October 2009 Envl PE

[RIP - VTEnviro]

The board is coming back to life after the exam weekend. Inquiring minds want to know: How was the Envl exam?

Easier or tougher than exepected? Cramped exam room? Scary proctors? Good lunch story? We want the scoop!

<-- Just don't reveal anything you're not supposed to or I'll sick the dog on you! :construction:

 

[VGAC]

Hi Everyone - A few random thoughts on the exam

The exam was easier than what I was expecting. I had used most of the PPI stuff (EERM, Solved, Practise problems, NCEES sample questions and 60 min solutions. Walking into the test hall, I was very nervous about the level of difficulty. Turned out to be OK. So if you are comfortable with the above referenced material, the test should be manageable.

I studied for about 8 weeks (4-5 hrs a day) and was able to answer atleast 40 questions in each session comfortably. Got "burnt" big time on combustion related problems and economics.

As suggested by many PEs on this forum - do not neglect any subsection (air, water, wastewater, remediation, EHS..etc). The way questions are set - you have to be a jack of all trades, master of none.

Ended up using the EERM (almost exclusively), needed a book on regs for one question, used Jeff Kuo for remediation. Did not need anything else. Was very surprised. Nothing esoteric on the test.

Almost all information I got from this forum was accurate. Thanks to all the PE for helping out !!!

Looking forward to hearing from other test takers. BTW I took the test in Ohio and the test was conducted very professionally. The test center was probably 100 years old, but cannot think of anything to whine about. If I dont make it - its entirely on me.

 

[atle]

Took the test in Maryland at the Timonium Fairgrounds in the 4H building. Facility was OK, didn't smell like cows as the Northern CA's taker's had to deal with. Proctor's were pretty good, although they always seem to be running late and made us stand in the rain for a couple of minutes before opening the door after lunch. Build's character I think.

It also sounded like there were about 20 people in the back of the room with H1N1.

I thought the test was easier conceptually than what I expected. I used the PPI materials and a review course from University of Delaware. Don't know if I passed though.

I thought both the PPI materials and the UoD course did not emphasize remediation enough, and I thought that the Delaware course spent too much time of fluids and thermo, but not enough time on the exam topics.

As everyone else has said, don't ignore any subject area to include engineering eco.

Don't know whether I passed though. Morning went well, but got messed up in the afternoon. The one surprising think on the test was the unit conversions. I was expecting both metric and english, but not both in the same problem just so you would have to do 15 conversions to get the answer in the units they want. Wasn't hard, but tedious.

Now the wait.......

 

[Wyatt72]

I feel that I was well prepared for the main topics covered in the exam. I utilized a tutor and advice from this forum for my exam preparation. I thought my tutor was the most helpful. His material was much closer to the exam material then Lindberg. I will do a follow up post for his contact information if anyone is interested.

My only problem came in the afternoon. I also did not expect the hard core remediation problems. Heck I do remediation as part of my job and I couldnt answer some of those questions.

The way the test appeared to be set up is to test your general knowledge and challenge you on a specific subject like remediation. I would suspect that this changes test by test. I would like anyone to chime in that has seen that pattern before.

Overall I had to guess on about 2 questions in the morning and 10 questions in the afternoon.

Hopefully I got enough right to pass!!!!! :dancingnaughty:

 

[_Gambit_]

I tackled the Environmental PE Exam in Virginia.

I didn't think the AM session was that bad. I maybe guessed on 4-5. I finished about 10 minutes early.

Going to lunch, I was very confident and actually had a good feeling for passing.........then all hell broke loose.

I thought the PM session was quite challenging. I had to guess on maybe 10-15 of the questions and could have used about another 20 minutes. Lots of questions I wasn't ready for...and I didn't think those types were covered that well in the Envir. Ref Manual.

I'm hoping I did well enough in the morning to offset the PM 'nightmare'.

Does anyone else feel the PM session was tough? I'm hoping someone out there can make me feel more confident by telling me that they had similar feelings after taking the exam and passed.

I guess I should be happy that I 'think' I did well in the AM...right? I figure if I got 35-40 right in the morning...I can pass if I get 20-25 in the PM....

 

[ka09]

I totally agree with _Gambit_. My experience was exactly the same. Morning easier and afternoon was bad for me.

I could not finish even 40 questions in 4hrs in afternoon and almost 40% of that was guess work. Later I realized even if I had more time; I couldn’t have done any better.

Too many remediation problems – exactly what I was hoping ‘not’ to see on the exam. Wastewater and air was more as expected.

 

[DTA]

I definitely agree with those who posted earlier. The afternoon session was much more challenging. I consider myself a remediation guy, and I was surprised that there was so much focus on a topic that wasn't extensively covered in the reference manual or in practice problems. Seemed to me that this focus on remediation was at the expense of some other topics (that will go unamed--I don't want to get into trouble).

That said, the exam was not as hard as I had feared. Meaning, there were few questions that required you to know some random regulation or process. In terms of testing candidates on information that is applicable to their work experiences, this exam seemed to be more relevant than what I saw in the NCEES practice exam. This is just my own opinion, but I'm grateful for that.

I took the exam in Houston at the convention center along with > 1000 people. I thought the proctors did a great job. They ran the operation so tight that I thought I was back in Catholic school. You didn't even need earplugs. The disadvantage of such a big venue is that a trip to the restrooms requires a significant time investment, so you have to time it wisely...

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

It's been a few years so the memory is hazy, but I think mine was pretty balanced.

 

[VGAC]

Agreed. The PM section had more remediation problems than expected and you need to prepare for remediation a lot more than what ppi material goes through.

Strongly recommend "Practical Designs for Soil GW Remediation" (or something like that) by Jeff Kuo. Was able to answer all questions (I think ..!) using the book.

