How is your SE exams (2020 October)

[Andrew W]

SE folks, 

How did you feel about your tests? I just took both lateral and vertical in Phoenix and feel it is really harder than what I expected. There are a few MCQ in the mornings are kinda tricky and had no time to work on them. 

I guess we will receive results in around two months.

 

[E720]

I also took vertical and lateral and after doing a quick inventory last night of the PM problems I will be surprised if I passed the Lateral as I can already think of so many things that I did wrong, I feel like I totally bombed it. The vertical PM could go either way.

I feel like the multiple choice questions were about the difficulty I was expecting and I think I probably got enough correct but I could obviously be wrong.

 

[EBAT75]

Before going into the exam topic, I want to say kudos to NCEES for the way they administered the test under these trying times of COVID-19. In Tucson, AZ the venue was very spacious, comfortable, well lit. The proctors also did an excellent job.

Coming to the exam itself, I took the vertical only. The morning was good, the afternoon crunched for time. 

It is not about whether I pass or fail. Overall, I feel the exam is what it ought to be to protect public safety and above all else lives of people.

A bad doctor could be killing one patient at a time; a bad structural engineer, could kill even dozens of people "at one fell swoop" (pardon the pun).

Just a connection we might think. Two Hyatt Regency walkways fell and killed some 100 plus and injured twice as many. Not a lawyer, but rest my case.

 

[thedaywa1ker]

I took both.  I felt that the difficulty was pretty much in line with what I expected.  I felt 'prepared', but its a hell of a test, so I don't know that anyone will ever feel like they knocked it out of the park.

I felt confident in right at 70% of the morning portions of both , and felt pretty good about the afternoons...but since there is no way to know if I'm totally screwing up the afternoons, who knows.  I feel like if I get a grader in a good mood for the afternoons I'll have a shot at passing both. Fingers crossed.

 

[StandardPractice]

I took lateral, also felt the exam was about what I expected...granted this is my second go at lateral so that probably played a part. Few tricky questions in morning; felt I found the majority of the spots to make a mental error expect for one problem which I realized afterward. Felt good about bridge problems and steel was surprisingly my weak spot throughout morning, but worked it out before time ran out. Felt decent about afternoon except for two portions in two questions, assuming my design methodology was correct for the others. 

 

[DoctorWho-PE]

The first three chapters fell out of my AASHTO binder overnight before lateral and I didn't check before the exam, so I didn't have  the parts I needed available.  Which was a real bummer.

First time taking both, and I was really not ready for that.

 

[thedaywa1ker]

There was a guy that showed up to the SC testing location on the 2nd day ready to take his Vertical exam. I'm pretty sure I had a dream that that happened to me.  What a nightmare.

 

[JP87]

There was a guy that showed up to the SC testing location on the 2nd day ready to take his Vertical exam. I'm pretty sure I had a dream that that happened to me.  What a nightmare.

Lol. I wonder if he was set to take Lateral on Saturday. SMH

 

[Samir P]

Only took the lateral this time.  I took gravity last Oct, and after the AM, i thought I definitely failed, but I ended up passing.  I felt a lot better after the lateral AM portion this time, so hopefully that's a good sign.  PM is harder than I expected.  I came back to do one portion of the question and ran out of time.  I wrote out the steps but I had no numbers.. Hopefully that single portion won't put me at an "unacceptable" for that problem. 

 

[Aman]

I took lateral and feeling great about the exam.... lets see if NCEES concurs with me.... 

 

[organix]

I felt neither exam was quite what I expected.  In that, all I really mean is that the practice exams I was used to where more heavily analytical.  The test was a bit more direct in what they wanted from you and less opened ended.  I guess I won't describe too much more to stay out of trouble. 

There were two similar threads here on this, so I'll echo what I said in the other.  For the lateral, the morning felt really solid, but I'm somewhere around 50/50 on if I passed the afternoon or not.  I know I made mistakes, but I also know I did a lot well.  Anyway, at this point, I've sort of come to terms that it was likely not good enough to pass and hoping I did do enough for vertical so that I only need to redo the lateral.   Lateral I felt really good about.

 

[Present_SE]

There was a guy that used to post on these boards.  He spent two months following the exam posting everyday, multiple times a day, how sure he was that he passed the exam.  He also made it clear that if he didn't pass, he was going to shoot up the NCEES office.

Well...in the end he didn't pass.  I remember logging onto these forums and reading his post where he concluded that he was, in fact, "mentally ********."

All was not lost of course, as there could have been a mistake in how they scored the morning!  He paid the fee to have them rescore the morning.  Original results held, he failed.

He passed eventually though 6 months later.  Moral of the story, never give up!

 

[JP87]

There was a guy that used to post on these boards.  He spent two months following the exam posting everyday, multiple times a day, how sure he was that he passed the exam.  He also made it clear that if he didn't pass, he was going to shoot up the NCEES office.

Well...in the end he didn't pass.  I remember logging onto these forums and reading his post where he concluded that he was, in fact, "mentally ********."

All was not lost of course, as there could have been a mistake in how they scored the morning!  He paid the fee to have them rescore the morning.  Original results held, he failed.

He passed eventually though 6 months later.  Moral of the story, never give up!

I guess this proves the SE exam causes permanent head damage. Lol

 

[thedaywa1ker]

I just scrolled through some of those old results threads and found the posts you're talking about Present_SE.  That guy has a way with words, and makes me feel less confident about my chances, seeing as I'm not nearly as confident as he and apparently many others were.  But, those threads will give me some therapeutic reading in the even that I did fail again.  Misery loves company.

 

[ZEZO4]

I guess this proves the SE exam causes permanent head damage. Lol

I agree with you, that is serious, temporary, I felt this after finishing the S.E. exam on October 2018. 

 

[AndieWoooooooo]

I am glad to get all your replies sharing your experience. Any one has any clue on which day they will release the results? day 42?

 

[ChiefIlliniwek]

Anywhere from 6-10 weeks. People I know who've taken the October exams said it only took 6 weeks, which would be around December 4. However when I took vertical in April 2019 it was 10 weeks, so that puts us around January 1. My guess is they'll do the grading seminar the first weekend of December with the results posted on December 11. That's my bet. 

 

[David Connor SE]

Anywhere from 6-10 weeks. People I know who've taken the October exams said it only took 6 weeks, which would be around December 4. However when I took vertical in April 2019 it was 10 weeks, so that puts us around January 1. My guess is they'll do the grading seminar the first weekend of December with the results posted on December 11. That's my bet. 

Yeah, seems like it is usually the 2nd or 3rd week of December, before Christmas. 

 

[Reverse Polish]

Last year, Illinois released on December 19, which if I recall correctly, was:

1)  The same day NCEES (and most states) released results for SE Exam.

2)  Day 54 from completion of the Lateral Forces Exam.

I wouldn't get too excited until the pencil-and-paper PE exam results are released.

 

[AndieWoooooooo]

Yeah, seems like it is usually the 2nd or 3rd week of December, before Christmas. 

Hi David, do you know the passing criteria of SE exams? I heard it needs to be scored more than 70% for both morning and depth problems to pass. Is this right? or any thoughts on this? Thanks.