# CONSOLIDATED ADVICE THREAD: Env PE Exam



## Mahendra (Jan 10, 2007)

Hi. I am new here. I looked around most of the forum, I could not find any advice for people taking the Env PE exam. I all I noticed people are saying is that it is tough. If someone could show me a link for websites, programs, or if they took the exam and can spare a few moments to tell me what they did that made them pass, I would greatly appreciate it.

EDIT: THIS HAS BECOME THE THREAD WE HAVE USED, SINCE 2006, TO SHARE OUR COLLECTIVE ADVICE ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL PE EXAM. ONCE YOU HAVE TAKEN THE EXAM, PLEASE COME BACK AND ADD YOUR ADVICE, BEING VERY CAREFUL NOT TO BREAK YOUR AGREEMENT WITH NCEES, USING THE FOLLOWING FORMAT:

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering

*Where you took it:*

*What books you brought with you:*

*What books you actually used:*

*What books did you wish you brought:*

*General impression about exam and format:*

*Advice for future test takers: *


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jan 10, 2007)

I passed the PE Envl last April.

It is a very broad exam. You'll need to know a little about a whole lot of topics.

What I did was buy 101 Solved Problems and use it as a diagnostic as to what's on the exam, and what I knew.

I then studied any textbook, manual, or printout I could on the questions asked in a particular section. I put my personal notes along with photocopies of key tables and charts into binders organized by topic.

With about a month left, I did the PPI practice exams under semi-realistic test conditions, to build up speed and familiarity.

Two weeks before the exam I took the full blown NCEES practice test exam, full exam conditions, all 8 hours in one day.

Then eased back, did a little review, got my references in order, made sure I knew where my motel and exam site where, and went out and passed.


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## Dleg (Jan 10, 2007)

Actually, I was just thinking that us enviros should get off our butts and start a thread like this in the Environmental section. I will do that in a little while, as soon as I can look up my old "the other board" post so I don't have to re-type stuff that I've probably already fogotten.

And welcome, Mahendra! :wel

*The beauty of being a mod is not having to re-type stuff. I'm so glad to have a few new Envls, for a long time I was the only one! -VTE*


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## Mahendra (Jan 10, 2007)

Thank you both for the advice. I was afraid you would say that. My concentration in the last several years have been in air, so I have no background in water or waste. I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of time just learning new stuff.


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## Dleg (Jan 11, 2007)

I found my old post on the "the other board" forum, which I posted under Freon's "Time to Pay Your Dues" thread right after taking the environmental exam in October 2006. I've re-edited it in an attempt to be more helpful and complete:

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering

*Where you took it:* Tumon, Guam

*What books you brought with you:*

- ENVRM

- All the sample question books available - "the other board" &amp; NCEES

- Wastewater Engineering (Metcalf &amp; Eddy)

- Environmental Engineering (Salvato et al.),

- Hazardous Waste Management (LaGrega et al),

- Air Pollution Control (Cooper, Alley),

- Applied Hydrogeology (Fetter),

- Handbook of Solid Waste Management (Tchobanaglous et al.),

- NIOSH pocket guide to chemical hazards,

- 2004 Emergency Response Handbook (DOT/Canada etc.),

- EPA RCRA and CERCLA "orientation manuals",

- the downloaded OSHA regulations and manual excerpts,

- federal regulations: EPA's RCRA regulations (2 volumes),

EPCRA, and DOT Hazmat Transp. regs

*What books you actually used:* I used all of the books I brought, except for the sample problem manuals and federal regulations. I think I looked in the NCEES practice problems book once or twice, but I can't remember now if I found what I needed there. Mostly I used the ENVRM and a couple of other books. "Environmental Engineering" by Salvato was particularly handy for many subject areas, including a couple of the strange ones. I'd definitely recommend that book, because I can see using it for work. Other books I would recommend are "Hazardous Waste Management" by LaGrega, "Applied Hydrogeology" by Fetter, and (but of course) Metcalf &amp; Eddy. I don't think the Solid Waste book was particularly helpful for the exam, though it is for my work (in fact I've already loaned it out to a colleague, so I'm not sure if I have the title right) and I didn't have enough time with "Air Pollution Control" to really get as much use out of it as I thought I would, though it did come in handy on some of the practice exams. ENVRM actually covers air pollution pretty well, but it's always nice to have something more in depth for background reading. Air sampling methods and equipment are covered nicely by Salvato - though the federal regulations can't be beat, as long as you can find stuff in them (tabs!).

Some thoughts on "the other board"'s Environmental Engineering Reference Manual (ENVRM): I feel this book was just cobbled together from the Civil and Chemical Reference Manuals. It would benefit from a serious editing job and some new chapters written specifically for the Env. exam. It is adequate for the water subjects, air pollution, and some of the safety/emergency response stuff. But it is pretty inadequate for hazardous waste and site remediation type stuff. Also, it does not cover contaminant hydrogeology, which would seem to be an easy addition to the groundwater chapter. What I did was write in additional equations at the end of chapters, or in the margins, as I would run into them in the "other" "the other board" books, like Schnetier's 101 solved problems and the 6-minute solutions. I don't know if all states allow that, but it was OK for Guam.

*What books did you wish you brought:* I had to fly to my exam site, so I had to pick and choose which federal regulations to bring along because my bags had gotten too heavy. Well, it turns out the only federal regulations I needed to reference during the exam were the ones I left at the office. Who knew? Also, I wish I had found some good references on sampling for all different media and contaminants - water, air, and hazardous waste.

*General impression about exam and format:* Surprisingly, I thought the difficulty was very similar to what was simulated with "the other board"'s pratice exams book. My finish times were identical to the timed practice exam I gave myself two weeks prior. The format is different, of course. The actual exam is much wider-ranging, which I knew it would be. It would be nice if "the other board" could correct that with a new edition of the practice exams that follows the NCEES format more accurately. What was different, though, is that the quantitative questions were easier on the real exam, and the qualitative questions were more difficult.

*Advice for Spring test takers: *Start studying at least three months prior to the exam. Read everything you can - it's not just the calculations that you need to master! But definitely master the calculations - just focus on the fundamentals - chemistry, kinetics (first order covers most environmental subjects), mass balances (way simpler than it sounds), and the ideal gas law - and by the time you finish practicing, you will be able to solve almost any quantitaive question with nothing more than a quick look-up of the appropriate equation or chemical property. Also, make sure you give yourself a timed practice exam at least a couple weeks before the real thing. It really is helpful, if for nothing else than the knowledge of how you will be able to use your time. For me, I learned that I work plenty fast enough not to have to worry about skipping problems. I had plenty of time to give each problem a thorough attempt before moving on, and I still had plenty of time left to go back to the ones I had problems with, and also to go back and check all my other answers - and still leave the afternoon session early.

Additional thoughts (two and a half months later I studied for three months because that's all I had left once I found out whether or not my application to take the exam had been accepted. I was able to put in about 300 hours of quality studying time during that time, which works out to 25-30 hours per week. This was only possible because of my work situation - there just wasn't much happening here at the time, and my boss was very understanding. If I were starting again from scratch, I would recommend 4 months just so you have a little extra time. But, I will say that committing myself "body and soul" to the study effort was what made it possible for me. I set a lofty goal of "acing" the exam, not because I thought I could, but because I wanted to be able to walk out of the exam feeling confident, which I did. Over time, of course, my confidence eroded as I discovered that I had been wrong on a number of problems, mostly qualitative questions that I had to guess on.

I didn't set a detailed schedule, but I did initially give myself 2 weeks for each of the four major exam areas (i.e., 2 months): water and wastewater, air, hazardous and solid waste, and safety/emergency response. My study method was to read a chapter in the ENVRM (skipping the basic math sections and most of thermodynamics), do the example problems myself, and then do the practice problems book for that chapter. After I would finish an entire subject (air, water, etc.) I would do the problems in the "Solved Problems" book as sort of a bring-it-all-together excercize, although some of the problems in there were so far removed from the ENVRM that I sould sometimes be sent off on another studying campaign.

Once I got into it, I discovered that some sections were easier than others. Air, for example, took only a week for me. On the other hand, I spent an entire month on water and wastewater, and damn near lost hope. The other two were pretty much right on schedule, with safety/emergency response (and radiation, noice, etc) taking maybe a week. That left me with about a week to go through the NCEES practice exam, and a few days to brush up on the simplest concepts of econ (don't bother going through the whole chapter - only the beginning), and then I took a full practice exam, timed, and in a controlled environment (a spare studio at a friend's radio station), with 2 weeks left. I passed the practice exa with an 84/100, and felt pretty confident. I spent the last two weeks doing the 6-minute solutions book (not for the enviro exam, but somewhat helpful) and going over subjects I felt shaky on.

The day before the exam I ran through the NCEES practice exam one more time, which only took about 4 hours because I already knew how to work the problems, and then I went shopping and relaxed, had a beer with a fish dinner, and got a good night's rest.

The exam, I felt, was most similar to the NCEES practice exam. Focus heavily on that - in terms of types of questions to expect. Try it out earlier than I did in my study schedule. I felt the heavy emphasis I placed on problem solving helped me get through the quantitative questions with ease. The qualitative questions were another story. It was like you either knew them, or you were off on a wild goose chase through the indices of your references to find something you had never seen before. So in that sense, it was more an excercise in finding out how comprehensive your references are, and how good you are at using an index, because I seriously doubt there's any one person who could possibly have experience in all that I saw on the test. So, I suggest in addition to problem solving, you also read as much as possible, and bring all the books you can.

I hope this helps you, and please feel free to ask questions and hang around. It's lonely being an environmental engineer.  Right VTE?


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## JRO (Jan 11, 2007)

> Hi. I am new here. I looked around most of the forum, I could not find any advice for people taking the Env PE exam. I all I noticed people are saying is that it is tough. If someone could show me a link for websites, programs, or if they took the exam and can spare a few moments to tell me what they did that made them pass, I would greatly appreciate it.


Welcome Mahendra!

In general this is what I did:

Began studying approximately 2 hrs every night in early August (for the Oct PE exam) by the reading EnvERM cover to cover and working problems.

I also took a PE exam review class which really helped since I have been out of school for quite a while.

I think the folks on this board should be able to give you a good lisetd text books and reference materials on various enviro topics for studying purposes.


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## MattC (Jan 11, 2007)

I studied starting in August trying to hit an hour a night on week days and one day of the weekend. Took off about three days before the exam and put in 8 hours each day. I found the best practice was the "the other board" example tests. There are 300 problems in it. I also looked at the "the other board" reference manual. As far as book I used during the test I primarily used the "the other board" book. I Remember using Fundamentals of Air Quality systems (Noll who was a professor in my grad school) Metcalf and Eddy a couple times, Domenico and Swhartz Physical and chemical hydrogeology once or twice. Hazardous Waste (Watts) once or twice The difficulty of the problems is not hard, its just really broad. If you do the the 300 practice problems and are familiar with your references you will be fine.

Print out the 40 cfr 260 regs and bring it. Should get you an easy quetsion or two. I had to guess on that, but it didn't hurt me.


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## Dleg (Jan 11, 2007)

I should add to my long-winded post above that I am 16 years out of college, and have a degree in ME - so I had to teach myself a lot of this stuff during the corse of my studies. If you have a degree in Environmental Dengineering, or even Chemical, you might not need to study as much as I did.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jan 12, 2007)

> Thank you both for the advice. I was afraid you would say that. My concentration in the last several years have been in air, so I have no background in water or waste. I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of time just learning new stuff.


I'd say I was generally familiar, or had at least seen 2/3 of the exam material previously.

The stuff that was totally new to me was a lot of the federal legislation, OSHA/safety, radiation, noise...stuff like that. Pretty much any occupational questions.

Pretty much anytime I saw "As defined in 40 CFR 123, which of the following must be stored in a closed container."

A. Hazardous Waste

B. Hazardous Substance

C. Hazardous Material

D. Hazardous Stuff

I wanted to go :brick:


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## Jax6S (Jan 17, 2007)

Dleg said:


> The exam, I felt, was most similar to the NCEES practice exam.


I agree. If you are a first time taker and want to know what the PE exam is like, buy the NCEES practice exam book. It's the same format and the same level of difficulty.

As you browse thru it, you'll find that the problems are rather simple. You just need to know how to solve them, but in overall difficulty, they're not that bad. Remember, the biggest enemy is that you are working against time.

I feel that bringing your entire engineering library to the test is kinda pointless. Like I said, you're working against time so you don't have time to browse thru many books/manuals. 80% of the time, I just use the Lindeburg book. O yea, don't forget to make a mini booklet of the index section for the Lindeburg book and the unit conversion factor. So you don't have to keep flipping back and forth.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jan 17, 2007)

I couldn't disagree any more with what you said.

I found the NCEES practice exam to be much harder than the real deal. The PPI sample exams were closer in my opinion.

I didn't use the ENVRM much at all. Just to pick values out of tables, and to get a few definitions. I brought every textbook I used during my review and used all of them save for one or two.

I found the breadth of the exam was worse than the time constraints.

I guess this shows there's more than one way to skin a cat though.


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## Mahendra (Jan 17, 2007)

AWSOME! You guys are great. Thank you so much for the info. I am sure I will have a million question throughout the next few months, so I will make sure to post them.

One quick question I have, I bought the following lecture DVDs, and wanted to know if anyone has bought them. I have a feeling that I am one of the "first" to get them since they were not available until Sep 2006.

http://www.ncsu-engineering-resources.com/...=8&amp;CatID=99

Also, do you guys know anyone who relied exclusively on the "the other board" material and nothing else and managed to pass?


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## Dleg (Jan 18, 2007)

Do you mean did anyone only take the ENVRM into the test and pass? I have no idea but I wouldn't recommend it. I think it may be possible if you are knowledgeable on the stuff the ENVRM doesn't cover well (site assessment &amp; remediation, haz waste, sampling).

If you mean did anyone just study for it without any DVDs or coursework, well that's what I did (and I imagine quite a few others) - the ENVRM and practice problems books guided my study effort, but I bought/borrowed/downloaded (but never stole!) several other references to fill in the gaps, so to speak (even in the sections that ENVRM covers adequately).

That DVD course sounds good. I probably would have bought it if I had known about it. I was determined to not do this again.


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## Jax6S (Jan 18, 2007)

Dleg said:


> If you mean did anyone just study for it without any DVDs or coursework, well that's what I did (and I imagine quite a few others) - the ENVRM and practice problems books guided my study effort, but I bought/borrowed/downloaded (but never stole!) several other references to fill in the gaps, so to speak (even in the sections that ENVRM covers adequately).


Yep!


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## frankcal (Jan 28, 2007)

I used the new NC State University Environmental PE Review Course as part of my preparation. It was released in September 2006 in DVD format and replaced the older version which was in VHS format. I used it to study and passed on my first attempt. A colleague of mine used the VHS version and passed on her first attempt as well. I highly recommend it. I am selling my copy on ebay.

It is listed on Ebay here with a more detailed description:

EBay

Here is a link to the NCSU web site:

NCSU Web Site

Here's my strategy....after completing each lecture series, I solved practice problems relating to that specific lecture. I then bound all my solved practice problems in a 3-ring binder organized them by topic. On the first page of each section, I wrote down key equations and page references to applicable reference text books. Not very exciting, but it seemed to work.

Good Luck


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## Mahendra (Jan 28, 2007)

Frankcal,

Thank you for the response. I am doing almost the same thing you are doing, but I do have some more questions if you do not mine.

Could you please let me know if you read the ENV Manual ahead of time to prepare before seeing the lectures or you just used it as reference? I am having trouble with the Manual since it is so dull and I am not getting much out of a chapter unless I use it exclusively. Do you think just being able to answer the questions on the Solved Problems book, and marking the equations is sufficient preparation or did you also use the Practice Problem for the ENV?

I know there is no easy way in passing the test, I just have trouble focusing sometimes when I read long technical material. I had this problem too when I studied for the FE test last October, but somehow I managed to pass.


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## frankcal (Jan 28, 2007)

Mahendra said:


> Frankcal,
> Thank you for the response. I am doing almost the same thing you are doing, but I do have some more questions if you do not mine.
> 
> Could you please let me know if you read the ENV Manual ahead of time to prepare before seeing the lectures or you just used it as reference? I am having trouble with the Manual since it is so dull and I am not getting much out of a chapter unless I use it exclusively. Do you think just being able to answer the questions on the Solved Problems book, and marking the equations is sufficient preparation or did you also use the Practice Problem for the ENV?
> ...


My advice is to not waste your time reading the ENV Manual if you watch the DVD lecture series. You must learn how to solve problems. When solving practice problems, I suggest understanding the solution to the problem at hand - many times the given solutions are simplified and they skip steps. This may involve some extra reading, but it will be focused. For example, when you're solving an ideal gas law problem, understand the various values and units of "R" and when to use them, and make sure you know where to find help next time you come across a similar problem. I did solve practice problems from the ENV solved problems book.

Hope this helps.

Frank


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## frankcal (Feb 4, 2007)

frankcal said:


> I used the new NC State University Environmental PE Review Course as part of my preparation. It was released in September 2006 in DVD format and replaced the older version which was in VHS format. I used it to study and passed on my first attempt. A colleague of mine used the VHS version and passed on her first attempt as well. I highly recommend it. I am selling my copy on ebay.
> It is listed on Ebay here with a more detailed description:
> 
> EBay
> ...


