I took the GA Tech online course before my 2nd try and I was able to gain some more points. This past Fall PE power exam had a lot of things that I had not seen before.
I failed October 2016 Power PE - please assist
- Thread starter Owism
- Start date
Help Support Professional Engineer & PE Exam Forum:
knight1fox3
Jedi MASTER & Friend of Capt. Solo
The information in this link still applies:
As for the books, I found the 2nd edition of the PSA book to be more helpful than the 3rd. The Wildi book is also very good. The link I provided is the revision I used but I believe there is a newer one. Elec Machinery and Pwr Sys Fundamentals by Stephen Chapman is another good one.
I just received pass confirmation on 1st try after many years out of school. Your reference is good enough, no need more. You may need create a cheating sheet, not only formulas, but also hint for solving different type problem, for instance, "transmission and distribution" subject you get the lowest score, after read all your reference book and problem practicing, you shall categorize how many type problem in this subject. You may need strengthen the skills on summarizing and comprising. Meanwhile, taking advantage of the forum, post your question, there are a lot of helpful people here!
Once again, sincerely appreciate the forum and those responded my questions, you are really nice!
View attachment NCEES exam answer link.xlsx
Once again, sincerely appreciate the forum and those responded my questions, you are really nice!
View attachment NCEES exam answer link.xlsx
- I barely (if ever) used the Camara book for studying, but absolutely abused it during the practice and live exams.
- I also recommend the Complex Imaginary exam books. I didn't have time to use the NEC code drill book and passed all the same, but I've heard good things about it.
- You'll definitely want a copy of the NESC. It'll turn a couple of questions into easy layups.
- Track down a good circuits textbook, a good power systems textbook, and a good machinery (motors and generators) textbooks. I brought the 7th edition of Electric Circuits by Nilsson and Riedel, the 4th edition of Power Systems Analysis and Design by Glover, Sarma, and Overbye, and Electrical Machines, Drives and Power Systems by Wildi. I don't know if they're the best or if the newer editions are more helpful, but that's what I had.
- Be familiar with your resources. Tabs are definitely your friends! Apply liberally. I tabbed any practice exam questions that I had trouble with and cited where to find the correct way to solve the problem and brought the practice exams with me. For the NEC, I used these tabs and added my own.
- Speaking of the NEC, try using the applicable NEC Handbook as opposed to the NEC Codebook.
- @AAGR2013 pretty much covered the rest
KatyLied P.E.
The Alchemist.
The Complex Imaginary NEC Code drill book is very helpful. So are the other Complex Imaginary books. The introduction of the drill book has a very helpful strategy for answering NEC questions accurately. Spinup also has very good tips in their introduction the test in general. The I highly recommend the GA Tech course particularly if you did not specialize in power. Some folks want to try to use their notebook w/o taking the class. You must do both. The internet and YouTube are your friends. If you can't find the answer anywhere else Google the exact question. The answer, or something close to it, is out there and some other resources may be able to explain it better than your current resources. Once you've found it print it and add it to your reference notebook. Finally, be very thorough in making your note sheet. it took me two weeks. Doing that will reinforce what you learned.
KatyLied P.E.
The Alchemist.
By the way, I only worked through about a third of CI's NEC drill book and felt like I answered every Code question accurately. it's the strategy that they teach in the introduction that counts. Not necessarily answering every practice question. Good luck.
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I've started studying for the April test. I plan on going through the Graffeo book first, then doing the school of PE.
I just took the FE in October and so far the Graffeo book seems like a poor man's version of the Lindberg FE book (which seems to be the gold standard for that test). I find that Graffeo's book really doesn't teach much.
Are the examples that valuable? It seems like this is everyone's go to book, but I'm finding it tough to learn from.
I just took the FE in October and so far the Graffeo book seems like a poor man's version of the Lindberg FE book (which seems to be the gold standard for that test). I find that Graffeo's book really doesn't teach much.
Are the examples that valuable? It seems like this is everyone's go to book, but I'm finding it tough to learn from.
I feel the same way. Maybe I should change over to the Camara book since it seems more comprehensive? Though I expect they will cover that extensively in the school of PE class.Masterpe said:
i would be interested in hearing how people supplemented their prep class and how it worked out for them.
Ken PE 3.1
It's wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man
There us not one book that is going to cut it for you. You will need a few books on a variety of topics, none of which is error free. I felt Graffeo laid out his book in an easy to follow format. Sure it could have covered more, but I defer to my opening sentence.
KatyLied P.E.
The Alchemist.
To each his own but I did not consider the Camara book helpful at all. Except for some transmission line info the book problems do not match test problems.
KatyLied P.E.
The Alchemist.
Best to check with the NCEES on their website or you can phone them. I'm sure someone on this forum knows which Code book but I recommend going straight to then source. By the way, the Graffeo book does an excellent job of filling any holes once you've gone through a class and done both Complex Imag. and Spinup. As was mentioned earlier no one book is going to the trick.
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Zach Stone P.E.
Well-known member
For April and Oct 2017 exams it is still the 2014 NEC.
NCEES does not use updated versions until the year after they are issued.
I have personally spoken over the phone with NCEES about this, if you are not sure just give them a call they are friendly!
Edit - Better yet use the live chat that is available on their website m-f: http://ncees.org/contact/
Go ahead and ask them about the NEC version so you can feel confident about it and not have to worry.
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Zach Stone P.E.
Well-known member
And for anyone reading this thread, here are the references I recommended (and why) based off my personal experience as a PE, and from the feedback of the hundreds of students taking my online electrical power review course:
Electrical PE Review - Recommended References for the Electrical Power PE Exam
^Not just a list but goes into specific details for each reference.
