# For those who passed the PE exam only!



## pokadoros (Jan 9, 2007)

Let's help those that are taking the PE exam in April. How many hours you need to pass the exam? Please vote only those who passed. If you failed please feel free to reply with your number of study hours or comments.


----------



## singlespeed (Jan 9, 2007)

The number of hours really is an individual thing - I needed more because my IQ is only slightly larger than my shoe size


----------



## RIP - VTEnviro (Jan 9, 2007)

290 hours of active study time for me. That included reading, problems, practice tests, and assembling references


----------



## grover (Jan 9, 2007)

I didn't think I prepared nearly enough for the PE exam, but I ended up passing it and with a wide margin. I figure I studied about 80 hours specifically for the PE exam.

I didn't count job training that directly aided me in the PE exam, but since I only started working Power about a year ago, I've had a LOT of learning in the past year! I also spent countless hours bickering with electricians online about this that and the other thing, which helped learn the codes, which the NCEES exam (and anecdotal evidence) was heavy on, but they only asked 2 questions about it on the exam, grr...


----------



## Art (Jan 9, 2007)

150 at the desk...more gathering materials, doing some research, and just planning for it...


----------



## MetroRAFB (Jan 9, 2007)

An honest 200 here, all at the desk reading and working problems. If I had to do it all over again I'd put in 250 just to gain a little comfort level during the 2 month wait for results. I was sweatin' it pretty hard, the exam was harder/more different than I expected. Had I known then what I know now, I would have tried to figure out a way to study the non-quantitative stuff for that additional 50 hours. I wasn't expecting to see so many of those on the exam.


----------



## ferryg (Jan 9, 2007)

I would say close to 300. It's hard to estimate because I would get an hour here and an hour there...but that's my best guess. After taking and passing the test...I think I could have trimmed that by 50-75, focusing on specific topics...and got the same result. I think I might have over-prepared on some subjects expecting a higher concentration of questions in those areas.

:true:


----------



## GCracker (Jan 9, 2007)

Didn't keep track. But, I figure some where in the 100-150 range.


----------



## NCcarguy (Jan 9, 2007)

Interestingly enough.....I didn't pass, and I'll bet I've studied more than 600 hours. EASY. I've studied for this thing for so long that I'm not learning anything new. In fact, I'm certain that it's one of the reason's I have had trouble passing, it's like looking at a set of plans long enough, even things that are obviously incorrect start to look right.


----------



## MetroRAFB (Jan 9, 2007)

> In fact, I'm certain that it's one of the reason's I have had trouble passing, it's like looking at a set of plans long enough, even things that are obviously incorrect start to look right.


You might be onto something there. Maybe you should try a new approach to shake things up a bit? Maybe take a course like Testmasters or something. Your existing strategy might work eventually, but doing something different might help. No offense, just trying to help. :dunno: I did some soul searching while waiting for my results, and I had pretty much decided that if I had failed in October I was going to give serious consideration to taking a review course like Testmasters for my next attempt. :true:


----------



## tmckeon_PE (Jan 10, 2007)

I spent about 140 hours for the April exam and added another 70-80 hours prepping for the October exam.


----------



## traffic (Jan 11, 2007)

Somewhere around 250-30 hours combined from the first time to the second time I tested. I took a review course taught by ITRE-NC and it was really useful.


----------



## djbaker77 (Jan 11, 2007)

I kept a log of hours studied. Every time I sat down to work problems, organize materials, etc., I would enter a start and end time on a sheet of paper that I kept with my study materials. I don't have it in front of me right now, but the total was around 220 hours. Every now and then I would add up the hours to see where I was, and the total was usually a lot LOWER than I would have guessed. This was a really good and simple way for me to keep myself grounded and track where I was and how much I needed to ramp up studying. My best spent time was working practice problems from six minute solutions (front to back for my pm section, geotech), CERM, and the NCEES practice exam. I spun my wheels quite a bit with practice problems from CERM, especially the structural problems. If I had to do it again, I would get my hands on six minute solutions for all of the sections and work all of them front to back. Not to say there wasn't valuable problems in CERM. Just my '.02'. Something must have worked. Passed on my first try. Good luck to those taking the April exam.


