Reasons for failing PE?

[Matt-NM]

Well I am officially in study mode for the ME PE exam in April. Almost wish I hadn't told anybody I was taking it, since i'll have to tell them I didn't pass if that should be the unfortunate case. My questions are these...

1. To those who have taken the PE (any discipline) and come up short, what do you think were the main reasons you didn't pass? Of course not being prepared to begin with is an obvious one.

I'm kind of looking for reasons why one wouldn't pass even if they were completely prepared and felt that they couldn't have possibly done more to get ready for the exam. Is there any reason not to pass if you are fully prepared? Did anybody deal with very unexpected curveballs on the exam (whether ME or any other discipline)? Anything here would be helpful!

2. To those who have posted how many hours they studied for the exam, what percentage of those hours do you feel were actually quality, hard study hours? The reason I ask is because it seems like i'll sit there studying for 5 hours sometimes, but feel like I really only put in half of that by the time I am done. Hopefully I am not the only one whose mind wonders sometimes while studying. I am keeping a study log and am trying to be as honest as possible with myself as to how much time I am actually putting in. Anybody else hurtin' for motivation?

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

I passed on the first try so I'm not exactly in that boat, but here's my 2 cents anyway.

Even if you are totally prepared, you can still just have a good old fashioned bad day. You could get a lot of hard questions in a weak area, manage your time poorly, get flustered early and never get into a comfort zone, choke under the pressure, etc.

One of the best things that happened to me on exam day was getting 3 or 4 questions I could solve quickly and easily to start the morning. I got in a good groove and relaxed a bit.

I studied about 290 hours. I also kept a log. I counted anything that was actively done to help me pass as prep time. Looking up a regulation online or copying a table out of a book counted, reorganizing a binder or looking up a calculator finction didn't.

 

[Dark Knight]

There is no magic formula for passing the PE test. No X amount of hours...not a number of Y practice problems. You can pass it using so many different approaches but also there are so many factors that can make you trip.

VT said all that I was thinking and more so I will keep this short and will mention one more thing that can make you fail: Overconfidence(aka arrogance)

The test is a humbling experience and should be taken seriously. I said this before and will say it again. The only thing that will give you a fair chance of passing is the hard work. Less than that is a recipe for failure.

Good luck Matt and if you have questions come back and post them. I am not a Mech but there are guys/gals here that will help. That I can promise you.

 

[Desert Engineer]

Don’t get psyched out by the problems you can’t solve; concentrate on the ones you can solve. In essence, make sure you grab all of the low hanging fruit before you grab the ladder or start climbing the tree. Skip the hard ones and find all the problems you can solve. I usually go over tests 3 times. In the first round I solve the "easy" (to me) questions, the second round I do the mildly difficult (but I know I can solve) questions, the third round I solve the questions that I have no idea how to solve (the ones that if I had to I could guess on and I would not feel too bad about).

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

Another suggestion - check your answer sheet carefully. Make sure if you got 'C' for problem 10 that you actually bubbled that in. As opposed to marking 'B' or bubbling in #11. Don't sabotage yourself out of a right answer because of rushing to fill it in.

 

[Matt-NM]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Is it the consensus that one should go through the entire exam right at the beginning and identify the easier problems and works those first, and then go down the line from there, as Desert Water has suggested? I always avoided this back in school because I didn't want to psyche myself out right away if I happened to see a bunch of difficult problems. I know this exam, however, is really unlike any test back in school (minus the FE).

Thanks.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

^ I didn't go with that approach. I worked them in order, occasionally skipping a tough one if needed. I didn't want to burn the time it would take to pre-rate problems in advance.

 

[maryannette]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Is it the consensus that one should go through the entire exam right at the beginning and identify the easier problems and works those first, and then go down the line from there, as Desert Water has suggested?

A lot of people go through and rate the questions easy/hard. I did and it worked for me. The other thing I think is important is to do practice exams so you have an idea of the speed and endurance needed. Good luck, Matt.

 

[Jennifer Price]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Is it the consensus that one should go through the entire exam right at the beginning and identify the easier problems and works those first, and then go down the line from there, as Desert Water has suggested? I always avoided this back in school because I didn't want to psyche myself out right away if I happened to see a bunch of difficult problems. I know this exam, however, is really unlike any test back in school (minus the FE).
Thanks.

I did this method and I think it worked well for me. I actually went through the entire portion of the AM and PM part and labeled the questions with a 1, 2 or 3 (1 being the easiest and 3 being the hardest). I also wrote in very large print the units the question was asking for to make sure I did all the conversions needed. For me, it helped me gain my confidence I went through the exam working problems b/c the first few that I worked, I knew without a doubt I had correct, which put me in the "zone" for working the rest. It also gave me a chance to read every problem before I even thought about working any of them.

When I did my practice exams, I also used this method to make sure it would help me out.