References are different, and you can tell just by looking at this thread and others that people are going to agree to different things. The key is picking the references that suit your learning and studying style. Read the in-depth reviews and pick the ones that better resonate with you is the best approach in my opinion.
Electrical PE Review - Recommended References for the Electrical Power PE Exam
^Not just a list but goes into specific details for each reference.
References are different, and you can tell just by looking at this thread and others that people are going to agree to different things. The key is picking the references that suit your learning and studying style. Read the in-depth reviews and pick the ones that better resonate with you is the best approach in my opinion.
Owism
PE
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Thanks but why do you recommend TI... everyone on the face of the earth( and ofcourse this forum) recommend the Casio fx-115es plus, I love it as well.
Zach Stone P.E.
Well-known member
No problem.
The article sums up pretty well why I choose and recommend the TI over the Casio:
Electrical PE Review - TI36X Pro: The Best Calculator for the Electrical Power PE Exam
It boils down to familiarity.
Most of us grew up in the American school system and were exposed to the TI calculator way of doing things from an early age.
The Casio is a close second but just feels a little foreign getting used to.
At $20 bucks a pop both are far cheaper than any reference book or other exam resource so if there is any doubt or curiosity then get both and use the one you like the most while taking the other with you as back up.
TNSparky
Well-known member
The fx-115es Plus can do polar/rectangular very quickly. Yeah, I was originally trained on a TI, but the switch to a Casio wasn't that bad. The key is using whatever calculator you plan to use while working practice problems. That way, you don't get to the actual exam and are trying to figure out how functions work or where to find things. The fx-115es Plus didn't take me that long to get used to and in my opinion, is the most powerful tool you can have on the exam. If you've used it before, I do not recommend changing equipment to the TI. That will only create more challenges for you, and the calculator shouldn't be the focus of figuring out what needs to go differently on the next exam. Good luck!
jgharris P.E.
Active member
Owism,
I'd recommend a review course such as GT or School of PE. I think both are good. The Graffeo book is an excellent resource for the exam. There is some good information inside and I would tab all of the tables, charts, etc. Work EVERY PROBLEM in that book including the examples and the practice tests in the back. The Graffeo book doesn't do any amount of training for the NEC/NESC but grab a book and the NCEES practice exam to get an idea along with the Complex Imaginary code book and practice exams. I went through the entire graffeo book including the practice exams before the 6 week online course started and that was a big help. The online course moves fast and there is homework issued. I would have been lost if I hadn't already put in lots of time studying.
About calculators....
I brought two to the exam, an HP35s (primary) and a Casio fx-115ES (backup) along with a new set of spare batteries. I used an HP scientific through my engineering courses at Uni (HP33S) so I had a lot of exposure to doing calculations with my HP. The best thing about the HP35S is that it has a robust algebraic solver and the ability to store formulas. This is great for doing relatively straightforward calculations that can be error prone (like calculating the +, - and zero sequence currents). One of the best features of the Casio fx-115ES is the excellent complex number menu it has that allows for rapid conversions between rectangular and polar formats. You can even enter polar and rectangular numbers as part of a calculation (and the display looks exactly like what you have on your paper) which is sweet.
The best advice I can give on exam day is bring your own lunch (don't leave the test location property) and don't get flustered. Keep calm, cool and collected. The minute you start thinking you've lost the battle close your eyes, look at the pretty woman across the room, think of how that beer will taste later tonight when you're out of the exam. Find something to escape to for 10 seconds then open your eyes, re-read that problem slowly and attack it. No amount of studying for this test will help more than the ability to not give up and to keep going when you first read that problem and panic because you have no clue how to solve it.
I'd recommend a review course such as GT or School of PE. I think both are good. The Graffeo book is an excellent resource for the exam. There is some good information inside and I would tab all of the tables, charts, etc. Work EVERY PROBLEM in that book including the examples and the practice tests in the back. The Graffeo book doesn't do any amount of training for the NEC/NESC but grab a book and the NCEES practice exam to get an idea along with the Complex Imaginary code book and practice exams. I went through the entire graffeo book including the practice exams before the 6 week online course started and that was a big help. The online course moves fast and there is homework issued. I would have been lost if I hadn't already put in lots of time studying.
About calculators....
I brought two to the exam, an HP35s (primary) and a Casio fx-115ES (backup) along with a new set of spare batteries. I used an HP scientific through my engineering courses at Uni (HP33S) so I had a lot of exposure to doing calculations with my HP. The best thing about the HP35S is that it has a robust algebraic solver and the ability to store formulas. This is great for doing relatively straightforward calculations that can be error prone (like calculating the +, - and zero sequence currents). One of the best features of the Casio fx-115ES is the excellent complex number menu it has that allows for rapid conversions between rectangular and polar formats. You can even enter polar and rectangular numbers as part of a calculation (and the display looks exactly like what you have on your paper) which is sweet.
The best advice I can give on exam day is bring your own lunch (don't leave the test location property) and don't get flustered. Keep calm, cool and collected. The minute you start thinking you've lost the battle close your eyes, look at the pretty woman across the room, think of how that beer will taste later tonight when you're out of the exam. Find something to escape to for 10 seconds then open your eyes, re-read that problem slowly and attack it. No amount of studying for this test will help more than the ability to not give up and to keep going when you first read that problem and panic because you have no clue how to solve it.
Troll
Well-known member
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The best bang for your buck is the villa nova course and the Mike holt DVDs for the NEC.
Still a little surprised (and thankful) after studying the incorrect material and having zero background in electrical
PM me if you want more info
