work didn't have a copy of the NESC to steal, which cost me 1 or 2 questions and potentially $350 + hours more of studying. 

I thought that Wildi's book would be a sufficient emergency reference for anything that came up, but if I failed (I'm 50/50), then I will definitely bring more in depth motor and especially power systems. Wildi did help me answer at least one question correctly, maybe 2 or 3. My go to reference was printouts of all of Zach Stone's lessons (I know that he reads all of this, so I'll finish this post answering his feedback email as I think that it will be useful for future test takers, whether or not they purchase your product):

-Caught off guard/unprepared for questions:  I assumed that the NESC and 70E would make up, at most, 2 questions, with the NEC taking up the other ~10 code questions. They took up 4 or 5. I don't want to flirt with giving too much information, but transformer loss questions did not use terminology that I was familiar with. Maybe I missed it in Zach's material, but I didn't find it in Wildi's book either. That's another thing that additional reference books would have helped with. 

-Subjects that I was overprepared for: I don't recall any quantitative equivalent circuit type questions for motors or xfmers.  There were  a handful qualitative questions., so it was much more important to understand what was happening moreso than solving problems. I was a bit under-prepared for that. Not that I was ignorant or lazy in understanding motors/xfmrs, but they had a few pretty deep questions. I don't recall any lighting questions. Not as much economics stuff as I expected, only 1 or 2 questions I believe. 

-Major surprises: already covered. Definitely bring a copy of 70E and NESC. I will say that the questions asked that required these references were easy. I work in the MEP field, focusing on 277/480V and 120/208V systems, only dealing with 13.8kV+ on a few campuses and high rises, and bossman kind of handled those aspects. Despite my ignorance, I am confident on the 70E questions. I guessed on the 1 or 2 NESC questions. Simply bring these references and you'll do well.

 -What would I do differently: As mentioned, bring NESC and more focused motor/power distribution references. I also procrastinated studying, put in a few hours here or there but didn't REALLY start until a month before the PE. Biggest regret was not taking the PE as soon as I could have after graduating. After 4 years working in the field, I was much more prepared the NEC stuff, but rusty on literally everything else. I can't emphasize this enough: if your state allows you to take the PE anytime after passing the FE, then take a shot ASAP. I know that it sucks to potentially lose out on $350 early in your career when you're probably not making a ton of money and have student loan debt, but I really think it's worth it. If it doesn't go well, then so be it, take it again when you're closer to your 4 years experience. 

-How to improve Zach's product: Include a section and video about bus schemes. It's not something people have to be an expert on, but they need to be familiar and have a reference. There were two questions referring to the same scheme (one of the schemes mentioned in the following link) that I guessed on because I was only VERY vaguely familiar with from having briefly covered it in a power class ~7 years ago.  https://testguy.net/content/256-electrical-substation-bus-schemes-explained

Good luck everyone. Not to keep pushing Zach's material, but it's definitely worth paying for 1 month of his service even if just to print out his lessons. Those were my go-to references and his "Key formulas" at the end of each section are enough to solve almost all quantitative questions on the exam.


----------



## bufalita

RBHeadge PE said:


> Nope.
> 
> Don't bother trying to figure out the cut score. It's pretty meaningless in the scheme or things, and it really really doesn't matter at this stage.
> 
> One should study as if the cut score is 80/80.
> 
> The cut score will vary between sessions and disciplines. It's based on the difficulty of the individual exam and what the average minimally competent PE would be expected to get on that test. The cut score is NOT based on how the other examinees perform.
> 
> Not that at it matters, but for a major exam, like EE/Power, we'd typically see something like (~51,57]. And it's probably closer to the high end of that range.


“Major” as opposed to Civil or structural?


----------



## RBHeadge PE

The major (pencil and paper) exams would be the twice-per-year exams: Civil (all tests), Mechanical (all tests), Electrical (power).


----------



## Orchid PE

THRILLHO said:


> As for the exam in general, count me in among the relatively few that found the AM portion to be tougher than the afternoon.


I found the AM to be more difficult as well. Maybe because my brain hadn't woken up yet, maybe because it _was _more difficult, idk.

The NCEES exam specifications for Power is completely useless. I kept track of the number of questions on different topics in my head, and their "approximate number of questions" is way off. Well, I guess if 12 is approximately 20, and 8 is approximately 4, then yeah they're pretty close. 

I feel like the exam was less of an engineering exam and more of a substation electrician exam.


----------



## Hammy4589

Unfortunately all of the test prep also follows the NCEES specification and did not really prepare you fully for the actual exam in my opinion. A lot of the test prep available really focuses on high level concepts and formulaic / calculator problem. Most standardized tests follow the prep material and specifications fairly closely, from what I have learned over the last few days, the Power PE doesn’t?  Not sure how you frankly are supposed to prepare and be successful at this exam besides luck and MANY many years of engineering experience in the exact right topics.   I am basing this opinion on test prep using Graffeo, complex imaginary test problems, Engineering Power Pro PE study guide and problems, test masters study / review classes, NCEES practice exam, reading relevant topics in the Wildi book, and some supplemental material from PPI which I thought would give me well rounded study material, but I felt it was all very similar.  This was multiple practice tests and 400-500 practice problems.


----------



## Orchid PE

Hammy4589 said:


> Not sure how you frankly are supposed to prepare and be successful at this exam besides luck and MANY many years of engineering experience in the exact right topics.


That was kind of my understanding. The FE tests more book knowledge and the PE tests more real world knowledge (gained during the 4 years experience).


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

This test deviated more from the guidelines than usual. In the 7 times ive taken it, ive had 2 instances where it didnt follow. The year they switched the test, April 2018 and this one. April 2018 was worst honestly. This one had the items listed in the guidelines for the most part but with a different distribution than expected.


----------



## Hammy4589

Chattaneer said:


> That was kind of my understanding. The FE tests more book knowledge and the PE tests more real world knowledge (gained during the 4 years experience).


Power engineers vary significantly in speciality and design area. I am not sure how you can possibly design an exam to cover everything from building design to utilities to motor design that everyone seeking a PE can realistically pass without following a estimated specification like other standardized tests.


----------



## Zach Stone P.E.

THRILLHO said:


> Good luck everyone. Not to keep pushing Zach's material, but it's definitely worth paying for 1 month of his service even if just to print out his lessons. Those were my go-to references and his "Key formulas" at the end of each section are enough to solve almost all quantitative questions on the exam.


Thanks for the feedback! Glad you enjoyed our material.


----------



## Orchid PE

Hammy4589 said:


> Power engineers vary significantly in speciality and design area. I am not sure how you can possibly design an exam to cover everything from building design to utilities to motor design that everyone seeking a PE can realistically pass without following a estimated specification like other standardized tests.


You think they should make electrical into breath and depth? Have more grounding, NEC, overcurrent, motors, etc. on the building design side. Then NESC, transmission lines, generators, relaying, power system stuff, etc. on the Utilities side.


----------



## JusWantaPE

For the question that appeared twice, if you answered it correctly twice wouldn't you effectively be penalized if one was thrown out due to NCEES' testmaker's oversight? To me it just wouldn't seem fair. What are you all's thoughts. I also feel as though it was not an accident.


----------



## RBHeadge PE

So I can't speak for NCEES, but IIRC they very rarely actually "throw out" questions. IIRC, depending on the issue they'll give credit for more than one answer or any answer. I can't envision a scenario in which you get effectively penalized for answering it correctly both times.

