For the hazardous area classification code books (NFPA® 497, 499, and 30B):
Check to see if your workplace has the correct copy of these books to use for the exam, and if not, see if your employer will purchase an office copy set that you can use. If neither is an option, then check your budget.
Each copy of these books are about $50, so you are looking at roughly $150 for the complete set. You will most likely not see a question from each book, so purchasing these books are a complete gamble. If you do decide to purchase these books, you are better off purchasing the other codebooks first in the following order:
1. NEC®
2. NESC®
3. NFPA® 70E
4. NFPA® 497, 499, 30B.
Remember that NCEES® does not adopt codebooks for the PE exam until the year after they are updated. This means that for the 2019 PE exams, the correct years for these books are:
NFPA® 497 - 2017
NFPA® 499 - 2017
NFPA® 30B - 2015
Our recommendation: Purchase this set if money is not an object, if you have a large budget, or if your employer will cover the cost.
For more information and the complete details of our recommendation you can always visit:
Electrical PE Review - Recommended References for the Electrical Power PE Exam