Hi All, I will be taking my first time NCEES exam on 6 days later. I am Zach student and I just finished Eng Pro practice and I only got about 50%. I still not enough confidence for the exam.
Tomorrow I will try
1) Zach practice test and then
2) NCEES.
3) Then brand new Zach practice 40 questions, and
4) I will refresh last live class 20 questions. Still have time I will go over especially his home work, and quiz.
I studied all Zach pre-requisit notes, live class notes, home work and quiz.
But today, I took eng pro practice test, and looks like I don’t have enough confidence. how is the similarity with CBT exam?
I have cram, eng pro, Zach practice, spin up, and others test but only left 6 days, I think I can’t finish all. Like today, after I finish eng pro, go back and study to all my mistake and learn from there for key concepts. Quite useful.
Any recommend for all practice test. Only left 6 days to go. Please let me know any of your advice.
Recently, some of the classmate from Zach class, passed the exam and I really got motivation.
Thank you in advance.
From someone who will be taking the exam for the 5th time in June (I took the P/P twice and CBT twice):
With 6 days left, you won't learn much more than what you already know between now and the test date. Try to take a step back and keep things in perspective. You've put in whatever amount of time you've put in. I've been a student in both Zach and Justin's classes and taken the exams you mentioned (all except spin up, but I have Complex Imaginary). I wouldn't fret too much about 50% on Justin's exams, although you probably want to be more at 70% to be prepared.
Depending on the requirements in your state, you can probably take the CBT, fail, and re-take it very soon after the first time, so if you're not too tight on funds, think of the $375 fee as a sort of "trial run" since this is your first attempt. One big advantage of the CBT is we don't have to wait 6 months between re-takes. Currently there is no practice exam which closely mimics the real CBT exam.
Try to relax and get your confidence up. I would tell yourself, "Ok I'm going to just do the best I can, but if worst comes to worst, I can just re-take it in a month or two and I'll have a better idea of what to expect." Also, try not to do anything exam related the day before the exam. Take a day off if you need to and just relax and give your brain a rest. You will need that energy on exam day.
If I were you, I would work mostly Spin-Up problems (or any "drill" type problems) between now and the exam, and then if you have any topics you're struggling with, just work a few of Zach or Justin's problems.
My take on the practice exams:
1. NCEES - Most closely represents the wording on the actual exam, but this was more true on the P/P exam. The CBT problems are starting to change a little on the content and wording, and it's getting a bit further away from the NCEES practice exam, as if there are new authors writing the CBT. Still, the NCEES is a fairly close example of how the actual exam is worded. Difficulty level is similar to the CBT.
2.
@Zach Stone P.E. 's practice exam: Very challenging exam and his problems are lengthy and complicated, sometimes with plenty of red herrings to throw you off. These problems are great for learning the concepts, and often you can find 2-3 short problems combined into one of his. The CBT problems are simpler (fewer steps), but I highly recommend Zach's practice exam/quizzes to learn the concepts.
3.
@justin-hawaii 's practice exams: I could almost say the exact same thing as Zach's.
4. Complex Imaginary - Highly useful. Some argue these are too easy, but I disagree. These are simpler (in other words, take less time) than other practice exams, but they closely mimic the amount of time it takes to solve as the typical CBT problems. They're a decent mix of math vs conceptual problems, which you'll need since the CBT is starting to lean more toward conceptual type problems vs some of the longer math related problems on the P/P exam.
5. Cram for Exam - I love these. Challenging, but a very balance mix of difficulty, and most are concise and can be solved in 5 minutes or less. I think these are a bit more difficult than the actual CBT, but the style and wording are a bit closer to the actual exam than Zach or Justin's.
There are other practice exams which are good for "drill" type problems, but I mentioned the ones above since they seem to be the most popular among examinees. Also, for those reading this, there is no single practice exam that is "above all" the best one. I think it's best to consume a healthy mix of complex, simple, easy and difficult problems to help you prepare. I think the 5 mentioned above are a good mix. Now if I can only digest and retain all the above and finally knock this thing out in June!