OOC, was the question repeated twice in the same AM/PM session, or did it appear once in each?


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

RBHeadge PE said:


> So I can't speak for NCEES, but IIRC they very rarely actually "throw out" questions. IIRC, depending on the issue they'll give credit for more than one answer or any answer. I can't envision a scenario in which you get effectively penalized for answering it correctly both times.
> 
> OOC, was the question repeated twice in the same AM/PM session, or did it appear once in each?


It was in the PM. And the 2 problems were *almost* consecutive.


----------



## Saul Good

It was both in the PM section. Question 38 and question 40. I emailed NCEES. The response email was they will forward my comments to the committee of SME’s for review. Any changes resulting from this review will be applied to all affected examinees.


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

@Saul Good what email address did you use? I need to email them about site conditions


----------



## RBHeadge PE

Saul Good said:


> It was both in the PM section. Question 38 and question 40. I emailed NCEES. The response email was they will forward my comments to the committee of SME’s for review. Any changes resulting from this review will be applied to all affected examinees.


Oh wow, they really messed that up!

Worst case: no change to anyones' score or the cut score, best case: everyone who filled in a bubble on those questions get full credit for those questions and not change to the cut score.


----------



## DLD PE

Best case:  Throw out the entire afternoon session with no change to the cut score %.


----------



## Takk90

MEtoEE said:


> Best case:  Throw out the entire afternoon session with no change to the cut score %.


haha I'd love that! I am sure most of us would.


----------



## Vette388

Takk90 said:


> haha I'd love that! I am sure most of us would.


Lets throw out the morning session


----------



## mjcii

Vette388 said:


> Lets throw out the morning session






MEtoEE said:


> Throw out the entire afternoon session


Let's throw out the whole test. If you signed your name for the AM and PM, you passed.


----------



## Saul Good

@LyceeFruit  I clicked on the question mark at the top of the screen when you login to your myncees account and followed the instructions.


----------



## Takk90

Vette388 said:


> Lets throw out the morning session


I will fail for sure if the morning session is thrown out.


----------



## UKEE PE

Takk90 said:


> I will fail for sure if the morning session is thrown out.


Me too.


----------



## Toby-Wan

I'm feeling pretty good about the exam altogether. Compared to the practice exams, I noticed it was taking me longer to work through calculations, but I was consistently getting answers that made sense to me. I had a good grasp about 66% of the theoretical questions, and could get an educated guess on a few more, so hopefully there's a low enough cut off to make room for most of us   First time taking the exam, and I'm OK with taking it again next October if I need to.

I used @Zach Stone, P.E.'s full and final exam, as well as Testmasters exam prep. I brought in Graffeo, Testmasters, all the code books, and most of the printouts from Engineering Pro Guides, as well as the NCEES practice exams. I didn't use practice problems very much (one NCEES problem was familiar), but I'm hearing the same impression from others that questions similar to practice exams didn't feature prominently. NEC Keywords was really helpful. I also tabbed everything that I brought in.

A buddy of mine told me to take a week or two and put together a comprehensive index of subject material and sample exam questions, and I can't stress enough how much it helped for the more common questions. If I have to take the exam again, I'll spend more time on the subject index for less common terminology.


----------



## Wow_PE!

I feel that my performance was mediocre and it’s possible that I will be taking the test again.  I was well prepared for about 50 problems before I had to resort to educated guesses.  I’m trying to view it as a challenging project just like any big project on my desk.

tldr stage 4 Doubt!


----------



## UKEE PE

I took the exam in October 2018 and did not pass. I felt this exam was about the same in level of difficulty. It felt like there were slightly more code problems this cycle. I studied a ton this time around felt very confident going in to the exam. 

I felt like the morning session went very well. I was able to finish about 30 minutes or so early and was feeling good about all but three questions. Went in to the lunch break feeling cautiously optimistic. 

The afternoon was tough in my opinion. Code problems returned with a vengeance. There were also a lot of confusing qualitative problems and a couple that I was completely unprepared for. Not to mention the duplicate problem that temporarily derailed me towards the end and cost me several minutes that I could have used checking my answers on other problems. I felt less than certain on at least 10-15 problems in the afternoon. I do take some small comfort in the fact that I was able to narrow to at least two possible choices in each case.  

I feel a lot less confident about the exam after the afternoon session. I really do not know what to expect, but I fear the worst. I know from experience how trap answers can instill false confidence. I just hope I did not fall for as many this time.


----------



## Ithougtthiswasitthistime

UKEE said:


> Not to mention the duplicate problem that temporarily derailed me towards the end and costed me several minutes that I could have used checking my answers on other problems.


This is my biggest issue with the exam.  Sure, there are going to be problems that are tricky or are difficult to reason through, but allowing duplicate questions is troublesome to say the least.  

Most people on this board use the tactic of skimming the questions before attempting to solve problems and the fact that this was placed at the very end of the PM session made me overly critical of every question on the exam.  

I cannot image a licensing board with such high regard allowing something like this outside of some kind of weird psychological ploy to disrupt the flow of the exam.


----------



## THRILLHO

I'm not trying to sound like a turd or anything, but I think that people are overreacting to one of the easiest questions on the exam being duplicated. I wish they had the same question 80 times. Like others have mentioned, I spent some (unnecessary) time flipping back and forth between the questions trying to find a difference. It was a pair of ~2 minute questions that likely resulted in an extra ~5 minutes comparing the two. I don't think it's that big of a deal.


----------



## mjcii

I agree that I don't believe the duplicated question was difficult - I actually see it as "oh cool, I got that correct twice."

But I understand, and am on the side of the majority in here - I think purposely asking a question twice is a bit disingenuous. And I truly question/doubt that it was a mistake due to the way they weren't EXACTLY identical. (Won't go into specifics for obvious reasons)


----------



## bdhlphcdh

Yes, the problem was not inherently difficult but it was still disappointing to see a question twice.


----------



## UKEE PE

bdhlphcdh said:


> Yes, the problem was not inherently difficult but it was still disappointing to see a question twice.


Exactly.


----------



## roy167

bdhlphcdh said:


> Yes, the problem was not inherently difficult but it was still disappointing to see a question twice.


If the repeat question was way too difficult then it wouldn't matter. if the repeat question was way too easy then it wouldn't matter either. It would matter if it was mid level, those who got it right got it right twice and those we got it wrong got it wrong twice and this can be beneficial and harmful. Regardless, a lot of people put a lot of hours, so this shouldn't happen. I believe they might just throw this question out and people will be curved based on 78 questions, that should make it fair. Fortunately there is easy way to fix this goof up and that is to throw the two questions out. A lot of times, you don't even have that option.


----------



## DilutedAr18_PE

roy167 said:


> If the repeat question was way too difficult then it wouldn't matter. if the repeat question was way too easy then it wouldn't matter either. It would matter if it was mid level, those who got it right got it right twice and those we got it wrong got it wrong twice and this can be beneficial and harmful. Regardless, a lot of people put a lot of hours, so this shouldn't happen. I believe they might just throw this question out and people will be curved based on 78 questions, that should make it fair. Fortunately there is easy way to fix this goof up and that is to throw the two questions out. A lot of times, you don't even have that option.


I think it would be more fair to only throw out one of the two. Having the question once wasn’t the issue. Having it twice was. Selfishly I would like them to keep both as I’m sure I got them right.


