# EET vs. School of PE?



## Beej (Oct 12, 2015)

Hello Everyone,

I am preparing to take the Transportation depth PE exam Spring 2016. I am planning to take a review course and I have narrowed down my selection between EET &amp; School of PE. I have read other similar threads but couldn't find one that compared the two.

Which review course should I take and why?

Thank you

Beej


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## matt267 PE (Oct 12, 2015)

For AM topics, I think SoPE and EET are about equal, with EET having a slight edge. For depth topics, EET wins hands down. At least for the Water Depth.

When I took SoPE last year, the Depth review was about 20hrs. EET has been about 50 hours.


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## Beej (Oct 12, 2015)

Thanks for the advice Matt.

Did you take both courses?

Also, what is the reason you gave EET an edge for their morning section?

I sent two identical emails about 2 weeks ago, one to EET and another to SofPE asking some general questions I had for the review course. SofPE really impressed me with their prompt reply. I am still waiting to hear back from EET. SofPE impressed me with their quick helpful reply but you are right about the Depth review being longer for EET.


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## matt267 PE (Oct 12, 2015)

Bee,

I took SoPE last year and I'm in EET now. I also took PPI for an afternoon review, which was a waste. I haven't taken the exam yet though. I'm taking it this month for the first time.

When I took SoPE, the morning topics binder was broken up into the 5 main subjects; Construction, Geotech, Structural, Transportation, and Water. But, the NCEES breakdown for the AM is no longer like that. EET presents the material with tabbed binders that match NCEES' exam outline. To me, that made more sense. EET also mails you the binders. With SoPE, you have to print them out yourself. SoPE was taught 8hr Saturdays and Sundays for about 5 weeks to cover AM and PM. They covered a lot of material in a short time. EET was/is taught for about 8hrs on a Saturday with some Q/A sessions on a Tuesday or Thrusday for about 11 weeks to cover AM and PM. Having the sessions spread out like that might allow a student to "digest" more of the material vs. cramming.

I think EET has a phone number listed online. If they don't response via e-mail, try calling. EET is a smaller group of than SoPE and they are finishing up their courses now so e-mail might be slower for them.

Good luck with your studies.


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## John QPE (Oct 13, 2015)

Sign up for EET, do not pass go, collect a PASS!

I can't believe you didn't get a reply to your email, I'm sure it's an oversight as I've never heard of them being slow to respond.

Call (916) 220-8423, you should get Samir.

Read through all of the EET reviews from last test session, I think they will have the answer you are looking for.


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## Beej (Oct 13, 2015)

I spoke with Samir on the phone yesterday and I got a good vibe from the conversation. As of right now I am definitely leaning more towards EET.

Thanks for you help Matt and John.


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## John QPE (Oct 14, 2015)

The other review courses just don't go into the PM depth enough. EET goes deep into Breadth and Depth ... I used my EET notes for like 95% of the exam. If I didn't know better, I'd swear these guys wrote the test. If you're taking transpo, Samir is great, and you'll get answers to your questions within hours. Not to mention, EET is the cheaper option.


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## JunZ (Oct 14, 2015)

I took EET AM and PM as well as Seismic, and I passed the test on my first try. In general, they reply your email really fast, sometimes I sent out an email at 10pm, and I got it back like 12 AM or 1AM.


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## Superlaker24 (Oct 21, 2015)

matt267 said:


> Bee,
> 
> I took SoPE last year and I'm in EET now. I also took PPI for an afternoon review, which was a waste. I haven't taken the exam yet though. I'm taking it this month for the first time.
> 
> ...


How was the depth review for School of PE? I am planning to take Structural Depth and want to know if they cover the topics well and in detail?


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## matt267 PE (Oct 22, 2015)

For water, the depth review for SoPE really wasn't that indepth. Their main focus seems to be on the AM topics with the depth as an after thought. This was my impression when I took them in the spring.

EET's aftertoon is much more indepth for water. I assume the Structural depth class will also be good.


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## John QPE (Oct 22, 2015)

So EET is done now, Matt?

Nasrul is an excellent instructor, isn't he?


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## matt267 PE (Oct 22, 2015)

John QPE said:


> So EET is done now, Matt?
> 
> Nasrul is an excellent instructor, isn't he?


Yes. EET has finished up. Tuesday night was the last scheduled class.

