October 2019 P.E. ELECTRICAL POWER

[bdhlphcdh]

Took the test in MO today too. Was blindsided by a lot of questions asked, to say the least. As mentioned in the above comments, there were a lot of topics I thought were standard and spent a lot of time studying that were completely left off. 

I spent a few-hundred hours studying, and it feels like I studied for the wrong test. (Because I don't what that was...)

This is exactly how I felt.  Lots of weird questions and not a lot of core principled things you would expect to see.

 

[mjcii]

Well, it feels 'better' that there is a general consensus that the test was difficult and unexpected. I also agree with what was said above regarding the test being largely inconsistent with the specification provided for us. There were at least double the amount of code questions than what the specification would lead you to believe. And many of which were outside of the NEC, which was a major surprise.

The duplicate question is really shocking to be quite honest. Because I feel like that was either by error or done with intent to purposely fool people. I understand making questions tricky and challenging, but making the test takers question whether or not a 'question is a duplicate or not' seems to skew from the purpose of the test.

I guess we'll all see in 6-8 weeks...

 

[Kdpr]

What could be a good cut off for Oct PE exam?

 

[mjcii]

From what I’ve gathered looking at other test threads, it’s incredibly difficult to predict or even find out what the cut off score is. Most of us thought the test was pretty difficult and had a lot of guessed answers, so... It COULD be a lower one. But who knows really. 

 

[bufalita]

What could be a good cut off for Oct PE exam?

I wish I had a clue! 

 

[Novanian]

We won't know. If people guessed correct on a lot of the conceptual questions it will probably be 55-59.

If everyone as a whole did poorly, probably 50-54.

Just my thoughts.

 

[mjcii]

As of browsing around a lot of threads where "cut off scores" have been discussed, I think the ranges you proposed are pretty good estimates. Though it's all just speculation.

And yeah - I personally had a lot of educated guesses on conceptual questions where I felt as though my answer logically made sense, but wasn't 100% sure. The outcome of those are probably going to be the deciding factor in pass/fail.

 

[P-E]

What could be a good cut off for Oct PE exam?

Zero.

 

[RadioBox]

I failed the October 2018 exam, but passed my second try in April 2019. Reading these comments aligns to how I felt when I first took the exam in October. If you want to pass the power p.e. exam  you need to know Protection and Code (NEC, NFPA, etc) like the back of your hand. Under the new specifications,  these two topics are the most important.  if you do poor in either one your chances of passing are non existing. The exam might be easier once it transitions to computer based in one year.  You won't be required to haul all of your references to the test site and you can take the exam any month you like.

 

[tmntjmc]

This was my 4th attempt and man the afternoon portion was so bizarre to say the least. I was shocked about how different it was, and how confused I felt about it. I felt really good about my 2nd and 3rd attempts and this one I feel poor to say the least. May luck be on our side folks. I know of a guy who is a ME background and passed the EE PE with 1 day studying/gathering references.. I'm shocked that my luck hasn't been this good yet.. 4 times is taking it's toll on my soul  

 

[DLD PE]

This was my 4th attempt and man the afternoon portion was so bizarre to say the least. I was shocked about how different it was, and how confused I felt about it. I felt really good about my 2nd and 3rd attempts and this one I feel poor to say the least. May luck be on our side folks. I know of a guy who is a ME background and passed the EE PE with 1 day studying/gathering references.. I'm shocked that my luck hasn't been this good yet.. 4 times is taking it's toll on my soul  

I have a very hard time believing this.  I don't see how it's possible, unless the guy is a genius with total recall.  Even then I find it hard to believe, but I guess anything is possible.

 

[roy167]

I took in TX and I feel the same way. I knew the exam was going to have a lot of theoretical question but I was extremely surprised on so many common types of questions not show up. I studied for about 150 hours and I feel like I wasted past four months studying for something that took me nowhere. I guessed/educated guessed on about 40% of the exam which is not good at all. PM was definitely much harder than AM...at least imo. I can only hope for the best and keep my fingers crossed until December.

That goes to show how genius test makers are. 

 

[bdhlphcdh]

For an organization responsible for licensing, I am still completely baffled at how or why they would allow a question to appear twice, talking Power Afternoon session.  As controlled as the exams are, I find it very difficult to believe it slipped through their proofing process. 

 

[tmntjmc]

I have a very hard time believing this.  I don't see how it's possible, unless the guy is a genius with total recall.  Even then I find it hard to believe, but I guess anything is possible.