----------



## bdhlphcdh

Just got the survey!


----------



## Zach Stone P.E.

Toby-Wan said:


> I used @Zach Stone, P.E.'s full and final exam


Glad you found our practice exam useful for the exam


----------



## fyrfytr310

bdhlphcdh said:


> Just got the survey!


Sorry to hear that.


----------



## DLD PE

Can we please refrain from re-starting the senseless rumors/urban legend/conspiracy theories concerning people getting the NCEES survey early?  It serves no purpose and I'm tired of seeing it pop up on these boards.

Thanks.


----------



## fyrfytr310

Ok.  I'll move on to the 'Already Passed Exam of this Type" version.


----------



## leo2car

NCEES Guide says :

Examinee Survey
NCEES will email you an online post-exam
survey 7–10 days after the exam. This is your
opportunity to provide feedback on the exam
process and the exam site conditions. If you have
feedback specific to an exam question, provide
it immediately after the exam through your
MyNCEES account.


----------



## bdhlphcdh

leo2car said:


> NCEES Guide says :
> 
> Examinee Survey
> NCEES will email you an online post-exam
> survey 7–10 days after the exam. This is your
> opportunity to provide feedback on the exam
> process and the exam site conditions. If you have
> feedback specific to an exam question, provide
> it immediately after the exam through your
> MyNCEES account.


I cannot imagine how much NCEES giggles at the silliness that surrounds scoring, surveys, or which quarter the moon cycle is on.


----------



## fyrfytr310

bdhlphcdh said:


> I cannot imagine how much NCEES giggles at the silliness that surrounds scoring, surveys, or which quarter the moon cycle is on.


And they do watch this forum pretty closely, especially right after an administration, so I'm sure the giggling is profound.


----------



## Rashid

fyrfytr310 said:


> Sorry to hear that.


Why Sorry?


----------



## MisterVeggieBowl

There is a long-running "joke" on this site that if you get the NCEES survey, you have failed. DO NOT BELIEVE ANY OF THIS. IT IS NONSENSE. EVERYONE gets the survey.

There is no way to know if you have passed or failed before the official timeline.

There are other jokes they try as well, like saying if you can go into NCEES and try to register for the next PE Exam and you can, you have failed. DON'T believe this one either.

Just wait for your results like the rest of us.


----------



## Orchid PE

MisterVeggieBowl said:


> There is a long-running "joke" on this site that if you get the NCEES survey, you have failed. DO NOT BELIEVE ANY OF THIS. IT IS NONSENSE. EVERYONE gets the survey.
> 
> There is no way to know if you have passed or failed before the official timeline.
> 
> There are other jokes they try as well, like saying if you can go into NCEES and try to register for the next PE Exam and you can, you have failed. DON'T believe this one either.
> 
> Just wait for your results like the rest of us.


----------



## Orchid PE

MisterVeggieBowl said:


> There is a long-running "joke" on this site that if you get the NCEES survey, you have failed. DO NOT BELIEVE ANY OF THIS. IT IS NONSENSE. EVERYONE gets the survey.
> 
> There is no way to know if you have passed or failed before the official timeline.
> 
> There are other jokes they try as well, like saying if you can go into NCEES and try to register for the next PE Exam and you can, you have failed. DON'T believe this one either.
> 
> Just wait for your results like the rest of us.


:banhim:


----------



## Orchid PE

MisterVeggieBowl said:


> There is a long-running "joke" on this site that if you get the NCEES survey, you have failed. DO NOT BELIEVE ANY OF THIS. IT IS NONSENSE. EVERYONE gets the survey.
> 
> There is no way to know if you have passed or failed before the official timeline.
> 
> There are other jokes they try as well, like saying if you can go into NCEES and try to register for the next PE Exam and you can, you have failed. DON'T believe this one either.
> 
> Just wait for your results like the rest of us.


----------



## Invisible

Rashid said:


> Why Sorry?


Now People need reasons to apologize?


----------



## FLOrida

mjcii said:


> Took the test in MO today too. Was blindsided by a lot of questions asked, to say the least. As mentioned in the above comments, there were a lot of topics I thought were standard and spent a lot of time studying that were completely left off.
> 
> I spent a few-hundred hours studying, and it feels like I studied for the wrong test. (Because I don't what that was...)


felt the same way

3 different review courses, entirety of PPI book, like 6 different practice exam sources... it was crazy

even crazier when they had a question that was literally asking for an angle on a simple circle. that question must have taken 15 seconds.


----------



## Sparky Bill PE

FLOrida said:


> felt the same way
> 
> 3 different review courses, entirety of PPI book, like 6 different practice exam sources... it was crazy
> 
> even crazier when they had a question that was literally asking for an angle on a simple circle. that question must have taken 15 seconds.


I don't even know what reference book what have that information in it. I know the FE reference handbook like the back of my hand and I know it has a ton of geometry in it. That would be my first go-to and pray. 

Any other references anyone knows about you would find answers to generic questions like this?


----------



## FLOrida

SparkyBill said:


> I don't even know what reference book what have that information in it. I know the FE reference handbook like the back of my hand and I know it has a ton of geometry in it. That would be my first go-to and pray.
> 
> Any other references anyone knows about you would find answers to generic questions like this?


wait... are you joking?


----------



## Sparky Bill PE

FLOrida said:


> wait... are you joking?


Oh... like "what's the total angle of a circle?"  I was imagining like lines going everywhere and working with all kinds of geometry solving for angles of circles.


----------



## ZGL

Patiently waiting for Monday to get our results (day #38).

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

ZGL said:


> Patiently waiting for Monday to get our results (day #38).
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving everyone!


You are on Futile Exercise C.


----------



## Invisible

I have a strong feeling results gonna come out tomorrow


----------



## ChebyshevII PE PMP

Invisible said:


> I have a strong feeling results gonna come out tomorrow


I have a strong feeling you’ll be disappointed.


----------



## Invisible

ChebyshevII PE said:


> I have a strong feeling you’ll be disappointed.


Well. I said Tomorrow. Tomorrow Never Comes


----------



## fyrfytr310

Invisible said:


> Well. I said Tomorrow. Tomorrow Never Comes


Well played.


----------



## roy167

Tsunami is coming today. Give us the good news folks!!!


----------



## roy167

Folks, this must have been agonizing. The worst may be over, the grades are definitely coming out next week. I don't know why NCEES can't put a firm date when they are 2 weeks from publishing the results saving folks anxiety. At the beginning there  might be a lot of variables but after 5-6 weeks of exam, they have a clear picture and  should be able to put out a firm date towards the end. Once they give you a date, you mentally prepare yourself to wait till that time and you know there is nothing you can do.


----------



## [email protected]

@roy167 couldn't agree with you more. There is absolutely no reason why they shouldn't set a deadline and meet it. I would be okay with the release date being 10 weeks out on a firm date. They should re consider the impact this has on the test takers and set a release date. Hopefully next week will be the end of this wait.


----------



## MoselyHutHut

Why so confident in next week??


----------



## Dean Agnostic

bdhlphcdh said:


> For an organization responsible for licensing, I am still completely baffled at how or why they would allow a question to appear twice, talking Power Afternoon session.  As controlled as the exams are, I find it very difficult to believe it slipped through their proofing process.


----------



## Dean Agnostic

a4u2fear said:


> What makes sense to me about the *double question *is.....