Auction for NCSU environmental review course ends tomorrow.

EBay


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## Dleg (Jun 22, 2007)

bump. If anyone took the 100-question environmental exam, this would be the time to give your advice, whether you passed or failed.

Plus, it's been so lonely in the environmental forum.....


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## VA_Env_Engr (Jun 26, 2007)

Dleg:

I took the 100 question ENV exam this April and glad to say that I passed on my first try. My preparation time was about 3-4 months with about 10 hours during week days and 12 hours on the weekends until the last few weeks. I used the ENVRM and other "the other board" material, but I had to add Metcalf &amp; Eddy to the repertoire for wastewater engineering. I found the NCEES sample exam to be a bit easier than the 3 practice PE exams from Lindeburg. I actually tried to simulate the conditions for practice exams (timing, ref material etc.). My buddy and I took the School of PE Env course review, but it turned out to be a waste of effort since they just skim the surface. The course is fine for CE exam with Enviro depth, not for hardcore ENV exam. Towards the end I was comfortable with everything except the Air and Haz waste since these two areas have so much to do with regs that its virtually impossible to master it all.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck to all preparing for this exam in the future.


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## Guest (Jun 26, 2007)

VA_Env_Engr said:


> My buddy and I took the School of PE Env course review, but it turned out to be a waste of effort since they just skim the surface.


I would be asking: What the floc ??!!! 

JR


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## VA_Env_Engr (Jun 26, 2007)

I guess I was asking for that one. But truly it did feel like it! 



jregieng said:


> I would be asking: What the floc ??!!!
> JR


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## env_K (Jun 26, 2007)

I took the environmental exam for the first time in April and passed. I studied during the weekday evenings and on the weekends by doing the problems in the ENVRM problem book. I found the water and wastewater problems to be the easiest, but I work in the wastewater industry and I am currently pursuing my master's degree in environmental engineering, so that is probably why they were easy for me. I struggled with some of the air problems while studying for the exam. Thankfully the air problems on the exam were very similar to the problems presented by Lindeberg. Basically, I thought that any problem that required the use of a calculator on the exam was similar to the problems covered by Lindeberg. I feel that if you put your time into studying and do all the problems in the problem guide that accompanies the ENVRM, you will pass the exam. Good Luck to anyone considering taking this exam!! :multiplespotting:


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## kathik (Jul 2, 2007)

env_K said:


> I took the environmental exam for the first time in April and passed. I studied during the weekday evenings and on the weekends by doing the problems in the ENVRM problem book. I found the water and wastewater problems to be the easiest, but I work in the wastewater industry and I am currently pursuing my master's degree in environmental engineering, so that is probably why they were easy for me. I struggled with some of the air problems while studying for the exam. Thankfully the air problems on the exam were very similar to the problems presented by Lindeberg. Basically, I thought that any problem that required the use of a calculator on the exam was similar to the problems covered by Lindeberg. I feel that if you put your time into studying and do all the problems in the problem guide that accompanies the ENVRM, you will pass the exam. Good Luck to anyone considering taking this exam!! :multiplespotting:


I agree. Most of the numerical calculations on the April 2007 exam were similar in topic to the questions provided by Lindeberg. I also used all of the sample questions I could get my hands on. However, as for the not calculation questions, you just had to have the right references. I definitely recommend printing off the online references listed in Lindeberg. Definitely a huge help. Hopefully I will know shortly how helpful. Still awaiting the results in Maryland... lease:


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## robby (Jul 3, 2007)

I just took the Environmental PE exam for the first time in April 2007, and passed.

Here is what my studying consisted of:

I *thoroughly* went through _Introduction to Environmental Engineering_ by Davis and Cornwell. (The link is for the 6th edition—I had the 5th). This consisted of reading the text and doing every example problem in the text with the solution covered up. I spent most of my time on the water and wastewater. I had less time to study for air and hazardous waste.

I then skimmed the ENVRM book, and tabbed the relevant sections. I printed out the index for the ENVRM book from the "the other board" website and put it into a little folder to "bind" it. This was extremely helpful and saved a lot of time.

For the exam, I brought in a copy of the following:


_Introduction to Environmental Engineering_ by Davis and Cornwell
_Wastewater Engineering: Treatment, Disposal, Reuse_ by Metcalf &amp; Eddy
_Chemistry for Environmental Engineering_ by Sawyer &amp; McCarty
_Unit Operations and Processes in Environmental Engineering_ by Reynolds and Richards
_Applied Hydrogeology_, by Fetter
_Hydrology_ by Watson and Burnett
_Theory and Practice of Water and Wastewater Treatment_ by Droste
_Water Supply and Sewerage_ by McGhee
_Water Quality &amp; Treatment_ by AWWA
_Hydraulic Engineering_ by Roberson
_2004 Emergency Response Guidebook_
_NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards_
_Chemistry: Matter and Its Changes_ by Brady &amp; Holum
I also brought in two identical TI-36X Solar calculators and a ruler. The ruler was taken from me before the exam. I ended up using my registration card for a straightedge.

I packed all of my books into two Staples paper boxes, and brought them in with a collapsible hand cart. All of my books were stacked spines up, so I could easily pick out any book I needed. Boxes were not allowed on the tables. I also brought in a water bottle and some Advil. I needed both in the afternoon. Also, while I used just about every book I brought in, I mostly relied on the ENVRM and the Davis and Cornwell book.

When I took the exam, I felt weakest on air and toxicology (no surprise—I have no background in these topics and didn’t spend nearly as much time as I should have studying them). The ENVRM treatment of these topics was pretty good, evidently enough to get me through the exam. On the other hand, the ENVRM treatment of hazardous waste was completely inadequate. I do have some background in this topic, but I didn’t have any references available to bring with me. If I had been required to take the exam again, I would have studied all of these topics more thoroughly, including obtaining some additional textbooks. I also would have brought in a statistics book.

All in all, though, I felt rather iffy about the exam. While most of the problems seemed pretty straightforward, I really felt like I hadn’t studied nearly enough. Plus, it’s been about 8-10 years since I had any coursework on this stuff. I fully expected to be taking the exam again, and had even started thinking about a study schedule to retake the exam next Spring. Even if I hadn’t passed, however, having seen the exam I was confident that I was capable of passing the exam if I’d put in more study time.

(This is pretty much par for the course for me, though. I’m a procrastinator, and put off studying until the week before the exam. I did take off the whole week from work, though, and got in about 50 hours of studying.)

This worked out for me for the FE exam, too. My whole study regimen consisted of just three full days of solid studying. I passed that the first time, too, which was pretty amazing, considering that I was 12 years out from my undergraduate graduation at the time. On the other hand, I’d been teaching college-level chemistry and physics for seven of those years, which helped tremendously.


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## Dleg (Oct 30, 2007)

bump - Time to pay your dues! Give your advice to future test takers here. Just be careful not to violate your agreement with NCEES. Feel free to use the following format for your comments (courtesy Freon), or not.



Dleg said:


> *Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering
> *Where you took it:*
> 
> *What books you brought with you:*
> ...


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## Dleg (Apr 13, 2008)

All right all you April 2008 Environmental test-takers! Time to add to the body of knowledge here. Please keep in mind your NCEES agreement and do not post anything alluding to any of the questions on the exam. Keep it very general, please!

Here's a sample format you can follow to organize your advice:

*Test you took: PE Environmental Engineering *

Where you took it:

What books you brought with you:

What books you actually used:

What books did you wish you brought:

General impression about exam and format:

Advice for future test takers:


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## MSUEngineer (Apr 14, 2008)

Test: PE Environmental

Where: Memphis, TN

Books: EERM, WW Engineering (Metcalf/Eddy), Hydrogeology (Fetter), RCRA Orientation Manual, CERCLA Orientation Manual, Binder of problems I had worked, North Carolina State notes

Books Used: EERM, NCSU Notes, Worked problems, RCRA Orientation Manual, WW Engr

Books I wish I had brought: no others really

Exam impression and format: very similar to sample NCEES exam, but there seemed to be more questions that did not involve calculations than the sample exam

Advice: Know the concepts, as well as how to work problems


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## APepperToo (Apr 15, 2008)

Where you took it: Syracuse, NY

What books you brought with you: EERM, Unit Processes, Air Pollution Control, Engineering Hydrology (Ponce), Hydraulic Engineering (Roberson), Haz Waste Management, Intro to Env. Engineering, RCRA/CERCLA Orientation Manuals, Hazwoper Guidance Manual, NIOSH handbook, several practice exam/question books.

What books you actually used: EERM, Unit Processes, Air Pollution, Haz Waste Mgmt, RCRA/CERCLA Orientation Manuals, NCEES Practice Exam

What books did you wish you brought: The Metcalf/Eddy WWT Book - I had borrowed this book from a friend a few weeks before the exam, but decided that I wouldnt try to learn it before the exam. Unit Processes wasnt that helpful.

General impression about exam and format: Pretty challenging. After I went through the exam once answering the questions I found easy, i looked at my watch and found I spend an hour and a half and had answered only 10 questions.  I went back to the beginning, quickened my pace, but read the problems a bit more carefully and found that I was able to work through nearly all the questions. Worked through to the end of the morning. Afternoon was much easier for me. Was about 2/3 through after 2 hours, so I slowed myself down for the harder questions, and again was able to work through and answer all the questions.

Advice for future test takers: Being able to pace yourself is critical. Also, I'm convinced you cant have too many references - you never know which one's will have a nugget of information that will answer a question. I had copied the index of all my references and bound them separately. Those i kept on the desk and was able to very quickly thumb through them when needed. I would recommend this strategy to everyone.


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## Dleg (Apr 20, 2009)

bump


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## Dleg (Apr 30, 2009)

Hey, how about all you intrepid April 2009 test takers adding to this thread, for the benefit of future generations?

The general advice format, as started by Freon 2.5 years ago over on the ppi forum, is suggested as follows:

*Test you took: PE Environmental Engineering*

Where you took it:

What books you brought with you:

What books you actually used:

What books did you wish you brought:

General impression about exam and format:

Advice for future test takers:


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## Baconbit (Apr 30, 2009)

Test you took: PE Environmental Engineering

Where you took it: Texas

What books you brought with you: ENVRM, NCEES Sample Test, PPI Sample Tests, Haz Waste Mgmt by LaGrega, Env Engineering by Salvato, Environmental Engineering Dictionary, Metcalf &amp; Eddy, McCoy RCRA Unraveled

What books you actually used: pretty much all of the above - by far the 2 best (outside of ENVRM), were the NCEES Sample Test and the Environmental Engineering Dictionary (by Lee)

What books did you wish you brought: none other than the above

General impression about exam and format: like you will see pretty much all over this forum, the NCEES Sample exam was very similar to the format of the actual exam...in terms of getting a feel for the format, I suggest going through it at least once, if not twice

Advice for future test takers: definitely go check out the test site the week before the test...I did and so, I wasn't surprised by the room or the setup. Definitely bring your own lunch so you don't have to worry about going offsite or standing in line. I was able to relax in my car for at least a few minutes and eat. Know your references backwards and forwards (as much as possible). I found that I really didn't even have time to think - if I had to stop and think about where something might be or "ok, how do I work this problem?" it was valuable time lost (and I still ran out of time). And lastly, work problems, work problems, work problems. There will be qualitative info on the exam but for those either (1) you'll know it, (2) have worked it in your job, (3) be able to look it up in a reference or (4) have no clue and have to guess. Focus on the quantitative and work problems. The more problems you work ahead of time, and the more different types of problems / scenarios you make your brain think through, the better shot you have at the exam of not getting caught offguard. I still don't know if I passed the test, but I hope this info helps someone else out.


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## GTjoy (May 5, 2009)

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering

*Where you took it:* Virginia

*What books you brought with you:*

ENVRM by Lindeburg

School of PE materials

Hazardous Waste Management by La Grega

Sources and Control of Air Pollution by Heinsohn/Kabel

Standard Handbook of Environmental Engineering by Corbitt

Environmental Engineering and Sanitation by Salvato

Wastewater Engineering by Metcalf &amp; Eddy

RCRA Orientation Manual (EPA)

PPI and NCEES practice problems and tests

also, a few extra ones which I borrowed from my co-workers; I don't remember the full names but they were not terribly useful anyway.

*What books you actually used:* mainly the first 4 I listed

*What books did you wish you brought:*

- Regulatory textbooks or guidance manuals (I left some in my office, thinking I'd never need them, ARGH!)

- Water resources texts focused on stormwater, hydrology, groundwater (incidentally, some topics which the ENVRM is weak in, in my opinion)

*General impression about exam and format:* I'm afraid to go into many more specifics without talking about the exam topical content... I knew there would be a lot of qualitative questions, but there were even more than I expected. Most portions were harder than I expected, but some questions seemed too easy, almost like plug and chug problems which required little to no foundational understanding of the actual problem. Over all, it was OK, but different than I expected, with some random and oddball questions.

*Advice for future test takers: *

--Studying: Make a study plan 4-5 months out and do your best to stick to it. Honestly, it's likely you will not stick to it perfectly, so at least you would have started 4 or more months early. I'd say try to factor in at least 150-200 hours of quality study time. (I got in about 60 hrs plus 60+ hours of instruction and felt like I needed like another solid few days of studying). Get grounded in the fundamentals and then practice lots of problems, which will help you learn where you are weak and might need to focus. If you can, take off of work at least 2 days (maybe the full week) before the exam to study and fill your mind with this stuff! Take a review class if you can. Get familiar with the references you plan to bring, but don't feel like you have to know them intimately - focus on having 1-4 main references you know well (some states will allow you to have only one book on the table at a time!).

--For the test day: Drive to the site ahead of time. Use a rolling suitcase or cart to carry all your items. Pack lunch and a few small snacks and drinks as well as "emergency items" like ibuprofen, lip balm, eyedrops. The day will go by fast but you might need a little sugary pick me up or something to clear up a headache. Make plans that weekend, that night, or shortly after the exam to treat yourself, whether it's vegging at home on the couch and watching 10 movies, going to the spa, or making your friends/family throw a party for you.


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## mepe_tn (May 6, 2009)

This is excellent advice for all disciplines!

================

Join the MEPESTUDYGROUP at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/mepestudygroup/



GTjoy said:


> [snipped]*General impression about exam and format:* I'm afraid to go into many more specifics without talking about the exam topical content... I knew there would be a lot of qualitative questions, but there were even more than I expected. Most portions were harder than I expected, but some questions seemed too easy, almost like plug and chug problems which required little to no foundational understanding of the actual problem. Over all, it was OK, but different than I expected, with some random and oddball questions.
> 
> *Advice for future test takers: *
> 
> ...


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## GTjoy (May 6, 2009)

mepe_tn said:


> This is excellent advice for all disciplines!


Haha, thanks!

I wish I could give more specific advice, but I don't want the NCEES secret police coming after me.

Also, I didn't really start studying until mid February and I regret that I didn't buckle down and start in January. For this October's exam, if you start making a plan of attack now and do "light prep work" like reviewing these boards, and ordering your materials, perhaps you can space it out better. I'd recommend after having fun celebrating Independence Day or New Years' Eve, just START. Hopefully you'll hit a good stride, figure out where to focus, and maybe you'll even have time for taking a day off here and there.

I do have a coworker that bragged that he studied for like a week, maybe &lt;13 hrs or so, and I just wanted to smack him. Sure that's possible, but that doesn't make me feel any better!

I guess I can also say that as you are mastering problems, don't forget you still need a solid knowledge of the fundamentals. There will be many qualitative questions testing your knowledge of things that will be difficult to look up in 5 minutes, you just have to know it.


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## mcap8 (Jul 3, 2009)

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering

*Where you took it:* PA

*What books you brought with you: *

ENVRM by Lindeburg

School of PE materials

Hydraulics &amp; Hydrology - Gupta

Hazardous Waste Management by La Grega

Managing Hazardous Materials by Leonard et. al

Standard Handbook of Environmental Engineering by Corbitt

Wastewater Engineering by Metcalf &amp; Eddy

NCEES practice test

*What books you actually used:* Everything listed above, but relied most heavily on LaGrega, Metcalf &amp; Eddy

*What books did you wish you brought: *A better reference on air pollution control

*General impression about exam and format: *Format was most similar to the NCEES practice exam. For the April 2009 test, I thought the problems contained in the morning session took much longer to solve than the afternoon session.

*Advice for future test takers: *The breadth of the test is difficult. Work as many problems as you can and read up on as many subjects as you can. Know how to use your references and how to get a general sense of how to approach a variety of problems. Know how to work the core environmental engineering subjects inside and out. Chances are you'll see a few curveballs during the test that will make you approach the problem in a different manner than how you studied. I really don't think you can overprepare for this test. When taking the test, manage your time appropriately (don't get hung up on one particular problem).


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## Dleg (Jan 17, 2010)

bump

VTEnviro, Could you stick this to the top of the forum like the new Enviro members thread?


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## jandres (Nov 3, 2010)

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering

*Where you took it: *Orlando, FL (Orlando Convention Center was a pretty good test site except for the insanely narrow tables and the $11 for parking)

*What books you brought with you:*

EERM

101 solved problems

NCEES Practice Exam

PPI practice exam

Environmental Law Handbook 20th ed

Hazardous Waste Management, Lagrega

Soil and Groundwater Remediation, Kuo

Air Pollution Control, Cooper

Water Resources Engineering, Linsley et al.

