April/October 2020 Power PE Exam Prep

[LyceeFruit PE]

And then I'm taking my practice test and I see some stupid tiny wave form using diodes and full wave rectifiers etc.  Why oh why is this crap on a power PE exam

There will be numerous questions like that on the real exam. Particularly since they can pick any part of the NEC like fire pumps, hospital rooms, etc that an electrician would know and use but is outside the range of a typical power engineer

 

[Sparky Bill PE]

Here's a good book for power electronics.

Covers everything with thyristors, AC-AC, DC-DC, motor drives, rectification, etc.

Just had to buy it off Amazon. Never dreamed I"d be spending $150 on a damn power electronics book to take a Power PE exam. I am way too clueless when it comes to rectifiers/diodes/capacitors and all kinds of tricks they use. 

 

[speakeelsy PE]

Just had to buy it off Amazon. Never dreamed I"d be spending $150 on a damn power electronics book to take a Power PE exam. I am way too clueless when it comes to rectifiers/diodes/capacitors and all kinds of tricks they use. 

Please share with us how you like it!

I do a bunch of rectifiers, vfds, and controls stuff at work, and am not that worried about these sections, but maybe i should be?

Delta-wye and wye-delta conversions kicked my butt today, so i gotta work on that. 

 

[Sparky Bill PE]

Please share with us how you like it!

I do a bunch of rectifiers, vfds, and controls stuff at work, and am not that worried about these sections, but maybe i should be?

Delta-wye and wye-delta conversions kicked my butt today, so i gotta work on that. 

@Chattaneer PE

Chattaneer is seriously one of the most brilliant engineers I've ever met, and he CONSTANTLY references this book when helping people. He's the only reason I bought it. But I"ll let you know what I think too. 

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

Just had to buy it off Amazon. Never dreamed I"d be spending $150 on a damn power electronics book to take a Power PE exam. I am way too clueless when it comes to rectifiers/diodes/capacitors and all kinds of tricks they use. 

tbh I just hoped for the best in that section - Zach's modules & class helped. And when I was studying, when I got stuck I emailed my electronics professor from college for help - I still have my electronics book from college too 

 

[Sparky Bill PE]

tbh I just hoped for the best in that section - Zach's modules & class helped. And when I was studying, when I got stuck I emailed my electronics professor from college for help - I still have my electronics book from college too 

Yeah I have my electronics book but I hope this book will be more focused and in-line with what PE questions are asking.  That made me feel good you saying you "hoped for the best" and you have passed. That honestly is what I needed to read today. I am blessed that I think my biggest strengths are NEC/Protection/Circuits and that's probably the 3 biggest things on the exam. 

 

[Swift Fox]

For people who have taken the exam multiple times, how similar is the exam each time you have taken it? 

 

[DLD PE]

It's not.  Worded similarly (close in wording like the NCEES practice exam), different problems (on the 2 exams I took).  

You MAY recognize a problem similar to one on a previous exam, but that's rare.

I'm also quite sure that's pretty much the extent of what I'm allowed to say

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

For people who have taken the exam multiple times, how similar is the exam each time you have taken it? 

Not very. I've taken it 7 times so I KNOW lol.

 

[daydreambeliever]

For people who have taken the exam multiple times, how similar is the exam each time you have taken it? 

Every time has been very different! Every time I have taken it I have been blindsided by some topic or another that I wasn't fully prepared for.  

 

[SaltySteve PE]

Not very. I've taken it 7 times so I KNOW lol.

That really frightens me. 

 

[DLD PE]

Well it should motivate us and it sets the standard for not quitting.

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

That really frightens me. 

It isn't that the test is *that* hard.

Here's the timeline to put your mind at ease:

Oct 2015: 1st attempt, studied as much as I could while designing  a greenfield site, I was the only P&C engineer on it and there were supposed to be 3 engineers.

Apr 2016: 2nd attempt, did not study. Burnt out from the fall and help hadn't arrived yet for that project and the remote ends were forthcoming - a greenfield tap site and 2 brownfields (but the brownfields were just relay upgrades & nomenclature).

Apr 2017: 3rd attempt, didn't study. Got selected to represent my track club at the Boston Marathon and had missed the deadline to withdraw taking it. So ran the marathon Monday and took the test that Friday. 

Apr 2018: 4th attempt, this one was HARD. this is when they changed the standards and I had studied some but WOOF. This one hurt leaving. 

