My Do's and Don'ts For Taking the Exam

[ptatohed]

I agree, as I said earlier, the only thing I used was the CERM in the AM civil portion.  While some people might find it nice to have additional references for the AM portion, the questions themselves are mostly simpler one-step questions that lend themselves to the use of a single basic reference (Ala CERM or other similar reference).  Personally even if I had brought a geotech reference (or transpo, or hydraulics, or any other reference for the AM) I wouldn't have had a clue where to look and would have taken me forever.  I don't want to overgeneralize, as everyone will have their own thought process and study methods, but I suspect alot of issues some have with the PE are due to overthinking or overcomplicating the questions.  I'm not saying the questions or exam are easy, but the questions are usually simple in nature (figure that one out!).  Read the question, jump to the most appropriate equation in the CERM, plug your **** in, and move on to the next question.  I personally would think having separate detailed references for each of the AM components (transpo, hydraulics, hydrology, geo, estimating, structural, etc) would eat up a crap ton of time searching through stuff.  Again, that's not to say the exam questions are easy, but they generally are relatively simple.  In the Civil AM portion if you're having to use multiple equations or going through a complex or convoluted multi-step process, there's a pretty good chance you're over-complicating the problem.  As I mentioned before, there were a few questions when I took the exam that could even be solved by straight unit cancellation.  

Its sort of conter-intuitive but the less you think on the PE, I think the better off you're going to be.  Trying to think can get you in trouble.  Sometimes its good to be a simpleton! 

Very well said smahurin.  But please be cognitive of and respectful to your audience on this board.  Around here, we do ask that you remain professional in your conduct and in your choice of words.  As such, you should refrain from the use of inappropriate, improper, indecent, offensive, unpleasant, insensitive, foul, filthy, lewd words such as....... alot.  Everyone knows there is no such word.  Thank you very much for your cooperation.  - EB Staff    

 

[Zizu]

One last thing. Don't forget bug spray. The first time I took it, there were mosquitoes buzzing around me the entire time. V distracting.

Sent from my SM-N910T3 using Tapatalk

 

[Ken PE 3.1]

One last thing. Don't forget bug spray. The first time I took it, there were mosquitoes buzzing around me the entire time. V distracting. Sent from my SM-N910T3 using Tapatalk

Perhaps you should have taken the test inside.

I hate tapatalk

 

[knight1fox3]

^ LOL! I was also thinking that. :lmao:

 

[nmaevh]

My advice for the morning session is don't overthink it! Some of the questions might be combining two basic concepts from two different areas. You just have to realize that you have to you a geotech eqn with a water resources equation (not the best example).

As for the restroom break, I took the test 8 months pregnant and had to get up multiple times during each session just to pee. You just need to let the proctor of your area know.

I agree 100% with the cheat sheet. it is so much quicker looking at one page than flipping through all your references for one equation that you can't find because you are stressing about time.

I took a backpack and a messenger bag of reference materials. There was a few questions that I knew where to look up, but I didn't have that book handy. Nothing is wrong with brining a lot of references IF you have used them in the past and aren't going to be flipping through it for the first time.

 

[ruggercsc]

I read somewhere that test gods equalize the answers so you won't get a statistical advantage if you guess one particular answer choice (always guessed C).   In other words, there will be questions with 10-A's, 10-B's, 10-C's and 10-D's with the correct solutions in both the morning and afternoon sessions.  I have no idea if this is true or not, but with about 10 minutes to go, I counted my questions where  answered with A's, B's, C's, and D's and "equalized" the remaining questions I guessed on so I would not have too may of one particular choice (Note:  I was not exact, for instance I think had roughly somewhere around 10-A's, 9-B's, 12-C's, 9-D's for afternoon).

I am not sure if this is true, but I passed and truly "guessed" (did not have answer that matched a one of the choices, had no clue on how to find the answer, or ran out of time and had to guess) on 12  to 14 total questions (afternoon and morning combined).

Not to change the subject, but I a coach in high school said he had a 100 question True or False History Final in college where you if  the answer was True - you left it blank and False - you put in a "+".   The test had 97 true questions and 3 false questions.  By signing your name and turning it in you got a 97%.   

