For those discovering they didn't pass...

[matt267 PE]

@Zags12 sorry but what does EET stand for? Maybe I will look into this course for next time. I am WRE depth section as well. But I do mainly pipeline design now so I have very little experience in the other WRE areas in the past 4years.

http://www.eet-california.com/

 

[matt267 PE]

I think that was my mistake the first time around. I paid a lot of $$ to take the University of Maryland PE exam prep class. And I live 1.5hrs each way from the campus. That was a lot of time spent in the car driving to class every week. I didn't study as much outside of class as I should have so I can't completely blame the course/drive time but I'm not willing to make that commute again.

Oh. You might benefit from EET (http://www.eet-california.com/)

 

[npcannon]

Mechanical F&TS: I might be in the minority here, but I think a lot of people study too much. I was reading 200, 300, 500 hours of studying. Strictly speaking of mechanical here, but if you study to the test there's just not THAT much time necessary. Get the practice exams and work the questions, flagging the MERM while you work through them. If you can, take the "School of PE" course,  I feel like it was a huge help with the general section as well as more relevant practice problems, and help with focusing on the depth. It also helped me not waste a bunch of time studying stuff that wasn't on the test.

The first few weeks I studied I just worked ppi problems and I felt like a complete idiot to the point of just giving up. Once I gave up on that and went to simpler problems I was able to cover more relevant material and gain a little confidence. The flagging I did in my MERM from the PPI problems was so dense it was practically useless, I can just see other folks sticking to that system and ending up with entirely too much information and not being able to sort through it all in the test.

As I said in another thread, I'm not a particularly smart guy, 3.0 student, 10 years out of school, 10 years post EIT, usually pretty average on tests, sometimes I'd kill them and sometimes I'd totally blow it (I got a 10% on a dynamics test, although the average was only 35). I will say I do a lot of work on pump design and heat exchanger work, which is why I went F&TS. I had the cameron hydraulic data book on my desk for years and was able to make good use of it during the test. 

I made a study spreadsheet and it looks like I came in around 160-175 hours total (including the School of PE hours), I'm not totally sure on the time since I fudged the first few weeks a bit. This includes a bit of wasted time and hours I logged but just flipped through the book daydreaming. 

I was semi-confident coming out of the test, but fully prepared to not pass. Maybe I'm completely off base here though, so really, just hit it hard and good luck next time. 

 

[JHW 3d]

Mechanical F&TS: I might be in the minority here, but I think a lot of people study too much. I was reading 200, 300, 500 hours of studying. Strictly speaking of mechanical here, but if you study to the test there's just not THAT much time necessary.

Are you saying too much studying is detrimental or just unnecessary?

 

[npcannon]

Well, both I guess. It's unnecessary and potentially detrimental if people are filling their brains with useless information. It's a small sample size, but the two friends I have who failed 1st time both said they felt like they studied too much without getting focused on the right stuff.

 

[Audi Driver P.E.]

Are you saying too much studying is detrimental or just unnecessary?

I don't think it's possible to study too much.  Being well versed at solving problems quickly is a necessity, as is a breadth of knowledge concerning the subject matter.

 

[npcannon]

I suppose that should include a "you know yourself" disclaimer and a "your mileage may vary". I never pulled an all nighter in college or anything like that. If you're a "study 300 hours" kind of person or a "take a practice test and flip through the MERM" kind of person, you probably already know that. My college roommate passed the PE and claims "I dunno, like 40 hours, maybe" of studying. I watched this guy smoke weed and play mario for 3 years while acing engineering school, I completely believe it. I guess that style isn't for everyone. 

 

[JHW 3d]

I agree with @Audi driver, PE... For people just starting the process (possibly for Spring 2016), my advice is:  get started as early as possible, and study as much as you can given your family, social,  working and mental constraints.

 

[Mike in Gastonia]

Well, both I guess. It's unnecessary and potentially detrimental if people are filling their brains with useless information. It's a small sample size, but the two friends I have who failed 1st time both said they felt like they studied too much without getting focused on the right stuff.

