Hey guys. I just decided to register for this site. Anyway, I have been studying since I got approval to take the exam back in April.
I have all of the typical books. But I've decided to opt for some different books for power systems analysis and protection as well as power electronics. See below:
Books (* Indicates taking to exam):
- Complex Imaginary - All Four Volumes.
- NCEES Practice Exam.
- Spin Up Exams.
- Graffeo.*
- Wildi*
- 2017 NEC*
- 2017 NESC*
- FE Handbook* - Good for those interest equations and other quick reference equations.
- Protective relaying - Principles and Applications by Blackburn - Eh, I read this book for a few days and put it down. It's very informative but it's easy to get lost real quick. Also, not a lot of comprehensive examples. It became a paperweight for me.
- Power System Analysis & Design by Glover, Overbye & Sarma*. - Really good book. Breaks things down easily, has clear examples and case studies.
- Fundamentals of Power System Protection by Y.G. Paithankar and S.R. Bhide* - This is a good book. I also have the Blackburn book but it's way too convoluted. I prefer this one. It has easy to see diagrams, equations and breaks things down easily.
- Power Electronics by Daniel W. Hart* - Another good book. Breaks down equations easily, has the equations boxed out and gets to the point with barely any talking.
- Ugly's Electrical Reference* - This book is incredible. It's tiny but very, very powerful. It's just a small handbook of information. Equations, examples and has as all of the good parts of NEC like motor tables, conductor properties and demand calculations rolled into one. I even use it at work. A must have in general and it's cheap and small.
- Ugly's Electrical Safety and NFPA 70E* - Bought it because I'm not spending a lot of money on the full version for only one or two questions on the exam. Seems to have all relevant information.
- IEEE Books (Buff, Red and Green)* - Got these for like $140.00 on eBay. Very good. They seem to have a lot of esoteric information I couldn't find anywhere else. Not a textbook more like a book of standards and facts, I'd say. I'm sure they'll be good for answering those "out there" type questions on the exam.
- Standard Handbook for Electrical Engineers (16th Ed.)* - H Wayne Beaty, Donald G Fink - Great book. It's basically like an electrical engineering bible and just as thick. Has just about anything and everything. I usually use this book as a "last resort". It's another book of standards and facts. Just look something up and find it.
- EERM by Camara* - Haven't used this much. Seems like a lot of superfluous information. Only small sections for power type stuff. I'd probably use this just for looking up an equation.
- Study Guide for PE and Computer - Power Exam by Wasim Asghar - A new book (literally as in last month). Seen it on Amazon and picked it up. Some decent questions but far too much conceptual questions. Broken out into the syllabus of the exam. Has some good stuff I haven't seen before. It was worth it just to see some new questions but seemed a bit too easy.
- Engineering Pro Guides - Power Technical Study Guide* - Very good study guide. Printed it out and put it into a binder with the recommended references from online sites. Contains a decent amount of information, gets the point, cleanly laid out and cheap. It's a bit light on most subjects. I would say it provides a great overall look of what you should be studying but unfortunately doesn't get into the real nitty gritty. It was great for hammering down concepts for sure. This is my "main binder" of notes. Has the equation sheet, some handwritten notes and printouts from the internet.
- Engineering Pro Guides - Practice Exam* - Awesome exam. Questions seem to be on par with the real exam as what others have said. Makes you think, reinforces concepts and solutions are just the right length.
Study process:
I started off reading Graffeo Front to back. I didn't like the chaotic layout and mess of diagrams then I decided to go with EngProGuides and the difference was night and day. Very good book and by default it's a PDF so you can take it with you when commuting or anywhere else to read. I think I'd prefer to use this as my primary reference for the exam as I did for studying. Easy to read, good bold diagrams and equations and nicely laid out. Tabbed it and has an index.
To be honest, I'm a little all over the place when it comes to studying. But that kind of works for me and makes me feel comfortable. I did the same thing with many other exams and passed. I'll read a subject, work problems and then go onto another subject or sometimes jump between topics in one study session. I don't follow a syllabus or schedule but whatever works right? Did it for the FE passed easily. I also took the LEED exam and passed on the first time with that method.
I still don't feel confident, though. I've always had confidence issues, personal info I know but I'm just being honest. It seems as if there's just an overwhelming amount of material. I tried to cover as much as I could in these 6 months (honestly it felt like a year). I basically started from scratch but now I'm doing complicated School of PE practice problems and getting about 75% of them right. Whenever I don't get a problem right at this point I beat myself up. I probably shouldn't but it makes me feel down like I wasted my time.
I'm feeling a little down lately anyway. Maybe too much material and it's getting to me and I just want to take the exam. I feel a bit overwhelmed an anxious especially working long hours and commuting for nearly 2 hours one way. I wonder if others feel the same way. I just don't want to have had wasted my time studying this whole time and not pass. Especially since I gave up a lot of fun activities. I am a first time test taker for the Power PE. People say it's hard others say it's fine if you do a few problems. To me difficulty is relative. It all depends on the person, their study habits and life activities. There are many factors to consider.
Best of luck to everyone. Feel free to chime in.
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