How you did AM/PM October 2013 (All)

[ASG]

^^^If they only tested how good you were at doing your job, then 99% of people would pass! That is not the point! By that rationale, if you were to switch jobs/industries, you should loose your PE license because you have not proven you are competent outside of your specific field! For the electrical PE, it is the only discipline for which they eliminated the breadth section. You have Power AM and Power PM.... no more computer or electronics questions. They have already done you a tremendous favor in that regard. What more could you ask for? They can't practically individualize a test for everyone.

Most engineers do not know everything they run into on a daily basis of the top of their head... a non-licensed, non-degreed designer can handle that. Even if you are not intimately familiar with a code, you should be able to know how to navigate it and find information using the index and reasonably be able to apply it. NCEES wasn't throwing you a curve ball. They list the NESC as one of the references on their power exam specifications. The more useful stuff out of that code is summarized in the "Power Reference Manual."

Of course if you switch industries, you should lose your license. You are no longer an experienced professional in the field you got your experience in. If it was just about knowing the material, they would have you take the exam straight out of college. They can't individualize the test for everyone but they can individualize it for every field that actually uses the license to, you know, sign things as an engineer.

No, I didn't think the NESC was one of the 2 curveball questions I got. I would say what I thought those questions were but I think I'm not alllowed to even mention concepts of material that was on the exam.

BTW, I wish I had computer or electronics questions. That is what I knew well in college so may be it would be more like riding a bicycle than trying to learn all new infomation over the course of a few night classes (I don't learn crap by reading a book).

 

[kchinger]

If you know electronics better than power maybe you should have taken the electronics PE exam instead of power.

 

[palvarez83]

I don't know what specialized field of MEP you may work in, but every field has its overlaps. The state has already decided you are qualified to take the Electrical engineering PE exam based off of your experience. If you know electronics or computer better take those, you will still be an EE PE when you pass. Your certificate won't say electronics, power, or computer. Just a fact we all have to accept.

Be glad you aren't taking the Civil PE... especially in CA. Now there is a blunder of different topics people have to know.

 

[ASG]

I didn't feel right taking the computer exam if I'm now a power designer. If my score is outright awful though, I'm going to switch the the FPE next time.

 

[PSU09Vet]

^^^If they only tested how good you were at doing your job, then 99% of people would pass! That is not the point! By that rationale, if you were to switch jobs/industries, you should loose your PE license because you have not proven you are competent outside of your specific field! For the electrical PE, it is the only discipline for which they eliminated the breadth section. You have Power AM and Power PM.... no more computer or electronics questions. They have already done you a tremendous favor in that regard. What more could you ask for? They can't practically individualize a test for everyone.

Most engineers do not know everything they run into on a daily basis of the top of their head... a non-licensed, non-degreed designer can handle that. Even if you are not intimately familiar with a code, you should be able to know how to navigate it and find information using the index and reasonably be able to apply it. NCEES wasn't throwing you a curve ball. They list the NESC as one of the references on their power exam specifications. The more useful stuff out of that code is summarized in the "Power Reference Manual."

Of course if you switch industries, you should lose your license. You are no longer an experienced professional in the field you got your experience in. If it was just about knowing the material, they would have you take the exam straight out of college. They can't individualize the test for everyone but they can individualize it for every field that actually uses the license to, you know, sign things as an engineer.

No, I didn't think the NESC was one of the 2 curveball questions I got. I would say what I thought those questions were but I think I'm not alllowed to even mention concepts of material that was on the exam.

BTW, I wish I had computer or electronics questions. That is what I knew well in college so may be it would be more like riding a bicycle than trying to learn all new infomation over the course of a few night classes (I don't learn crap by reading a book).

There may be a situation where I work that, let's say, someone with a Nuclear PE is in a PM role where one would expect a Chemical PE to be, if both PEs exist. My point is there are occasions where someone switches industries which completely have nothing in common. And I agree with this, to be honest. Yet it still happens. Until states or the government make PEs industry-specific, a PE is a PE. But I just dragged us off-topic.

 

[ThoroughPM]

Civil AM was okay. PM was harder, took the construcion depth. Definately some tough problems, one that was not within the recommended reference material really ticked me off.

The wait is the worst part.

 

[palvarez83]

I took Civil... Construction depth. Like most others are reporting AM seemed like a breeze and got your confidence up. Then the PM came and you are like... wtf? Some of those were really time consuming and found myself bubbling at random for a few of them at the 1 minute warning. I think I will be around the cutscore, just don't know what side of the fence!

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

Civil AM was okay. PM was harder, took the construcion depth. Definately some tough problems, one that was not within the recommended reference material really ticked me off.

The wait is the worst part.

Recommended doesn't necessarily mean all inclusive.

 

[iwire]

I felt good in the AM but the PM is brutal in EE power. I don't know. But regardless, I think I will start studying again around Mid December if the results is not out yet...I was planning that on FE last year but the results came out like 2 weeks before i am planning to start

 

[daxx1313]

WR & E

AM was pretty easy. PM was pretty crazy. Agreed that there were topics never covered in classes. I feel like 35~37/40 in the AM and 20~25/40 in the PM.

