Is the NCEES practice exam updated periodically?

[nukem2k5]

Dumb question to which I likely already know the answer, but want to be sure.  I borrowed a friend's NCEES practice exam.  It looks like the one on their website.  They don't update this annually/biannually or anything, do they?  In which case, the one I've borrowed is the same one that everyone else here is using?

 

[Audi Driver P.E.]

NCEES does not publish practice exams very often, because basically, they have to wait until they have enough new questions to put in place of all the ones they are discarding from actual test use, to publish in the practice exams.  There were updates in 2001, 2008, and 2011.  I believe the difference between 2008 and 2011 was that they merely separated out all the different exam focus questions (PM sessions) into different booklets, whereas previously they were all bundled in one larger volume.

 

[Audi Driver P.E.]

I will further add that, even if you had one of the 2001 exams (which are rare and therefore highly sought after), it would be good test prep material.  Understand the purpose of the NCEES practice exams: they are to help you become accustomed to the way they ask questions, and the general level of difficulty of the problems you will encounter, so that you can properly prepare your pacing and see if your studying has prepared you well enough.  They do NOT represent the actual breadth of the material you will need to know.  Although the sample exam will give you some insight to the breadth of material that CAN be covered on any one exam, you need to be aware that some material that will be on your actual exam is not covered in the practice exam, and vice versa.  All that to say: worrying about whether you have the "latest and greatest" is wholly unfounded.  Best if you can get a copy of both the 2001 and 2008/2011 practice exams because then you will have more problems to practice, but it's by no means necessary.  And to add to that, it's also unnecessary to have the latest and greatest review manual, primarily because the test doesn't really change that much over time.  There were plenty of folks in my exam room that had previous editions of the MERM.  The newer editions usually add subject matter, present it in slightly different ways, or change the way it is organized, so they are not without merit.

 

[nukem2k5]

Thanks a lot for the information.  I happen to have a friend's copy of the 2011 version and a colleague's copy of the 2001.  However, at some point after 2001, they obviously changed the EE discipline test, away from the AM-breadth/PM-depth model, so the AM portion has some of the Electronics / Computer material.  I'll just practice the relevant ones in the AM, and then the Power PM.  I'm also doing School of PE (5 videos remaining in the T&D section), and just ordered the Complex Imaginary books to practice with, as well.

 

[KatyLied P.E.]

Spin-up also has a good practice test book.  Problems may seem simple at first but they, along with Complex Imaginary, drive home the basics.