Nazrul was awesome. You can tell that he put a lot of time and effort into his notes, especially the water depth. He also actually cares about his students. He was more of a mentor than just an instructor.

My advice to people is to take the Civil Water exam so you'll have an excuse to take EET with Nazrul. 

It was a good class. Lots of work. The rest is up to me.


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## nightwing (Oct 23, 2015)

matt267 said:


> John QPE said:
> 
> 
> > So EET is done now, Matt?
> ...


How was the EET Civil PE Exam Breadth?


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## matt267 PE (Oct 23, 2015)

I thought the EET breadth was also pretty good. Like all review courses, there will be some instructors that are better than others. Overall, EET for breadth and depth is a good choice. I liked how they organized their notes. I liked that they mailed me the binders so I didn't have to print out all the material myself. I also liked their use of simulated exams.


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## nightwing (Oct 26, 2015)

matt267 said:


> I thought the EET breadth was also pretty good. Like all review courses, there will be some instructors that are better than others. Overall, EET for breadth and depth is a good choice. I liked how they organized their notes. I liked that they mailed me the binders so I didn't have to print out all the material myself. I also liked their use of simulated exams.


Does School of PE provide a lot of problems and examples? Do they have simulated exams? I think EET does not have a Structural Depth. The only review course is School of PE, ASCE, or PPI.


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## matt267 PE (Oct 26, 2015)

SoPE does provide lots of practice problems. Maybe a little more than EET for the morning part. For water depth, EET afternoon had a ton more practice problems. SoPE does not have a simulated exam.


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## team1887 (Oct 26, 2015)

I left like I cheated the exam after taking School of PE, They were that good!


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## Beej (Nov 3, 2015)

Thanks for your help everybody. I just signed up for the EET Breadth &amp; Transportation Depth so looking forward to getting it done!


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## NYCProjectEngineer PE PMP (Dec 24, 2015)

School of PE had a very comprehensive construction depth review. I think they beefed up the program for October 2015. 

My one gripe was they didn't have a simulated exam. Hopefully they correct that.


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## Limamike (Oct 29, 2016)

SOPE is over rated and the professor reads right out of the book, word for word


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## PEnewb (Oct 24, 2018)

Beej said:


> Thanks for your help everybody. I just signed up for the EET Breadth &amp; Transportation Depth so looking forward to getting it done!
> 
> ﻿


hey,

i just want to ask you really quick about your experience with EET breadth and transportation depth.  i would really appreciate, if you can get back to me.


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## KOKOMO777 (Oct 29, 2018)

I took the SOPE for the Transportation. It did cover some of the materials that appeared on the exam. There were two subjects that SOPE didn't go thoroughly enough. It had to guess about 7-12 questions. As for the AM portion, there were questions came directly from the SOPE notes. Overall, I thought I scored enough to pass the exam. I am not looking forward to take it again for the 3rd time. If that happens, I will have to sign up for the EET Transportation.


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## Edwardo Rodrigez (Dec 18, 2018)

I took Transportation Depth exam on October 26 and I passed the first time. For people who go through this exam, it is cleared that how challenging  the PE exam can be. I signed up with EET and the class was taught by Mr. Samir Ead. He made it a breeze to pass. He is very knowledgeable and easy to access via email and in person. I am 100% confident to say that there is no way to take his class, do his homework problems and not passing the exam. Signing up at EET was my best decision ever and this course worths every penny you spend. Thanks again Samir.


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## ptatohed (Jan 23, 2019)

Navid said:


> I took Transportation Depth exam on October 26 and I passed the first time. For people who go through this exam, it is cleared that how challenging  the PE exam can be. I signed up with EET and the class was taught by Mr. Samir Ead. He made it a breeze to pass. He is very knowledgeable and easy to access via email and in person. I am 100% confident to say that there is no way to take his class, do his homework problems and not passing the exam. Signing up at EET was my best decision ever and this course worths every penny you spend. Thanks again Samir.


The guys at EET really care and are awesome!  Thanks for the feedback Navid.


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## johnnyboy (May 20, 2019)

Samir and Nazrul are the best.  I took the EET class and I have taken the school of PE in the past.  I passed the PE exam this time because of EET professors and teaching materials.  EET has real simulation exam similar to the PE exam which helps to prepare for the actual exam.  School of PE doesn't have simulation exam at the end and their PM portion is not detailed when compared to EET. I highly recommend EET class.