It's very true, he seems to be a genius when it comes to taking these types of tests. He doesn't just have an ME and EE PE., he also has LEED AP, CEM, and a ton of other ones.. If you think about it somebody with zero knowledge could very well pass this test just on sheer probability though it's unlikely he seems to have the wits for this sorta thing. In any event it's very discouraging to get the fail almost like a punch to the gut everytime 

 

[Orchid PE]

As a reminder, during your exam, you agreed to and signed the following, “Nor will I reveal in whole or in part any exam questions, answers, problems, or solutions to anyone during or after the exam, whether orally, in writing, on any internet chat rooms, or otherwise. I understand that failure to comply with this statement could result in invalidation of my exam results, limit my ability to retake the exam, and/or result in other sanctions.”

There are definitely some posts here that violate this....

 

[DLD PE]

I agree with most of the above sentiments.  I took it in October 2018 and scored 43/80.  I spent a lot of time studying and took Zach Stone's class.  After the exam I felt like I had a 50/50 chance of passing, so I wasn't too shocked when I didn't.  

I did not take the exam in April due to personal reasons.  We had our house on the market and there were too many distractions.

This time around I studied at least as much as last time, if not more.  I took "It's Study Time's" approach and took more practice exams this time, and also bought Justin Kauwale's stuff, Eng Pro Guides Technical Study Guide and all his practice exams.  I put in a TON of time and effort and felt great after the morning session and awful about the afternoon part.

I think it's silly and nonsense how we can't even begin to comment about any part of the exam without getting reprimanded by the NCEES.  How are future test takers expected to prepare when the only guide offered by the NCEES is a practice exam booklet that basically hasn't chanced since 2011?  I know they changed 6 questions for the 2017  version but that's not much.  I'm very disappointed by the amount of questions thrown at us in the afternoon session that are not covered in any of my reference materials.  Also the fact that there is a lot of material I studied and knew well that was NOT covered.  If I don't pass, there is no way I could begin to grasp what I would need to work on or do differently to improve my chances.  What's the point?

Also think it's petty that my account was blocked and I was not allowed to see or even post anything about the exam because someone from the boards decided to block my account to keep me from commenting about the exam.  I've NEVER posted any details about the exam nor been accused at any time in the past for violating any agreement.  This is all so petty.  The comment I received was:

"So on exam weekend I shut some of the board down to keep folks from posting exam questions while they are fresh in there head - will be back open tomorrow afternoon-
Thanks!"
 
Does this board really think I would post exam questions on here?  On what basis?  Also, if they WERE suspecting I might do that, do they really think I'm going to forget all these problems after TWO days?  It's insulting to say to the least.  At this point I don't even care if I get in trouble for anything I've said about the exam.  My feelings echo 'It's Study Time' to the core, even more after Friday afternoon's debacle.  I could make a few more pages of comments about that, but most of it has already been commented on.
After all that, I believe overall I did much better than last year, but not sure if it's enough to put me over to the top to passing status.  I guess I'll find out in the 6 weeks or so it takes to grade scan-tron sheets.

 

[leggo PE]

Hey everyone! Just a reminder not to post about any specific exam question contents. We all know better, right?

 

[leggo PE]

Also think it's petty that my account was blocked and I was not allowed to see or even post anything about the exam because someone from the boards decided to block my account to keep me from commenting about the exam.  I've NEVER posted any details about the exam nor been accused at any time in the past for violating any agreement.  This is all so petty.  The comment I received was:

"So on exam weekend I shut some of the board down to keep folks from posting exam questions while they are fresh in there head - will be back open tomorrow afternoon-
Thanks!"
 
Does this board really think I would post exam questions on here?  On what basis?  Also, if they WERE suspecting I might do that, do they really think I'm going to forget all these problems after TWO days?  It's insulting to say to the least.  At this point I don't even care if I get in trouble for anything I've said about the exam.  My feelings echo 'It's Study Time' to the core, even more after Friday afternoon's debacle.  I could make a few more pages of comments about that, but most of it has already been commented on.
After all that, I believe overall I did much better than last year, but not sure if it's enough to put me over to the top to passing status.  I guess I'll find out in the 6 weeks or so it takes to grade scan-tron sheets.

You weren't the only one the site was closed down to, and it was only for a couple of days. There was also warning given here: 

 

[DLD PE]

You weren't the only one the site was closed down to, and it was only for a a couple of days. There was also warning given here: 

Well in that case I stand corrected and I appreciate the intent (not allowing us to accidently post something about the exam that we shouldn't.  It just seemed silly at the time but I guess they have a point.

 

[DLD PE]

It's very true, he seems to be a genius when it comes to taking these types of tests. He doesn't just have an ME and EE PE., he also has LEED AP, CEM, and a ton of other ones.. If you think about it somebody with zero knowledge could very well pass this test just on sheer probability though it's unlikely he seems to have the wits for this sorta thing. In any event it's very discouraging to get the fail almost like a punch to the gut everytime 

That explains it.  Kudos to him!