 

[HighStakes]

I totally agree with _Gambit_. My experience was exactly the same. Morning easier and afternoon was bad for me.
I could not finish even 40 questions in 4hrs in afternoon and almost 40% of that was guess work. Later I realized even if I had more time; I couldn’t have done any better.

Too many remediation problems – exactly what I was hoping ‘not’ to see on the exam. Wastewater and air was more as expected.

Yes, I do agree with you all.......morning session was a breeze.. afternoon did not go well at all..just too many remediation Qs and was not well prepared.

 

[Dleg]

The way the test appeared to be set up is to test your general knowledge and challenge you on a specific subject like remediation. I would suspect that this changes test by test. I would like anyone to chime in that has seen that pattern before.

I took the exam in Oct. 2006, and it was very balanced - much like the NCEES Practice Exam.

Strongly recommend "Practical Designs for Soil GW Remediation" (or something like that) by Jeff Kuo. Was able to answer all questions (I think ..!) using the book.

Excellent recommendation! I have never seen this book, but I agree with everyone here that PPI's reference manual is virtually useless when it comes to remediation. I should think that the Kuo book would become one of the defacto standards (along with Metcalf & Eddy, Salvato, and LaGrega) if it really is that useful for remediation. Thanks for sharing!

Good luck to all test takers! Please forgive me if I am laughing already about your second guessing of your scores.... I've been through that.

 

[VGAC]

Just wanted to add one more tip for future test takers - taking a cue from my supervisor (an old school PE), I created an exhaustive 40 page index of topics/ problems.

7-8 pages of each major topic (waste water, potable water, air, MSW, Stormwater, EHS and Remediation). The list contained key words for example problems, formulae, or definitions and page numberof reference where I ca find it. I used about 12 different books.

eg - MSW Combustion...................... EERM Pg XXX

Dispersion Stack Emissions........ 60 min Soln Pg XX

Confined Aquifer Pumping.......... Solved Page XX

Nitrifications/ AST......................Practise Problem XXX

This served me quite well as I was able to zoom in right to the relevant page without having to skim through sections looking for what I needed. Extensive tabbing obviously helps.

Lasting impression about the test - You just need to know what to look for and where to find it quickly. Hope it helps.

 

[petina]

The board is coming back to life after the exam weekend. Inquiring minds want to know: How was the Envl exam?
Easier or tougher than exepected? Cramped exam room? Scary proctors? Good lunch story? We want the scoop!

<-- Just don't reveal anything you're not supposed to or I'll sick the dog on you! :construction:

Like several of you, I found morning to be easy. I finished about an hour early and was able to check all my answers. I probably guessed on 2-3 problems. I went to lunch feeling really good. We had a lovely park across the street, so I ate my sandwhich outside next to the pond. I had really pondered if environmental was the right test for me, and based on the morning questions - it definitely was.

Now, the afternoon was an entirely different story. I found the exam challenging and felt like some of the topics were hardly tested at all. I spent a lot of time on a few problems (after I did all the ones I could solve) and in the end, had to guess on at least 7 problems. Those guesses don't count the additional 7-10 problems that I did not know how to solve before the exam, but reasoned my way through using units. I had very little time to check answers/results beyond making sure my answer sheet was correctly filled in. Much of what was in the PM session was not in the ERM.

If I was successful in my educated guesses, I should do OK. I know NCEES often puts obvious answers in the multiple choice options so I'm not convinced that I got all those right. Really hope the morning section carries me through!!!!

 

[Guest]

It's interesting to read everyone's experience for this exam and to hear the slant towards remediation. Most of my experience is in rememdation, so it's interesting to hear there was such a strong push in that direction.

Jeff Kuo's book is great but more of a generalized cookbook. I still have it on my shelf at work for when I talk about soils contamination or generalized pump and treat situations. Perhaps we might think about adding recommendations for remediation books?

JR

 

[FLBuff PE]

It's interesting to read everyone's experience for this exam and to hear the slant towards remediation. Most of my experience is in rememdation, so it's interesting to hear there was such a strong push in that direction.
Jeff Kuo's book is great but more of a generalized cookbook. I still have it on my shelf at work for when I talk about soils contamination or generalized pump and treat situations. Perhaps we might think about adding recommendations for remediation books?

JR

I used the LaGrega text in school, and for the exam, and found it useful, FWIW.

 

[itsmesiva]

I guess I should be happy that I 'think' I did well in the AM...right? I figure if I got 35-40 right in the morning...I can pass if I get 20-25 in the PM....

I took it in Louisiana and am not sure what a pass score is.

Gambit: is 60% a decent assumption for a pass score?

Here is my general feed back on the test:

1. I didn't find the afternoon particularly tougher than morning, may be both were very tough for me.

2. There was more focus on haz waste and ground water plume migration, etc. I was using Darcy, Stokes and Henry's laws lot more than I thought I would.

3. There were more concepts based questions that required digging through various reference books and notes, which was little time consuming

4. There weren't problems on activated sludge or trickling filters - that was a surprise

5. There was a lot more on air quality than expected.

6. LaGrega, Davis & Cornwell, Cooper & Alley and OF COURSE Lindeburg were useful.

I have given it a decent try, but not sure if I will pass this time.

 

[_Gambit_]

Gambit: is 60% a decent assumption for a pass score?

Unfortunately, I doubt anyone knows the answer at this point. I really doubt that the cutoff score is 70/100. My guess would be somewhere in the 60's. But again, that's just a guess.

Good luck!

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

Unfortunately, I doubt anyone knows the answer at this point.

Oh I'm sure a handful of people have an idea at this point. But if they told us, they'd have to kill us.