Wastewater Engineering, Metcalf &amp; Eddy

Environmental Engineering PE Examination Guide &amp; Handbook, King

Engineering Unit Conversions 4th ed, Lindeburg

Hazardous Waste Regulations, Wagner

Fundamentals of Industrial Ecology 4th ed, Plug

Contaminant Hydrogeology 2nd ed, Fetter

Hydrology and Floodplain Analysis 4th ed, Bedient

RCRA Orientation Manual, EPA

Surface Water Treatment Rule guidance, EPA

Wastewater Sampling Guide, EPA

Radon Gas Summary, EPA website

TR-55 Urban Hydrology for Small Watersheds, NRCS

OSHA information from OSHA website

**Disclaimer: I did not purchase all of the above books. I borrowed many from colleagues and from the library (it helps when your wife is a librarian with access to the catalogue of most academic libraries)

*What books you actually used:* Mostly used EERM, Lagrega, Kuo, EERM, M&amp;E, King and Cooper. The radon EPA summary was also useful for one question.

*What books did you wish you brought:* Environmental Engineering, Salvato. The only book my wife couldn't get me in time. The libraries she was trying to get it from kept cancelling it, I'm guessing other people were trying to check it out for the exam. Also, I wish I had an air sampling reference. Cooper was definitely not sufficient in that subject.

*General impression about exam and format:* I thought the test was pretty balanced. No real "depth" on any one subject, mostly superficial plug and chug or quick answer reasoning questions. There weren't too many "out there" questions, although there were some surprises. Good thing was that I was able to reason the surprise questions or atleast make educated guesses. I'd say I knew how to solve/answer ~70 questions, another 25 I made educated guesses, and 5 that I had no idea. Hopefully it'll add up to a pass, I sure as hell don't want to sit through this exam again.

*Advice for future test takers:* Study starting at least 3 months before. I started studying 6 months before but my bachelors is not in Environmental Engineering (It's in Agricultural and Biological Engineering) so I had to learn lots of subjects from scratch. I do have a masters in Environmental Engineering but it focused on Water Resources.

Solving problems is important, but so is having the right references and being very familiar with them. Use the library if you need to, you'd be surprised how willing librarians are to help and get you the important references (specially if you're married to them).

Do not try to use the EERM alone, you will likely not pass. Do not neglect any subject. Also, I did the University of Delaware DVD course, but it was not all that helpful, with the exception of Air Pollution. They follow the EERM too closely and waste too much time on fluids, Thermo, HVAC. They do an OK job on water and wastewater but are definitely not experts. They do not even scratch the surface of soil and groundwater remediation or Environmental Health and Safety.


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## FLBuff PE (Nov 4, 2010)

Thanks for posting! When I took the exam for the third time and passed (October '08), I threw a couple of extra references into my box, just on a whim. I was glad that I did, because I was able to answer some of the ones I had NO CLUE on with some of those references. Good luck!


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## mnenveng (Nov 6, 2010)

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering

*Where you took it: *MN

*What books you brought with you:*

ENVRM by Lindeburg

Environmental Engineering Solved Problems, Lindeberg

Environmental Engineering Practice PE Exams, Lindeberg

Environmental Engineering Practice Problems, Lindeberg

Wastewater Engineering by Metcalf &amp; Eddy

NCEES practice test

Water Supply and Pollution Control by Viessman &amp; Hammer

NC State DVD Course (printed slides and hand notes with me)

*What books you actually used: *Everything listed above, but relied most heavily on ENVRM and NC State slides

*What books did you wish you brought:* A good reference on hydrogeology and groundwater contaminant transport, and possibly some type of general water resources reference.



General impression about exam and format: Format was most similar to the NCEES practice exam, but problems are generally easier. Topics were very broad. Quantitative questions were generally straightforward given the right equation - 1 or 2 steps at most. Several qualitative questions were nowhere to be found in my references, mostly in the area of water resources.

*What I did to prepare: *I spent about 8 weeks of evening &amp; weekends studying as much as I could - about 2 weeks for each of water &amp; wastewater, about 1 week each for the other major topics (air, waste, public health), and 1 final week staying home from work doing practice problems/exams. I gathered all of my references before starting to study so I could determine how adequate my references were. The studying I did was (1) view NC State course, (2) worked all of the problems from the "Solved Problems" reference, and (3) complete all practice exams during that last week. I'm estimating that I spent ~100 hours preparing. That seemed about right for me, if not overkill - the problems I likely missed were qualitative questions that simply weren't in my references.

*Advice for future test takers: *My degree is in chemical engineering, and I do environmental consulting - primarily air quality and water quality permitting, with general knowledge of other topics (waste, public health). In my work I probably only encounter about 10% of the subject material covered by the exam, if that. So for me, the breadth of the test was difficult. Biggest key to success, in my opinion, is to know how to use your references and to get a general sense of how to approach a variety of problems. As with all other things engineering, the best way to prepare is by working problems - as many as you can. By the time you get done working the problems, you have a good sense for the themes of questions that will likely be asked. The only way I could have done better is to add the above-referenced materials to my collection of references. There were probably 70 problems I felt confident of, 25 I was able to reason out and felt good about my response, and 5 more that were shots in the dark. I expect that I passed, but if for some reason I didn't I will be posting back here in 7-9 weeks...


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## jandres (Dec 29, 2010)

I passed, so the advice above is valid!


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## FLBuff PE (Dec 29, 2010)

Congratulations!


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## cowboy (Jan 6, 2011)

I'm waiting CA results. I took water/enviro. I feel fairly good this time. I'm still not able to figure out what reference book is good for environmental section. CERM is just a crap. Metcalf and Eddy's is not that fully integrated for any specific exam. I also used some text from college. When i took it first time most of the questins were qualitative and I prepared myself accordingly. When I took second time, almost all questions were quantative.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jan 6, 2011)

I used Unit Ops by Reynolds and Richards for most of my water/ww treatment problems

http://www.amazon.com/Unit-Operations-Proc...g/dp/0534948847

Hydrology and Hydraulics by Gupta for pipe and channel flow, reservoirs, and some stowmater.

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrology-Hydraulic-...a/dp/1577664558

And Intro to Envl Eng by Masters for water quality and mass balance stuff.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_3...tal+engineering

Hope this is helpful.


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## cowboy (Jan 6, 2011)

VTEnviro said:


> I used Unit Ops by Reynolds and Richards for most of my water/ww treatment problemshttp://www.amazon.com/Unit-Operations-Proc...g/dp/0534948847
> 
> Hydrology and Hydraulics by Gupta for pipe and channel flow, reservoirs, and some stowmater.
> 
> ...



Thanks for providing some good environ references! I feel good this time with 34 Qn made in the morning and 22 Qn in the afternoon. Hope i don't have to go through all these references again.


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## Dleg (Jan 6, 2011)

Are you talking about the civil exam, with the enviro afternoon? Or the 100-question enviro exam, covering air, water, haz/solid wastes, health &amp; safety, etc.? I'm guessing the civil/enviro exam, since CA doesn't offer licensing in enviro (neanderthals!!!) There's some overlap with the civil enviro exam, but there is quite a bit more ground covered in the dedicated enviro exam. There's a subforum under the civil exam forum for that exam, if you want more advice specific to that one.

Good luck - I know how you are feeling right now!


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## whiterani (Mar 23, 2011)

Anyone have tips on new spec. for this April test ? Study tips or good reference materials...?


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Mar 23, 2011)

I'd bring the same reference materials you'd usually bring. Doesn't look like the new exam spec is drastically different. I don't have the old one in front of me, but it seems like it's more of a re-allocation of problem distribution than a whole new exam.

If you have specific study reference questions, let me know.


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## kjeads (Apr 12, 2011)

I just took the PE Environmental exam for the first (and hopefully only!) time on April 11th. Here are my thoughts on this thread:

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering

*Where you took it:* Raleigh, NC

*What books you brought with you: *

ENVRM by Lindeburg

School of PE materials

Introduction to Environmental Engineering by Davis and Cornwell (Really Useful!)

Hazardous Waste Management by La Grega

Wastewater Engineering by Metcalf &amp; Eddy

Applied Hydrogeology by Fetter

Air Pollution Control by Cooper Alley

Environmental Law by Sullivan

29 CFR 1910 OSHA Regs

49 CFR DOT Hazardous Materials Regs

McCoy RCRA Reference Manual

NCEES practice test

*What books you actually used: *Everything except 49 CFR Hazardous Materials Regs and Applied Hydrogeology by Fetter. I found LaGrega and Davis and Cornwell the most useful references for me, and I leaned on them heavily for the non-quantitative problems. I was glad I had Metcalf &amp; Eddy for some of the more obscure water questions. The ENVRM was useful for some things, but not as much as I'd hoped. Cooper Alley was almost useless for the Air Pollution Control section. I also didn't use the School of PE notes much either. I used the Environmental Law book for one problem, but it got me a point I wouldn't have had otherwise.

*What books did you wish you brought:* A reference on environmental sampling

*General impression about exam and format:* Format was just like the NCEES practice exam. I felt that the actual exam questions were less challenging than the compiled problems for the NCEES practice exam.

*Advice for future test takers: *Know your references! Know how to use your indices or tabs, whichever works for you. I tabbed the heck out of my references, but I really didn't use them. I've always done a better job working through indices, and that's mainly what I used once I was in the exam. I think the real issue is knowing how to read a problem, recognizing very quickly what you're being asked to do, and then weeding your way through the added information that lends nothing to the problem in order to solve it. From that perspective, you really need to work as many quantitative questions as possible. The quantitative questions can probably save you because I felt that the non-quantitative questions were rather obscure. I was able to find some answers in my references, but I did more guessing with non-quantitative questions from fields I had no background in than I did with quantitative questions.


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## callowaygolf (Aug 29, 2011)

Hello all and thank you for the tips and guidance. I am new to this forum. I am planning to take the Env PE exam in April 2012.

To kjeads, did you pass your exam? Any other thoughts or guidance from your experience or reflecting back?

Thank you for your time.


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## pleasantliving (Nov 8, 2011)

All of the previously mentioned reference material generally aligns with what I took to the exam, but I also brought along the FE supplied-reference handbook. I reorganized the FE handbook (some sections removed) and found it to be very useful as a quick reference. But you really have to look through all of the sections as some topics appear in multiple places throughout the handbook. For example, reactor equations are found in both the chemical (126-128) and environmental (176) sections. If NCEES put this handbook together, they're probably fond of the material, equations, coefficients, etc. A majority of the equations in the NCEES practice exams can be found in the FE handbook and it’s free to download from NCEES. Who doesn’t like free reference material? http://www.ncees.org/Exams/Study_materials/Download_FE_Supplied-Reference_Handbook.php

Hopefully someone can use what I did to organize material (which worked rather well) and improve on it. I had one very large binder as my go to for the first attempt to answer a question. The binder enabled me to get a lot of problems done quickly without having to open another book. I then went back through the exam and completed the remaining problems with my other references. The binder was tabbed based on the knowledge area and problem content. Each overall knowledge area had a tab color (basic water: solid pink, potable water: striped pink, wastewater: striped red…). Each tabbed section included all of the study material collected (regulations, equations, tables, sample problems…). Around 40 sections were generated based on the content of the NCEES sample problems. Another 10 sections were a result of leftover PPT slides, PPI problems, and other seemingly useful material.

As an example, one of my post-it tabs was blue (which corresponded to air) and read "Stacks." It included pages 170-172 of the FE handbook followed by relevant NC State PPT slides and the NCEES sample questions/answers (3 problems) that had to do with downwind/centerline/ground-level concentrations for exhaust stacks. Some of the figures in the sample exams are identical to the FE handbook figures (FE handbook 171-172 and NCEES 2011 Environmental sample problems 504 &amp; 505).

Another tab was for dissolved oxygen in streams, labeled “DO.” This tab included pages 175-176 of the FE handbook, a copy of A-53 from Lindeburg (saturation values of DO in water), NC State PPT slides, and NCEES sample questions/answers (4 problems).

All of my NCEES problems came from the following sample exams: 2011 &amp; 2004 Environmental, 2011 &amp; 2004 Civil Water Resources and Environmental. I had around 220 NCEES sample questions after removing duplicates and unnecessary civil problems. Yes, it took a very long time to go through the sample problems and reorganize them by question content. I also highlighted what each question was solving for. In the end, it helped me a great deal and I was glad I put forth the effort. While studying I had multiple versions of similar questions to review all in one place. During the exam, two of the questions were extremely similar to sample problems and I located both in my binder within a few seconds. A surprising amount of other sample problems helped out with exam questions.

A second binder was used for material printed out that wasn’t deemed important enough for the main binder, such as the RCRA orientation manual. I included frequently referenced standards/regulations in the main binder (NAAQS, NPDWR). The NC State DVDs were very helpful and a great starting point. It was a nice overview of all of the material. I would recommend starting with the DVDs and then going over all of the NCEES sample problems. Then try the PPI problems. To save some time during the exam, tab the index of frequently used references. I cut post-it tabs into ¼” slices for individual letters: http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/6326750188/

Well, I think that’s all the advice I have to give.


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## ipass11 (Dec 16, 2011)

I just passed the Oct, 2011 PE exam and 1st time taker. Just share my experience:

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering

*What books you brought with you: *

ENVRM by Lindeburg

Hazardous Waste Management by La Grega

Applied Hydrogeology by Fetter

Air Pollution Control by Cooper Alley

Wastewater Engineering by Metcalf &amp; Eddy

NCEES practice test (old version, borrowed from my friend)

ENVRM practice problem, Lindeburg

drinking water standards

*What books you actually used: * I used first 3 books and drinking water standards but found out only 1st book and drinking water standards are useful to me (I should say probably book 2 and 3 are useful as well. However, I did not read these books ahead of time. So, when I took the exam, I was unable to find information I hoped to find. You probably want to spend some time read Hydrogeology. Manual does not cover this very well (but quite a few problems are covering this). I wished I could read this ahead of time.

*What books did you wish you brought:* none

*General impression about exam and format:* Format was just like the NCEES practice exam. ENVRM practice problem, Lindeburg is too difficult. Exam itself is okay. Morning sections are most water, waste water and hydrology. Afternoon section are air, remediation, exposure, etc. To myself, morning section is much harder. Afternoon section is easy.

*Advice for future test takers: *get familiar with units. Maybe list all the common ones in a seperate sheet. Read Remediation and hydrogelogy in addition to the manual. Another important thing is to manage your exam time wisely! skip those questions you have no clue how to answer and finish the whole exam before you start to search your books (it is easy to say but hard to follow in reality). I wasted a lot of time in the morning section because I tried to solve one problem. I was unable to finish all 50 questions due to that stupid question (&amp; the other 3 or 4 in the same subject). I leaned the lesson and did very well in the afternoon. I think afternoon section helped me to pass the exam.

Hope it helps.


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## pleasantliving (Jan 31, 2012)

I passed the October 2011 exam (first attempt).... so the binder method worked for me!


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## pleasantliving (Apr 25, 2012)

I have received a few messages asking for the list of sections tabbed, so here they are. I've also listed the FE Handbook pages included with each section.

http://www.flickr.co...N08/7113039797/

http://www.flickr.co...N08/7113039835/


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## CU07 (Jun 2, 2012)

I passed the April 2012 exam on my first try. Here's my experience:

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering

*What books you brought with you: *


EnvERM by Lindeburg with separate bound index

NCEES practice test (current version)

Environmental Engineering by Salvato (older edition, one volume)

Hazardous Waste Management by LaGrega

Wastewater Engineering by Metcalf &amp; Eddy (3rd edition)

Basic Environmental Technology by Nathanson

Environmental Engineering Dictionary by Lee (2nd edition)

NC State PDFs

Drinking water standards (summary tables and specifics on things like lead but I didn't need the specifics)

A binder with the Plain Text Clean Air Act, EPA injection well classes, an EPCRA summary, radon info, NAPL info, landfill gas generation curve, DO sag curves, Activated Sludge Study Guide, etc.

2008 Emergency Response Guidebook

RCRA and CERCLA Orientation Manuals

10 State Standards

101 Solved Problems by Schneiter

EnvERM practice problems by Lindeburg

NIOSH pocket guide

A binder of review class notes

Introduction to Environmental Engineering by Masters

An engineering economics text


*What books you actually used: *I used everything on the list through the 10 State Standards at least once. I used the first 8 books multiple times and was glad to have all of them. My binder of random fact sheets and guides was helpful although I think I only used the NAPL info and DO sag curves from it. Nathanson was useful for several qualitative questions, and Metcalf &amp; Eddy helped me answer a handful of wastewater questions I wouldn't have known otherwise. I found some remediation, risk assessment, and radiation information in Salvato and LaGrega. Two questions were direct variations on problems from the latest NCEES practice exam. I had to look up chemical compatibility in the Emergency Response Guidebook, so it was worth the $4 from Amazon.

*What books did you wish you brought:* An air pollution controls book - I didn't have anything that covered this nearly well enough. I needed something that covered how to select appropriate devices, specific properties of devices, definitions, etc.