Isn't that what we engineers do? 

 

[Audi Driver P.E.]

I do believe it's entirely possible to study too broad without going deep enough.  You really do need to know the "why" as much as the "what"  and "how" IMO.

 

[Zags12]

@Zags12 sorry but what does EET stand for? Maybe I will look into this course for next time. I am WRE depth section as well. But I do mainly pipeline design now so I have very little experience in the other WRE areas in the past 4years.

Here is the site with more information: http://www.eet-california.com/  .  I live in Montana, not california but found the live webinar and on-demand webinar worked great for me.  I do a lot of pipeline and wastewater treatment design, I needed help in other areas of WRE depth.

 

[CntrlEngrPE]

Failed the control systems PE exam for the second time...totally surprised as I felt good after the exam...did worse than the first time after studying more than the first time..cannot explain that...absolutely in a brain freeze..more surprised than sad ...just cannot figure out what happened...feel bad for my family more than me who will have to go through it again with me...

 

[NYCProjectEngineer PE PMP]

I do believe it's entirely possible to study too broad without going deep enough.  You really do need to know the "why" as much as the "what"  and "how" IMO.

THIS IS KEY.

While studying you should see key themes repeat through different questions. The exam (especially the AM) is testing your understanding of basic principles of engineering (thus the title of the exam: Principles & Practice). You need to deeply understand the basics of each topic and this will make answering questions easier. The AM portion of the test has very very minimal calculations and is mostly theory based with a line or two of calcs (if that). 

I did not compile a book of solved problems and actually did not even reference any of my books like Six-Min Solutions to look for similar problems and to plug/chug. I knew the theory behind each problem and could think it out like an Engineer before even diving into the calcs. For example: when solving a crane problem I wouldn't immediately start putting my equilibrium formula together... i would look at the givens and what they are asking and would map out the problem in my head... then I would assemble the formula to solve the problem and work to the answer. 

When studying you will know when you are prepared when you are able to see a new question on a common topic (i.e., cranes) and see what the subtle differences & pitfalls are with the problem. 

 

[paigelida]

Failed the control systems PE exam for the second time...totally surprised as I felt good after the exam...did worse than the first time after studying more than the first time..cannot explain that...absolutely in a brain freeze..more surprised than sad ...just cannot figure out what happened...feel bad for my family more than me who will have to go through it again with me...

I know exactly where you are comign from. This is me to a T - except I took the WRE depth section. 

Going to *try* not to think about it over the holidays and give it one more go in April. 

 

[wirelessengineer21]

For repeat test takers that failed, did you find review courses to be more/less beneficial? And did you focus your study based on the diagnostics? My diagnostics from the exam were pretty consistent with diagnostics I got using PPI2PASS Exam Café so I knew my weaknesses and strengths going into the exam, so I'm trying to avoid overthinking my original study strategy as I prepare to retake. Looking my results, I basically failed this exam in 3 or 4 subject areas and I don't feel I put nearly enough time in preparation. Any advice would be appreciated.

So i am a two time taker and failer (is that a word?).  I took my diagnostic exam and studied the EFF out the three topics i whiffed at the first time.  For example, 1st exam I was 0/8, 0/4, and 0/6 in 3 sections hat i didnt give much effort in studyng the first go round.  My results for Oct showed gains of those same 3 sections to 6/8, 3/4 and 4/6.  Those are great gains.  However, I was counting on SUSTAINING my competeny level in the other sections, which i didnt spend too much time on, thinking that I "knew the material".  Well, bad assumption.  I regressed substantially in 2 sections i was counting on a certain score.  End result, a marginal increase in the number of correct answers this 2nd time around.

I am debating whether to take a course this time.  Not sure, but i have to do something different. My way hasnt worked twice. 

 

[ptatohed]

I do believe it's entirely possible to study too broad without going deep enough.  You really do need to know the "why" as much as the "what"  and "how" IMO.

