Houston - Fall 2011

[EE_Mike]

I am curious as to how many other Houston area PE candidates are on this forum. Also, has anyone taken any classes that are worth their money in Houston? Lastly, if you're already a PE and wouldn't mind being a resource, let us know!

 

[cableguy]

Also, has anyone taken any classes that are worth their money in Houston?

I took the Testmasters course in Houston (EE Power). It was held at the Holiday Inn near the Galleria (though I stayed with my sister in Bellaire and saved the hotel bill). I thought it was worth the money ($1750, IIRC). It was a good course. Lots of problems, lots of time solving problems, lots of practice, lots of opportunities to ask questions & clear up the murky topics.

But, you do get out what you put in to it, I worked through all the Testmasters problems at least 3 times, which means a lot of time working problems. It helped expose some of my weaker areas. The NEC stuff was really really worthwhile.

 

[EE_Mike]

Great! I have a coworker that took the Houston TestMasters course and said it was the main reason he passed his PE exam. I heard they go through the Camara book in depth and I've already gotten started on it by myself. I'm using that book in conjunction with the NCEES Power Example Problems booklet as a starting point. I guess you're out of the Houston area now and am practicing in Waco? Best of luck there.

Hopefully some Houston area hopefuls sound off ater the Memorial Day holiday. I think it would be a good networking exercise to list the local company that we work for. I'll start it off.

Shrader Engineering, Inc.

Electrical Engineer

 

[cableguy]

I took Testmasters last fall, the Camara book was barely touched. Didn't hardly use it at all. The binder that Testmasters gives you ends up about 4" thick by the time you're done (assuming you stick your notes & problems in it). While the Camara book is OK, I didn't use it much for the exam. Some parts of it are good, but there's a lot of stuff you don't need in it (seriously, LaPlace transforms? Matrix algebra? lol.). You could probably throw out 2/3 of the book and be just fine.

And I've been in Waco for years, but am fortunate to have family in the Houston area that I could stay with. Made it less expensive for me (I paid for the class out of my own pocket - as opposed to others that had their companies pick up the tab).

Good luck. You're in for a fun ride.

 

[joshtrevino]

I have heard really good things about Test Masters. The only reason that I didn't take it is that I live in Beaumont approximately 2 hours away. I did take the Irvine course and pass (about $700 with books). It is all online and really helped me be efficient. Like Cable Guy said, it is mostly about what you are willing to put in.

Study hard, find your weaknesses, study in them harder, but save time to really slam those practice problems. Get as many practice exams as you can and slam them.

Oh, and shout out to Cable Guy! You were a real help to me with some of my questions. I truly appreciate your help.

 

[R2KBA]

I am curious as to how many other Houston area PE candidates are on this forum. Also, has anyone taken any classes that are worth their money in Houston? Lastly, if you're already a PE and wouldn't mind being a resource, let us know!

I am hoping to take the exam this fall if I get approved (all paperwork has been mailed in).

 

[KSU-EE]

I reside in Houston and will be taking the PE - EE power exam in October 2011. I spent a a couple of days on this forum reading the threads. It seemed that people took different classes (Irvine, GT, & Testmasters). I will be taking the Testmasters EE power class this fall, i think they offer good material/handouts to study (i took the FE class with them last year), but i don't know if their class is better than the other two, especially that it's $1000 more!

 

[Santosh]

Hi,

I took the PE exam this April and made it successfully. I did not attend any classes but the test masters course material could be very valuable. For all who are attending the exam this fall, below are the list of books which I think are best suited for electrical power exam.

- Power System Analysis by Grainger and Stevenson

- Electrical machines, drives and power systems by Theodore Wildi

- NEC, NFPA 70

- Handbook of Electric Power Calculations by H. Wayne Beaty

- NCEES study material - PE Electrical and Computer: Power

- Protective Relaying Theory and Application by J. Lewis Blackburn

- INDUSTRIAL POWER SYSTEMS HANDBOOK - Donald Beeman (very old book...but very informative)

I wish you all do the best on your exam.

Regards

Santosh

 

[EE_Mike]

I just wanted to close up this thread by saying that I passed the Fall 2011 Power P.E. exam with flying colors. The TestMasters review course was a huge help and a Casio fx-115 ES calculator is a MUST HAVE.

The tips and well wishes on these forums helped as well!