----------



## Jax6S (Jan 17, 2007)

About 120 hrs for me. Even though I passed, I don't think I was fully prepared for the exam. I guess I was lucky.


----------



## Dleg (Jan 17, 2007)

I didn't keep track - but I've estimated it at around 300 hours. I just set some goals, and studied as much as I needed to meet them. And that turned out to be the "magical" 300 hours.

I had an understanding boss and some slow time at work, so a lot of that time was as work. Studying at home with kids and such was virtually impossible for me.


----------



## grover (Jan 18, 2007)

Dleg said:


> I had an understanding boss and some slow time at work, so a lot of that time was as work. Studying at home with kids and such was virtually impossible for me.


I didn't even attempt to study at home, I studied at work and while making long airline flights. For the FE, I had the advantage of just having started a new job in the midst of a command reorganization, so I was in an empty office by myself with my bosses 300 miles away and very little to do. Perfect for studying!
For the PE, it wasn't so easy- less than a year had passed, the reorganization had finished and I'd become very busy. Plus, my boss (PE) and his deputy are in the cubes right behind me, and their boss (EIT, ha!) and his deputy two rows over. So, no 40hr study weeks September/October 2006! (Although I did overtly study a good percentage of business hours in the week leading up to the test...) I probably got half my studying done while flying- locked up in a plane for 6 or 18 with nothing else to do but dive into the only material I brought with me: PE study guide! One flight I did nothing but read NEC Article 430, as it was one chunk of the NEC I'd never so much as glanced at before, but the practice exam had 3 questions on it. It's not that long of an article, but it took me 6 hours to get through it, man that's dry. I had intended to keep reading other NEC chapters after 430, but I was just burnt out after that. I know I nailed that one NEC motor question on the exam, though


----------



## adc_PhDPE (Jan 18, 2007)

MetroRAFB said:


> An honest 200 here, all at the desk reading and working problems. If I had to do it all over again I'd put in 250 just to gain a little comfort level during the 2 month wait for results. I was sweatin' it pretty hard, the exam was harder/more different than I expected. Had I known then what I know now, I would have tried to figure out a way to study the non-quantitative stuff for that additional 50 hours. I wasn't expecting to see so many of those on the exam.


----------



## adc_PhDPE (Jan 18, 2007)

I would estimate about 200 hours. I couldn't work during a work week and I spent the time going over many problems and such in the beginning. Towards the exam I was studying here and there (I was tired mainly) and I did mostly light reading to try to get the concepts on the "non focus" areas. The exam was still tough and different than what I expected, but I knew that I had given my all to studying and that if I failed I would know the exact area to hone.


----------



## Kipper (Jan 22, 2007)

singlespeed said:


> The number of hours really is an individual thing - I needed more because my IQ is only slightly larger than my shoe size



:lmao:

So what size shoe do you wear?

I put in about 340 hours +/- 10 hours.

Had to get my comfort level up before the test. :wub:


----------



## lovelandtx (Jan 23, 2007)

I studied about 280-300 hrs for the Chem Eng test and passed on 1st try. I did the "the other board" program, worked all practice problems, both practice tests and online problems. I didn't find th 6 min solutions very reasonable with the time required to solve the problems, so I ended up only working the first 30 or so. I found the NCEES practice exam was the most helpful as that was the same format on the real exam.


----------



## Jax6S (Jan 23, 2007)

lovelandtx said:


> I found the NCEES practice exam was the most helpful as that was the same format on the real exam.


I agree. The same for environmental exam.


----------



## Bigwolf (Feb 17, 2007)

Studied around 450 hours, but 150 of that was devoted to the extra California Civil Exams. The National NCEES PE exam put me around +/- 300 hours


----------



## FPERox (Feb 17, 2007)

I must have put in approximately 360 or so hours of honest studying (wading through the study guide, handbooks, and codes thoroughly and methodically; doing the problems). In addition to highlighting and tabbing all the important pages, I went over all the material twice to make sure I understood everything. I'm just glad I have my Friday nights and weekends back now. I was mentally preparing myself for receiving a non-passing letter, and having to wipe away all my free time from February til the next test in Oct. Thankfully, that won't be the case now. :thumbs:


----------

