October 2018 Exam Study Progress

[vee043324]

I still come across questions that i'm like "huh?" when I read them. I have a notion that the people who will be successful are consistently answering every question they find and attempt? Struggle topics: Applied Ideal Gas Law,  Sludge Management, Water Resources

do you have the cooper and alley air control book?

 

[kncumber]

Yees I have the cooper and alley

 

[txjennah PE]

Air is still my struggle topic but it's making a (little) more sense than it did the first couple of rounds.  I am currently working out of the 101 Solved Environmental Engineering Problems.  I honestly hate that book.  I graduated in 2006/2007, so the explanations are too sparse for my remedial brain.  Thankfully I'm married to a PhD chemist so I can shove a problem in his face and be like, "WTF, how did they get this solution?" for any of the chemistry questions.

One of the solutions was for a boundary condition to a differential equation and involved some erfc equation???? I don't think that would even be a legitimate question, but what would I know.

 

[vee043324]

Yees I have the cooper and alley

those problems at the end of the book are EVERYTHING. SO helpful. can't recommend enough. 

 

[vee043324]

also there is a great, short, direct section on ideal gas law that starts on like page 25 of that book. definitely take a look. i wouldn't try to learn ideal gas law from the EERM because it's kind of confusing and overwhelming. 

 

[txjennah PE]

I'm gonna be honest...I haven't really touched the EERM this time around. 

 

[vee043324]

i have mixed feelings on it. it's good for some stuff but really tends to complicates other things. i definitely wouldn't touch it for air unless i was REALLY feeling desperate. 

 

[Vamsi]

Howdy Fellow Enviro's:

This is my first attempt at the PE exam, and I started prepping too late (last week). I tried to call NCEES and cancel, but that didn't work out. I'm planning to apply for leave the week of the exam and get in my college racehorse mode back on, (after a decade gap  ).  Don't know how that's going to work out? Any advice?   

 

[txjennah PE]

Howdy Fellow Enviro's:

This is my first attempt at the PE exam, and I started prepping too late (last week). I tried to call NCEES and cancel, but that didn't work out. I'm planning to apply for leave the week of the exam and get in my college racehorse mode back on, (after a decade gap  ).  Don't know how that's going to work out? Any advice?   

Hi Vamsi!

Honestly, it depends how familiar you are with the material. Do you have a lot of multi-media experience?  Are you proficient in the major topics presented on the exam?  I'm a third timer...my first attempt (April 2017), I didn't start studying until the first week of March and didn't pass. However, I'm in remediation and hadn't done anything with air and water since college.  It's definitely a difficult exam but I don't want to discourage you.  If you can't cancel and are still planning on taking the exam, I'd say just do as many practice problems/exams as you can until test time.  

 

[txjennah PE]

Ohhhh and one more thing, I personally wouldn't wait until the week of the exam to start studying if at all possible. If you have the time and means to get started now, I would. I'm the kind of person who would be completely overwhelmed waiting until the week of to study for anything, and there's too much material on this exam to cover, even if you take the entire week off.  Start now if you can!

 

[kncumber]

I was told that SchoolofPE has great practice problems. Can anyone recommend them? If I take this leap, are they good questions that will prepare me enough for the exam? 

 

[txjennah PE]

I was told that SchoolofPE has great practice problems. Can anyone recommend them? If I take this leap, are they good questions that will prepare me enough for the exam? 

Depends on the subject. I've been out of school for awhile and I felt like the water resources problems didn't help me much. The air problems were okay.  The remediation problems were great, but I'm biased.

 

[youngmotivatedengineer]

Keep in mind that none of these companies know what questions will be on the exam. While the Water Resources problems didn't help txjennah, on the upcoming exam there may be questions that replicate those water resource questions or the same procedure to solve the problem.  

 

[vee043324]

Hi Vamsi!

Honestly, it depends how familiar you are with the material. Do you have a lot of multi-media experience?  Are you proficient in the major topics presented on the exam?  I'm a third timer...my first attempt (April 2017), I didn't start studying until the first week of March and didn't pass. However, I'm in remediation and hadn't done anything with air and water since college.  It's definitely a difficult exam but I don't want to discourage you.  If you can't cancel and are still planning on taking the exam, I'd say just do as many practice problems/exams as you can until test time.  

Agree. If you can't cancel, might as well just take it anyway. I would spend your weekends studying too, not just the week before the exam.

 

[txjennah PE]

Keep in mind that none of these companies know what questions will be on the exam. While the Water Resources problems didn't help txjennah, on the upcoming exam there may be questions that replicate those water resource questions or the same procedure to solve the problem.  

It was really the review itself that I had issues with. I'd been out of school for years so neither the review nor the practice set really helped me grasp the concepts.  If kncumber is a recent graduate then they are probably okay. But if they are like me and graduated years ago, then they may reconsider.

 

[txjennah PE]

Also, important to add that I don't do water resources for my day job.  If you do, then you are probably fine with the SOPE water resources review.

 

[kncumber]

I am knee deep in trash for my job. No water, no air, no public health experience. I can knock the 6 or so solid waste questions out the park though. At least I am guaranteed 6/80 lol.

 

[txjennah PE]

I am knee deep in trash for my job. No water, no air, no public health experience. I can knock the 6 or so solid waste questions out the park though. At least I am guaranteed 6/80 lol.

I hear you. I get really excited over the 4 remediation questions I see on the exam. And then bubble in A for the rest.  (kidding but not really)

 

[squaretaper LIT AF PE]

I hear you. I get really excited over the 4 remediation questions I see on the exam. And then bubble in A for the rest.  (kidding but not really)

I used "C" as my go-to WAG.

 

[vee043324]

ugh i think i'm going to put all my PPI notes into one binder and just tab the living hell out of them. don't want to be constantly switching binders out for a different subject.