A.d., what Audi do you drive?  I have a 2001.5 B5 S4 6MT Stage 2, Santorin Blue on Black, fully loaded. 

 

[Audi Driver P.E.]

A.d., what Audi do you drive?  I have a 2001.5 B5 S4 6MT Stage 2, Santorin Blue on Black, fully loaded. 

I had (but no longer) a 2004 A6 2.7L bi-turbo w/ Quattro and the sport mode tranny.  I sold it and now have a 2010 F-150 Fx4 haha.

 

[somemePE]

I remember how devastated I was when I didn't pass the patent bar the first time.  Second time I passed, I did so as a result of a much more disciplined study routine.  I think that experience helped me prep for this exam.

I have been thinking a lot about taking the patent bar as well. Have you found it to be beneficial to your career? What industry and role are you in?

 

[Audi Driver P.E.]

I have been thinking a lot about taking the patent bar as well. Have you found it to be beneficial to your career? What industry and role are you in?

To be clear, I am a patent agent, not an attorney (I'm pretty sure you understood that, but I hate to assume). I've worked in electronics cooling, data-center, and telecom industries for many years, and I currently work in the surge protection industry.  My current title is Sr. Mechanical Engineer, but I have had titles such as "Mechanical Engineer, Patent Specialist", "Patent Agent"; "Mechanical Engineer/Patent Agent", and "Mechanical Engineer II" (all with that patent agent license).

 It has definitely been something that makes a hiring manager take a second look.  But it's hit or miss.  Some companies do not put much value on IP whereas others understand the value of it very well.  I'd say about half the time an employer will look at that and not really understand what it has to do with the engineering job they're hiring for (and I'm happy to walk away from them, not wanting to work with or for them).  Start-ups typically do, but the pay is going to be pretty low, typically and a lot of times it's more economical for a start-up to hire a patent attorney that does transactional work as well, and they just get by, by hiring new or mid-level engineers.

But there is a whole other tract available to you if you do go for it.  For example, I contract patent services through a sole proprietorship I started last year.  I have also worked in-house in a law firm (which I would highly recommend before attempting to go it on your own).  If you decide to really pursue the patent route, there is good money to be made working in a law firm, and most law firms that do patent work hire Patent Agents.  Upward salaries in that arena were almost double what I could ever expect working as an Engineer in the same geographical area.  However, I found that I missed doing engineering work too much so switched back to it.  And I keep my patent role active by contracting and by doing a bit of patent work in-house.  As a PE, now I can offer both engineering and patent services to potential clients.  My business is really in its infancy and I don't know exactly where I want it to go yet, but now that I have my PE I have a lot more options.

Be aware of a couple things, if you get a patent agent license 1) no one knows what it is until you explain it to them (for some reason everyone immediately understands what a patent attorney is) 2) once you tell someone in casual conversation you're a patent agent, they will tell you all of their ideas they want to patent and expect you to do it at minimal cost for them.

 

[atmuh]

Keep your head up! I failed my first try and I took geotech as well. I ended up with a 31 out of 40 in the am and like a 21 out of 40 in the afternoon. My first go around I spent a solid two months crunching problems after problems but it wasn't enough. In my opinion you can crunch problems until your blue in the face but if you dont have a true understanding of the topics your chances of passing are alot less. 

This time around I took a class and I passed. Also, another big help for the afternoon section were the Das/Bowels books I brought in as a reference. The class prepared me for both the AM/PM sections but the Das books really helped me for the geotechnical afternoon. I was very shocked last time that I didnt pass because I was crunching so many problems but I took a different approach this time and passed. Also, I think I studied less this time then I did the first; just focus more on understanding and learning topics then just pumping out problems like a zombie.  

I failed Geotech with a 60% AM 62% PM. I felt pretty good after the test but obviously not good enough . What class did you take? I don't really have the time between work and family to take a live class so I was looking at doing one of the on-demand classes.

Brutal that I have to go through it again but I know I can do it.