Exam Passing Percentage

[gknevada]

EdinNO,

That is a great explanation, it makes perfect sense.

Thank you.

(It feels great knowing I am in the "Loser Pool")

 

[Mike in Gastonia]

Does anyone know why the percentage of people who pass the PE exam is so LOW for people who take the test more than once? I don't get it. This is my second time and when I saw the Stats it really discourages me. Shouldn't that percentage be higher? Please explain.

I've always thought it was a pure statistics reason.

Let's say you have 100 people take an exam for the first time. 60 pass and 40 don't. 60% passing rate. Let's say that of the 40 that didn't pass, some just had a bad day. Is it all 40? Probably not.

The next time the exam is given, the 40 that didn't pass are considered a group to themselves. If the 10 or 15 out of the 40 who had a bad day pass this time. That's 25-37.5% passing.

For people taking the exam multiple times, once you pass the exam you leave the pool of retakers. So the group of the retakers continue to have people who had bad days or don't do well on tests and people that don't meet the minimal competance level.

Re-reading this, I'm not sure if I'm making sense or not?

 

[wutiger]

Mike in Gastonia...sounds very familiar. Do you listen to PacMan's sports show?

Mike from Gastonia calls in every day.

 

[Mike in Gastonia]

The soup nazzi has spoken. No soup for you!
Here's the best explanation I have seen (from someone else, not me):

Short answer:

Repeat takers, by definition, tend to be people who aren't good at taking PE exams. The people who are good at it tend to pass on the first try.

Long answer:

Consider a "pool" of first-time exam takers. These people are not all alike: they have different "passing probabilities". Some are relatively smart and well prepared, so they have high "passing probabilities". Some are less smart and poorly prepared, so they have low "passing probabilities". Most people are somewhere in the middle.

After the exam has been administered, some people pass and leave the pool. Others fail and enter the "repeater pool". But the selection process is not random. People with high "passing probabilities" tend to pass and to exit the pool. People with low "passing probabilities" tend to fail, and to become repeaters.

So the "repeater pool" has a very different distribution than the "first-timer pool". The repeater pool has more people with low passing probabilities, and fewer people with high passing probabilities. So the pass rate for the repeater pool is lower than that of the original first-timer pool.

I think this one makes sense.

Ed

Beat me to it! Oh well. Between us, I think we have it covered!

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

Relax gknevada. I'm not taking shots at you, just trying to keep the forum in order.

 

[Mike in Gastonia]

Mike in Gastonia...sounds very familiar. Do you listen to PacMan's sports show?Mike from Gastonia calls in every day.

Yes. That's where I got the name! However, I'm trying to be a tad less annoying than he is. I don't know why I picked it. Just my off-the-wall sense of humor........

 

[EdinNO]

VT,

I was just messing around with the soup nazzi thing!

I know it probably didn't bother you!

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

VT,I was just messing around with the soup nazzi thing!

I know it probably didn't bother you!

No worries Ed.

 

[gknevada]

I was sincere, I really meant Thanks!

I am not that thin skinned.

I have one dream right now, and that is to see my name on that Banner!

 

[wutiger]

Mike,

Yeah, thank God I'm still at work when he's on...but they kill him on the whiner line....which I check out on my way home from CLT to Gaffney....

Sorry about the non-exam post everyone.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

What discipline did you take GK?

I am fortunate to live in a state where ELSES mails the results directly. I had banner envy for a bit myself.

I spent some time in Nevada about a month ago. That's some serious desert you got there. Coming from somewhere where it's so lush they call it the "Green Mountain State" it was quite different.

 

[gknevada]

My rational is that if I'm a PE in a state that doesn't have a high number of PEs for whatever reason, my value should be higher than if I was in a State where a PE was around every corner.
Immediately I think of areas such as Alaska and Hawaii.

I agree, we all take the same exam. Although you can't tell me that it would be that difficult to break down the percentages on a state-by-state basis.

While we're on that subject, why is there so much discrepancy amongst states as to their exam eligibility requirements? Shouldn't that be across the board also? I mean, if we're all taking the same tests anyway, should we all have to have completed the same pre-requisites in order to sit for it?

Some states will let you take the PE before you even have an FE? What sense does that make?

What states get to take the PE exam without having the FE?

That's not fair. You're right, it should be consistent.

 

[Mike in Gastonia]

Mike,
Yeah, thank God I'm still at work when he's on...but they kill him on the whiner line....which I check out on my way home from CLT to Gaffney....

Sorry about the non-exam post everyone.

Woo-hoo! Shout out to Gaffney!

 

[Mike in Gastonia]

What states get to take the PE exam without having the FE? That's not fair. You're right, it should be consistent.

Some states allow you to take PE and FE in any order, but you are still not licensed until you pass both.

Some states allow PHDs to substitute for FE.

I think some (Nevada?) is now only requiring 2 years experience between exams instead of 4.

 

[gknevada]

What discipline did you take GK?
I am fortunate to live in a state where ELSES mails the results directly. I had banner envy for a bit myself.

I spent some time in Nevada about a month ago. That's some serious desert you got there. Coming from somewhere where it's so lush they call it the "Green Mountain State" it was quite different.

I used to go to Burlington, VT every summer to visit my Aunt and Uncle. It is so beautiful there. They have a home on Lake Champlain.

I've learned to love it here. Yes, it is hot, but the nights are wonderful. You can eat outside without mosquitos, no mold, swim at nights without freezing, have a year round tan, no wool sweaters, no heavy snow boots, your car stays clean, ....

I have family in Ohio, Vermont, San Francisco, (all beautiful) must I always miss home.

 

[gknevada]

Oh, I forgot to tell you, This time I took Civil Transportation. Last time I took Water, and I got a 64%. ouch.

 

[wutiger]

'preciate it Mike....our claim to fame. That, and Andie McDowell, of course.

At least you've got James Worthy.

 

[EdinNO]

I may be missing this if others have asked it, but is there any where that references pass rates per PM session?

Ie, for mechanical, did people who took HVAC do better than machine design, etc... ?

Ed