I started out studying the CERM, but quickly realized that a review course would be best to get the most out of my time. I completed the School of PE review course, and highly recommend it! Like I mentioned on another post, I only saw one question in the morning that I could not answer with what I had reviewed from School of PE. Of course, most questions were not straight out of the notes, but I could apply what I learned/refreshed throughout the course and answer the questions. I think two questions were almost identical to practice problems we did in the course.
Aside from taking the course, I made 2-3 page summary (equation & reference) sheets for each morning discipline, and several pages for my afternoon discipline. I would review my SoPE notes after class and during the week, writing down key points very small on my sheets, as well as equations with identified variables, notes on units, etc. These were organized by topic in the same order as the SoPE notes & practice problems. I also used different color pens to write down the page numbers of where I could find additional information in my notes, practice problems and reference manuals. This took A LOT of time, but I was reviewing in detail & building my sheets simultaneously. I placed the sheets in a separate 1" binder with a copy of the CERM index behind it just in case.
Become very familiar with your manuals. I don't know about other disciplines, but in transportation, if you don't know the manual, it is very unlikely you'll find anything. I tabbed tables and figures that came up frequently while working practice problems. For some manuals, I also tabbed the chapters or beginning of units, and also the location of the list of tables. I spent about 12 hours thumbing through my three most important manuals.
Like everyone else says, work as many practice problems as possible. I did not get to work all of the Six Minute Sol'ns, but I did skim through the transportation and water ones on the last few days of my studying, just to see if anything jumped out at me as unfamiliar.
A week before the test, I took a full practice exam and graded it. If you have prepared well, this will serve as a confidence booster.
Also, they advised us in SoPE to "triage" the questions. Go through the test first answering the easier ones. Assign a numerical value, letter or something to the ones you skip that lets you know how hard you think it is / how much time it will take. I also like to assign a letter or two to tell me which subject/discipline. For example, "4G" on my scale means "Very Hard Geotech". Work the test from front to back, back to front, front to back again until you answer everything you can. When I decided on an answer to a question, I would circle the answer in the book AND lightly shade in the choice on the scantron. After answering all the questions I could, I went through the book checking that my circled answers matched my scantron. I'm glad I did this, because I marked two answers for one question by accident, leaving the above question blank. I would have gotten them both wrong!
Stay cool during the test. Anxiety can overtake even the most capable engineer. Take deep breaths if needed; go to the bathroom if needed. Sip your coffee/tea/drink of choice. Eat a chocolate and feel it melt in your mouth. I almost freaked when I realized I had to pee during the morning portion. Since holding it and thinking clearly do not go hand-in-hand for me, I went as soon as I had answered the questions I deemed to be "easier" on my scale.
If you have time, go through the test at the end and tally up how many you are certain you have right, how many you have a 50% chance of getting right (you rules out two choices), and how many you are clueless about. This comforted me many times during the long wait for the results. I felt like I had failed when I walked out of the afternoon, because I was so overwhelmed with it compared to the morning. By keeping my estimated score in mind, I was able to tell myself that I probably passed anytime I would begin to panic.
I hope that helps. I wish you all the best!