*General impression about exam and format:* The morning covered all the water topics and solid waste. The afternoon was air, remediation, health and safety, and general engineering principles (economics, statistics, project management, general math questions on logs/kinetics). I thought the morning was straight-forward; the water problems were generally pretty clear and similar to practice problems and I had references that covered almost all of the qualitative questions. Solid waste was okay, since a lot of the problems were basic math problems for a solid waste situation, like recycling or garbage trucks for example. Most of the hazardous and medical waste questions were qualitative and I thought were common-sense, although I deal with that at work. Air was a killer. I was okay on the basic principles portion like regulations, fate and transport, and emissions sources, but the air controls section was hard. Some of the questions were just definitions for air control components and I didn't have a good reference. A couple radiation and cancer problems, some EH&amp;S regulation questions too.

*Advice for future test takers: *I spent five minutes going through the exam at the start and ranking the problems that I knew or could do really quickly, ones I thought I could solve, and ones I knew I wouldn't get, would need a lot of time, or didn't understand at first glance. Then I started going through all the easy ones (I actually started at the end and worked forward since I was at the back of the booklet anyways). I marked everything on the answer sheet as I answered. Anything I had to come back to, I circled the number. Then I worked my way though all the middle-tier problems, then had about 45 minutes at the end to address the handful I had ranked the hardest. I attempted all of them and made educated guesses. This worked out really well for me.

I really liked the NC State review course. I didn't have time to go through the air section and I wish I had, although the air questions on the exam that I didn't know seemed too obscure to have been included in the class anyways. My main studying was NC State; a sort-of-helpful local review course that covered water, wastewater, air, and economics; 101 Solved Problems; and the NCEES practice exam.


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## VT-Matt (Jun 4, 2012)

Passed on first attempt April 2012 Environmental PE. Below is a summary of my experiences.

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering

*What books you brought with you: *


EnvERM by Lindeburg

Metcalf and Eddy WW Treatment

Air Pollution Control Cooper and Alley

Haz Waste Lagrega

Environmental Engineering Salvato 6th edition

CDC NIOSH pocket guide (free)

DOT Emergency Response book (little book)

Univ. of Del notes

A consolidated binder broken into ww, wt, wr, air, HW, and EH&amp;S (In this book I had a copy of the indexes for the top 5 books, key eqns pulled from doing problems and from the FE eqn sheet, class notes, and organized example problems from Schneiter, NCEES practice exam, and some problems from the course.

I also had separate binders for any regulation, fact sheet, handout, etc that I came across as useful information during the course of solving hundreds of problems.

Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene

Introduction to Environmental Engineering Davis and Cromwell


*What books you actually used: *I probably used everything on this list but I would say I mostly used the top 5. I was able to use my main binder for solving 60-70% of the problems. Having that binder well organized saved me a ton of time. If given more time to prepare I would have refined this binder even more by breaking out problems more specifically. For example it would have been nice to have all my Dissolved Oxygen problems together, softening problems, combustion problems, etc. By using the ref book so much for my preparation I was able to remember where a lot of those specific problems were.

*What books did you wish you brought:* I think everything I needed was in my reference books, however, that doesn’t mean I was always able to find it. Knowing your references well is so important. No joke, but reading salvato during bathroom breaks, before bed, etc helped me answer some qualitative problems that I don’t think I would have found in time by searching through the indexes. If your having trouble sleeping just read a chapter from any of those books above.

*General impression about exam and format:* I thought the morning was reasonable. Mostly water treatment, waste water, solid waste, some remediation, etc. The afternoon was a completely different story. I wanted to pull my hair out anytime I saw a combustion type problem, etc. The EH&amp;S and Engineering ECON were reasonable but the air…mostly the qualitative type problems were crazy.

*Advice for future test takers: *Don’t waste your time on a review course if you are disciplined. I honestly thought the Univ. of Del course wasted some valuable time that I could have spent elsewhere. If you still believe a review course is what’s needed…then I would recommend the NC State course. The outline for their course seemed to match up better with the 100 question Environmental Exam. I think some of these other courses are regurgitated versions of chemical/mechanical/civil and not geared towards the pure Environmental Exam…just my thoughts.

The Environmental Exam is just so freaking broad that there is no way you will ever know everything. With that said I think the absolute best way to prepare for this exam is to do hundreds if not thousands of problems and as your doing these problems organize the heck out of your references. Time management is so important on this exam.

The last and most important thing is to read every bit of advice you can on this forum. The help and guidance I received from folks on this forum was the greatest asset to passing this test on my first try. The PPI forum is worthless compared to Engineer boards. Hope this rambling helps future test takers some. Best of luck!


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## engfriend (Dec 19, 2012)

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering, Passed October 2012 (3rd Attempt)

*What books you brought with you:*


Introduction to Environmental Engineering by Mackenzie Davis and David Cornwell - Found this book very useful during preparation and also in the exam this was very helpful.

Practical Design Calculations for Groundwater and Soil Remediation, Jeff Kuo- Covered this book from beginning to end during my third attempt preparation and in my opinion this book is absolutely must for any Environ test takers.

Environmental Engineering and Sanitation, J.A. Salvato (older edition, one volume) - Was useful in the exam, was able to answer couple of questions with the help of this book.

Hazardous Waste Management, M.D. LeGrega -Was useful in the exam, was able to answer couple of questions with the help of this book.

Wastewater Engineering: Treatment, Disposal, and Reuse (Metcalf &amp; Eddy) - MUST for Wastewater

Air Pollution Control: A Design Approach, C.D. Cooper and F.C. Alley - Covered front to end page during preparation, wasn't that useful in the exam. Still I would have it.

EERM - Covered well during my first and second attempt, didn't use much during preparation but was useful in the exam. Finally in my 3rd attempt I was able to find information out of it, probably saved me.

NCEES Problems, and other problem books available at PPI - NCEES Problems is a MUST and I did all the problems couple of times before exam. Schneiter books are good especially for preparing for Environmental Health and Safety questions.

NCSU Review DVD Course - found this very useful for Air and Solid/Haz waste section. Covers the exam problems on these topics very well. Didn't use much for other topics.

FE Reference Manual -another useful book to have during the exam.

Two binders with notes for morning and afternoon sessions. These included materials that I downloaded from net regarding various topics, test masters material for hydrology, groundwater, waste water that I borrowed from a colleague, and other personal notes that I kept during preparation time, important unit conversions (especially for air topics, remediation topics; I took 4-5 copies of these and kept in each binder so I didn't have to spend too much time looking for units)

Environmental dictionary. Purchased this time, as in April there were 2-3 questions which I had no idea what they were about and later found out had I known the meaning the answers were pretty straight forward. But had no use this time in the exam.



*What books you actually used:* Mentioned earlier, everything except the dictionary.

*What books did you wish you brought:* Now that I passed nothing. Thanks to other members in this forum whose suggestions worked for me especially with the books needed during the exam.

*General impression about exam and format:* Previous posters covered this topic well.

*Advice for future test takers:* I started the exam from the end and it helped as the questions were easier I felt at the end than at the beginning. First two times, I spent so much time on the first questions and still couldn't do it that it completely disheartened me and I screwed up the exam. Also I didn't spend much time if I knew I will have to search for the solution (rather than knowing exactly where to look and in which book) in my references, I would just circle the number and move forward and then come back at the end. This helped me a lot this time as my confident was building from question to question and didn't loose heart. I think I had about 10 questions circled in the both the sessions and I had about 40-45 minutes left to do them which was as it turns out sufficient.

I would go through these forums there are some very good advises for the test takers.

All the best to future PE’s.


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## depolarization (Dec 20, 2012)

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering, Passed October 2012 (1st Attempt)

*What books you brought with you:*.


Practical Design Calculations for Groundwater and Soil Remediation, Jeff Kuo- Did not use it much as LaGrega contained most of the answers I needed. Kuo's book is awesome in my field of remediation though

Environmental Engineering and Sanitation, J.A. Salvato (3 volume edition) - I didn't like it very much...as it seemed redundant with Metcalf &amp; Eddy, as well as LaGrega

Hazardous Waste Management, M.D. LeGrega - My greatest resource outside of a binder of notes and the FE manual. So many of the qualitative and quantitative problems are answered efficiently in here. Even Lindberg's EVRM

Wastewater Engineering: Treatment, Disposal, and Reuse (Metcalf &amp; Eddy) - Best Wastewater treatment book there is. Didn't really open it as most of the questions weren't that in depth. But I do like this book a lot!

Water Supply and Pollution Control 8th Ed. (Viessman et al) - When in a pinch, this book is wonderful for the water-treatment side of things as well as drainage basin modelling. I only thought to bring this because the guy from NC State review course kept referencing it.

Air Pollution Control: A Design Approach, C.D. Cooper and F.C. Alley - A great resource. But like Metcalf &amp; Eddy, the questions didn't need in depth control tech, most Gaussian plume modeling references and design questions were covered enough by the NC State Review.

EVRM, Lindberg - Great resource, and if you can focus and read through the tome, you're about 90% done with what you need. However, most of us that work and have families don't have the time required. I recommend a review course. 

NCEES Problems - is easily the most accurate practice problem set. I also brought lindberg and schneiter's review. Warning, the Schneiter questions are really in depth and way harder than anything on the PE exam. Lindberg's book is good enough for more practice. Although if you can master Schneiter's problems, you will probably win the engineering game.

NCSU Review Online Course - I bought the online course. It was good...but I wish it drilled more and that the lecture notes were better organized. The binder I made out of the notes helped a lot during the exam. Make sure you use pen to make notes. The transformations of the Hazen-Williams Equations save A LOT of time when solving hydraulics questions...just a pro tip.

FE Reference Manual -another useful book to have during the exam.



*What books you actually used:* I used most everthing except the solved problems...it took too long to look them up for me...but it was reassuring to have them there. Nearly have the exam was look-up and qualitative so the references really help to cover the broad basis. Note that all the references to regulations can be found in the textbooks and are better digested than looking at the regulations themselves, verbatim.

*What books did you wish you brought:* Since I passed, I guess I am fine. I didn't feel like I was deficient in an area.

*General impression about exam and format:* It is SUPER BROAD. Make sure you know your references well. You cannot really neglect any of the subject-matter areas...fortunate many of the chemical, hydraulic, air-pollution, health &amp; safety, and remediation questions tie in together, as is the case with anything interdisciplinary.

*Advice for future test takers: *Try your best to manage your time. There are questions that seem vague but can actually be solved quickly with a look-up. If it's the last hour and you have 30 questions left, get efficient and use your intuition based on the best available information. Try to look at every questions and nail those quickly answered look-up questions, then tackle those tricky vague-quantitative ones last. You'll notice the hardest questions make the least % of the exam. It's about passing, not getting 100%!


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## DavidPE (Apr 19, 2013)

I was going to wait and post here after my results came, but I better post now while it's fresh. So keep in mind that this advice comes from someone who may or may not have passed!

*Test you took:*

PE Environmental Engineering, April 2013.

*Where you took it:*

Syracuse, NY.

The exam was held in the Driver's Village Conference Center, which is a really nice facility. (Much better than the basement of the War Memorial, under the ice arena!) It's very easy to get to, right off of 81 &amp; 481, and there's lots of free parking.

The test was held in a single room, 18 or 20 long tables, with 4 test takers at each table. I got an end spot, which was awesome, but even in the middle there was plenty of room to have your test plus two or three open references. The chairs were lightly padded and comfortable. There was no clock in the room, and food and drink was not allowed. Despite the cold weather outside, I was comfortable (slightly warm) in just a short-sleeve t-shirt.

There's a place to eat right in Driver's Village, and there is fast food and a grocery store within a very short distance of the facility. Since Driver's Village is an old mall, there is lots of room inside to walk around during lunch, which I thought was really nice after sitting for 4 hours.

*What books you brought with you:*

1. Environmental Engineering Reference Manual, Lindeburg*

2. Wastewater Engineering, Metcalf &amp; Eddy*

3. Hydrology &amp; Hydraulic Systems, Gupta*

4. Hazardous Waste Management, LaGrega*

5. Air Pollution Control, Cooper &amp; Alley*

6. McCoy's RCRA Unraveled

7. Practical Design Calculations for Groundwater and Soil Remediation, Kuo

8. Environmental Engineering, Davis &amp; Cornwell*

9. Emergency Response Handbook*

10. NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards

11. TLVs and BEIs, ACGIH

12. Practice Problems for the Environmental Engineering PE Exam, Lindeburg

13. Environmental Engineering Solved Problems, Schneiter

14. Environmental Engineering Practice PE Exams, Schneiter

15. Environmental Sample Questions &amp; Solutions, NCEES

16. Homemade Binder #1* - NC State review notes, copies of all tables/charts I used while studying, summaries of various regulatory items, and selected chapters of the NCEES FE formula book.

17. Homemade Binder #2* - copies of the indices from each of the above references.

18. Homemade Quick Reference Booklet* - This was something I made to save time on the exam. The cover page is a list of conversions, units, factors, etc. I included a lot of things I know off the top of my head, just in case I drew a blank due to stress or whatever.

Next were summary pages for stormwater, groundwater, open channel, pipes/pumps, water treatment, wastewater, air, solid/hazardous waste, remediation, toxicology, and health &amp; safety. Each topic was one side of one page or less. I included simple formulas, more complex formulas that I thought were high probability or that I could use without further reference, definitions (including formula variables), reminders, etc. A big part of it was simply listing my preferred reference for each topic (for example, I liked the air stripping section of the FE formula book better than the EERM).

After that I included my favorite tables: the periodic table, an awesome table with every possible variation of the universal gas constant, properties of air, and properties of water.

Finally I included 8 or 10 soved problems. These were problems that I struggle with (chemistry) or tend to make mistakes on (river/wastewater mixing) or that require a lot of steps (Hardy Cross).

*What books you actually used:*

Everything with an asterisk. I used the EERM, binder #1, and my quick reference booklet for the majority of the test. The other references were used for between 1 and 3 questions each. I knew I wouldn't use the practice problem books, but I couldn't bring myself to leave them at home.

My homemade quick reference was SUPER valueable. I bet I answered 30+ questions with that alone, and I looked at it while solving probably 70 or 80 questions. The binder of indices was also real handy for those questions that weren't in my main references.

*What books did you wish you brought:*

I don't have any suggestions for other references.

*General impression about exam and format:*

If you want to know about the format, get the NCEES practice exam. I would say the real test was identical in terms of format/layout/complexity.

I did all of the problems in the Lindeburg, both Schneiter, and NCEES books, and there were still a good number of questions that I had never seen before. I was able to come up with an answer that matched one of the choices on most of them, so hopefully I got a bunch right.

I think it could go either way for me. Right now, I'm just happy it's over and that I didn't totally bomb.

*Advice for future test takers:*

1. Starting to study is the hardest part. I've been out of school for more than 10 years and was pretty discouraged. I tried jumping right in to the EERM, and that only made me more discouraged. I ended up taking the NC State DVD course. There's a lot (A LOT!!) that the course doesn't cover, but I think it's a good starting point. The water and wastewater lectures are pretty good, and there's a bunch of really good stuff in the notes that aren't in the EERM. If you take it, pay attention to what the instructors say, because I wrote down a few things not in the notes that came in handy on the test.

2. I started studying in January. I tried to study during lunch at work, two hours a night after work, and 6-8 hours each day every weekend. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it still REALLY sucked. I have a full time job and two young kids (2 and 3-years old), so if I can put in the time, so can you. You have to make it a priority.

3. Do a lot of problems.

4. After you've done a lot of problems, do them all again. This time, do them without looking at the solutions.

5. You will need to work fast on the test, so you really need to know where to find things in your references. The EERM should be your main resource, and you should know it especially well. Learning your references should be among your highest priorities while studying.

6. Tab your resources well. I probably went a little overboard (I bet I spent $30 just on tabs), but it really did save me time.

7. Don't be afraid to write in your reference materials. Circle important things. Write yourself reminders. Cross-reference other material.

8. Buy used references if you can. A lot of the notes other people made in my books were very helpful. (True story: there was one question on the exam that said to use a particular equation that I've never heard of before. I found the equation in one of my used textbooks, and someone had written in a simplified form of the equation and made some notes on its use. It saved me a bunch of time.)

9. Know how to work in both english and metric units. A lot of the practice problmes are in metric, but much of the test in in english.

10. Take the NCEES practice exam under test conditions, twice if you can. I barely broke 50% the first time I took it because I wasted so much time. The second time was much better, and the real exam was even better than that. I wouldn't have stood a chance if I hadn't practiced this way.

11. Get lots of sleep the night before the test. (If your wife is snoring, don't be afraid to move to the sofa if it means getting more sleep.)

12. Bring a lunch. A friend of mine took the test in Vermont a few years ago, and the proctor showed up really late. To make up the time, he only gave everyone 15 minutes between the morning and afternoon sessions.

13. If you wear contact lenses, bring your glasses just in case. By 11am, my contacts and eyes were so dry that I could barely read the exam. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have my glasses for the afternoon.

14. Bring some ibuprofen.

15. During the test, keep track of the time.

16. Read each question very carefully. In fact, read each question very carefully again. Understand what the question is asking. Cross-out the information you don't need (there will be lots of it). Circle key words.

17. There will be questions that you will expect to be one thing (based on a diagram or chart or something), but actually ask you something different. Don't pass on a question because you THINK you know what it's asking. Take the time to read it first.

18. Keep track of the time.

19. Don't be sloppy. Write out your formulas and your units. Cancel your units.

20. Relax, don't get discouraged, and keep working. Skip questions that you're not sure about or that are taking you too long to solve. You'll be surprised how many of them you'll be able to answer when you come back later.