----------



## Dean Agnostic

bdhlphcdh said:


> There are months of preparation for the exam, administered twice a year, therefore I have no way to believe it was a mistake especially from a licencing organization responsible for the health and safety of the public domain.


----------



## Dean Agnostic

THRILLHO said:


> ….I spent more time than necessary flipping back and forth to check to find the difference between the two questions. It legit took me ~4 more minutes to answer the same question the second time as it did the first.  There's absolutely no chance that it was intentional, as there was only one question separating the two....


----------



## Dean Agnostic

LyceeFruit said:


> It was in the PM. And the* 2 problems *were *almost* consecutive.


----------



## Dean Agnostic

Saul Good said:


> It was *both in the PM section*. Question 38 and question 40. I emailed NCEES. The response email was they will forward my comments to the committee of SME’s for review. Any changes resulting from this review will be applied to all affected examinees.


----------



## Dean Agnostic

Ithougtthiswasitthistime said:


> .....but allowing *duplicate question*s is troublesome to say the least.....


----------



## Dean Agnostic

mjcii said:


> …...And I truly question/*doubt that it was a mistake due to the way they weren't EXACTLY identical*...


----------



## Dean Agnostic

Vette388 said:


> That is weird, I re read it about 6 times *to make sure* it was a* double*


----------



## Dean Agnostic

shengna said:


> Do you guys find the last problem is the exact same as the third to the last in the PM session?....


----------



## Dean Agnostic

UKEE said:


> The *duplicate question* in the afternoon was bizarre. I bet I checked the wording in that problem 5 times looking for differences....


----------



## Dean Agnostic

RadioBox said:


> uh-oh, this has all the telltale signs that you failed. =/ you guys fell for baited answers


----------



## Dean Agnostic

bdhlphcdh said:


> I cannot imagine how much NCEES giggles at the silliness that surrounds scoring, surveys, or which quarter the moon cycle is on.


----------



## Dean Agnostic

fyrfytr310 said:


> And they do watch this forum pretty closely, especially right after an administration, so *I'm sure the giggling is profound*.


----------



## Dean Agnostic

JusWantaPE said:


> For the question that appeared twice, if you answered it correctly twice wouldn't you effectively be penalized if one was thrown out due to NCEES' testmaker's oversight? To me it just wouldn't seem fair. What are you all's thoughts*. I also feel as though it was not an accident.*


----------



## Dean Agnostic

Rashid said:


> …..Pm session *was hard mainly code* related question...






mjcii said:


> ...There were at* least double the amount of code question*s than what the specification





MoselyHutHut said:


> ...And why so much* code* related?..






TakiTaki said:


> I knew the exam was going to have a lot of *theoretical question* but I was extremely surprised on so many common types of questions not show up.


PE-Power Examinees,

In summary: code related questions disguised as theoretical/conceptual questions and the reverse could also be true, roughly speaking. 

Quiero que cuides tu salud y Buena suerte!

Sinceramente,

@Dean Agnostic


----------



## JusWantaPE

I doubt the results will ever come out!!


----------



## roy167

Wow! no grades yet? Look like everyone who took the test - Passed.


----------



## Dean Agnostic

Future Computer-Based-Testing Power Examinees: "Piece of Cake!"

Vs.

NCEES CBT Test Makers: "Not so fast young Blood!"


----------



## Wow_PE!

I passed.  North Carolina.  Studied 500 hours


----------



## NotBornTesla

Failed in NC, 47/80


----------



## bdpalmer

Passed in NC. I took Zach Stone's course and studied for around 350 hours including 5 full length practice exams. The whole time I was wondering if I was overstudying and wasting my time but I can say now I don't regret it one bit and recommend everyone do the same. For anyone thinking of taking a course, I'd highly recommend it. A structured course with a good instructor will teach you how to study and keep you focused on what matters for the exam. I'll be recommending Zach's course because that's what I took and it was great but I'm sure any course will be beneficial.


----------



## DLD PE

bdpalmer said:


> Passed in NC. I took Zach Stone's course and studied for around 350 hours including 5 full length practice exams. The whole time I was wondering if I was overstudying and wasting my time but I can say now I don't regret it one bit and recommend everyone do the same. For anyone thinking of taking a course, I'd highly recommend it. A structured course with a good instructor will teach you how to study and keep you focused on what matters for the exam. I'll be recommending Zach's course because that's what I took and it was great but I'm sure any course will be beneficial.


Congrats!


----------



## NotBornTesla

bdpalmer said:


> Passed in NC. I took Zach Stone's course and studied for around 350 hours including 5 full length practice exams. The whole time I was wondering if I was overstudying and wasting my time but I can say now I don't regret it one bit and recommend everyone do the same. For anyone thinking of taking a course, I'd highly recommend it. A structured course with a good instructor will teach you how to study and keep you focused on what matters for the exam. I'll be recommending Zach's course because that's what I took and it was great but I'm sure any course will be beneficial.


Does Zach's course have a class schedule or is in at your own pace?


----------



## DLD PE

NotBornTesla said:


> Failed in NC, 47/80


Keep trying!  Don't give up!  I got 43/80 last year.  Took it second time this past Oct.  Waiting on TN results...


----------



## Drewism

Congratulations to all of those who have passed so far. If you haven't passed then remember to try, try again. I had to take it twice.

Also, remember to post your results here.


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

NotBornTesla said:


> Does Zach's course have a class schedule or is in at your own pace?


Yes.

I went through the course myself (don't have results yet).

He's got a boatload of material behind a paywall that's go at your own pace. When you pay for that, you can access to his online course which is held once a week. And he lists the modules from the rest of the site as pre-req's for each class.


----------



## bdpalmer

NotBornTesla said:


> Does Zach's course have a class schedule or is in at your own pace?


He has online modules for each major subject based on the Exam spec that you complete at your own pace, and also he does I think 11 4 hour live classes, once a week, leading up to the exam. Each module for the online course has multiple sections. In each section he has a bunch of 5-10 minute videos that cover a single topic or a single problem. These videos build on each other until the end of that section. At the end of the section he has all required formulas for your reference material and also a 10 question or so quiz with extremely detailed answers.

His live class will cover one topic a week and you get printouts prior that you follow along with. There is a chat that's super interactive and he'll ask or answer questions with it along the way and other engineers will chime in if they're experienced with your question.

He also has discussion boards for asking questions and receiving help with problems.

The thing I really liked about Zach's course is that he has a wealth of knowledge for test taking strategies so that you utilize all your time and don't make careless errors. He's constantly reminding you to show all work and write all units and vector hat.


----------



## Saul Good

NotBornTesla said:


> Failed in NC, 47/80


I took it for the first time in October 2018 made a 47/80. Took it my second time in April 2019 made a 49/80.  Still awaiting results from this test.  I do not feel like I passed though. It’s a tough test for sure.  I did take Zach’s course for this test and it was very good.  I just don’t know if it made the difference.  We shall see.


----------



## DLD PE

bdpalmer said:


> He has online modules for each major subject based on the Exam spec that you complete at your own pace, and also he does I think 11 4 hour live classes, once a week, leading up to the exam. Each module for the online course has multiple sections. In each section he has a bunch of 5-10 minute videos that cover a single topic or a single problem. These videos build on each other until the end of that section. At the end of the section he has all required formulas for your reference material and also a 10 question or so quiz with extremely detailed answers.
> 
> His live class will cover one topic a week and you get printouts prior that you follow along with. There is a chat that's super interactive and he'll ask or answer questions with it along the way and other engineers will chime in if they're experienced with your question.
> 
> He also has discussion boards for asking questions and receiving help with problems.
> 
> The thing I really liked about Zach's course is that he has a wealth of knowledge for test taking strategies so that you utilize all your time and don't make careless errors. He's constantly reminding you to show all work and write all units and vector hat.


