Best Prep. Course for PE- Electrical-Power
- Thread starter rrui00
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Help Support Professional Engineer & PE Exam Forum:
I also did the GA Tech class. I can't say whether or not it is better than others, since I haven't taken them, but I was very happy with it. The thing I liked most about it is that the course material is fine tuned every exam cycle, unlike some review manuals/courses that still seem to be geared towards the old type of exam. The notes aren't exactly beautiful and polished, but they have very few errors/typos and the instructor (Russ Callen) is very responsive to emails. A few times he responded to my emails by providing additional notes and reference material in areas I was weak in. He will also personally spend time with you if you fly down to GA, which I didn't do. The course isn't cheap, but you get a lot. You have to log in to the GA tech website to watch the vidoes, so make sure your internet connection is halfway decent.
I'm very confident that I passed the exam (just took it), but I also had a lot of really good reference material that I was able to dig lots of answers out of during the exam.
I'm very confident that I passed the exam (just took it), but I also had a lot of really good reference material that I was able to dig lots of answers out of during the exam.
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I'm not trying to pass myself off as an authority on how to pass this exam, but I did take it recently, I believe I passed and that these references are important to have:
- NEC Code or handbook
- Completed and indexed/tabbed NCEES sample exam
- Grainger/Stevenson Power System Analysis
- NEMA VFD application guide (free to get as a pdf from website, when you print the pdf, print it as an image else it will be screwed up)
- Camara EPRM
- Theodore Wildi - Electric Machines, Drives and Power Systems
- Your own binder full of quick, mindless cheat sheets including:
- Voltage Drop Calculations
- Power Factor Correction
- MVA Method
- Per Unit formulas
- 3phase power general notes
- calculator manual printed out
Besides this, borrow or buy as many good books as you can get your hands on. Just because you bring them doesn't mean you have to waste time with them, as others may warn against. I happened to have some extra time to look things up and so I quickly thumbed through several books and got some answers this way.
- NEC Code or handbook
- Completed and indexed/tabbed NCEES sample exam
- Grainger/Stevenson Power System Analysis
- NEMA VFD application guide (free to get as a pdf from website, when you print the pdf, print it as an image else it will be screwed up)
- Camara EPRM
- Theodore Wildi - Electric Machines, Drives and Power Systems
- Your own binder full of quick, mindless cheat sheets including:
- Voltage Drop Calculations
- Power Factor Correction
- MVA Method
- Per Unit formulas
- 3phase power general notes
- calculator manual printed out
Besides this, borrow or buy as many good books as you can get your hands on. Just because you bring them doesn't mean you have to waste time with them, as others may warn against. I happened to have some extra time to look things up and so I quickly thumbed through several books and got some answers this way.
^I respectfully disagree. I think you should show up with what you are comfortable using. If it's a reference foreign to you, you may just waste time trying to thumb through it. In my opinion you might be better off having just a handful of references that you know very very well, and do lots of practice problems so you're familiar with them and can easily remember where to find what you need. . . or better yet memorize what you need.
I took the old style exam (general EE in the morning and Power in the afternoon) and took:
Camara EERM
Glover/Sarma's Power System Analysis
Chapman's Electric Machinery
NEC Handbook
A copy of the NESC
A small reference on power electronics
A printed index of the EERM
My table-mate (a civil) called me a minimalist. But it's really what you're comfortable with. If you think you need lots of references, then go for it. Just don't get hung up on thinking you absolutely have to bring everything under the sun. It doesn't matter if you have the right formula buried in one of your references if it takes you a half-hour to find it.
I took the old style exam (general EE in the morning and Power in the afternoon) and took:
Camara EERM
Glover/Sarma's Power System Analysis
Chapman's Electric Machinery
NEC Handbook
A copy of the NESC
A small reference on power electronics
A printed index of the EERM
My table-mate (a civil) called me a minimalist. But it's really what you're comfortable with. If you think you need lots of references, then go for it. Just don't get hung up on thinking you absolutely have to bring everything under the sun. It doesn't matter if you have the right formula buried in one of your references if it takes you a half-hour to find it.
^ No offense taken. I went into the exam with a clear understanding of the dangers of getting caught up in too many references, having been warned of that from others on this website. But I can truthfully say that I did find the answers to no less than 5 problems directly from some of the more obscure reference books I took. Some of them I found within 2 minutes, others I spent a bit longer on. But most importantly I had already answered and checked my other answers, so I didn't have anything better to do. Most of these were conceptual questions. I brought both the NEC code and handbook, used the code for all questions, but needed to quickly open the handbook to see an illistration which helped me.
But I DID know my "main" references very well and did lots of practice problems, so we agree completely on that.
But I DID know my "main" references very well and did lots of practice problems, so we agree completely on that.
If you're interested in purchasing some PE exam materials. I have a post in the 'YARD SALE" section of the board listing the books I have for sale. Take a look if you're interested.
And for those that are asking why am I selling my books before I get my results from the October exam? Well, I feel like I passed it, and also I need some extra Christmas money to purchase gifts for the little ones.
And for those that are asking why am I selling my books before I get my results from the October exam? Well, I feel like I passed it, and also I need some extra Christmas money to purchase gifts for the little ones.
I am taking it also, but it ends very close to the exam date. I hope there is enough time to learn.
knight1fox3
Jedi MASTER & Friend of Capt. Solo
If you are watching the modules online, you can watch them in any order and as many of them as you want. Should give you more than enough time to finish prior to the exam. The "end date" of the course just means that is when you will no longer be able to access the modules.
Any good or bad experiences with the ppi2pass Power Passing Zone? The course is only $325, so I imagine the content may not be as great as the GA tech course, but I'd rather not pay out the extra $600. I took the NCEES sample exam and got about 75% on the morning session. I would like a little more margin though to ensure I pass.
audioaddict
Active member
I took the PPI before. Some good materials, but not over the top dominant materials. To be fair I didn't fully exploit it as my study habits were a bit complacent (I'm already a PE in another discipline), but if you want top notch stuff on symmetrical components, power electronics and other annoying topics I don't think they were there.
I am about to take the Clemson review course in two weeks -- 4 Thursdays with Engineering Economics on Saturday before the exam. Looking for this review course to get me over the hump.
It's supposed to be the top one given proximity to NCEES.