Oct 2018: 5th attempt, studied more. But moved in the middle of studying anf never quite got the groove back

Apr 2019: 6th attempt, 147 hours of studying. Improved in protection. Had Justin's technical guide, reference problem set, and FULL exam.

Oct 2019: 7th attempt, 234 hours of studying. Finally took a class (Zach's) and did timed practice tests. Added Justin's FINAL exam. 

I tried hard for April 2019 but not hard enough. And with October 2019, it was my final chance on my application. I would have had to reapply with another state as VT changed the regulations and it would have been 2 years before I could reapply with them. I was also brushing up against the ceiling for promotion - I can't reach senior engineer in my company as an EE without my PE. And frankly, I wanted it SO BAD to be the last time I had to update @RBHeadge PE for his map. The stars finally aligned for me for October 2019. I passed out of RAGE and sisu. 

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

Well it should motivate us and it sets the standard for not quitting.

I actually do not hold the record for the most attempts on this board. 

There was someone in Apr 2019 cycle who posted somewhere that they were at try like 17 

ETA: I don't recall which PE test it was for tho. 

 

[DLD PE]

I actually do not hold the record for the most attempts on this board. 

There was someone in Apr 2019 cycle who posted somewhere that they were at try like 17 

ETA: I don't recall which PE test it was for tho. 

I just had a mini split-second migraine after reading "17".  And I've never had a migraine.

I think the NCEES should allow instructors to take the exam at least once a year, but that will never happen.

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

I just had a mini split-second migraine after reading "17".  And I've never had a migraine.

I think the NCEES should allow instructors to take the exam at least once a year, but that will never happen.

Instructors? like whom? Zach & Justin? I mean Justin took & passed the Power PE for HI in like Oct 2018 IIRC

 

[DLD PE]

It isn't that the test is *that* hard.

Here's the timeline to put your mind at ease:

Oct 2015: 1st attempt, studied as much as I could while designing  a greenfield site, I was the only P&C engineer on it and there were supposed to be 3 engineers.

Apr 2016: 2nd attempt, did not study. Burnt out from the fall and help hadn't arrived yet for that project and the remote ends were forthcoming - a greenfield tap site and 2 brownfields (but the brownfields were just relay upgrades & nomenclature).

Apr 2017: 3rd attempt, didn't study. Got selected to represent my track club at the Boston Marathon and had missed the deadline to withdraw taking it. So ran the marathon Monday and took the test that Friday. 

Apr 2018: 4th attempt, this one was HARD. this is when they changed the standards and I had studied some but WOOF. This one hurt leaving. 

Oct 2018: 5th attempt, studied more. But moved in the middle of studying anf never quite got the groove back

Apr 2019: 6th attempt, 147 hours of studying. Improved in protection. Had Justin's technical guide, reference problem set, and FULL exam.

Oct 2019: 7th attempt, 234 hours of studying. Finally took a class (Zach's) and did timed practice tests. Added Justin's FINAL exam. 

I tried hard for April 2019 but not hard enough. And with October 2019, it was my final chance on my application. I would have had to reapply with another state as VT changed the regulations and it would have been 2 years before I could reapply with them. I was also brushing up against the ceiling for promotion - I can't reach senior engineer in my company as an EE without my PE. And frankly, I wanted it SO BAD to be the last time I had to update @RBHeadge PE for his map. The stars finally aligned for me for October 2019. I passed out of RAGE and sisu. 

Wow.  Oct 2015:  I was living in a beautiful, newly built house with my wife in NC.  No kids, playing golf every weekend, enjoying my weeknights.  In October 2015 I qualified and was enjoying playing in my first golf state mid-am.  Oh the memories.

Then we moved to TN, new job, had a child, and the PE stress started 

 

[DLD PE]

Instructors? like whom? Zach & Justin? I mean Justin took & passed the Power PE for HI in like Oct 2018 IIRC

I knew Zach passed it a few years ago, but I didn't know Justin passed it that recently.  I knew he passed the mechanical PE but not this one. 

 

[Orchid PE]

I think the NCEES should allow instructors to take the exam at least once a year, but that will never happen.

I somewhat disagree. I think I know what you're getting at with allowing the instructors to take it each year. That way they know what material to prepare the students for.

I think it defeats the purpose of the exam to spend a lot of time preparing for it. It's supposed to test engineering competency and real-world experience. If loads of preparation is required, it means the experience isn't there.

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

I knew Zach passed it a few years ago, but I didn't know Justin passed it that recently.  I knew he passed the mechanical PE but not this one. 

I might have the order of exams swapped for Justin *shrugs*