The vector hat and diagrams helped me understand the concepts and avoid errors for the circuit analysis problems.  I just feel disappointed I spent a LOT of time getting my circuit analysis down pat, along with the MVA method and power factor correction but it wasn't covered as much on the exam as I thought.  But I'm still glad I put in as much time as I did.  Whether I pass or fail I can say I did my best.


----------



## eatsleep

1st time taker Pass NC! studied probably 400 hours. Congrats to those who have already seen they have passed and best of luck to those still waiting.


----------



## DLD PE

eatsleep said:


> 1st time taker Pass NC! studied probably 400 hours. Congrats to those who have already seen they have passed and best of luck to those still waiting.


Congrats!  Great job passing the first time!


----------



## [email protected]

Congrats to all who passed, waiting on FL. I need to move all my meetings to today so I can actually be at least a little productive.


----------



## DilutedAr18_PE

Failed 47/80


----------



## DLD PE

DilutedAr18 said:


> Failed 49/80


Dang I'm guessing that's pretty close (mid 50s passing score, give or take?)  Keep trying!


----------



## UKEE PE

Kentucky out 12:09 EST. Passed!


----------



## DLD PE

UKEE said:


> Kentucky out 12:09 EST. Passed!


Congrats!  Good job!


----------



## UKEE PE

MEtoEE said:


> Congrats!  Good job!


Thank you! Good luck to all!


----------



## Sparky Bill PE

MEtoEE said:


> Congrats!  Good job!


Keep freshing MEtoEE and upload once you know!


----------



## DLD PE

SparkyBill said:


> Keep freshing MEtoEE and upload once you know!


I will.  Hope your studying is going well!


----------



## DLD PE

This whole thing feels like the election (KY and NEB just in, TN too close to call).


----------



## Sparky Bill PE

MEtoEE said:


> This whole thing feels like the election (KY and NEB just in, TN too close to call).


Haha I can't imagine. I don't look forward to refreshing the page in 6 months...


----------



## DLD PE

SparkyBill said:


> Haha I can't imagine. I don't look forward to refreshing the page in 6 months...


I admit this part is no fun.  Just gotta remember it's just a test.  Can't let it define who you are as a person or let it influence your self-esteem.


----------



## daydreambeliever

Congrats to everyone that has passed and good luck to everyone else who is still waiting. 

For those who got the dreaded red box, I'm so sorry! Go ahead and decide to take a few weeks off and then jump right back on the wagon. I took some time off between April 19' and the Oct 19' exams but I've almost convinced myself to give it another go so I'll be in the same boat with you. I wished I would have kept going.


----------



## DLD PE

daydreambeliever said:


> Congrats to everyone that has passed and good luck to everyone else who is still waiting.
> 
> For those who got the dreaded red box, I'm so sorry! Go ahead and decide to take a few weeks off and then jump right back on the wagon. I took some time off between April 19' and the Oct 19' exams but I've almost convinced myself to give it another go so I'll be in the same boat with you. I wished I would have kept going.


Hello @daydreambeliever  I think I remember you from the Oct '18 threads.  Thanks for the encouragement.  I'm still waiting on my results...


----------



## MadamPirate PE

Stupid Colorado, being a Day 2 state...


----------



## daydreambeliever

MEtoEE said:


> Hello @daydreambeliever  I think I remember you from the Oct '18 threads.  Thanks for the encouragement.  I'm still waiting on my results...


Yeah, I'm a habitual PE test taker  :brickwall:  Hopefully I'll get it on my next try.

Good luck to you! Fingers crossed! What state are you in? Are they typically a 1st day release state?


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

daydreambeliever said:


> Yeah, I'm a habitual PE test taker  :brickwall:  Hopefully I'll get it on my next try.


hey me too


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

MadamPirate said:


> Stupid Colorado, being a Day 2 state...


VT is all over the place and I'm the only rep here!


----------



## DLD PE

daydreambeliever said:


> Yeah, I'm a habitual PE test taker  :brickwall:  Hopefully I'll get it on my next try.
> 
> Good luck to you! Fingers crossed! What state are you in? Are they typically a 1st day release state?


Tennessee.  Last year I'm pretty sure we got it the same day most of the others did, so typically 1st day.


----------



## daydreambeliever

LyceeFruit said:


> hey me too


Just my fun little side hobby!!!

Did you take it this cycle?


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

daydreambeliever said:


> Just my fun little side hobby!!!
> 
> Did you take it this cycle?


I did, waiting for VT to release


----------



## bdhlphcdh

Texas it out!  I passed!


----------



## daydreambeliever

MEtoEE said:


> Tennessee.  Last year I'm pretty sure we got it the same day most of the others did, so typically 1st day.


That's good! Hopefully your boss doesn't expect anything from you today. Try not to wear out your F5 key


----------



## DLD PE

bdhlphcdh said:


> Texas it out!  I passed!


Congrats!  Aren't they one of the few state that give you your score?  I can't remember the few who did.


----------



## bdhlphcdh

MEtoEE said:


> Congrats!  Aren't they one of the few state that give you your score?  I can't remember the few who did.


Yes they are, I will have to look into that.


----------



## DLD PE

daydreambeliever said:


> That's good! Hopefully your boss doesn't expect anything from you today. Try not to wear out your F5 key


He's in his own world today.  Just handed me my Christmas bonus and walked out.  Maybe he instinctively knows the results are coming out.  I'm the only one in my company who is even eligible to take the exam.


----------



## MadamPirate PE

LyceeFruit said:


> VT is all over the place and I'm the only rep here!


I know, I'm here with you though! You can do this!


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

MEtoEE said:


> Congrats!  Aren't they one of the few state that give you your score?  I can't remember the few who did.


They give out a weird scaled score that no one knows the math behind


----------



## JusWantaPE

I passed!!! Just got my Oct.2019 results!!


----------



## ChebyshevII PE PMP

JusWantaPE said:


> I passed!!! Just got my Oct.2019 results!!


State?


----------



## DLD PE

ChebyshevII PE said:


> State?


State of euphoria obviously!


----------



## daydreambeliever

LyceeFruit said:


> I did, waiting for VT to release


Good luck! I hope you get that beautiful green box!



bdhlphcdh said:


> Texas it out!  I passed!


I can't wait to see some numbers from Texas!


----------



## Drewism

MEtoEE said:


> State of euphoria obviously!


That surge of adrenaline and serotonin mix.


----------



## daydreambeliever

bdhlphcdh said:


> Texas it out!  I passed!


And congrats!!! Now it's time to celebrate!


----------



## [email protected]

I need to get some work done but I am stuck on this page, waiting on FL. Congrats to those who passed!


----------



## daydreambeliever

MEtoEE said:


> Just handed me my Christmas bonus and walked out.


Well at least you got a bonus! That's something to celebrate!


----------



## Jeremy2000

Alabama results released a couple hours ago, Passed!


----------



## Lurker

So the highest score that I have seen to fail is 49/80. Does it seem to be 50/80 will pass?


