ktulu used them for the Civil exam, water resources/enviro exam. I used the NC State review course DVDs (I live in the mountains, and no in-person class was offered near me). I found the DVDs to be VERY useful; they helped me focus my study efforts on what was likely to be on the exam. I highly recommend taking a review course of some kind.
OK I'll see if my company will pay for at least part of it... I'm not positive they'll cover it since it's not a university course (though a local school does offer Civil Review classes and I might get a colleague to tape record the water review portion).
Thanks for the tip. I think I can study decently as long as I have some imposed structure and schedule, and having a class will help me have structure. Otherwise, I'll just be tempted to play Guitar Hero or something. (and I'll still be tempted since it's an online webcast!)
You aren't starting late, per se. Don't get too hung up on AMOUNT of time studying. It is more important to on how you spend that time. I spent probably around 500 hours total study time my first go around, and failed b/c it was not quality study time. I was working problems, but not really absorbing the material. This time (trial #3), I spent about half of that time studying, but really honed in on what my weaknesses were. I highly recommend getting the NCEES sample exam, and running through it at the beginning (before you study) and getting an idea of what your strengths and weaknesses are. Then focus on the weaknesses; but don't forget to review your strengths as well! Also, the NCEES sample exam is NOT the end all be all of prep; get your hands on as many proclems as possible so that you are exposed to the different ways the material could be presented to you on the exam. Good luck!
Like I said, if you have the money available to take the course (or buy the DVDs), I would do it. This is an investment, and as soon as you have those two initials after your name, you will forget how much it cost. A course may help you get there sooner and with less heartache, and that's worth a lot, to me.
OK good - so I won't be alone! I did end up registering for the class, and I got it approved to be paid for by my company, yay.
Yeah, giving up my weekends has been really tough, and I wish we had started the sessions earlier now that I'm learning better what I need to study and review. I don't have kids yet but I know that would be tough. Fortunately the husband has been really supportive and he'll do the housework, read stuff or play video games
. The other downside is after a 6-7 hour session, I don't really feel like studying any more on Saturday night! Whereas if I broke it up in chunks (say 10 am-12 pm, then go run errands or decompress, then 2 pm-5pm, then have dinner, then go to a coffee shop to study from 6-9 pm), I think I could handle it better.