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## Jesse25302 (Dec 14, 2019)

I just found out that I passed the October 2019 Transportation exam. I prepared by taking the EET On-Demand AM and PM courses. I don't think anyone can go wrong by taking the EET courses. I don't think I would have passed without them. I agree with the other commenters who say that Samir and Nazrul are fine instructors. They both prepare their students well and they promptly answer any questions students have. I don't know much about School of PE, except for what I was told by a friend who signed up with them to study for the Structural PE exam. He said that their AM material was great, but found their PM material a little lacking. He did pass the exam though. The bottom line is that I can definitely recommend EET.


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## CampCounselor (Dec 15, 2019)

I can’t speak for School of P.E., but I can’t imagine a better program than EET. 

I recently passed the October Construction portion. It was my first time taking the exam and their material was the only reference I used to study and the only materials I took to the exam with me. 

Considering it’s been 20 yrs since I graduated and passed the EIT/FE, I was and am extremely impressed with their program. They got this old dude up to speed and thru the exam in less than 3 months. 

I cant recommend them enough.


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## UNOEng (Dec 15, 2019)

EET hands down. I just passed on my 4th try first time using EET binders.


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## Aspiring_PE (Dec 16, 2019)

UNOEng said:


> EET hands down. I just passed on my 4th try first time using EET binders.


Was that the first time using a review course to prepare for the PE exam?


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## emmy.pdf (Dec 17, 2019)

I have to agree with others: I took the WRE PE and passed on my first attempt using basically only the EET breadth and depth binders. My boyfriend also passed the transportation PE using EET's depth review binder. The structure and organization of the course was easy to follow, with plenty of time to play catch up between real-life stuff like work and family (we both did the webinar version of the class that does not require live attendance, but followed the schedule of the live class as closely as possible). Nazrul was a fantastic instructor, and most of all he was incredibly encouraging and supportive. This may sound silly but I think that the faith that he expressed in his students' ability to succeed is really effective. The course provides more than sufficient practice (both worked examples during lectures as well as homework problems and multiple practice tests). I actually did not complete every homework problem because there were so many and I felt amply prepared by doing about half of them. I initially planned on also working through six-minute solutions and NCEES practice tests but chose to forego these options to spend more time focusing on the EET practice and I think this paid off. 

I was so confident in EET that I almost did not take my CERM to the test. On that topic I will say this: I didn't open the CERM even once during my preparation but during the test I was able to find solutions for 2-3 questions by using the index in the CERM, and those 2-3 questions can make all the difference. So, I would absolutely recommend bringing it but depending on your discipline or study style, I wouldn't stress if you don't lean on the CERM too much (I was worried I was doing something wrong by barely using it). 

Happy to offer any additional advice if anyone is curious on what else I did to prepare.


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## PiratePanda (Dec 17, 2019)

I passed PE exam (Water Resources and Environmental) on my first attempt. My background is more environmental-related. I did took some structural courses when I did my Bachelors but I have zero background in Geotechnical, site development and construction. I had to take a breadth course to make sure I could survive in morning session.

I took EET depth and ASCE review courses. Although the ASCE courses included both morning session and afternoon session, I only studied the breadth provided by ASCE and relied on EET for the depth. 

To be honest, I was quite disappointed at ASCE courses. I don't think it worth the money overall. The essential courses (breadth) were provided as 12 sessions which were offered by various instructors. Mohsen was very good and logical on his parts, except him the rest was such a pain, especially the Geo part. The instructor went over materials very fast and did not explain things well (in my opinion). It could be due to my lack of knowledge in this area though. The exercise problems were 50% similar to the real exam in my perspective. In short, I would not recommend ASCE review course unless you learned all the related courses at school and you only want to have someone help you refresh the concepts.

I had heard from many people about how good the EET course was for PE exam preparation, so I took depth course review at EET. EET indicated their course covered 80% of the exam. Based on my experience, I think it covered 70% at most during the exam in October 2019. However, I still highly recommend EET depth (Water resources and Environmental) because the instructor, Nazrul, is one of the best instructors I've ever had. It's easy to feel panic, anxious, even a bit lonely while studying for PE, at least for me that's true. Taking the EET course helped me stay calm, make progress weekly, and even make some friends eventually. It feels much better when knowing someones are fighting alongside with you. Besides, even though I have passed the exam, I still use EET material as reference when I start working on some new projects (I just graduated recently).

