Hi ThomasBSEE,
Ideally, we all want to pass every test in first attempt whether it is driving license (failed three times to before I got driver’s license) or PE license for obvious reasons. However, failures are encountered along the way before reaching goals by every successful individual or company. The important thing to remember is that, with every attempt you are actually getting closer to the finish line. Hopefully very soon you will find that the time and efforts spent were worth your while in the long run.
I’ve referenced below an excerpt from one of my earlier posts (January 22nd, 2016) on a similar topic:
"
- The biggest challenge involved in FE exam preparation is the breadth of topics. You are tested quite literally on all 4 years of ECE undergraduate coursework.
- Typically exam questions are relatively straightforward and stretch problems are generally exception rather than norm (especially when compared to PE exam). You may even come across plug and play type of questions where simply knowing the formula will get you the answer.
- Time management for FE exam preparation can be difficult. The main reason is that individual sections of FE Electrical and Computer CBT exam specification don't necessarily complement each other. For instance, Digital Systems will have little to no overlap with Signal Processing similarly Circuit Analysis will have little to no overlap with Electromagnetics. This is mainly because of the nature of Electrical Engineering which is by far the most diverse field. As you progress through your exam preparation you will actually be climbing lots of small mountains (each topic is a new challenge) rather than climbing one big mountain.
- Time management during FE exam can be difficult. There are 110 questions on the examination and it can be difficult to maintain composure throughout the exam.
- There is no substitute for studying hard and by putting in conscious effort you will only increase you chance of success. But equally important is studying smart. I've recently authored a study guide for FE Electrical & Computer CBT exam and setup an online course but even when I was preparing for FE exam I strategically allocated my time and effort towards different sections to maximize my chance of success. For instance, I never took Control Systems in undergraduate which carries similar exam weightage as Linear Systems and Signal Processing. I made sure that I was proficient in Linear Systems and Signal Processing before investing too much time in Control Systems. "
The fact that you’ve done well in school will definitely help you in reviewing key knowledge areas much faster than others who struggled in core courses. To fully capitalize on past performance,
practice as many questions as you can in order to gain complete proficiency in solving problems on FE exam.
It may also help to prepare some exam sections in groups of 3 or 4 in order to make use of synergies between them. For instance, following sections can be looked as individual blocks:
- Block # 1 - Math, Probability and Statistics, Engineering Economics, Ethics
- Block # 2 - Properties of Electrical Materials, Engineering Sciences
- Block # 3 - Circuit Analysis, Electronics, Linear Systems
- Block # 4 - Power, Electromagnetics
- Block # 5 - Signal Processing, Communications
- Block # 6 -Computer Networks, Computer Systems, Software Development
You can observe that Block # 1 carries the largest weight on exam as an individual aggregate. As such, my recommendation would be to invest proportional efforts in that area.
Also, I noticed that you were unable to score any point in one of the sections (signal processing) in your first attempt. ECE is a very diverse engineering discipline (which is part of the challenge in preparing for FE exam as noted above) but for us to pass this exam, we have to stay as close to average in each section as possible while trying for perfect scores in areas of strength. To do so, I suggest categorizing each FE section into one of following areas:
- High Competency
- Moderate Competency
- Low Competency
Based on your diagnostics report, roughly 60% of the sections fall slightly below Moderate Competency, 10% in High Competency and 30% in Low Competency.
One general strategy can involve adopting a priority based approach as suggested below:
- Priority # 1 – Try to convert Moderate Competency areas into High Competency areas
- Priority # 2 –Try to convert Low Competency areas into Moderate Competency areas while maintaining/improving competency in areas of strength
I hope you will find all or at least some of the abovementioned recommendations relevant and helpful.
To put things in perspective, it is worth noting that an average engineering career spans 30 – 40 years therefore in grand scheme of things minor setbacks like these should be treated nothing more than a hiccup.
Good luck!
