GTGodzilla
Member
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2021
- Messages
- 16
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- 9
I got my notification this past Wednesday I passed my PE Exam (Mechanical TFS)! I cannot begin to tell you all how elated I feel! I wanted to share with others what I did.
Background; I graduated way back in 2000 with my BS in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech. I had taken the FE right before I graduated so it had been 2 decades before I decided to go for the gold.
After my application was approved back in April in the state of Georgia, I sove into studying. I had already bought the MERM and practice problems, downloaded the NCEES Mechanical Reference Manual and the 2019 NCEES Practice Exam but I knew with the gap in college I needed a review course. After much research, I decided on Dr. Tom’s Classroom. I started the course early May of 2022 and completed it in early October. I had a routine each week and studied between 8-20 hours each week. Mostly working problems from Dr. Tom. Later I bought the practice exam from Engineer Pro Guides and worked those problems form extra practice. Starting in October I would do the NCEES Practice Exam timed in a morning and afternoon session every Friday starting at 5:00 am. I worked it about 6 or 7 times and could finish it with 100% in about 5 1/2 hours. Later I did this once with the Engineer Pro Guides Exam having never seen it and got it done in 8 hours. Made an 80 on the morning and 87 on the afternoon. I tallied my total study time this morning (recorded it each day) and I ended up with 533 hours.
I originally had my exam scheduled for January but I felt I needed more study time. I rescheduled it in December to take it March 23rd, 2023. I scheduled to be off the Monday through Thursday. Unfortunately I’m over QA/QC for my company and I had a project running behind that required my team and I to test a large amount of grease duct at a new hotel we’re working on. I had to go in that Monday at 8 pm to start the testing it took all night and I ended up leaving the site at 4:00 am that Tuesday this messed up my sleep schedule. Wednesday night before the exam I tried to lay down early. Since my sleep was all messed up from earlier in the week and my nerves were a wreck I tossed and turned all night with no sleep.
Got up at 4:00 am prepared my lunch, drank 3 cups of coffee and headed down the the Pearson Vue test center. After check in I started my morning session at 8:05. Morning had 41 questions. Went through the exam and I believe I flagged 8 questions I was unsure of or just didn’t know. Finished with the morning session with about 5 minutes to spare. Checked those I flagged and then let the time expire. I raised my hand and went to take my break. Got my lunch out of my locker then took about 15 minutes to eat it, breath then went back and did the after session which was 39 questions. Going through the exam I flagged 6 or 7 problems I didn’t know or was unsure of but felt really comfortable with all the rest. Finished with problem 80 with about 10 minutes to spare. Went back and reviewed the flagged problems to see if I wanted to change my answer. Let time expire. Once I was done checked out and drove home. Leaving I felt good about the exam but still had normal doubts. Over the next few days I went through second guessing the problems I could remember. “I bombed it. Or maybe I passed i…No I’ll have to take it again..” I checked the NCEES website every day with bated breath. Wednesday morning at 8:30 am I got that beautiful green PASSED (see attached) on my NCEES page! I was so happy. 48 hours later Georgia verified the results and I was assigned my PE number yesterday!
That’s it! What a huge relief.
Background; I graduated way back in 2000 with my BS in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech. I had taken the FE right before I graduated so it had been 2 decades before I decided to go for the gold.
After my application was approved back in April in the state of Georgia, I sove into studying. I had already bought the MERM and practice problems, downloaded the NCEES Mechanical Reference Manual and the 2019 NCEES Practice Exam but I knew with the gap in college I needed a review course. After much research, I decided on Dr. Tom’s Classroom. I started the course early May of 2022 and completed it in early October. I had a routine each week and studied between 8-20 hours each week. Mostly working problems from Dr. Tom. Later I bought the practice exam from Engineer Pro Guides and worked those problems form extra practice. Starting in October I would do the NCEES Practice Exam timed in a morning and afternoon session every Friday starting at 5:00 am. I worked it about 6 or 7 times and could finish it with 100% in about 5 1/2 hours. Later I did this once with the Engineer Pro Guides Exam having never seen it and got it done in 8 hours. Made an 80 on the morning and 87 on the afternoon. I tallied my total study time this morning (recorded it each day) and I ended up with 533 hours.
I originally had my exam scheduled for January but I felt I needed more study time. I rescheduled it in December to take it March 23rd, 2023. I scheduled to be off the Monday through Thursday. Unfortunately I’m over QA/QC for my company and I had a project running behind that required my team and I to test a large amount of grease duct at a new hotel we’re working on. I had to go in that Monday at 8 pm to start the testing it took all night and I ended up leaving the site at 4:00 am that Tuesday this messed up my sleep schedule. Wednesday night before the exam I tried to lay down early. Since my sleep was all messed up from earlier in the week and my nerves were a wreck I tossed and turned all night with no sleep.
Got up at 4:00 am prepared my lunch, drank 3 cups of coffee and headed down the the Pearson Vue test center. After check in I started my morning session at 8:05. Morning had 41 questions. Went through the exam and I believe I flagged 8 questions I was unsure of or just didn’t know. Finished with the morning session with about 5 minutes to spare. Checked those I flagged and then let the time expire. I raised my hand and went to take my break. Got my lunch out of my locker then took about 15 minutes to eat it, breath then went back and did the after session which was 39 questions. Going through the exam I flagged 6 or 7 problems I didn’t know or was unsure of but felt really comfortable with all the rest. Finished with problem 80 with about 10 minutes to spare. Went back and reviewed the flagged problems to see if I wanted to change my answer. Let time expire. Once I was done checked out and drove home. Leaving I felt good about the exam but still had normal doubts. Over the next few days I went through second guessing the problems I could remember. “I bombed it. Or maybe I passed i…No I’ll have to take it again..” I checked the NCEES website every day with bated breath. Wednesday morning at 8:30 am I got that beautiful green PASSED (see attached) on my NCEES page! I was so happy. 48 hours later Georgia verified the results and I was assigned my PE number yesterday!
That’s it! What a huge relief.