21. Keep track of the time.

22. If you have time left at the end, check your answers. I found three mistakes, including one where I marked the wrong answer on the scantron sheet.


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## Dleg (Apr 21, 2013)

Excellent summary, David! Actually brought back memories of when I took the exam..... ugh... But I saw several strategies of yours that matched mine - mostly along the lines of assuring you truly understand the basic principles. I'll bet you passed!


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## DavidPE (May 23, 2013)

David315 said:


> I was going to wait and post here after my results came, but I better post now while it's fresh. So keep in mind that this advice comes from someone who may or may not have passed!




I am thrilled to say that I passed!


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## Dleg (Jun 6, 2013)

Congratulations! Yet another testament to the power of understanding the basic principles.


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## smckeon pe (Jun 10, 2013)

Hi All - finally ready to post here - Good Luck to all those planning to take the test in October! I took the test twice - first in April 2012, and again in April 2013. Failed the first time, I think mostly to lack of appropriate time dedicated to studying. I spent much more time studying for the second go-round, and, although I didn't walk out of the test SUPER confident that I'd passed, I did feel that I performed much better than on my first attempt - which lead me to 1.5 months of second guessing everything I had done. Thankfully, I got my passing notice about two weeks ago, so I don't have to go through those very daunting 8-hours again. Anyway - here goes:

*Test you took:*

PE Environmental Engineering, April 2013 (2nd attempt)

*Where you took it:*

Newark, NJ

Exam was administered in a large student center room - lots of long tables with 2 people sitting at each table. The room is pretty quiet relative to some other people's experiences, but I still made use of ear plugs. Chairs are decently comfortable - they have thinly padded seats and the backs of them are flexible while still being supportive. The temperatures were pretty warm in the room both times I was there, so I was glad to have layers that I could put on/take off as needed. *The test admins made people tuck in their hoods if they were wearing hooded sweatshirts or jackets - best to just avoid wearing anything with a hood for the test. You can bring snacks and water into the room with you, but they can't sit on the table - I placed a water bottle on the floor beside me, but honestly, didn't have time to think about drinking anything during the exam.

Free parking in the student parking lot, which is nice given the location. Short outdoor walk from the garage to the student center - if the weather is icky, have an umbrella or rain jacket to avoid having to sit in wet clothing all day. The student center has food available for purchase, but I brought lunch with me in a cooler and walked to my car to eat. If it's a nice day outside, there's a campus green adjacent to the building where the test is administered, it's nice to sit outside to get some fresh air and to calm yourself down between the morning and afternoon sessions. Don't bring cell phones into the testing room - they will ask you to turn them in if you do - and you won't be able to collect them before the end of the day.

*What books you brought with you:*

1. Environmental Engineering Reference Manual, Lindeburg*

2. Wastewater Engineering, Metcalf &amp; Eddy

3. Air Pollution Control, Cooper &amp; Alley

4. Practical Design Calculations for Groundwater and Soil Remediation, Kuo

5. Practice Problems for the Environmental Engineering PE Exam, Lindeburg

6. Environmental Sample Questions &amp; Solutions, NCEES*

7. Environmental Law Handbook, 21st Edition, Steinway, Ewing, Case, Nardi, and Brownell*

8. 3 Binders of notes from School of PE online class with sample problems and solutions included*

9. 1 Binder of RCRA rules and regs (based on recommendations from School of PE instructors), plus some other EPA regulation printouts.

*What books you actually used:*

Everything with an asterisk. I used the EERM and the three binders from School of PE for the majority of the test. The other references were used much less, but I was VERY glad I had the Enviromental Law book because I know, for certain, that I would have answered at least 3 questions incorrectly without that one. I didn't have that book when I took the test the first time, only got it based on a recommendation from a co-worker, and was glad I did.

*What books did you wish you brought:*

Nothing

*General impression about exam and format:*

If you want to know about the format, get the NCEES practice exam. The actual layout of the test is very similar to the sample tests, and sometimes they use similar problems on the exam, which makes the sample exams pretty good references.

I did all of the problems in the NCEES sample exams, and all of the samples that were provided by School of PE. I actually did all of the School of PE sample questions twice - once when we were going through each topic as part of class, and again after the classes ended, when I still had two weeks to test time, keep the problems and concepts fresh in my brain.

*Advice for future test takers:*

1. If you don't know where to start studying, I recommend the School of PE review course. I initially signed up for it only because they offered a free repeat if you fail the test the first time around. I did have to take advantage of it and was glad that I was able to make it work.

2. If you do take the School of PE ONLINE classes, I recommend taking the weeknight course as opposed to the weekend one. I took weekend classes for my first attempt, but found that I was lacking ambition to study at night after work. When I took the online classes during the week, it forced me to focus after work on whatever subject we were reviewing, and I used all of my weekend free time to study and go over whatever we had done the week before.

3. Get to the testing site early and use the restroom BEFORE you go into the testing room. The first time I took the test, I made the mistake of thinking I could drop my stuff off at my seat THEN go to the bathroom - but the proctors wouldn't let me leave the room before the exam started even though we had at least 15 minutes before the official start of the test.

4. If you do take a review course, going over the material on your own AFTER you've gone through it in class helps to solidify the concepts - I highly recommend this approach for feeling more comfortable with the material.

5. If you fail at first, take some time to be disappointed, but then get back on the horse, and study again - there is no shame in having to take the test more than once, and the feeling of accomplishment you have after finding out you pass is well worth the aggravation, time, and frustration you have getting to that point.

6. Tell your family/friends/innocent bystanders that you will let them know when you know the results, and kindly request that they not ask you for updates while you're waiting on results. It's annoying enough to have to wait for your state to release results, it's even worse when your Mom calls you every other day to find out if you're in or out...especially when your mom/aunt/friend doesn't fully understand what getting a PE actually means.

7. As others have mentioned, take your time and read each question carefully - you can save a TON of time by understanding what they're asking for and crossing out the info in the problem that doesn't pertain to the question being asked.


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## ENVEguy (Jun 17, 2013)

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering

*What books you brought with you: *
ENVRM by Lindeburg
Hazardous Waste Management by La Grega
Air Pollution Control by Cooper Alley
Wastewater Engineering by Metcalf &amp; Eddy
Water chemistry by Benjamin
Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science by Masters
Introduction to Environmental Engineering by Davis Cornwell

*What books you actually used: *Actually used them all for at least one question. Heavy use of the ENVRM, and LaGrega

*What books did you wish you brought:* Drinking water references

*General impression about exam and format:* NCEES practice exam was about what it was format wise. ENVRM questions were much harder than actual questions. Morning was much harder for me than afternoon.

*Advice for future test takers: *Make sure to have a reference that has shortcut unit conversions. Skip questions that are time consuming and come back. The best thing to do is tab your references and get use to the sections in your books. Do as many practice problems as possible and actually understand the theory behind the problems and not just how to solve the individual problem.


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## Env_eng_grrl (Sep 15, 2013)

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering in April 2013

*Where you took it: *Macomb, Michigan

*What books you brought with you:*

Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering by James R. Mihelcic

Water Resources Engineering by Ralph A. Wurbs and Wesley P. James

Air Pollution Control Engineering by Noel de Nevers

Environmental Engineering Reference Manual by Michael R. Lindeburg

Wastewater Engineering by Metcalf &amp; Eddy

Unit Operations and Processes in Environmental Engineering by Reynolds/Richards

Surface Water-Quality Modeling by Steven C. Chapra

Aquatic Chemistry by James N. Jensen

Geotechnical Engineering by Donald P. Coduto

The Complete Guide to the Hazardous Waste Regulations by Travis P. Wagner

Applied Hydrogeology by C.W. Fetter

Design, Operation, and Closure of Municipal Solid Waste Landfills by EPA

Emergency Response Guidebook by DOT

NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards by CDC

Risk Assessment Equations from NCEES 2011 Sample Questions and Solutions

*What books you actually used:*

Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering by James R. Mihelcic

Water Resources Engineering by Ralph A. Wurbs and Wesley P. James

Air Pollution Control Engineering by Noel de Nevers

Environmental Engineering Reference Manual by Michael R. Lindeburg

Wastewater Engineering by Metcalf &amp; Eddy

Unit Operations and Processes in Environmental Engineering by Reynolds/Richards

*What books did you wish you brought: *I did not bring my drinking water text.. probably should have

*General impression about exam and format: *Format is just like NCEES practice exam. My impression is that the exam was easier than the practice exam, which makes it a good standard to set your sights.

*Advice for future test takers: *I took a review course offered by the local engineering society. My thoughts were that the course would help me stay focused on studying and necessitate time spent reviewing the material. The people that taught the courses were excellent and I ended up learning quite a bit. There were people that had been in consulting or regulatory agencies 20-30 years and there were some who had just passed the PE exam who had excellent grasp of the material and preparation strategies. I would recommend a review course - in terms of your career advancement, its probably the best money spent.

Most of the textbooks I brought were those that were assigned for courses during my undergraduate in environmental engineering. Once I learned that you could bring material into the PE exam, I started saving my books. Some I even bought back after the fact. I think this was an immense help because I was familiar with each of these particular textbooks. In addition, if you are a practicing engineer, having access to reference is necessary.


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## garfield2481 (Oct 29, 2013)

I should give a little background about me. I have a bachelors in chemical engineering and a masters in environmental engineering and have been working on industrial wastewater projects for the past 5-6 years/

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering

*Where you took it: Philadelphia, PA*

*What books you brought with you: *

Environmental Engineering Reference Manual by Michael R. Lindeburg

Wastewater Engineering by Metcalf &amp; Eddy

NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards by CDC

Hazardous Waste Management by La Grega
Air Pollution Control by Cooper Alley

Practice Problems for the Environmental Engineering PE Exam, Lindeburg

Binders of notes from NC State class (VERY USEFUL)

Environmental Law Handbook

Rest of the PE practice problem books by PPI

*What books you actually used:*

Heavy use of the NC State notes and air pollution control

Barely used Lagrega and environmental law handbook

*What books did you wish you brought:*

None

*General impression about exam and format:*

Format similar to the NCEES sample book. I found water/wastewater problems easy, but that's what I have been working on the last few years.

*Advice for future test takers: *

Most important advice I can think of is that if you buy a book or take a book to the exam, make sure you read it or go through it properly. You don't need to memorize stuff, but have to make sure you know where things are. I never really used LaGrega or environmental law handbook much and had I known where things were (i.e. tagged or highlighted) things would have been very different. You really dont have time during the exam to read paragraphs looking for that one answer.

The NC state notes are great. Really good shortcuts and you should carry it if you can and add notes or stuff in it if you can. I tagged the crap out of it and it came in handy. Have colored tabs for air, water, haz. waste etc.

You HAVE to buy an engineering unit conversions book. Will save you precious time during the exam.

If you are weak in a certain area (like air or hazardous waste etc.), that's where you need to start practicing problems and work on them till you are proficient. The exam really doesn't let you look through books to understand how to solve a problem.

Work as many problems as you can and when you are done, go over them 1-2 more times. That way it will get ingrained in your head!!! The only books I used were the PPI practice problem books (Wayne S books are helpful, companion to PE book not so much), NCEES sample book and the air pollution control appendix problems for PE.

Carry lunch to your test center unless you are certain there are places to eat nearby. They expect you to be at the exam center 45 minutes before the exam, so you might need to find a breakfast spot too!

Best of luck to you all! I hope I pass


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## OR Duck (Nov 3, 2013)

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering

*Where you took it: *Salem, OR

*What books you brought with you:*

EERM - Lindeburg

Intro to Environmental Engineering - Masters

Hydrology and Hydraulic Systems - Gupta

Haz Waste Management - LaGrega

Environmental Engineering PE Exam Guide &amp; Handbook - King

Wastewater Engineering - Metcalf &amp; Eddy

Air Pollution Control - Cooper &amp; Alley

Environmental Law Handbook - Bell et al

Practice Problems for the Environmental Engineering Exam - Lindeburg

NCEES Problems

Environmmental Engineering Practice PE Problems - Schneiter

2012 Emergency Response Guidebook

NIOSH Reference Handbook

Binder with references, EERM index/appendices, solved problems

*What books you actually used:*

First seven listed in addition to the binder. Mostly relied on the EERM.

*What books did you wish you brought:*

A text on drinking water

*General impression about exam and format:*

Similar to what others have listed. The most similar from a prep standpoint were the NCEES practice problems, but I don't recommend relying on these practice problems exclusively in preparation. Overall, the quantitative problems were relatively straightforward and I found that I rarely had to use my references for these problems with the exception of a quick look up for an equation. This was mainly due to the prep time I put in: I could recall conversions, etc. simply due to repetition during my studying. Qualitative problems were a different animal. This is where I used my references the most. Many of the qualitative problems I knew based on experience or I knew where to look in my references. For quite a few others I had to rely on process of elimination. Overall, I feel the exam questions were fair, but the content of the exam is very broad, so it's nearly impossible to know everything. There were a few subject areas not covered on the exam that I studied extensively because I was sure they would be covered, but weren't. I used up all of the time in the morning and afternoon sessions, and felt the level of difficulty was pretty similar in each session. My background is water, so I was feeling a little more pressed for time in the afternoon section. 

*Advice for future test takers:*

Begin preparing yourself well in advance of the exam. There is no substitute for preparation. Cramming will not work for this exam. I started studying June 1 and ramped up my studying as I progressed, particularly the final two months. I'm fairly certain I studied at least 300 hours for the exam. As many others have said, know your references well. You don't have time on the exam to navigate references you are not familiar with. I think a good strategy is to spend about 60% of your time solving practice problems, and about 40% reading/getting to know your reference materials. During the exam, I found myself going to the references I was most familiar with. The EERM is the most handy reference as it was written for this exam. It's not perfect, but it has most of the content you will need to know for the exam. During my studies, the areas of the EERM I largely skipped included the background info and the much of the HVAC/Thermo sections in the middle of the book. This didn't seem to be an issue on the exam. There are some topics, such as groundwater, water treatment, and wastewater treatment that are not sufficiently covered by the EERM in my opinion. Many people have listed the Fetter Groundwater Hydrology book as a good reference for groundwater. I have this book, but didn't bring it to the exam. Instead, I relied on the Hydrology and Hydraulic Systems book by Gupta which sufficiently covers groundwater in addition to many other relevant topics including open channel flow, stormwater, hydraulics, etc.

I also prepared a binder as suggested by many on this post. It included conversions, EERM index, EERM appendices, problems I solved by hand, and other miscellaneous references and regulations. I mostly used it for the EERM index. I don't think I looked at the solved problems in my binder at all (or the NCEES problems or any other solved problems for that matter). There simply isn't enough time on the exam. The biggest benefit of the binder for me was the process of putting it together during my preparation. It helped me get organized in preparing for the exam. I also used a reference on drinking water MCLs I had in my binder a couple of times.

I used the strategy (listed by others) of taking a few minutes at the beginning of each session to look through all the problems first, then marking them in the exam booklet as 1, 2 or 3 depending on the perceived level of difficulty. This is a good strategy as it allows you to answer the easier problems first, and not waste a lot of your time early in the exam on the more difficult problems. Time management is key.

Lastly, I found this thread was very helpful in strategizing and organizing my thoughts and materials for the exam.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Nov 3, 2013)

> *What books did you wish you brought:* A text on drinking water




Unit Ops by Reynolds and Richards is pretty technical, but good for process stuff. I relied on this one s lot.

Envl Chem by Bunce is good for theory and concepts - alkalinity, hardness, etc.


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## Dleg (Nov 5, 2013)

Excellent advice, OR Duck. Thanks for posting.


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## ex nihilo (Dec 9, 2013)

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering

*Where you took it: *Orlando, FL

*What books you brought with you:*

EERM - Lindeburg

FE Supplied-Reference Handbook

Environmental Engineering Dictionary - Lee

Basic Environmental Technology - Nathanson

Chemistry for Environmental Engineering and Science - Sawyer, McCarty, Parkin

Environmental Engineering - Salvato

Applied Hydrogeology - Fetter

Hazardous Waste Management - LaGrega

Wastewater Engineering - Metcalf &amp; Eddy

Air Pollution Control - Cooper &amp; Alley

Environmental Law Handbook - Bell et al

Practice Problems for the Environmental Engineering Exam - Lindeburg

NCEES PE Environmental Sample Questions &amp; Solutions

Environmmental Engineering Practice PE Problems - Schneiter

RCRA manual

Binder with quick references: property tables, conversion factors, engineering data and constants, indices/appendices, solved problems

*What books you actually used:*

Used all of them but the majority of questions were fielded using the first four books and the binder with quick references. Having the Lindeburg text is a no-brainer, obviously. The FE (yes, Fundamentals!) Handbook was absolutely indispensible--I did many calculations very quickly using it. The Dictionary is a must-have for handling esoteric qualitative questions--it's well worth the money, you can find used older editions (still relevant) online for under $30.

*What books did you wish you brought:*

None

*General impression about exam and format:*

As others have already mentioned, the format is most similar to the NCEES practice problems.

There seemed to be an even split of quantitative and qualitative questions. The quantitative ones were straightforward, no tricks involved; the qualitative ones were more challenging in my opinion because they required specific experience with a particular scenario or subject matter--this may be subjective on my part since I mainly focused on working problems during studying.