WR & E here too

I feel the exact same way. When eating lunch I was thinking "I'm gonna kill the PM if it's like the AM" and it wasn't.

I was talking with a friend who took the test the same time I did and there's one problem I know I got wrong. With that said, I feel like I got 35 in the AM and pretty darn sure I got 22 right in the PM. About 8 of the remainder were 50/50 responses so I might get another 2 points, but yeesh... there were at least 6 I had to flat out guess on. I felt like I was giving up a piece of my soul, because I studied like a madman for months. Also, the most recent practice exam wasn't even close to what was on the PM.

now, the wait...

 

[floridamose]

EE Power AM session was great. Afternoon was a COMPLETE nightmare. I felt like I was blown out of the water on the PM session. Hopefully the mind games are getting the better of me, and I actually did better than I think. Good luck everyone.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

My AM/PM experience last month was prety good..

Grabbed a Gatorade, a taquito and a bag of chips, and hit the men's room as long as I was stopped anyway.

Why do you ask?

 

[Packman]

3rd time taking Civil/Construction

I crushed the AM exam. 38-39/40

the afternoon was very different then previous times i thought. I striaght up guess on 3 or 4 and wasnt sure about 5 or 6 others. ~25/40

Of course i felt very confident after the exam. As the days go on i begin to second guess decisions. Who knows.

 

[ThoroughPM]

Civil AM was okay. PM was harder, took the construcion depth. Definately some tough problems, one that was not within the recommended reference material really ticked me off.

The wait is the worst part.

Recommended doesn't necessarily mean all inclusive.

I know, but still was frustrating. Obviously I can't specifically describe it, but it was more of a trivia question than theory. Life goes on.

 

[xalisono]

Mechanical - Mechanical Systems & Materials PM

Thought I'd reply with my two cents since it's been making me feel a little less anxious reading what others thought about the exam.

I felt good about the morning. Most questions were extremely straight forward, but I realized after that I had made a few silly mistakes that may have cost me a few questions. I think maybe anywhere from 32-36 out of 40 in the morning.

After was a different story. I studied pretty well but there were several that I just flat out didn't know how to do and others that I had an idea about but wasn't anywhere confident. Plus I don't think I took the exam the wisest way; I spent a few minutes too long on problems I was struggling with, moreso because I had this stupid pride that told me I knew how to do it I just needed one more minute, which turned into 4 more minutes... So at the end, I had 5 minutes left and 7 I hadn't even attempted. I know that if I take the test for a second time in April I wouldn't make that same mistake!

Now we wait.

 

[PSU09Vet]

Civil AM was okay. PM was harder, took the construcion depth. Definately some tough problems, one that was not within the recommended reference material really ticked me off.

The wait is the worst part.

Recommended doesn't necessarily mean all inclusive.

I know, but still was frustrating. Obviously I can't specifically describe it, but it was more of a trivia question than theory. Life goes on.

i noticed one in the Civil AM section and one in the Transportation PM session that were the same way. Basically not an answer you can find in a reference book or manual, but it tests whether you understand the concept. To me, they seemed designed to test whether you comprehend the theory more than try to calculate this or that. Frustrating especially if you don't know much about it because you don't deal with it on a regular basis.

iiwii I guess ...

 

[PSU09Vet]

3rd time taking Civil/Construction

I crushed the AM exam. 38-39/40

the afternoon was very different then previous times i thought. I striaght up guess on 3 or 4 and wasnt sure about 5 or 6 others. ~25/40

Of course i felt very confident after the exam. As the days go on i begin to second guess decisions. Who knows.

Good god, man, good luck! Odds are stacked against you ...

 

[NJmike PE]

3rd time taking Civil/Construction

I crushed the AM exam. 38-39/40

the afternoon was very different then previous times i thought. I striaght up guess on 3 or 4 and wasnt sure about 5 or 6 others. ~25/40

Of course i felt very confident after the exam. As the days go on i begin to second guess decisions. Who knows.

I hear you. Third time here too. I felt the same exact thing way. I took the wr&e Pm session. I felt 37/40 in the am. Much different in the Pm. Much more difficult. I felt like between 20-25 /40. I felt beat up but satisfied with my efforts mainly because of the morning and about half of the afternoon. I still think that I may have gotten it this time but it could be close. All depends on the true morning numbers. Good luck packman.

 

[ecruz010]

The construction PM was full of really odd/random questions at least in my opinion...

 

[yourmom46]

As I was taking the AM Mechanical I kept thinking "I can't wait for the PM, where my expertise will shine" ...and then the PM came around (Mechanical Systems) and I was eating my words, it was more involved than I thought. That being said, the material that I wasn't prepared for, I would never have thought to prepare for, so I did the best I could. It is out of my hands now, just need to wait until December.

Took the same. The first couple problems of the PM I couldn't get an answer and started getting worried. Then I finally got on track. When I came back to them later I was able to find my little mistake. Overall most of the PM problems I felt I got the right answer. I"d say about 2 or 3 I had to take an educated guess. I'm hopeful but still nervous.