April/October 2020 Power PE Exam Prep

[Orchid PE]

That's right. First time was my best attempt, second time was not as good because of real life issues, and this time around has been almost entirely bogged down with Work. I had anticipated time off after January that I never got.

I've been studying *seriously* for about two months prior because of that. The first time I had almost four to five months to study, and the second time three months.

Well you have at least 7 months + whatever this time of studying. You know how the test is, so only you know how well you think you'll do. You don't have much to lose by not taking it, and since you already feel like you might not do well, it shouldn't be that much of a bummer if you don't pass this time. Give it a shot. 

 

[GHermann]

If there's no way to get your money back or if you don't care either way I would definitely go take it. You've got 5 more weeks to study. Have you taken any prep classes? You could sign up for Zach's class for a month. 

I have, I'm taking School of PE right now. We start our first wave of cram classes (6-10PM every night excluding weekends until the test) on Monday.

I don't really learn that way very well. I have a free account with Zach's class, and may upgrade for the next attempt if this doesn't go well.

Well you have at least 7 months + whatever this time of studying. You know how the test is, so only you know how well you think you'll do. You don't have much to lose by not taking it, and since you already feel like you might not do well, it shouldn't be that much of a bummer if you don't pass this time. Give it a shot. 

Okay, that makes sense. I'll just anticipate that happening.

 

[Orchid PE]

Okay, that makes sense. I'll just anticipate that happening.

Even if you just do better than last time, it will be a win.

 

[GHermann]

Even if you just do better than last time, it will be a win.

That's a good way of looking at it. I guess I don't have anything to lose but money.

 

[Zach Stone P.E.]

Hi, I've been working through School of PE, CramforthePE, and Complex Imaginary; and it's become pretty clear to me that I am not ready for this exam. I'm at the crossroads of either cancelling my test and attempting it again in October, or just going full steam ahead and trying it while making plans to take it again in October anyway. What would you do in my situation?

Go full steam ahead. At the very least, it will expose you to the actual difficulty of the exam and give you more practice taking the real thing. 

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

Well @GHermann, you've got some more time get prepared.

April 2020 PE Exams have been canceled. 

 

[Orchid PE]

So how was this past week? Did anyone work on anything or just take a week off from studying?

There are now 31 weeks until the exam, so what does your study schedule look like now?

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

I think it's unreasonable & unrealistic to pester people about studying when the exam is almost 8 months away at this point. Continuing full bore ahead with studying now is a fantastic way to get burnt out when burn out was likely close for so many people already. I think it's realistic  that this thread becomes quiet for the next 4-6 weeks (frankly I think it should be longer but I know some people are high-speed & will study with 6mo to go)

That said, I am not suggesting a complete full stop on studying. Though I 100% support you if you decide a full stop is best for you. Keep tabs on all aspects of your well-being during this time. 

 

[Orchid PE]

There's no "pestering" going on here. Just a guy caring about other EEs.

With that being said, now is a fantastic time to focus on areas you were feeling weak in when the exam was coming up. Setting aside an hour or two just one day a week will help you get more familiar with the topics you're not comfortable with and will prevent you from getting burnt out. And don't forget to stay refreshed on the topics you're good at. The longer you wait to get back into things, the more you'll have to refresh.

I know you all fell like there was at least 1 topic you wish you had more time to study, so now's your chance. I know I wasn't really aware of my knowledge gaps until time got closer to the exam, but by that point it was too late to really dig deep. You guys had the opportunity to push hard and find your gaps, and now the time to fill the gaps. Some people mentioned they wanted to practice more protection, so now is a good time to read through a protection book or two. You don't have to take an online course at the moment or even work any problems. Even skimming through books is still considered "studying." Reading books is a great way to not over do it and it can be done while in bed (a much better alternative to Netflix). Working tons of problems back-to-back can be exhausting, but reading can actually feel relaxing. 

I'm interested in hearing what you guys have planned out and how you plan on tackling this thing in October. October will be here before you know it (hell, a pregnancy is 40 weeks and ours is flying by!), and as the saying goes those who fail to plan, should plan to fail.

 

[BebeshKing PE]

With 31 weeks until the exam, I plan studying at least an hour on weekdays and at least 3-4 hours on weekends. Might be the right time to visit those thick books that I never opened.  

 

[akyip]

With the clock having been reset, I went over the Engineer Pro Guides book in full the past 3 days. It is very detailed, and has some good practice questions. I'm glad I took the time to go over this book. I wish I started with this instead of the Graffeo book haha. I'm incorporating some notes from a few topics I did not go over as much, into my reference binder.

I also bought a download of both the Pro Guides Full Exam and the References Exam, though I haven't touched those yet. I plan to do so later this week.

There are also certain topics I want to go over in more detail, especially protection and rotating machines.

 

[Orchid PE]

I went over the Engineer Pro Guides book in full the past 3 days. It is very detailed, and has some good practice questions. I'm glad I took the time to go over this book. I wish I started with this instead of the Graffeo book haha.

Dang you're on it! Yeah, Graffeo is good for a reference but the sample exam is meh.

There are also certain topics I want to go over in more detail, especially protection and rotating machines.

The more I read it, the more I like Fundamentals of Power System Protection by Paithankar.

 

[Orchid PE]

With 31 weeks until the exam, I plan studying at least an hour on weekdays and at least 3-4 hours on weekends. Might be the right time to visit those thick books that I never opened.  

That's a pretty committed schedule. Kudos to you! Definitely a great time to hit the big books lol

 

[speakeelsy PE]

So how was this past week? Did anyone work on anything or just take a week off from studying?

There are now 31 weeks until the exam, so what does your study schedule look like now?

Continuing to participate in class on Tuesday nights with Zach, and working the homework problems on Thursdays. I've been reading/skimming articles on lunch breaks throughout the week as I can. I'm planning on reading/ skimming some books, but just took the weekend off of anything PE related. Thinking that I might try to do 1 practice exam a month until July/August. Overall, just trying to stay positive!

 

[Orchid PE]

What have you guys been up to? Finish any of the "big books" yet? lol

 

[BebeshKing PE]

What have you guys been up to? Finish any of the "big books" yet? lol

Been using the Standard handbook by Beaty and it is so useful in terms of qualitative questions that I'm encountering.

 

[a4u2fear]

i had a dream last night i was late to this exam; and then the exam turned into a poker tournament.  it was a weird one, including the fact i passed in 2018

 

[Orchid PE]

i had a dream last night i was late to this exam; and then the exam turned into a poker tournament.  it was a weird one, including the fact i passed in 2018

Hahah did you win any money???

 

[DLD PE]

What have you guys been up to? Finish any of the "big books" yet? lol

I've been reading Paithankar.  Not finished with it though. Good book so far!

 

[Orchid PE]

I've been reading Paithankar.  Not finished with it though. Good book so far!

I really liked it. I'm surprised it's not suggested more often.