*Advice for future test takers:*

Start studying at least 4 months in advance. Don't waste time reading EERM cover to cover (what I did) before you start working problems. Start doing problems as soon as possible so you can assess your strengths/ weaknesses and well as reinforce an efficient problem solving methodology; also, take the NCEES practice test early on (don't wait until the week before like I did).

Prepare a quick reference binder. Do this at the same time you are working practice problems since you will learn which properties, conversions and equations keep coming up.

Be intimately familiar with a few of your references but bring them all (just in case). It's better to have them and not need them then to miss a relatively easy question because you were missing a reference. For me many books were only good for one question but since the test is so broad you will need every single point you can get.

Time is of the essence so answer the easiest test questions first. Don't fall into the trap of spending too much time on a few questions early on--this will only increase your stress and make even easy questions difficult when you see time running out. Go through the test first and answer any questions that you can solve in 2-3 minutes; answer the more difficult questions after you've solved the easiest; save at least 10-15 minutes at the end for guessing on questions you have absolutely no idea of the answer or to check that you've filled out your Scantron correctly.


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## Hariiyer (Jan 10, 2014)

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering

*Where you took it: *Worcester, MA

*What books you brought with you:*


ENVRM - Lindeburg
NCSU DVD notes
Metcalf &amp; Eddy
Environmental Engineering Dictionary – Lee
Hazardous Waste Management, by LaGrega
Air Pollution Control - Cooper &amp; Alley
Environmental Law Handbook – Sullivan
Engineering Units Conversion - Lindeburg
Surface Water Quality Modeling– Chapra
Applied Hydrogeology by C.W. Fetter
Water Chemistry – Benjamin
Water Treatment: Principles and Design – MWH
NCEES Environmental Sample Questions and Solutions
Environmental Engineering Solved Problems by R. Wane Schneiter
Environmental Engineering Practice PE Exams by R. Wane Schneiter
Practice Problems for the Environmental Engineering PE Exam (Companion), Lindeburg
*What books you actually used:*

Heavy use of ENVRM, NCSU notes. Used M&amp;E, Lagrega, Cooper &amp; Alley, dictionary a few times. Law handbook helped with one question. The unit conversion book saved me some valuable time. 

*What books did you wish you brought:*
None

*General impression about exam and format:*
Follows the NCEES sample questions book. I found the PM section easier than AM.

*Advice for future test takers: *

A lot of good advices are found in this blog. Thanks a lot for previous bloggers. I thought, I was underprepared for the exam but luckily passed it. I would have prepared for ~270 hr. My advice is to focus on quantitative problem solving. There are a good amount of qualitative questions in the exam but it is difficult to fully prepare for it. NCSU DVDs helped me a lot. Cooper and Alley book on Air quality is also a good reference. The sample questions at the back of Cooper text were similar to exam questions. Lindeburg guide is a must have. Focus on important chapters. Schneiter’s book of solved problems were difficult than actual questions on the exam, but I thought it was good for preparation. 

There were many questions on Hydrology and Hydraulics in the AM section. I had issues with time management at the exam. For AM section, I completed only 5 questions after hour 1. So, I had to play catch-up rest of the exam. Finally, I completed all but 2 questions. I did not do mock exams as preparation before the PE exam. Hindsight, I think it would have helped.

I am selling the study material including most listed above. Kindly email me at [email protected] if interested.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jan 10, 2014)

Excellent post! Welcome to the club. I thought qualitative was harder than quantititative since you can't just work the problem and cancel out units.

I used to live in that neck of the woods, so I know how to pronounce Wistuh.


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## Hariiyer (Jan 10, 2014)

Thank You VTEnviro..

Qualitative Qs - I was not absolutely sure of the answers. I was able to narrow down to two choices for most questions. I guess the probability should have worked in my favor as I passed.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jan 10, 2014)

According to 40 CFR XXX, the definition of hazardous slop is most likely...

I hated those.


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## SteveinKY (May 20, 2014)

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering

*Where you took it: Louisville, KY*

*What books you brought with you:*

Environmental Eng Reference Manual 1st Ed - Lindeburg

Practice Problems for the EE PE Exam 2nd Ed - Lindeburg

Env Engineering Solved Problems 2nd ed - Schneiter

Intro To Env Eng 4th International Edition - Davis and Cornwell

Applied Hydrogeology 3rd ed - Fetter

Water Supply and Pollution Control 6th ed - Viessman &amp; Hammer

NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards

Engineering Unit Conversions 4th Ed - Lindeburg

PE Environmental Practice Exam - NCEES

McCoy's RCRA Reference 2002 Ed

Binder with notes from practice exams - Any equations with all variables on practice exams that were not easily found in EERM

Printed Regs:

Recommended Standards for Wastewater Facilities 2004 ed.

2011 Ed of Drinking Water Standards and Health Advisories - EPA

Handbook for Sampling and Sample Preservation of Water and Wastewater - EPA

Design, Operation, and Closure of Municipal Solid Waste Landfills - EPA

Requirements for Hazardous Waste Landfill Design, Construction, and Closure - EPA

Various Sections of Health and Safety Regs: HAZWOPPER, PSM, UFC, SARA - anything required to answer questions in practice problems

Combustion Analysis Basics: An overview of Measurements, Methods and Calculations Used in Combustion Analysis - TSI

RCRA Orientation Manual 2011 - EPA

Land Disposal Restriction: Summary of Requirements - EPA

NAAQS from EPA website and Methods of Measurement Chart from NAAQS Monitoring and Analysis Guidelines Volume II -EPA

*What books you actually used:*

EERM, Introduction to EE by Davis and Cornwell, Water Supply and Pollution Control by Viessman, Lindeburg conversions book, at least one question used Applied Hydrogeology,

Intro to EE by Davis and Cornwell was an excellent book to read. I read almost the entire book in preparation and know that it helped me pass. It provided a lot of information that wasn't in the EERM.

During the exam I didn't use the printed regs much, but having scanned through them repeatedly to answer practice problems and reading the RCRA orientation manual to prepare really helped. I finished the afternoon section in 3 hours, the qualitative questions were immediately known or knew where to find, or knew I would have to guess.

*What books did you wish you brought: *

I thought I had plenty.

*General impression about exam and format:*
No surprises, it was exactly like the outline NCEES provides and the NCEES practice exam is exactly how the real exam feels.

*Advice for future test takers: *

Start studying well in advance, I started in October for the April Exam. Unless you have great knowledge of Water, Waste, and Air you will benefit from slowly adsorbing the concepts as well as learning the math. I don't think it would be possible to cram for the qualitative questions and I can't imagine trying to rely on only having studied the quantitative problems. The more time you spend reading the sections of your references around the equations the easier the exam will be.

I'm very relieved to have passed.


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## KYEnvEng (Jul 3, 2014)

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering

*Where you took it:* Louisville, KY

*What books you brought with you:* LOTS! I'll try to list them more-or-less in order of how useful they were to me.

Environmental Engineering Reference Manual

My personal binders of notes, quick references, common equations, unit conversions, regulations, chemical data, etc

Standard Handbook of Environmental Engineering (Corbett)

Hazardous Waste Management

Air Pollution Control

Intro to Environmental Engineering (Davis Cornwell)

Water &amp; Wastewater Technology (Hammer &amp; Hammer)

Wastewater Engineering (Metcalf Eddy)

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

Environmental Chemistry (2 volume set; Yen)

Practical Design Calc's (Kuo)

Environmental Engineering Review (Naimpally)

The Solid Waste Handbook

Aerosol Technology

Smoke Dust and Haze

I included solved problems in my binders that I had worked (while studying in advance) from basically every "sample test" and "sample problems" book I could get my hands on. I found that, during the test, I didn't have the time to locate similar problems that I had solved, but it was definitely helpful to have worked many problems in advance. (Please see my classified ad on here where I'm selling my "sample tests" and "sample problems" books - I have basically all of the available books. I have 7 different sample test/problem books.)

*What books you actually used:*

Mostly EERM and my extensive quick-reference binders that I created. If I remember correctly, these are the books I actually used during the exam:

Environmental Engineering Reference Manual

My personal binders of notes, quick references, common equations, unit conversions, regulations, chemical data, etc

Standard Handbook of Environmental Engineering (Corbett)

Hazardous Waste Management

Air Pollution Control

Intro to Environmental Engineering (Davis Cornwell)

Water &amp; Wastewater Technology (Hammer &amp; Hammer)

Wastewater Engineering (Metcalf Eddy)

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

*What books did you wish you brought:* Perhaps there are books I don't own that might have been helpful, but there weren't any books I left at home (like my Fluid Mechanics book or Geotechnical Engineering book or an OSHA book) that I felt would have helped me on any problems I might have missed.

*General impression about exam and format:* It went roughly how I expected it to go. The time goes by quickly, and I used all my available time. I felt relatively confident during the morning session, and somewhat less-so during the afternoon session. After taking the exam, I thought I had probably passed, but I wasn't sure. 

*Advice for future test takers: *I spent a LOT of time making sure I knew how and where to QUICKLY find information I needed in my references. I made sure I was very familiar with all my references. You might have the "perfect" reference book with you for answering a certain question, but it's not going to help you if you're not already familiar with the book, what's in it, where to find the info you need, etc. Basically, I felt that being organized and prepared was perhaps the most important thing for me. Another "exam tip" I found helpful was that I basically skimmed all the questions first before working any of them, making note of which ones would be easy for me personally, which ones I basically had no idea how to solve, and which ones were somewhere in between. I solved all the easy ones first. Then moved to the "in between" questions. Then, as time permitted, I gave the questions that seemed most difficult a quick effort. If I had simply worked the questions in order, I probably would have spent way too much time on some of the hard questions (and possibly still missed them) and not even had time to get to the questions that were easy for me personally (due to my familiarity with the subject, having worked with the material, studied it extensively, or whatever the case may be).

Be organized, get there on time, try to relax (as best you can - I know it's not easy!), and watch your time to make sure you don't waste too much time on a single problem (or waste time searching blindly through your reference books).


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## Janizzle (Jan 22, 2015)

Hey! I've been meaning to do this for awhile, but now that Pennsylvania has finally issued me a PE license number and NCEES says that I passed (as of 1/21), I wanted to share my advice.

*Test you took: *PE Environmental

*Where you took it: **Philade**lphia, PA*

*What books you brought with you:*


Introduction to Environmental Engineering, Davis &amp; Cornwell (a great book that covers just about everything)
Air Pollution Control, Cooper &amp; Alley
Engineering Unit Conversions, Michael Lindenberg (HUGE time saver!)
Wastewater Engineering Treatment &amp; Reuse, Metcalf &amp; Eddy (a MUST for the exam!)
Hazardous Waste Management, LaGrega (a great book! I actually ordered this on Amazon used and it was already tabbed up really great!)
Water Supply and Pollution Control, Viessman &amp; Hammer (very cheap, VERY useful - I didn't get until a couple of weeks until the exam and I'm glad I did!)
Environmental Sample Questions and Solutions, NCEES
Civil: Water Resources &amp; Environmental Sample Questions and Solutions, NCEES (extremely helpful, gave me extra problems to practice! just skip the civil stuff in the front)
Environmental Law Handbook (not very useful during the exam)
Basic Environmental Technology (last minute buy and a complete waste)
Environmental Engineering Solved Problems, Lindenberg
FE Reference Manual (extremely helpful, thanks for the advice here on taking it!)
Environmental Engineering Review Manual
Practice Problems for the Environmental PE Exam, Lindenberg
Environmental Engineering Practice Exams
School of PE Notes and Practice Problems (3 Binders: Site Assessment/Remediation/Public Health &amp; Safety, Air/HazWaste/Water Treatment, and Wastewater/Water Resources/Engineering Economics), plus recommended EPA Sheets on Remediation Technologies
NC State Course Notes in Binders (I think 2?)
Small Binder with home-made Index for each exam area citing useful page numbers for resources in textbooks, notes, and sample problems, and an index for key tables and figures in the EERM 
NIOSH Pocket Guide (was able to order for free at the last minute)
Environmental Regulations Desk Reference binders, Lion Training (borrowed)
Emergency Response Guidebook (borrowed)
HAZWOPER Reference Manual (borrowed)
ACGIH References with TLV's and BEI's (borrowed)

*What books you actually used:*


EERM
School of PE Notes
NC State Notes (great hazardous waste information)
Davis &amp; Cornwell (LOVE this book!)
LaGrega (so much information here)
Cooper &amp; Alley (gave me a little boost, EERM covers air pretty well)
Viessman and Hammer
Engineering Unit Conversions
NCEES Civil WR&amp;E and Environmental Sample Questions and Solutions
FE Reference Manual (got me a problem I wouldn't have otherwise)
Environmental Engineering Solved Problems
NIOSH (but couldn't find what I was looking for)
Environmental Regulations Desk Reference
My small binder with my indices
*What books did you wish you brought: *Clearly I brought a lot, LOL...but I did not buy the Practical Design Calculations for Groundwater and Soil Remediation by Kuo. I'm imagining it would have been extremely helpful in the afternoon. If I had failed, I believe not having this book would have been the reason, if that makes sense.

*General impression about exam and format: *Okay, so the Morning and Afternoon were two extremely different animals. When I did the Practice Exams, the morning topics were my biggest weakness...but somehow the morning was a breeze and the afternoon killed me! So clearly the Lindenberg problems are quite a bit tougher than the actual exam. I found overall, most questions were extremely straightforward and the "tricks" weren't that tricky. But often times you either had to know it or you didn't. The morning had questions on water, wastewater and waste management. The afternoon had engineering econ, health and safety, air, and remediation. The air questions were a little wilder than what I was expecting, health and safety had a lot of odd-balls and remediation was insane!!

*Advice for future test takers: *


*Start studying as soon as possible*. Don't wait until you're approved to sit for the exam. In Pennsylvania, it wasn't until August 20 or so when I received confirmation. I started collecting books in early July and while I did start studying in July, I didn't really push it until that confirmation came in the mail. 
*Buy used books if you can...*old editions for the most part are fine. Make sure you KNOW your books well, or at least are comfortable with going through an index quickly. I did print out the index of the EERM but that wasn't terribly helpful during the exam.
*I used two "milk crates" that I bought from Walmart to carry my books.* They had to be about $7 a piece. I was able to carry these on a dolly I borrowed from work, straps and all. I had a bit of a hike from my car to the building but it wasn't that bad. I was able to easily set up a little bookcase at my desk. I thought this was better than storing it in a suitcase like a lot of others. Thankfully we were allowed to have more than one book on the table at a time.
It's been said but *you really need to do a ton of problems and READ your reference books.* Things start to stick the more you do it. It can be frustrating as hell but it gets better. 
*Re-read problems to make sure you're answering what has been asked.* Circle, underline, cross out as needed.
*Don't get lost in your books and miss an easy problem! *I had a problem I meant to go back to that I knew how to do but got caught up trying to search through books!
I used the NC State Notes which were great, and I also did School of PE. They were both great but if I had to choose one *I'd go with SOPE. * The notes were invaluable for solving problems quickly. 
*Practice using ear plugs before the exam.* *And make sure you have a watch!* It's amazing how quickly those last 15 minutes fly. 

I am so relieved to have passed the exam. Thank you to EVERYONE for your advice that you've left over the years. Having my index full of references really made me comfortable with all of my materials, and while I did more page flipping in the afternoon, overall I felt in control. So glad to be done!!


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## Dleg (Jan 22, 2015)

Thanks for the excellent posting, Janizzle, and welcome to the Environmental PE club!


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## Janizzle (Jan 26, 2015)

Dleg said:


> Thanks for the excellent posting, Janizzle, and welcome to the Environmental PE club!




Thanks Dleg, glad to be a part of it!


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## envirotex (Jan 28, 2015)

Janizzle said:


> Hazardous Waste Management, LaGrega (a great book! I actually ordered this on Amazon used and it was already tabbed up really great!)


I have been meaning to find a copy of LaGrega since everyone says it's such a good resource even outside of the exam...Thanks for the Amazon tip.


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## joeenv (Jan 29, 2015)

Hi all,

I posted this in a different topic section of the forum, and though it might be helpful in this discussion as well. I found the forum advice helpful when studying for the enviro exam, and hopefully can give back a bit in advising future takers, particularily in getting an idea on pulling together reference materials. I have a background in physical chemistry with a few engineering classes as well some pratical work experience, and was fortuante enough to pass first time the Environmental PE in 2010 and the Chemical PE last October. 

For what’s its worth, here is a list of the main reference materials that I used for prepping and during the enviro exam:


_Lindeberg Environmental Engineering Reference Manual_

_Wastewater Engineering_, Metcalf and Eddy

_Hazardous Waste Management_, LaGrega and others

_Air Pollution Control: A Design Approach_, Cooper and Alley

_Practical Design Calculations for Groundwater and Soil Remediation_, Kuo

A few insights: It is easy to go overboard on bringing reference materials (and yes, I brought way more reference materials, and I found I didn't really need more than the references listed above).  I think being very familar with a few core references (sort of a "less is more" approach), to point of where you can easily &amp; quickly find information, is far more helpful than bringing a large number be of references that you might not be as familar with. One other insight, having a decent background/understanding of chemistry is a defintie plus (think mass transfer, phase change, basic thermo, etc.). Also I didn't take a review course, and while I think a review course can be helpful, I found making the time (and I realize how hard this can be with work, family, etc.) to simply work as many problems as possible in all the topic areas and improving understanding was what really helped in prepping for the exam.

