If you work in PM all the time, then the exam is hard. what you do in the real world does not apply to this exam. I've been in project management my entire career... I had to throw everything I knew out of the window and walk into studying with an empty mind. That exam is about answering the questions the way PMI wants you to answer them and not actually doing anything that is common practice in project management.
I actually thought studying for the PE was refreshing because, in fact, some of the questions relied on actual experience and more importantly, when I had to make an educated guess, I found that my experience helped in that department. But the study skills I learned from preparing for the PMP helped me to look at some PE topics with a clean slate because I didn't carry any "baggage" with me. I just knew I had to study it and know how to do whatever problem to just pass the exam. It's not about if I'm right and whoever wrote this question doesn't understand construction, etc. I just had to get the answer right.