----------



## Drewism

That's a high cutscore. Seems like somewhere in the low 50's will be the cut-off.


----------



## MadamPirate PE

I am going to throw up from waiting. STUPID COLORADO!


----------



## [email protected]

MadamPirate said:


> I am going to throw up from waiting. STUPID COLORADO!


I am with you, I am waiting on Florida. I hope you pass! Good Luck!


----------



## FelizEng PE

2019: Passed FE &amp; PE

Received notice at 1:55 PM EST Time


----------



## MadamPirate PE

[email protected] said:


> I am with you, I am waiting on Florida. I hope you pass! Good Luck!


Thank you!


----------



## MadamPirate PE

I just got Zach's email and about had a heart attack.

COME ON COLORADO.


----------



## DLD PE

My F5 button just fell off.


----------



## SaltySteve PE

MEtoEE said:


> My F5 button just fell off.


welcome to amateur hour over here. I've got a wired keyboard and a wireless. One fails I just slide it over and keep hitting F5.


----------



## DLD PE

There's always the left-mouse-button backup.


----------



## bestjoker

Failed NY - 46/80.  Glad to see I'm trending downwards.  Had a 49/80 two years ago.


----------



## DLD PE

Random question:  How does PE licensing in Canada work?  Considering adding health care coverage for my wife and son would cost me over $11K extra per year and Canada is #4 in the world for raising kids.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/best-raising-children


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

MadamPirate said:


> I just got Zach's email and about had a heart attack.
> 
> COME ON COLORADO.


SAME


----------



## Saul Good

bestjoker said:


> Failed NY - 46/80.  Glad to see I'm trending downwards.  Had a 49/80 two years ago.


Had a 47 and 49 last two times. Decided to take a review course this time.  I really wouldn’t be surprised if I did worse this time.  Still waiting for results though.


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

Go @FelizENG! I'm so happy &amp; proud of you!!


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

MEtoEE said:


> Random question:  How does PE licensing in Canada work?  Considering adding health care coverage for my wife and son would cost me over $11K extra per year and Canada is #4 in the world for raising kids.
> 
> https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/best-raising-children


I think you have to take an ethics test depending on which province you live in. My boss applied via comity a few years ago and I think that's all he had to do


----------



## bestjoker

Saul Good said:


> Had a 47 and 49 last two times. Decided to take a review course this time.  I really wouldn’t be surprised if I did worse this time.  Still waiting for results though.


I did improve in a couple areas.  Was pleased about that.


----------



## DLD PE

FelizENG said:


> 2019: Passed FE &amp; PE
> 
> Received notice at 1:55 PM EST Time
> 
> View attachment 15296


Congrats!  Great job


----------



## [email protected]

MEtoEE said:


> Random question:  How does PE licensing in Canada work?  Considering adding health care coverage for my wife and son would cost me over $11K extra per year and Canada is #4 in the world for raising kids.
> 
> https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/best-raising-children


I have a friend in Canada and my brother in law lives there too. If you have a Canadian degree all you have to sit for is an ethics type exam. If you do not have a canadian degree you have an interview first, this is a technical interview with a panel. If they approve then you take the ethics exam. You get a PEng. It is really easy to get if you have a degree from Canada and not too difficult otherwise.


----------



## DLD PE

I'm either taking the wife out to dinner tonight or staying at home and eating PB&amp;J with my son.


----------



## a4u2fear

MEtoEE said:


> I'm either taking the wife out to dinner tonight or staying at home and eating PB&amp;J with my son.


good luck MEtoEE.  i remember our many discussions from oct 2018


----------



## MadamPirate PE

MEtoEE said:


> I'm either taking the wife out to dinner tonight or staying at home and eating PB&amp;J with my son.


There's a bottle of wine in my future - STUPID COLORADO. Someone call DORA!


----------



## MadamPirate PE

There's also two shots of Malort in my future if I fail.


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

I got an email from Justin of EngProGuides and also almost fecking died.


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

Every email is giving me mini heart attacks. Even tho I'm pretty sure VT will be mid-morning tomorrow


----------



## [email protected]

LyceeFruit said:


> I got an email from Justin of EngProGuides and also almost fecking died.


I got the same one too, same reaction!


----------



## JusWantaPE

MEtoEE said:


> State of euphoria obviously!


Texas baby...got it on my second try! Only studied 1 month!!


----------



## DLD PE

LyceeFruit said:


> I got an email from Justin of EngProGuides and also almost fecking died.


ditto


----------



## JusWantaPE

ChebyshevII PE said:


> State?


Texas


----------



## JusWantaPE

This is too friggin sweet!!! If you didnt pass keep your head high, you'll get it next time.


----------



## MadamPirate PE

LyceeFruit said:


> I got an email from Justin of EngProGuides and also almost fecking died.


SAME


----------



## DLD PE

I just got message on my screen that says, "You're out of 'clicks'."


----------



## MadamPirate PE

MEtoEE said:


> I just got message on my screen that says, "You're out of 'clicks'."


On EB, or elsewhere?


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

MEtoEE said:


> I just got message on my screen that says, "You're out of 'clicks'."


I think you ran out of reactions


----------



## DLD PE

Several states reported and the last couple of hours...nothing.

I'm running out to get a drink.


----------



## DLD PE

MadamPirate said:


> On EB, or elsewhere?


I was joking.  I've clicked to refresh my e-mail and NCEES so many times lol.


----------



## Sthabik PE

Finally passed. YEAH!!

-Jpn


----------



## DLD PE

Sdhabik said:


> Finally passed. YEAH!!
> 
> -Jpn


Congrats!  Which state?


----------



## Sthabik PE

MEtoEE said:


> Congrats!  Which state?


Board: JPEC

Test taken from Tokyo, JPN.


----------



## bdpower

To those who failed:

I took it first time and passed, this is what I used:

The designated sample exam that you can buy from NCEES

Electrical Engineer's Guide to Passing the Power PE Exam - Spiral Bound Version (Spiral-bound) : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0988187612/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1

Ugly's

NEC Handbook (of course)

------------------------------------------------

This is all I brought into the test and practiced from


----------



## Novanian

48/80 Failed first time.

When I saw the two categories that got me me the most I wasnt surprised.

The NFPA questions I know I missed the 4 or so and thats my fault for taking the risk of not buying it.

Then batteries got me on devices.

Overall just disappointed but seeing my score j am ready for round 2. I almost had it I just need to refocus and knock it out in the spring


----------



## Sparky Bill PE

Is there a separate thread where people that fail post their diagnostic? I am curious to see rough areas.


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

SparkyBill said:


> Is there a separate thread where people that fail post their diagnostic? I am curious to see rough areas.


Some have posted it here, in the cut score thread in the Oct 2019 forum, and in the map thread. There isnt a specific power cut score thread. I did make one for april 2019 tho


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

I also made one for Oct 2019


----------



## DLD PE

Wow I just checked mine...40/80.  That's worse than last time...I scored 43/80 in October 2018.  I'm shocked to be honest.  I really felt I did better this time.  I'm pretty bummed.  Not because I failed, but because I put in so much time and effort only to do worse.Not only that, but I"m looking at my diagnostic and find I did the worst on stuff I felt I did best on.  

Best of luck to others.


----------



## MadamPirate PE

@LyceeFruit I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!! I JUMPED OUT OF MY CHAIR AND EVERYTHING AND NOW I'M CRYING AND IT'S AWESOME!