 

[Ken PE 3.1]

I call BS on the "equal parts" theory.

 

[ruggercsc]

I read the "equal answers for no statistical advantage" on another site and everyone knows if you read it on the internet it has to be true.   All I know is I tried to equal the answers as best I could and it I passed.     

 

[ptatohed]

I see no reason why we shouldn't assume at or around equal parts A, B, C, and D answers. 

 

[Ship Wreck PE]

This is a touchy subject. Several years ago, when I was a noobie, I mentioned the idea of equal distribution, and I got blasted from several directions. I cannot remember who all called me bad names, but they all said I would not be able to pass with such a stupid idea?? I might have counted my answers, but I do not want to get into trouble again with the all powering nay Sayers

 

[matt267 PE]

@Ship Wreck PE, you need to learn to troll better.

 

[Audi Driver P.E.]

I can't possibly imagine how it could help knowing that.  I suppose it could narrow down your choices, but you'd have to be 100% sure all your already given answers were correct.

 

[ruggercsc]

I just took the test in April and how it helped me:

I.With about ten minutes to go, I still had a bunch of questions that I had no answers for by

 

[smahurin]

I just took the test in April and how it helped me:

I.With about ten minutes to go, I still had a bunch of questions that I had no answers for by

Not to be a naysayer, but that's a test without a control.  You don't know whether it helped, hurt, or did nothing.  Nor would you know if you would have passed using any other random guessing method.

You passed, and that's what is important.  And you feel it helped, which there is something to that physiologically.  But using a guess based technique to answer the last few unanswered questions without any feedback on whether you got those answers correct doesn't really prove (or disprove) anything.

 

[ruggercsc]

Sorry,

Sneezed and hit the wrong key,  At least I didn't "reply all"  with a politically incorrect statement to my work colleagues.  It would get me fired at work but praised at this site.

In the afternoon, with ten minutes to go I counted and still had 12 questions I had not answered (either got an answer that was not one of the 4 choices, had no clue where to start, or had skipped it because it would take too long).

1.  4 questions I had narrowed it down to two choices.  I went ahead and answered those as best as I could.

2.  I counted up all my answers to get a distribution of A's, B's, C's, and D's.

3.  I guessed on the remaining questions so I would have close to an equal distribution of answers.  It was not exact, but close.

I read on another site that the test writers want an equal distribution of answers so you can't get a statistical advantage if you guess one particular answer (C for instance).

Who really knows.  I might have got all of my guesses wrong and passed by luck.

My wife reminds me daily that just because I passed the PE test that does not mean I am still not a moron.

 

[ruggercsc]

I read on another site that someone had a professor who worked for NCEES at one time. Their advice was to not just randomly guess when you running short on time at the end of a session, but to strategical guess.  With about 5 to 10 minutes left,  count how many A's, B's, C's, and D's that you have answered so far. Which ever one has the lowest count should be the guess for the remaining question.   The idea is that the test is made so that every option (A,B,C,D) is about 25% of the answers and randomly guessing will not help you as much as strategically guessing.  Since this thread is Titled "My Do's and Dont's for Taking the Exam" strategically guessing was a one of my "Do's". 

I wish I did not have to guess at all, but since I did have to guess.  Therefore, I had a guessing strategy, which was to strategically guess as opposed to randomly guess or always guess with "C" .     

 

[matt267 PE]

^ I did this for both the EIT and the PE. I passed both. BUT, I would NOT make that your strategy to pass.

 

[ptatohed]

This is a touchy subject. Several years ago, when I was a noobie, I mentioned the idea of equal distribution, and I got blasted from several directions. I cannot remember who all called me bad names, but they all said I would not be able to pass with such a stupid idea?? I might have counted my answers, but I do not want to get into trouble again with the all powering nay Sayers

It's a very touchy subject.  I forget who it was - maybe IllPadrino and I - he and I were the only ones defending the belief that it is (or should be) fair to assume equal distribution of A/B/C/Ds.  It was a heated debate for sure - lol.  This topic can get almost - not quite, but almost - as heated as the RPN vs Algebraic debate! 

 

[matt267 PE]

FYI, RPN FTW!

 

[ptatohed]

FYI, RPN FTW!

Algebraic!!!!