Good luck to all future test takers!


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## HAVOC4 (Jun 5, 2015)

Hello! I just passed the Environmental PE Exam (first attempt) in April 2015; below is a summary of my experience. 

*Test you took:* 

PE Environmental Engineering

*Where you took it:* 

Columbia, SC

*What books you brought with you:*

*“POWERHOUSES*” – Resources that I heavily relied on to pass


ENVRM, 2nd Edition – Lindeburg (Not as comprehensive as I feel it could be but reliable.)
Intro to Environmental Engineering, 5th Edition – Davis &amp; Cornwell (Classic that covers a ton. Wish I had this during grad school. It’s technical but an easy read; my dark horse candidate for my book of the exam.)
Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Resource Recovery, 5th Edition – Metcalf &amp; Eddy/AECOM (Any wastewater-related question or concept is in this book, my international version came in 2 volumes)
Hazardous Waste Management, 2nd Edition – Lagrega (Solid, covered several exam topics in sufficient detail)
Engineering Unit Conversions, 4th Edition – Lindeburg (Saved me tons of time!)
NCEES FE Reference Handbook (My second dark horse candidate for book of the exam; definitely a must-have for the exam and contains more helpful exam information than many people realize.)
My test binder
“*GOOD HELP*” – Resources that assisted me on multiple questions 


Basic Environmental Technology, 6th Edition – Nathanson &amp; Schnieder (I call it the “Environmental Engineering for Dummies” book. Easy read, very helpful with helping me soak in the big concepts and has some unique jewels of info that could show up on the exam.) 
Environmental Law Handbook, 22nd Edition (A must-have text in any environmental professional’s library.)
Air Pollution Control, 4th Edition – Cooper and Alley (Great technical text, another must-have text)
2011/2012 Hazardous Materials, Substances &amp; Wastes Compliance Guide (Basically the waste regulations in book form, I use it at work but I’m not sure how helpful it would have been if I didn’t have it tabbed for work purposes)
NCEES PE Environmental Sample Questions and Solutions, 2011 (Great starting point for studying and also for the chance familiar questions pop up on the exam.)
NCEES PE Civil: Water Resources and Environmental Practice Exam (Read above.)
 “*OK*” – Resources used to answer an obscure question


NIOSH Pocket Guide for Chemical Hazards – Dept. of Health &amp; Human Services
“*THE OTHERS*” – Items I didn’t need, but I would have been uncomfortable without them


2012 DOT Emergency Response Guidebook
Practical Design Calculations for Groundwater and Soil Remediation, 2nd Edition – Kuo
Hydrology &amp; Hydraulic Systems, 3rd Edition – Gupta
NCEES PE Environmental Sample Questions and Solutions, 2004
Environmental Engineering Practice PE Exams, 3rd Edition – Schneiter
Environmental Engineering Solved Problems, 3rd Edition – Schneiter
Practice Problems for the Environmental PE Exam, 2nd Edition - Lindeburg
*What books you actually used: *

See the book breakdown above; the “powerhouses” along with my personal binder were my technical backbone. Having my binder well organized saved me lots of time, as I had it organized by exam specifications and overall themes that kept showing up while I studied each topic. I think I ended up with 50 different sections in all. Along with charts, equations, and technical guides, all practice problems I worked that I deemed as “possible” were in the binder as well in their respective sections. The “good help” I would say was the difference between passing and failing, while the “OK” resources gave me some answer to questions I still to this day have no idea how to solve, but these types of questions change drastically from test to test so don’t take this list as the gospel. However, if you are trying to keep your resources as minimal as possible, stick to the powerhouses and good help sections on the list. 

*What books did you wish you brought:* 

Not sure if any additional text/resources would have helped me anymore than those I brought with me. 

*General impression about exam and format:* 

Working in regulatory compliance, I thought the morning was reasonable but due to my lack of experience with the water topics it was an overall struggle, especially with the conceptual questions (beside the regulatory questions). Either I knew how to solve the answer or I had no clue. I manage the industrial waste program at my employer (10 facilities in all) so I blazed through the solid waste questions. The morning followed the outline of the exam specifications and NCEES sample exams I took (Water Treatment, Waste Water, Solid waste, remediation, etc.). After the morning I felt beat. The afternoon followed the outline of the exam specs as well (air, remediation, EHS, Associated Engineering Principles, etc.). I honestly felt the afternoon was a little tougher but because of my experience with air, EHS, and overall math strengths I felt really confident in the problem solving aspect and grinding through the problems. Once again, the majority of regulatory questions were quick answers for me. I stayed the entire time for both sections but I felt much better in the afternoon than in the morning. Overall, the exam was similar in difficulty to the NCEES sample exam.

*Advice for future test takers: *

I have three technical tips for those taking the exam in the future:

*1)* If you feel you have enough discipline, you don’t need a prep class. I personally couldn’t afford the costs and my employer was not going to pay for one, so this worked out well for me. I had a strict study schedule (which you need with or without a class) of 4 hours/day for 6 days a week. I started studying in the middle of January so I had this schedule for 4 months. I honestly took 1 1/2 weeks off at the beginning of March because I started to wear down mentally, and this helped tremendously to get a second wind going into the exam. About a week before the exam I shortened my study time daily to about 1-2 hours and just read my resources, tightened up my equation sheets and test binder, and made sure I had everything I needed in the most accessible manner possible. This paid dividends on exam day.

*2)* Do several problems and simulate test conditions as much as possible. Your test day does not need to be the first time you continuously sat 4 hours in the same seat. If it is, you may be in for a long day. I started each study session with short, 3-5 question quizzes at the beginning of my study sessions using the resources I had, usually a mix of math, science, conceptual, and regulatory-based questions. This helped me get familiar with my resources as I solved or looked up answers to the quizzes. As I solved problems I focused on the topic or theme of the question, understanding the what, why, and how of each problem. Every other weekend, I took a 4-hour section just to get acclimated to sitting that long, and every month I did an 8-hour practice exam. The questions may change drastically from test to test, but the topics and themes, along with the time given for each section does not. There are a handful of overarching concepts that all environmental engineers should know, and you CANNOT pass this test without understanding them. Understanding the big concepts, reading your texts/resources, and practicing problem-solving will give you the capacity and confidence to solve problems on the exam and post-exam in your field that you did not know you had the guts/smarts to solve.

*3)* *READ!!!* Lots of practice problems and problems on exam day at initial glances appear as asking for one type of solution or answer, but are really asking for another type of solution. It could be differing units from what is presented in the problem, it could be a conceptual problem masking as a math problem, or vice versa. It could be some type of industrial, municipal, or treatment function that operates different than the 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year than many practice problems have established. I had a plan of completing problems in each section based on difficulty or type (e.g. 1 for easy, 2 for medium, 3 for conceptual, and 4 for hard) and this almost backfired on me because some problems I initially declared “easy” took much longer. Some of the “hard” problems that I almost didn’t even get to due to time were very simple and straightforward to solve after reading through the entire question. And again, read your texts, not only to tab them but to pick up some obscure knowledge that you can hopefully use for those 1 or 2 questions that come from outer space on the exam. 



This forum was great in assisting me get together a solid game plan to prepare me in passing the exam the first time. Read the tips and see what works or does not work for you. Create a game plan and trust it, but do be afraid to change it mid-stream if you are not progressing as you feel you should. Take of yourself physically, get your rest as needed (physical and mental), and relax. Besides the technical skill and preparation, you need the moxy to grind through the test whenever you hit a rough spot or consecutive questions you have no idea how to solve. You have put in the work, prepared very well, and you are focused yet relaxed. You will be ready to pass. Best wishes, and may the odds be ever in your favor!


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## matt267 PE (Jun 5, 2015)

^wow. Awesome write up.


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## Dleg (Jun 5, 2015)

I agree - one of the best, HAVOC4! Thank you for taking the time to pass on your knowledge.

I used a similar study approach to yours. No test prep services. I recommend this approach to most people. There's no substitute for truly understanding the overarching principles, as you put it, and nobody else but you can ensure that you really understand it.

Excellent write-up, you show some real ability to write. And by that I mean not just the mechanics and grammar, but also the organization of your post. That's really hard to find in engineers, and will set you apart as time goes by, whether you are working in the regulatory or consultant world.


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## Blue 8 (Jun 9, 2015)

That was very well done Havoc. I'll add my advice after I finish this move overseas. My mind is all over the place.

*Future Post*


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## Wootan (Jan 4, 2017)

Guys-A newbie question here. How in-depth are the Math questions on the Environmental section of the PE? Do they go in to details such as Probability, Matrices etc.? I am trying to economize time and thought I could use your input. 

Thanks!


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## Dleg (Jan 4, 2017)

I think that's a good question, and one that naturally comes up with all test takers because of the dedicated chapter in the ENVRM (same thing with some of the other chapters on "basics" like thermo).  I don't think you need to necessarily practice pure math or read the chapter.  If you study hard and do lots of practice problems, you will get pretty well refreshed on your math skills and can handle whatever random math question(s) they decide to throw at you.  You might only get one or two of them anyway, so best not to waste too much time specifically studying up on math, except as you need to be able to solve the relevant subject matter problems.  

Then again, if you are many years out of school and feel shaky with math, some brushing up might be beneficial.  I didn't bother before the exam, and I passed.  A while later, though, just before starting grad school, I went through the "great courses" Calculus 1 DVD course, and found it to be really beneficial for that purpose, and got me back up to speed not only on basic calc but also all the algebra and pre-calc stuff like logarithms &amp; trig.  I'd highly recommend that, if you feel you need the extra work, but otherwise I wouldn't worry about it.


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## Wootan (Jan 17, 2017)

Dleg-Thanks, much appreciated. I had just started my preparation a few weeks back, and I agree with your response. They rarely seem to ask a straight Math question, but brushing up helps in general.


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## Wootan (Jun 1, 2017)

Thanks Dleg!

Here goes:

I recently passed the Environmental PE Exam on my first attempt in April 2017. Below are a few notes which may be helpful to future test takers:  

*Test you took:*

PE Environmental Engineering

*Where you took it:*

MD

*What books you brought with you:*

*PRIORITY LIST* – Books/notes that I referenced through the exam and couldn’t have done without.


An index made covering all topics/target words leading me to the appropriate page of each and every reference I used. It probably took me 20-30 hours just to put it together but it was time well spent. It was a 11 x 17 binder, color coded, for different sections, which was useful in finding out where to look for during the exam. Use it often during the prep to familiarize yourself with it and fine tune it to add topics as required. 

School of PE Notes and associated solved questions

Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Resource Recovery, 5th Edition – Metcalf &amp; Eddy/AECOM

Air Pollution Control, 4th Edition – Cooper and Alley (Great technical text, another must-have text)-This book is fantastic. I would suggest solving the problems at the back of the book as well to get a firm grip on the concepts. 

Treatment and Resource Recovery, 5th Edition – Metcalf &amp; Eddy/AECOM 

Hazardous Waste Management, 2nd Edition – Lagrega 

Engineering Unit Conversions, 4th Edition – Lindeburg-Probably the book I used the most. Fantastic resource!

ENVRM, 3nd Edition – Lindeburg-Decent enough book, but not as helpful as I hoped it would be before I started preparation

 *SECOND LIST*– Resources that assisted me on multiple questions


Intro to Environmental Engineering, 5th Edition – Davis &amp; Cornwell 

Practical Design Calculations for Groundwater and Soil Remediation, 2nd Edition – Kuo

Environmental Law Handbook-Got me a couple of questions so I was chuffed I purchased this

·        Water Supply and Pollution Control / Edition 8 by Warren Viessman Jr., Mark J. Hammer, Elizabeth M. Perez, Paul A. Chadik

·        NCEES PE Environmental Sample Questions and Solutions, 2011 


NCEES PE Civil: Water Resources and Environmental Practice Exam-Very under-rated. I would highly suggest answering the relevant questions as part of the preparation

*THIRD LIST* – Resources used to answer an obscure question


NIOSH Pocket Guide for Chemical Hazards – Dept. of Health &amp; Human Services

·        Environmental Sampling and Analysis: A Practical Guidehttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0873713818/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1-Keith, Lawrence H. (Helped me answer one question I wouldn’t have found anywhere else)

·        NCEES FE Reference Handbook-Didn’t use it though

*What books you actually used:*

Almost all of them at various times during the exam. I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with all the books prior to taking the exam and tabbing/marking them up. 

*What books did you wish you brought:*

None 

*General impression about exam and format:*

As a wastewater engineer, I thought the morning was a breeze. I was unsure about maybe 3-4 questions. The conceptual questions can be whacky but the right resources should tide you over.  The solid waste questions had to be read and re-read closely to decipher what was being asked. Once I figured that out (only applicable to some questions), I could trot through them. I didn’t have time to check my answers, but I wasn’t grasping for time as well. I paced myself well and skipped a question if I didn’t know it and came back later to it. If I couldn’t solve it or I knew it was a dead end question, I guessed.

The afternoon was more challenging. There were a few questions (4-5) that weren’t (at least to me) spelt out properly and were not clear in what they were asking. I cannot emphasize it enough, but please read the questions carefully and if you must make a guess, use your knowledge but also intuition. I over analyzed a few conceptual questions that I shouldn’t have which resulted in at least 2 mistakes I could have avoided. All in all, keeping the pace and thinking through the questions should get you through as long you have put in the right preparation and questions aren’t downright very tough. Overall, I felt that the exam was a little easier (definitely the first section) than the NCEES sample exam.

*Advice for future test takers:*

I have three technical tips for those taking the exam in the future:

*1)     *If you require structure and solid study material, I would recommend the School of PE. They in no way cover all that would be asked on the exams, but they try and do a thorough job of covering most aspects of what maybe on the exam. I took their online course (I started in early Jan so used their Fall pre-recorded lessons-but the material even for the Spring prep is very similar). Some instructors are great, and the notes for the most part, are comprehensive. Not that taking this course means you wouldn’t have to familiarize yourself with other reference material, but it gives an outline, good practice questions and a structure to your preparation. 

*2)* Practice as many questions as you can (School of PE, Practice Exams, and Cooper/Alley back of the book questions). I thought that the PPI practice questions were way harder than any I have come across, so don’t feel disheartened if you can’t solve those, since they are tough. Keeps your brain active though, if you have run out of practice questions.  Familiarize yourself with all the resources and tab them during your prep. I delayed tabbing one or two books till the last month and spent some time I could have saved.

*3)* Stay calm during the exam. If meditation/breathing helps you during or before the test, do that. Do not let nerves get the better of you at any time during the exam as that may hinder your ability to think. The test is challenging so staying in control helps immensely. Thoroughly read the questions and try not overthinking (easier said than done, but if you can, you may save yourself the grief of realizing you missed easy questions!) Have snacks/water/gum on you and use the restroom prior to starting the test so you do not lose those precious few minutes. 

The advice here from past test takers helped me get organized. I would suggest starting preparing at least 105 to 120 days in advance. Get the administrative tasks of registering etc. out of the way before beginning prep as it will help you stay focused. Take breaks as required and do not let this suck the life out of you. I took a week’s break away from books between my preparation and it helped me rejuvenate. Having a solid work life balance is under rated and I realized that it helped me immensely during this time. 

For the exam itself, pick a strategy that suits you and do a dry run of the same during the practice run. Time yourself and retake the test if you feel weak on certain concepts. Practice, practice and practice! Good luck!


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## Dleg (Jun 2, 2017)

Great post, @Wootan!  Thanks especially for the tip on a good sampling and monitoring reference - that was something I and many others who have posted here have regretted not having.  I will probably pick up a copy for my own library, since it seems reasonably priced.

I agree on the NCEES PE Civil: Water Resources and Environmental Practice Exam. I ran through all of these problems before taking the enviro exam, too, and it was definitely helpful.  As I have stressed throughout this forum for years, there is really nothing better than doing lots, and lots of practice problems.  I agree with your point that the exam prep courses may be useful for some as an organization aid, but they really won't do any more than that if you don't practice, practice, and practice.

Thanks for lending your advice, and best of luck with your career as a PE!  Next, consider the BCEE...


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## Wootan (Jun 5, 2017)

Thanks!


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## EnvPERose (Aug 13, 2017)

Hello!
 

A newbie here, thank you to all for your great recommendations for references provided in this forum!  Here's hoping there's someone out there still following this forum to help answer a question about one of the references... I have been borrowing some of these references through my local library Inter-library Loan program so I can review to decide which books to purchase.  I am finding there are two Metcalf references - one is Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Resource Recovery and the other one is Wastewater Engineering Treatment and Reuse.  Does anyone know what the difference is between the two references?  I reviewed the table of contents for both and it appears both of them have the same topics with the first one (Resource Recovery) being more advanced with additional topics and more recent technology development info in it? 

Thank you!


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## EnvPERose (Aug 13, 2017)

Maybe a better question to ask - which reference presents concept/material clearly and has the most relevant practice problems for preparing for the ENV PE exam?

Thank you!


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## Dleg (Aug 14, 2017)

I think one is just the most recent edition of the same book.  The one I have is titled "... treatment and reuse" which I think is the 2004 edition, so the other one might be newer?  I am not sure if the newer edition would give you any more value, but if the price difference isn't much, I always recommend the newer editions (especially if you will ever actually do wastewater treatment design).  If you can get the older edition significantly cheaper, I think it would be just fine for the exam.