----------



## v15

Got 46 Failed. TX score is 67. i guess Cut off should be 49 or 50.


----------



## gfools

v15 said:


> Got 46 Failed. TX score is 67. i guess Cut off should be 49 or 50.


If it helps you figure out the cut score at all I passed in Texas and my TBPE grade was 73.  Just barely!!  But hey, passing is passing.  Good luck next time!


----------



## v15

gfools said:


> If it helps you figure out the cut score at all I passed in Texas and my TBPE grade was 73.  Just barely!!  But hey, passing is passing.  Good luck next time!


Yes sir passing is passing. no one looks at the score lol they all care about that green tick mark which appears as PASS.


----------



## LyceeFruit PE

MadamPirate said:


> @LyceeFruit I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!! I JUMPED OUT OF MY CHAIR AND EVERYTHING AND NOW I'M CRYING AND IT'S AWESOME!


THANK YOU!

I got the email as I was supposed to head into a meeting. My heart wasa pounding but I decided to open it up anyway &amp; at my desk in our open office concept. Started crying and hyperventilating with my boss rubbing my back (we're friends so it's ok). And ended up calming myself and calling my bestie from a closet


----------



## DLD PE

LyceeFruit said:


> THANK YOU!
> 
> I got the email as I was supposed to head into a meeting. My heart wasa pounding but I decided to open it up anyway &amp; at my desk in our open office concept. Started crying and hyperventilating with my boss rubbing my back (we're friends so it's ok). And ended up calming myself and calling my bestie from a closet


CONGRATULATIONS!  So happy for you!


----------



## Drewism

LyceeFruit said:


> THANK YOU!
> 
> I got the email as I was supposed to head into a meeting. My heart wasa pounding but I decided to open it up anyway &amp; at my desk in our open office concept. Started crying and hyperventilating with my boss rubbing my back (we're friends so it's ok). And ended up calming myself and calling my bestie from a closet


Congratulations. You have earned it. Now, the worst is all behind you. It's like a bad dream. Celebrate this weekend and enjoy.


----------



## Spo Power

Passed on 2nd attempt!!  Woo Hoo!!

For anyone who is still chasing this I highly recommend Complex Imaginary's code review ... basically 300 code drill problems that have you search up and down the code book for random questions.  I didn't spend a lot of time with this when I took the exam last year, but went through it twice this time ... in addition to around 10 practice exams.

In any case I felt very good with the code problems this time around and I'm sure this helped save my bacon!


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## roy167

LyceeFruit said:


> I got the email as I was supposed to head into a meeting. My heart wasa pounding but I decided to open it up anyway &amp; at my desk in our open office concept. Started crying and hyperventilating with my boss rubbing my back (we're friends so it's ok). And ended up calming myself and calling my bestie from a closet


I often feel that true test of character and endurance is not in passing the first time but how you deal with failure and not give up. I have not known anyone atleast not made it clear on the forum that they appeared 6th or 7th time and then they passed. My personal tolerance would be 3 times at max. This I'm sure must have taught you patience for life and how to march ahead in life when things just won't cooperate. I think you should share your experience and  emotions from time to time.


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## THRILLHO

Novanian said:


> The NFPA questions I know I missed the 4 or so and thats my fault for taking the risk of not buying it.




That's brutal. I figured that there would only be one or two 70E questions and would've probably been in the same boat if work didn't have a copy of 70E that I could use. I had to guess on the two(?) NESC questions.


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## Orchid PE

RadioBox said:


> uh-oh, this has all the telltale signs that you failed. =/ you guys fell for baited answers


Looks like I didn't fall for baited answers! (At least not enough to fail lol)


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## Sparky Bill PE

Chattaneer PE said:


> Looks like I didn't fall for baited answers! (At least not enough to fail lol)


I'm a Chattaneer PE wanna BE LOL


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## bdhlphcdh

SparkyBill said:


> I'm a Chattaneer PE wanna BE LOL


The baited answers are a very real thing.  The best advice I have heard is to always look to see if you need to take your solution one or two steps further.  Look for factors in each solution and determine based on the information given if you need to take those into consideration.  It is certainly much easier said than done, but always be keen to look for nuanced questions to test the fundamental underlying principles of electrical engineering.  There are a lot of questions that are masked to be something that they are not.


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## daydreambeliever

LyceeFruit said:


> I got the email as I was supposed to head into a meeting. My heart wasa pounding but I decided to open it up anyway &amp; at my desk in our open office concept. Started crying and hyperventilating with my boss rubbing my back (we're friends so it's ok). And ended up calming myself and calling my bestie from a closet


Congrats!!!! I'm so happy for you!


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## DLD PE

Has anyone ever, or ever heard, of anyone contacting the NCEES to ask if they can audit/review their own exam?  I took the weekend to think about it, and I'm still blown away that I only got 50% of these questions correct.  I might be able to understand on the second part of the exam if I was a bad guesser and I could see where I might have gotten 50% on that afternoon part, but NOT the first half.  I'm just dumbfounded and I really want to know, especially on circuits since I did so bad but felt I understood it much better than that.  I even helped other's on here with their questions concerning some of those problems.  

So if anyone has experience contacting NCEES to be able to look at their own exam, let me know.


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## Sparky Bill PE

MEtoEE said:


> Has anyone ever, or ever heard, of anyone contacting the NCEES to ask if they can audit/review their own exam?  I took the weekend to think about it, and I'm still blown away that I only got 50% of these questions correct.  I might be able to understand on the second part of the exam if I was a bad guesser and I could see where I might have gotten 50% on that afternoon part, but NOT the first half.  I'm just dumbfounded and I really want to know, especially on circuits since I did so bad but felt I understood it much better than that.  I even helped other's on here with their questions concerning some of those problems.
> 
> So if anyone has experience contacting NCEES to be able to look at their own exam, let me know.


It might be a quick question you could ask on their "live chat" just to get an idea. at www.ncees.org


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## DLD PE

I did and they said, "No, this would not be possible."  

Oh well I tried.


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## Sparky Bill PE

MEtoEE said:


> I did and they said, "No, this would not be possible."
> 
> Oh well I tried.


I understand where you're coming from though. It's hard to "improve" when you honestly don't know what you did wrong. 

Who knows, I'm sure some people get "1 line off" on their answer key and accidentally put the wrong letter on multiple questions.


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## Shamsdebout

I finally passed this.  Although I am still in shock as I didn't think I would pass.  This was my 4th attempt.  I am going to say 3rd because my 2nd attempt (April 2018 which was the exam to pass I was sick).

Thanks all for the support and encouraging words.

Regards,


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## Zach Stone P.E.

LyceeFruit said:


> THANK YOU!
> 
> I got the email as I was supposed to head into a meeting. My heart wasa pounding but I decided to open it up anyway &amp; at my desk in our open office concept. Started crying and hyperventilating with my boss rubbing my back (we're friends so it's ok). And ended up calming myself and calling my bestie from a closet


Congrats @LyceeFruit!


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## bdpalmer

bdhlphcdh said:


> The baited answers are a very real thing.  The best advice I have heard is to always look to see if you need to take your solution one or two steps further.  Look for factors in each solution and determine based on the information given if you need to take those into consideration.  It is certainly much easier said than done, but always be keen to look for nuanced questions to test the fundamental underlying principles of electrical engineering.  There are a lot of questions that are masked to be something that they are not.






