Encourage someone studying for October

[Guest]

I am preparing my final thesis project so I can graduate, so I am in the trenches with all you FE/PE exam preparation folks missing football season and all of the tailgating and partying. It will be worth it in the end though !! :multiplespotting: :multiplespotting:

Like BigRay likes to say, "Do it once, Do it Right." Amen.

JR

 

[maryannette]

We're getting down to the final month. I'm glad to see that most of the people who are studying are not posting much. Keep studying hard and take care of yourselves. I'm cheering for you!

 

[bigray76]

It is crunch time... you have made it this far in the process so there is no looking back now.

Kick some ass!

 

[Dark Knight]

Someone told me once; the time will pass and the test will come. If you are or are not studying, time could not care less. It is your call how are you going to face it

 

[Capt Worley PE]

One month left, time to cram...

 

[bigray76]

The motto I had on my whiteboard in my office:

Do it once,

Do it right,

and never do it again!

 

[rayray91]

I heard this the other day... Don't feel pressured. Pressure is for those who didn't prepare. If you have done everything in your power to prepare, think positive, you will succeed. ld-025:

:bio:

Me?... my secret.... when all else fails... I pick B. :true:

 

[Jennifer Price]

Me?... my secret.... when all else fails... I pick B. :true:

I did this for my FE exam and I think it did me just fine! :laugh:

 

[DVINNY]

HIT THE PROBLEMS HARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Countdown is above in case you forgot. LOL.

 

[NCcarguy]

Can you slow that dang countdown clock down a bit????

Is it possible the more you study, the dumber you get, or am I just getting bored, because I know this stuff that well? <-- I'm not really counting on this one!

 

[user 788]

Wow guys,

just remember, 18 more days of hard work and then it'll be all over. After the test you can relax and do whatever you want. So just pull yourself together, you can do it !!!!!!

 

[Guest]

Eighteen more days!!! :multiplespotting: :multiplespotting:

The best thing strategy-wise now would be to continue working problems but don't solve them. In other words, as you work on a problem use your references and write down things like the governing equations, necessary parameters, basic assumptions, unit coversions, etc. but don't go through the steps of calculating an answer - just set the problem up so that the problem could be solved with the information you have found. I found this strategem useful as I approached exam day with only a few weeks left because I was feeling like I hadn't covered enough material, especially topics that I didn't feel comfortable with - Transportation and Structural. I was able to hit quite a few more problems - an accomplishment that I felt pulled me over the top for the morning session and the whole test

I would also be spending the time now making sure that your materials are organized in a way that makes sense to YOU. If you also have time and feel the need to, clean-up and update your handwritten quick-sheets for formulae and conversions. I was doing that up until the night before the exam :true:



JR

 

[bigray76]

The last couple weeks of doing problems is here... set yourself up at your desk/dining room table/study location as if you were in the exam room. Put your crates on the floor, on the table, and get comfortable with what crate you have certain books in, how to best organize your references so what you need to use most often is readily accessible, and eliminate any other non-exam items from your practice station (for me that was a CD player).

You are in the homestretch now, time to kick it in the ass and pass this damn thing!

-Ray

 

[IlPadrino]

I echo the comments about not working problems to completion... at this point, you shouldn't need improvement on calculator use. Focus on quickly identifying the class of problem and the governing equation.

I'm an advocate of keeping your references simple... but whatever you do, you'd best avoid spending lots of time flipping through references during the exam. If that means tabs (a waste of time for me), so be it. Do whatever will work for you.

 

[kevo_55]

Thanks guys!

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

My advice: this Saturday take the NCEES practice test in your discipline. Take it like it were the real thing under as close to exam conditions as possible. If you don't have a reference you need with you, don't go downstairs and grab it. Don't peak at the answers. Follow the time limits.

I hated blowing a weekend day by doing this but it was worth it.

After you do this, go back and review the earliest stuff your studied months ago. Brush up on it. And you probably didn't find your best study technique at this point so it may be some of your weaker areas.

 

[Melanie11]

Good luck to all!!! I remember what kept me going was just thinking that it will all be over soon and I would get my life back (at least while I was waiting for the results). My advice would be to do nothing but get your stuff together the day before. Don't burn yourself out by studying. You retain more than you think!

Best of Luck!

 

[Jennifer Price]

My advice: this Saturday take the NCEES practice test in your discipline. Take it like it were the real thing under as close to exam conditions as possible. If you don't have a reference you need with you, don't go downstairs and grab it. Don't peak at the answers. Follow the time limits.
I hated blowing a weekend day by doing this but it was worth it.

After you do this, go back and review the earliest stuff your studied months ago. Brush up on it. And you probably didn't find your best study technique at this point so it may be some of your weaker areas.

That is exactly what I planned to do this weekend (and am dreading the day it comes). Last weekend, I holed myself up in my husband's office and worked through the 6 minute transportation book and that was a horrid experience (and it was such a beautiful weekend here in NC last weekend so I felt I missed time being outdoors).

Thank you all for the encouragement!

 

[bigray76]

Check with your local ASCE chapter - I know the North Jersey Branch was offering a mock exam one weekend (maybe this past weekend?) where they set up a room just like the real exam and you take the morning portion (answers are then emailed to you).

I didn't use that, but I know a few people who did and thought it was a good prep for showing up on exam day.

-Ray

 

[chavez]

I'm so burnt out it's not even funny.....i burned out a few weeks too early.