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## EnvPERose (Aug 20, 2017)

I think you are right, looking at the McGraw Hill website, latest shows two books authored by Metcalf -  One is the 5th Edition (2014) - Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Resource Recovery.  The second one is titled Water Reuse - 1st Edition (2007).  I could not find a later version than 4th Edition for Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Reuse past 2004.   I will request all three books through the lLL program to see which one I like the best for my purchase.  Thank you!


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## simmo156 (Oct 15, 2017)

Hi all,

im taking the PE Environmental Exam in 11 days and some of the air topics are concerning me. It's mostly the emissions/combustion questions. I don't have a lot of experience in air quality. I'm okay with the controls but not so much with the combustions. Any advice or tips would be great. 

Thank you in advance!


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## PEinPA (Dec 26, 2017)

PEinPA said:


> Paying it forward since I found this thread helpful and in a weird way, comforting during my preparation.
> 
> I took the exam in October and passed on my first attempt.  I didn't ever want to take it again, so I gave it my best shot and have no regrets in sacrificing weekend events and weekday evenings while I prepared.  I started studying in early June and spent one to two hours on most weeknights and as many hours as I could on the weekends (typically 5 to 8).  That was the most I could muster with two young kids, work, house projects, etc.  Roughly 30% of my time was spent simply organizing, tabbing, indexing notes/problems and becoming familiar with the references.  Organization is critical.
> 
> ...


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## Dleg (Dec 26, 2017)

Thanks for posting your advice,  PEinPA, and congratulations on passing!  Do you want me to delete one of your posts? I can't immediately see what the difference is between them.


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## PEinPA (Dec 28, 2017)

Yes, please.  I wanted to keep the second post, not the first.

Is there an edit option?  I couldn't find one.


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## Dleg (Dec 30, 2017)

I think you get the edit ability after you surpass a certain number of posts. But no worries;  I deleted the first one for you.


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## matt267 PE (Dec 31, 2017)

Dleg said:


> I think you get the edit ability after you surpass a certain number of posts


Yup, I just got the edit ability.


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## Dleg (Jan 2, 2018)

LOL. I think I got it after 250 posts?  But that was a long time ago - Board rules may have changed.


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## Dleg (Jun 22, 2018)

Thanks @radash33 for the up to date exam advice!  Very interesting, especially for your comments on the usefulness/uselessness of the new NCEES Enviro PE Reference Manual. I wonder what will happen when the test goes fully CBT and that's all you are allowed to have....

Congratulations from another PE who did not use study courses to pass!


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## vee043324 (Sep 11, 2018)

I have a question for everyone who has taken some kind of review course and brought their notes to the exam!

how did you organize your class notes for the exam? I'm in PPI right now and theere are soooo many handouts/slides, and while they're useful, I'm trying to figure out how to best organize them. At first I was thinking a binder for each subject would be overkill but now I'm thinking maybe not? Thinking a binder for all water (that will be a big one), another for air, combining EH&amp;S and site remediation, + one misc... is that crazy? anyone else have a good method?


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## Hockey Eng (Oct 10, 2018)

"I still wonder how some of these trivia questions are to be answered accurately without reading every reference completely and having a photographic memory."

I agree.  I'm doing the NCEES practice exam and some of the word questions are just so far out it's insane.  Did you know that alfalfa and clover are legumes, and therefore should never receive nitrogen under nitrogen loading conditions?  What am I, a farmer or an engineer?


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## Hockey Eng (Oct 10, 2018)

vee043324 said:


> I have a question for everyone who has taken some kind of review course and brought their notes to the exam!
> 
> how did you organize your class notes for the exam? I'm in PPI right now and theere are soooo many handouts/slides, and while they're useful, I'm trying to figure out how to best organize them. At first I was thinking a binder for each subject would be overkill but now I'm thinking maybe not? Thinking a binder for all water (that will be a big one), another for air, combining EH&amp;S and site remediation, + one misc... is that crazy? anyone else have a good method?


I did SoPE, I'm taking my notes arranged by class, i.e. Remediation, Waste water, Water Treatment, Air/Solid Waste, and PM (although I'm not doing the PM review, ran out of time and there will likely only be 2-3 questions max on the exam I'm thinking, so I'll take my chances on being able to find the answer in EERM or the notes).

Really I think whatever is most familiar for you and will allow you to find what you need to find the quickest.  If I started re-arranging things now I'd probably just confuse myself even more.  Keep it simple.


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## JayKay PE (Oct 11, 2018)

Hockey Eng said:


> "I still wonder how some of these trivia questions are to be answered accurately without reading every reference completely and having a photographic memory."
> 
> I agree.  I'm doing the NCEES practice exam and some of the word questions are just so far out it's insane.  Did you know that alfalfa and clover are legumes, and therefore should never receive nitrogen under nitrogen loading conditions?  What am I, a farmer or an engineer?


Oh god, I shouldn't have gotten so excited about that clover question.  As some who lives in farming country/grew up listening to crop cycles and other gardeners I was like, "Clover!  That's a cover crop/rejuvenating crop!  That adds nitrogen!"  I think some of these questions are definitely put on the exam just to throw you off your groove!


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## envirotex (Oct 11, 2018)

vee043324 said:


> I have a question for everyone who has taken some kind of review course and brought their notes to the exam!
> 
> how did you organize your class notes for the exam? I'm in PPI right now and theere are soooo many handouts/slides, and while they're useful, I'm trying to figure out how to best organize them. At first I was thinking a binder for each subject would be overkill but now I'm thinking maybe not? Thinking a binder for all water (that will be a big one), another for air, combining EH&amp;S and site remediation, + one misc... is that crazy? anyone else have a good method?


I put all of my photocopied fully-worked example problems in a binder.  This was the most useful tool that I had...


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## Dleg (Oct 12, 2018)

If you've ever worked with groundwater resources or constructed wetland design,  you might have known the alfalfa question,  maybe even more so if the term legume was used in the question.


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## Hockey Eng (Oct 12, 2018)

Of course I never posted the actual question...   (wasn't related to groundwater resources or wetland construction - neither term used in the question).


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## vee043324 (Oct 13, 2018)

Hockey Eng said:


> "I still wonder how some of these trivia questions are to be answered accurately without reading every reference completely and having a photographic memory."
> 
> I agree.  I'm doing the NCEES practice exam and some of the word questions are just so far out it's insane.  Did you know that alfalfa and clover are legumes, and therefore should never receive nitrogen under nitrogen loading conditions?  What am I, a farmer or an engineer?


Spotted, while flipping through Davis and Cornwell..


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## Hockey Eng (Oct 14, 2018)

LOL OK everyone calm down  it was a sludge question (#138 of the NCEES Practice Exam AM if you really wanna look it up).


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## MA Maserati (Nov 6, 2018)

I took the Environmental PE in April 2018, nearly 40 years after graduating college. I studied for three months, about 200 hours total.  I brought in Lindeburg’s PE reference manual and two outdated college textbooks (Wark &amp; Warner; Metcalfe &amp; Eddy). 

I did not take a review course  

I passed on my first attempt.

A few months later, I sat for and passed the FE Environmental after studying around 250 hours on my own.

The FE was a breeze - even 40 years out of school.  The PE AM session was extremely difficult.  The PE PM session was fairly easy.

I didn’t need the library of books that some here brought in with them.  Frankly, I don’t own many books.

I took both exams with medical conditions that limited my ability to sit. 

I prayed and had Christian friends and my wife cover me in prayer during both exams.  Normally sitting for an 8 hour test would have been extremely difficult and painful, but I barely felt any pain and did not take pain meds.

I was stunned at how easy the FE was.  The PE afternoon portion was also easy. 

I’m going to take the CHMM exam and I think that will be harder than the PE.

My advice is to pace your studying and give yourself 2-3 months; bring in 3-4 books you are familiar with; get a lot of sleep the night before; and do not fret over it.

 I passed it four decades after taking college classes, so recent grads should find the FE and PE a manageable challenge.


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## Bobbybuddy (Dec 7, 2018)

This thread really helped me so I am paying for my dues. GOOD LUCk for future test takers. 

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering, Paper-Based (Passed in 1st Attempt)

*Where you took it:* Raleigh NC, Oct 26, 2018

*What books you brought with you:*

List of reference I carried to the exam. I believe even CBT takers should refer these for the exam 

•    Lindeberg Environmental Engineering Reference Manual *

•    Introduction to Environmental Engineering by Davis and Cornwell *

•    Wastewater Engineering by Metcalf &amp; Eddy-

•    Hazardous Waste Management 2nd edition by M.D.LaGrega *

•    Engineering Unit Conversions- Lindeberg*

•    Practical Design Calculations for Groundwater and Soil Remediation, 2nd Edition – Kuo*

•    Air Pollution Control, Cooper &amp; Alley*

•    Water Supply and Pollution Control 6th ed - Viessman &amp; Hammer

•    Basic Environmental Technology, 6th Edition – Nathanson &amp; Schnieder

•    Environmental Law Handbook, by Christopher Bell, William Brownell et. all

•    RCRA Orientation Manual 2011 –

•    EPA sampling methods for water, wastewater, surface water, Air and aerosols etc

•    NCEES PE- manual

•    NCEES practice test

 

*What books you actually used*

•    Lindeberg Environmental Engineering Reference Manual *

•    Introduction to Environmental Engineering by Davis and Cornwell *

•    Hazardous Waste Management 2nd edition by M.D.LaGrega *

•    Practical Design Calculations for Groundwater and Soil Remediation, 2nd Edition – Kuo*

•    Engineering Unit Conversions- Lindeberg*

 

*What books did you wish you brought: NONE*

 

*General impression about exam and format:* Format is just like NCEES practice exam. My impression is that the exam was easier than the practice exam.  There seemed to be an even split of quantitative and qualitative questions. Qualitative questions are tough either you know the answer or in the references you brought. Expect at least a couple of quantitative questions which you never even heard of and cannot be found in your reference no matter how extensive your references are.

 

*How I prepared for the exam:*

Starting to study is the hardest part. I tried jumping right into the EERM, and that discouraged me. So, I started with Davis and Cornwell (a great book ) and then skimmed the ENVRM book and tabbed the relevant sections. I highly recommend this approach for beginners. 

I only had 6 weeks to prepare for the exam and I gave my best every day. I studied 3 hours on weekdays and 6 over the weekend. So overall, I dedicated around 120 hours right from the beginning. My graduate coursework covered most of the PE syllabus except remediation and it helped a lot. it’s been only a couple of years since I graduated so I remembered most basics. 

I managed to get hands on most of the recommended references by our predecessors. I only purchased Davis, all other references were either borrowed from colleagues, libraries, Scribd (highly recommended) or downloaded off the internet. Try to buy used books rather than purchasing new. 

During my preparation, I read every book I had, and it helped me in answering a few qualitative questions without looking up for them. I was also able to find remaining questions in the morning session in my references and I felt morning was easier compared to the PM session. I couldn’t practice more problems because of my time constraints but managed to complete the NCEES practices test and a few others.

I invested a lot of time in tabbing my references which really helped me. Engineering Unit Conversions by Lindeberg is another book one should have for this exam. I packed all of my books into two Staples paper boxes and brought them in with a collapsible handcart. All of my books were stacked spines up, so I could easily pick out any book I needed. 

All in all, though, I left the hall with confidence but later I lost my hope. I thought I answered around 35 in the morning and 30 in the afternoon. Rest of them were just educational guess.  While most of the problems seemed pretty straightforward, very similar to sample NCEES exam, but there seemed to be more questions that did not involve more calculations than the sample exam. Waiting for the results is the hardest part for me compared to the preparation and taking the exam.

 

*Advice for future test takers:* 

Things will be different from here on, Environmental PE is becoming CBT from April 2019. My best advice would be to start studying at least 3-4 months before and work through as many practice problems as you can. 

Familiarizing yourself with the NCEES manual and the CBT testing procedure. Learning to locate quickly in your manual should be among your highest priorities while studying. I believe you can make a quick search using the keywords like in the FE exam. Read every reference you can get your hands on. Do not neglect any subject. I believe CBT will still be tough but not as broad as the paper-based. 

As of today, NCEES is selling the same practice test for the CBT. So, Keep an eye for an updated exam as per CBT. NCEES states

_“The current book contains the __same__ great questions published in previous versions of this book__ __along with exam specifications effective in 2019 when the exam becomes computer-based”. _

You will need to work fast on the test and keep track of the time. Skip questions that are time-consuming and come back. Read each question very carefully. In fact, read each question very carefully again. Understand what the question is asking. Cross-out the information you don't need.  

Get to the testing site early at least 15 minutes before the official start of the test and use the restroom before you go into the testing room. I reached the location little late, so I had no time to use the restroom and I was the first one who took the break. Bring your lunch so that you can relax for a while after the morning session. Bring some ibuprofen you might need for the afternoon session. 

I am so relieved to have passed the exam in my first attempt. Thanks to EVERYONE for your advice that you've left over the years. So glad to be done!! GOOD LUCK


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## In/PE/Out (Dec 7, 2018)

I’ll follow-up soon with my contribution to this thread. Even if the Enviro exam goes CBT April 2019, I’m sure the things we’ve all used will still be useful for future test takers to prepare


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## engineer123 (Dec 7, 2018)

@Bobbybuddythank you so much for your detailed study plan + advice! Will definitely refer back to this thread when I am ready to start preparing.

Although I am wondering if the Unit Conversion book you mentioned should be used when studying for the cbt. I would assume I'd need to memorize conversions rather than relying on a book. I cant remember if the ncees reference manual had unit conversions?


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## PEforWin (Dec 10, 2018)

engineer123 said:


> @Bobbybuddythank you so much for your detailed study plan + advice! Will definitely refer back to this thread when I am ready to start preparing.
> 
> Although I am wondering if the Unit Conversion book you mentioned should be used when studying for the cbt. I would assume I'd need to memorize conversions rather than relying on a book. I cant remember if the ncees reference manual had unit conversions?


The NCEES reference manual has a short section on conversion (Page 195 and 196 - the last two pages). It might be better to try to work out problems just with the manual but study with as many references as possible.


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## JayKay PE (Dec 10, 2018)

Ah!  I forgot about this!  I will update this tonight in between baking.  I had a couple of opinions on the NCEES ref and the exam itself (I had to take a CBT for the GRE for grad school, so I kinda had to use similar things for the upcoming CBT).


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## TX HookEM (Dec 12, 2018)

*Test you took:* PE Environmental Engineering, Paper-Based (Passed in 1st Attempt)

*Where you took it:* Houston TX, Oct 26, 2018

*What books you brought with you:*

List of reference I carried to the exam.


Lindeberg Environmental Engineering Reference Manual

Engineering Unit Conversions - Lindeberg

NCEES PE- manual

NCEES practice test

Things I printed at the office the *DAY BEFORE* that actually helped me on the test...


"Environmental Laws: Summaries of Major Statutes Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency" - Congressional Research Service

"RCRA Orientation Manual"

NIOSH Occupational Safety and Health Guidance Manual for Hazardous Waste Site Activities

 *What books you actually used*


Lindeberg Environmental Engineering Reference Manual

Engineering Unit Conversions - Lindeberg

"Environmental Laws: Summaries of Major Statutes Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency" - Congressional Research Service

"RCRA Orientation Manual"

NIOSH Occupational Safety and Health Guidance Manual for Hazardous Waste Site Activities

NCEES PE- manual

NCEES practice test

*What books did you wish you brought: NONE*

*General impression about exam and format:* The test was more similar to the NCEES practice exams than the ones that go with the EERM - I wish there were more. I felt like the morning and afternoon sessions were just as evenly split between the topics. I was also pretty bummed that a lot of questions I was super prepared for weren't on the test.

*How I prepared for the exam:*

I have a degree in Civil Engineering but my work has been more on the Environmental side - which is why I took this test - but also why I was nervous that it would be too much to cover between April and October. I started by trying to read the EERM cover to cover, but by the time I got about halfway through, I realized that it is meant to be a reference, and I focused on learning the topics as they came up in the practice problems. 

I basically just worked every single problem between all of the EERM and related books and then saved the NCEES exam questions for the very last part of my review so that I would be comfortable with the format.

Just like @Bobbybuddy, I definitely recommend tabbing the books, especially for formulas that you use over and over again. Everything I printed fit in two binders and those plus all of the books fit easily in my backpack and still left room for a light pullover and my lunch.

On both sections I did a first pass, looking for qualitative problems that I could look up as well as quantitative problems in familiar formats. Then I went back and did a second pass, with a third near the 30-minutes-left mark to try and identify educated guesses. I was pretty surprised by how many questions had relatively simple answers. But that's why Lindeburg writes that the test isn't designed to trick you - if you are confident that you understand how to set up the problems, its basically just plug and play with the equations. I did get nervous that the questions were _too easy_ and that i made stupid mistakes, but it looks like i did just enough to squeak through.

*Advice for future test takers:*

Work as many problems as you can. The more you use a formula, the more familiar you will be with each of its variables and units and things like that. I definitely learned that units can be your friend, because they can guide you on what to do.

Definitely pace yourself, but try not to get hung up on a single question. You have a lot of time, and you want to make sure that you get your eyes on every question with a reasonable amount of time to attempt it.

Just relax and remember that you have spent a lot of time learning how to use various formulas and solve problems and that (most likely) you won't see very many topics that you haven't seen before.


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