MEtoEE said:


> Has anyone ever, or ever heard, of anyone contacting the NCEES to ask if they can audit/review their own exam?  I took the weekend to think about it, and I'm still blown away that I only got 50% of these questions correct.  I might be able to understand on the second part of the exam if I was a bad guesser and I could see where I might have gotten 50% on that afternoon part, but NOT the first half.  I'm just dumbfounded and I really want to know, especially on circuits since I did so bad but felt I understood it much better than that.  I even helped other's on here with their questions concerning some of those problems.
> 
> So if anyone has experience contacting NCEES to be able to look at their own exam, let me know.


I feel like these go hand in hand. I know of countless questions during practice exams and even on the actual exam where I was rushing and got an answer that matches an answer choice so I bubbled it and moved on. But then I realized later that I fell for a trap question and didn't multiply by sqrt 3 or used line voltages instead of phase. The other correct answer choice is right there staring you in the face but you're in such a hurry that you pick the wrong one and move on. If circuits was a major problem but you were thinking you had right choices, I'd say you may have fallen for these trap answers.


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## Sparky Bill PE

bdpalmer said:


> I feel like these go hand in hand. I know of countless questions during practice exams and even on the actual exam where I was rushing and got an answer that matches an answer choice so I bubbled it and moved on. But then I realized later that I fell for a trap question and didn't multiply by sqrt 3 or used line voltages instead of phase. The other correct answer choice is right there staring you in the face but you're in such a hurry that you pick the wrong one and move on. If circuits was a major problem but you were thinking you had right choices, I'd say you may have fallen for these trap answers.


As bad as it sounds, at least you're getting an answer. It's the wrong answer and rushed, but some people are making a blind guess. 

Even more sad, that you got 95% right but forgot 1 factor and got it wrong, and they blind guessed and got it right. 

I wish I could pay 4x the amount for the test, but to have it "hand graded". I can't stand the idea of putting in 500+ hours for a test and possible years of dedication to know others can have a "lucky day" and hit a streak of 10-15 correctly guessed answers. 

Oh well, can't change it, so play with the cards we are dealt.


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## Orchid PE

bdhlphcdh said:


> The baited answers are a very real thing.  The best advice I have heard is to always look to see if you need to take your solution one or two steps further.  Look for factors in each solution and determine based on the information given if you need to take those into consideration.  It is certainly much easier said than done, but always be keen to look for nuanced questions to test the fundamental underlying principles of electrical engineering.  There are a lot of questions that are masked to be something that they are not.


This  post needs more likes. I'll piggy-back:

One thing is to make a note of what the question is asking. For example, I worked multiple power factor correction sample problems. Some asked for the kVAR needed and some asked for the uF needed.

On the real exam if they asked for uF, they would still list the kVAR as an answer knowing that people will pick it. Don't immediately assume that you have the right answer just because you ended up with a number that matches one of the answers. 

Always try to understand exactly what the question is asking you to find before starting the problem.


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## Orchid PE

Chattaneer PE said:


> Always try to understand exactly what the question is asking you to find before starting the problem.


This is also very important, because as we all know they will sometimes give you way more information than is needed just to weed out the people who don't understand the question.


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## Orchid PE

MEtoEE said:


> Has anyone ever, or ever heard, of anyone contacting the NCEES to ask if they can audit/review their own exam?  I took the weekend to think about it, and I'm still blown away that I only got 50% of these questions correct.  I might be able to understand on the second part of the exam if I was a bad guesser and I could see where I might have gotten 50% on that afternoon part, but NOT the first half.  I'm just dumbfounded and I really want to know, especially on circuits since I did so bad but felt I understood it much better than that.  I even helped other's on here with their questions concerning some of those problems.
> 
> So if anyone has experience contacting NCEES to be able to look at their own exam, let me know.


You could always request that your exam be hand-graded by NCEES.

https://ncees.org/exams/scores/manual-scoring/


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## DilutedAr18_PE

Chattaneer PE said:


> You could always request that your exam be hand-graded by NCEES.
> 
> https://ncees.org/exams/scores/manual-scoring/


That is only verifying that the bubbles you filled in were properly transferred from the scantron machine to their system. That is it.


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## Orchid PE

DilutedAr18 said:


> That is only verifying that the bubbles you filled in were properly transferred from the scantron machine to their system. That is it.


Yep. That's all that can be done at this point.


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## a4u2fear

MEtoEE said:


> Has anyone ever, or ever heard, of anyone contacting the NCEES to ask if they can audit/review their own exam?  I took the weekend to think about it, and I'm still blown away that I only got 50% of these questions correct.  I might be able to understand on the second part of the exam if I was a bad guesser and I could see where I might have gotten 50% on that afternoon part, but NOT the first half.  I'm just dumbfounded and I really want to know, especially on circuits since I did so bad but felt I understood it much better than that.  I even helped other's on here with their questions concerning some of those problems.
> 
> So if anyone has experience contacting NCEES to be able to look at their own exam, let me know.


As I say this, remember I'm just trying to help.  If you've gone two tests and achieved below, say 44 both times, I think something is fundamentally wrong in your approach or studying.  You are not realistically close to passing until you are near the 47+ range.  The lowest failing score is usually 49 and that's after a curve (even if they don't say it).  So your 40-43 is likely lower that was curved up to that number.  It's hard to think of, but even a significant improvement (20%) in your score brings to the questionable range of passing.  That's hard to figure to improve that or close to it.  I know you took a year off so maybe that didn't help

If you've scored less than 80% of the NEC questions you really need to focus on those because there are so many and the answer is 100% in front you, whether you can find it or not.  You should expect and strive to hit 90-100% of those questions.


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## Orchid PE

Just so everyone knows, the scores aren't graded on a curve.

This is all that happens:


All questions are weighted the same when calculating your exam score.

Each question is weighted differently when calculating the passing score.

Take 5 questions for example:


Question


Weight


Your answer


1


1


1


2


0.25


1


3


0.5


0


4


0.75


0


5


0.25


1

For these 5 questions, the cut-score would be 2.75, and your score would be 3. Your overall score (in this example, 3) is not adjusted based on a curve.

Does not apply for Texas results.


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## eeMark PE

SparkyBill said:


> As bad as it sounds, at least you're getting an answer. It's the wrong answer and rushed, but some people are making a blind guess.
> 
> Even more sad, that you got 95% right but forgot 1 factor and got it wrong, and they blind guessed and got it right.
> 
> I wish I could pay 4x the amount for the test, but to have it "hand graded". I can't stand the idea of putting in 500+ hours for a test and possible years of dedication to know others can have a "lucky day" and hit a streak of 10-15 correctly guessed answers.
> 
> Oh well, can't change it, so play with the cards we are dealt.


I know a lot of people who studied really hard and passed.  I know a few people who are just really fantastically intelligent and didn't study really hard and passed.  I know several people who studied their asses off and didn't quite pass.  I can't think of a single person I know that passed that felt like they shouldn't have and thinks that they got lucky.

If we think the cutoff score is 50 and you guess on all 80 problems, there is approximately 1 in 10^10 odds you will pass.  Now let's say you can get 35 out of 50 questions that you "try" on correct and blindly guess on the other 30.  You still only have 1 in 342 odds of passing.  A tiny number of people might actually pass because of getting "lucky" 10-15 times.  Hoping to be one of those people is a bad idea.


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