How do you think you did on the April 2008 Exam?

[Guest]

So, come on everyone - tell us how you did!

Let the waiting begin!!!! :w00t:

JR

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

Eeeek, a PE-ness!

(South Park fans will get this one)

 

[testee]

^^I don't get to watch much TV.

Regarding the PE exam, I think I spent too much time organizing the problems into categories and should have been solving more.

 

[Vishal]

Let THE WAIT begin.... time for clock to read "You have been waiting...."!!!!!!! Feels a lot better to be on the other side of the fence.. I am glad i didn't hav to go thru this more than once..

 

[csb]

Did anyone else's answer sheet look like this???

 

[cement]

^^ good one!

 

[squishles10]

I thought the morning was pretty straight-forward. I only couldn't figure out about 3 of them (2 structures and a geotech). The construction was basic except for a random surveying question- where was that on the possible topics list? I know, the disclaimer at the bottom, but sheesh.

The afternoon on the other hand- good god! I totally guessed on 2, and I believe a few more were located on trip #3 to the ladies room, if you get my drift. There were no look-up questions on the first pass, but after looking up in a LOT of places, 2-3 appeared, at a cost of well over 6 minutes.

Where's the "bend over" icon?

 

[csb]

^ I panicked on transpo, because there were no easy questions and made the ultimate dumb move...I erased the six questions I had answered in 90 minutes and moved over to the Construction depth.

Ahem.

 

[Mike in Gastonia]

The construction was basic except for a random surveying question- where was that on the possible topics list? I know, the disclaimer at the bottom, but sheesh.

Wasn't there a topic called "Site Layout and Control"?

 

[squishles10]

Wasn't there a topic called "Site Layout and Control"?

Oh. I call that "Surveying". Regardless, I got it.

 

[inspirit00]

I thought the AM exam was pretty easy and so was the PM 'Transportation' depth. The questions itself were pretty straight forward, if you knew how to solve them (if that makes any sense).

 

[Vishal]

I thought the morning was pretty straight-forward.

i know i asked it somewhere else too...still, did they follow their guidelines for Trans AM of not asking traffic related questions? I guess the new "syllabus" calls for geometric design related questions only..

 

[inspirit00]

i know i asked it somewhere else too...still, did they follow their guidelines for Trans AM of not asking traffic related questions? I guess the new "syllabus" calls for geometric design related questions only..

Yeah, I replied in the other thread too and the answer is 'Yes - they did'.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

I thought the morning (Electrical) session was easier than I expected it to be, but the afternoon (Computer) section was VERY different than the sample exam, and IMO a lot harder. I guess that is the price I pay for being a techie (ever changing technology), but if it's going to change that much, they need to start releasing sample exams more often.

 

[Brentum]

Two things,

A. it wasn't has bad as I had it made up in my mind (ME-Fluids/Thermo). I was totally psych'd out for it. I knew more than I thought.

B. I don't think I passed. it wasn't so much that I didn't know the problems. It was that I totally ran out of time and had to guess on problems I am pretty sure I knew how to do, because I didn't want to leave any unanswered.

It was worse in the afternoon session, but it got caught twice in a time crunch. In the morning, I had about 15 left with an hour to go. And in the afternoon I had about 15 left with 1/2 hour left to go.

Fortunately in the afternoon, there were about 5 non-quantitative right there at the end. I think I got 4 of them right.

If I'd had the time I needed, I think I would have only had maybe 5-6 unknown in the morning session and maybe around 8 I didn't know on the afternoon.

So, unless my guessing was very lucky, or the cut score if very low, I'm skeptical about my chances.

The good news (if it can be called that) is I certainly identified some weak spots that I think if I knew properly, would have really helped this time (thermo turbine problems), and if I can manage my time better, that would have really helped to. I fully meant to pick the low hanging fruit, and go through the whole thing, but I kept hitting a problem that I -thought- I knew how to do...and then after dickering with it for 20 minutes, realized I couldn't figure it out, and just pissed away a lot of time.

In the afternoon session, the first 10 problems were like that. Spent like the first 2 hours on the first 10 problems, and didn't even get them all right. Hit a bunch of fluids problems after that that I knew pretty good, but just take time to work out. Then was scrambling over some fairly easy problems that I just didn't have time to do.

Poor time management coupled with not knowing my turbines well enough really sunk my efforts I'm afraid.

I think if I don't pass and take it again, I'll work the problems starting with the last and working forward. Seemed to be some relatively easy ones hiding right at the end and that was was freakin' out about time when I hit them.

 

[benbo]

I thought the morning (Electrical) session was easier than I expected it to be, but the afternoon (Computer) section was VERY different than the sample exam, and IMO a lot harder. I guess that is the price I pay for being a techie (ever changing technology), but if it's going to change that much, they need to start releasing sample exams more often.

Almost everybody (including me) thinks that about the PM. There are just too many different things they can ask. Especially in computers, if that's what you took. I took ECC, I was sure I failed when I took it, and I passed, primarily because of the AM. And on ECC there are a lot of things that just don't change that much.

 

[squishles10]

Yeah, I replied in the other thread too and the answer is 'Yes - they did'.

I had an equation sheet for transpo that included H/V curve equations, stopping distance, max radius (I think?), and superelevation, and it is all I needed. Didn't use CERM at all.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

Almost everybody (including me) thinks that about the PM. There are just too many different things they can ask. Especially in computers, if that's what you took. I took ECC, I was sure I failed when I took it, and I passed, primarily because of the AM. And on ECC there are a lot of things that just don't change that much.

I felt bulletproof going into the afternoon because the morning was easier than expected, and I had always done really well on the computer afternoon practice tests. I gotta say that it was very ego deflating to totally whiff on a section that I thought I would nail.

 

[Vishal]

I had an equation sheet for transpo that included H/V curve equations, stopping distance, max radius (I think?), and superelevation, and it is all I needed. Didn't use CERM at all.

I thought so, since they were so specific about the morning topics and limited that to pretty much H/V curver, superelev., SSD there isn't much left to ask... So those not taking Trans PM, no need to carry Highway Capacity Manual and MUTCD.. I would still recommend carrying AASHTO just coz I am sure there will be look-up type question.

Good luck for your results... I see you are in Texas, so you are in luck.. the results will be posted online as soon as the board gets them. Are you subscribed to the mailing list on yahoo?

 

[PE-ness]

^^I don't get to watch much TV.
Regarding the PE exam, I think I spent too much time organizing the problems into categories and should have been solving more.

Yeah, next time leave the thinking to ME. With YOU in the driver's seat, we'd never get anywhere.