As for Civil Water Resources and Environmental PE exam, I recommend taking at least these materials with you on the exam date:

CERM (it's more helpful than I thought)

Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Resource Recovery (very helpful for the depth session)

NCEES practice exam (useful for morning!)

EET depth review binder (or your notes for depth review)


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## Jesse25302 (Dec 17, 2019)

Emmy and PiratePanda are right, folks. Don't forget to take your CERM's. I can think of at least two questions on my AM session whose answers came straight from the CERM. They were not in the EET material. The EET material is good, but they can't anticipate everything you might be asked. It's a helpless feeling to see a problem that should be easy pickings and not be able to answer it because you don't have the right reference.


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## UNOEng (Dec 20, 2019)

Aspiring_PE said:


> Was that the first time using a review course to prepare for the PE exam?


yes it was my first time. i am a good test taker and my previous scores were 47/41/49. i came pretty close without them but the BINDERS made the whole difference. I don't know if you took the test before however the most time consuming thing is looking up stuff you don't exactly know.

when you start a segment and complete working on all questions that you can answer is easy peasy. Usually takes about 50-60 percent of the 4 hr segment. The rest of the 40% is just a mess. Trying to find the key word from back of the CERM and then check all 7 mentioned page numbers and decide which one is the relevant one and then find a sample question and follow up that takes about 15 minutes for 1 single question. Hence majority of the people here will tell you to make yourself familiar with the different type questions therefore you can just go find a similar example, plug and chug and boom right.

This also can be achieved by creating your own binders or obsessively marking text books and other resources, instead you  pay ton of money and someone gives you a ready product. Its not cheap but it does the job.


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## Aspiring_PE (Jan 7, 2020)

UNOEng said:


> yes it was my first time. i am a good test taker and my previous scores were 47/41/49. i came pretty close without them but the BINDERS made the whole difference. I don't know if you took the test before however the most time consuming thing is looking up stuff you don't exactly know.
> 
> when you start a segment and complete working on all questions that you can answer is easy peasy. Usually takes about 50-60 percent of the 4 hr segment. The rest of the 40% is just a mess. Trying to find the key word from back of the CERM and then check all 7 mentioned page numbers and decide which one is the relevant one and then find a sample question and follow up that takes about 15 minutes for 1 single question. Hence majority of the people here will tell you to make yourself familiar with the different type questions therefore you can just go find a similar example, plug and chug and boom right.
> 
> This also can be achieved by creating your own binders or obsessively marking text books and other resources, instead you  pay ton of money and someone gives you a ready product. Its not cheap but it does the job.


I did take the test in October and got a 49. I done a lot of problems on my own to get familiar with the CERM and references (I took the structural exam). I signed up for civil engineering pe practice because it was like $80 for a bunch of problems so I went through all of those and some more than once. I also did some practice problems in the Lindenburg book and took some practice exams. I put tabs on everything and did all of this practice and still failed. I figured I would give some kind of review course a go. I signed up for EET but the Breadth Webinar was full so I did on demand and the Webinar for the structural depth. I hope this helps.


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## Aspiring_PE (Jan 7, 2020)

Jesse25302 said:


> I just found out that I passed the October 2019 Transportation exam. I prepared by taking the EET On-Demand AM and PM courses. I don't think anyone can go wrong by taking the EET courses. I don't think I would have passed without them. I agree with the other commenters who say that Samir and Nazrul are fine instructors. They both prepare their students well and they promptly answer any questions students have. I don't know much about School of PE, except for what I was told by a friend who signed up with them to study for the Structural PE exam. He said that their AM material was great, but found their PM material a little lacking. He did pass the exam though. The bottom line is that I can definitely recommend EET.


When you studied the EET On-Demand for the breadth part, did you use the previous webinar videos or did you wait until the new ones came out?


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## Jesse25302 (Mar 2, 2020)

I'm sorry for the delay in my reply. I jumped right in on the old videos. They aren't substantially different from the new ones. However, I did watch the new ones as they became available. I spent a lot of time watching videos.


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