how much study is adequate? Please help
- Thread starter der
- Start date
Help Support Professional Engineer & PE Exam Forum:
IlPadrino
Well-known member
You should focus on hours, not months. Otherwise, I'd point out that a week is more than sufficient - if that's all you did other than eat, drink, urinate, defecate, and sleep.
Also, the answer depends on the person. There are those that spent 400 hours studying who failed. And there are those that spent 20 hours studying and passed.
Just prepare the best you can and wait three months to find out if you pass...
maryannette
Wise One
IlPadrino is right. My rule of thumb is that you should plan to study at least 200 hours. You could do that in a month, but ... it would be tough and take a LOT of discipline. That would also reduce time to find help for things you don't understand. If you are taking the October exam and cannot put it off, start studying and good luck.
maryannette
Wise One
Something else to consider is if you have access to the reference books you will need and how long it will take to get what you don't have.
my goal was 150 hours. I tried to do 15 hours a week for 10 weeks. Breaking it down and keeping a manageable goal for each week made me stick to a study schedule a little better and made the task of finding time for 150 study hours a little less daunting.
Sschell
Dude?
As much as you can squeeze into your already busy schedule. I say the 200 hour benchmark is a good goal. personally (I'm MechE) I studied about 250 hours, and was VERY overprepared, which was a good feeling during and after the test.
G
Guest
Agree with the other posters but will qualify my answer to say that if you are TIME STRAPPED focus on the mechanics of setting problems up rather than solving them. In other word, the important piece here now (with limited) time is that you understand the concepts .. punching numbers on a calculator is secondary. 
JR
JR
Impossible question to answer.
If you know the material you don't need to study at all. If you need to learn material for the test then a month may not be long enough.
Review the posted exam content and be familiar with the basics of each section. I can't speak directly to CE or WR/ENV but IMHO the test is pretty much geared towards fudamental knowlegde and less towards the details/specifics.
good luck
If you know the material you don't need to study at all. If you need to learn material for the test then a month may not be long enough.
Review the posted exam content and be familiar with the basics of each section. I can't speak directly to CE or WR/ENV but IMHO the test is pretty much geared towards fudamental knowlegde and less towards the details/specifics.
good luck
I'm taking the Civil PE (WR/ENV depth) in October and have been studying about 10-12 hours per week since mid-July. This includes a review class. I feel comfortable where I'm at right now.
This worked well for me because with my work schedule 10-12 hrs per week is manageable but 20+ hours would not be. I'd suggest tailoring your studying schedule to your job/life/etc...not the other way around. It's working for me at least.
This worked well for me because with my work schedule 10-12 hrs per week is manageable but 20+ hours would not be. I'd suggest tailoring your studying schedule to your job/life/etc...not the other way around. It's working for me at least.
squishles10
CEO
I studied average of 10 hours a week since the test before so ~6 months. I studied more than most people. I was overprepared but I wouldn't give any of it back. One month is daunting- don't plan on doing anything else. I think one month without a review course would be darn near impossible but who knows. If you get questions that you know how to answer then you're golden.
jfusilloPE
Well-known member
I have to agree completely with MA on this one...this is an impossible questions to answer
StoneAG
Member
I studied an hour or so every day for 2 months up until the exam with a couple hrs a day on the weekend. I also took the prep course at CU Denver. More than anything, the best time spent was knowing where all my reference materials were. I saw people with wagons of books and knew right away that they had TOO MANY RESOURCES. Time is so precious that taking 10 minutes to find the answer to any questions will sink you for sure. If you were approved to take the test, odds are you know the material well enough. Learn how to quickly search for tables, and spend the time to tab your references. It will go miles in saving you the time you will need on the questions you are less confident on.
TXengrChickPE
Here we go Steelers, here we go!
Really? I don't know of any engineers who actually use enough of the material on a daily basis to be able to say that. Most of the breadth exam was stuff that I hadn't seen or thought about since college.
G
Guest
^^ I am agreeing with the lady on this one! Not to mention some of us work in very niche industries like me (hazardous waste regulation and environmental remediation).
JR
JR
The PE exam is a crapshoot.
I studied 44 hours and passed the Electrical exam in April 2006, but that was stupid. It was one of those situations where I went in praying that the test would have questions that I know, which it did (I love electromagnetics and there wasn't one single Emag question on that test; James Clerk Maxwell would be ashamed).
I'm gearing up now to take the Civil exam (Water Resources) in October 2009 and I'll probably study at least 600 hours, but then again I love to study.
I studied 44 hours and passed the Electrical exam in April 2006, but that was stupid. It was one of those situations where I went in praying that the test would have questions that I know, which it did (I love electromagnetics and there wasn't one single Emag question on that test; James Clerk Maxwell would be ashamed).
I'm gearing up now to take the Civil exam (Water Resources) in October 2009 and I'll probably study at least 600 hours, but then again I love to study.
GulfCoastCivil
Don't Mess With My Oatmeal!
I've heard the magic number is 200 hours.
Polysloman
Well-known member
Be prepared.. whatever it takes to get YOU there... All the engr tests you passed. Same process: Skills, reading comprehension, Time management.
Be Strong!
GreenEngineer
New member
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2009
- Messages
- 2
- Reaction score
- 0
100 Hours and a class to me is more than adequate. But we are all different. I know someone who passed studying maybe 15 hours, I kid you not. But most of the people I know passed took review classes.
But like most people there is not set amount of hours that is adequate. Just do enough to make you feel comfortable. If you are getting roughly 50% correct on your practice exams (except the NCEES one, at least 70% for thayt one), you should be fine.
But like most people there is not set amount of hours that is adequate. Just do enough to make you feel comfortable. If you are getting roughly 50% correct on your practice exams (except the NCEES one, at least 70% for thayt one), you should be fine.
CrazyHorse81
Active member
I would suggest to prepare for the exam as you did for your most highly anticipated difficult final(s) in college; or most finals for that matter that resulted in a good grade, like 85-percent or above. Did you study solo? Did you study in groups? Do the same thing for this exam, and you will be fine. Don't break away from your comfort zone!
I came up with an equation to estimate how much time needed to study and pass the PE exam
Y=100*k-g-s-p
In which:
k=years after graduate, k=3 if it is 4-8 years, 3.0 if 9-13 years, 3.5 if 14-20 yrs and 4 if more than 20 yrs
g: gpa in engineering , g=50 if B or better, g=0 if less than B
s: engineering college, g=50 if good college (MIT, Purdue, Texas A&M…) g=0 for majority colleges, -100 if colleges like … A&M…
p=80 if passing FE in the last 12 months, otherwise p=0
In my case, 18 yrs after graduate, pass FE within 12 mo, not so good grade and my engineering school was easy…everybody passed, nobody failed any course, so
Y=100*3.5 - 0 – 0 – (-100) - 80 = 370 hours I studied. I passed.