Good luck with studying and taking the exam. Be sure to post questions along the way here if you get stuck!

 

[roadwreck]

I read through each problem in order and at least attempted to come up with a solution or identify where I may find a solution. If after looking up furhter information on the problem I found myself still unsure of how to answer the question I would write down where in my reference material I had found pertainent info (so I didn't have to look it up again) and then I'd move on to the next question. After I'd read through and answered all the 'easy' questions I'd go back through and attempt the ones I skipped.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

A lot of people go through and rate the questions easy/hard. I did and it worked for me. The other thing I think is important is to do practice exams so you have an idea of the speed and endurance needed. Good luck, Matt.

Do at least one of those practice exams as a full length, simulated exam conditions setting. You will burn an entire Saturday doing it, but it's invaluable.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for any suggestions.

As a four-time exam taker, I would say the first step in attempting to only take this exam once has been realized - you are HERE asking questions about your preparation needs. I would say that alone allows you to stand apart from other exam candidates - the ones like me who said who needs to study for an open book exam! :lmao:

On a serious note, I think if you address the following items you have done YOUR due diligence in placing yourself in a position to pass:

1. Review the exam specifications for your exam discipline. Establish a schedule to review those specifications allowing for some play in the time spent based on relative % of exam material and your familiarity with the subject.

2. ORGANIZATION! There are a number of threads that speak to organizing your materials whether it is bound notes or reference texts. Cherry-picking these threads to find what works for you is a must! I would only add that sheets that include often used conversions, equations, and other short-cuts is VERY helpful.

3. Confidence - If you have made fair attempts to address 1. and 2. then you are well on your way to successfully passing this exam. Approach your exam with confidence (not arrogance) knowing that you have done what you need for adequate preparations. Mindset and attitude ARE a major factor.

4. I agree with the triage approach for exam taking - go through the exam working easy, and marking medium and hard problems to return to later. This allows you to better manage your time and also collect your thoughts.

FWIW - when I did the first pass through the exam I passed - I only worked nine problems because I KNEW them cold. The remainder of the problems I returned to on a second or third pass. Before it was all said and done, I had whittled the problems down to 6-7 with an hour remaining. Knowing that I was controlling my pace and keeping pace with time was a reassuring.

Best of luck!

JR

 

[udpolo15]

Another suggestion - check your answer sheet carefully. Make sure if you got 'C' for problem 10 that you actually bubbled that in. As opposed to marking 'B' or bubbling in #11. Don't sabotage yourself out of a right answer because of rushing to fill it in.

I second this. I think I found 2 or 3 that I marked right in the book, but wrong on the answer sheet. Something like that can be the difference between passing and failing.

I think going through the whole test at the beginning and ranking questions is a waste of time. I did the questions in order but I outright skipped any question that I looked at and didn't have any idea or knew it was going to take a while to solve. I was also very aware when I started to spin wheels on a problem. If I hit about 3 minutes on a problem, I moved on to the next one. I found in a couple of instances that a later problem jarred my memory. Also as I went through, I marked questions based on how I felt about them. I crossed out anything I felt confident about and made notes where I want to double check something time permitting.

 

[NCcarguy]

After 3 failures.....and then finally a ASSED2: letter.....I'm kinda an expert here!!!

After I left the exam on my 3rd attempt, I went home and started looking for questions that I could remember from the exam in an attempt to make myself feel more comfortable with the results (of course I would later find those results to be negative!)

The VERY FIRST question that I looked up in my book, a mistake that I made hit me right in the mouth, and I could NOT believe I made the mistake. It was a simple question that basically had me look on a chart in one of my recommended books for the answer....well the answer was easily found, then when I got home, I noticed the SMALL print below the chart that contained a critical adjustment to the answer......It was then I realized that being in a hurry was the reason I had failed that test.

I was smart enough to know what I was looking for, had the right book, went to the right page, looked up the correct answer.......and FAILED to pay attention to the details!!!!

The 4th time I took the test, I really took my time on EACH question....I worked them in order, occasionally skipping one and going back to it, but I paid a LOT of attention to EACH question.

Success is in the details!

 

[Capt Worley PE]

I suggest you become very familiar with the MERM and where to find equations you need in there. There is a lot of work stuff that is in the thermo section, go figure.

I wouldn't even look at the NCEES practice test until you sit down and actually do a test run. I'd do this about thre weeks before the exam. It'll give you an idea of where you need to improve before the test.

Test day, I went through and worked the problems in order, but if I got stuck or didn't see the answer I got, I marked it in the book and moved on.

 

[TXengrChickPE]

I agree with the Captain... don't take the NCEES practice test until just a few weeks before the exam. At least in Civil, the questions on it were significantly easier than the other practice tests I worked... I think if I had looked at it first, I would have gotten over-confident and not studied enough.

 

[roadwreck]

After 3 failures.....and then finally a ASSED2: letter.....I'm kinda an expert here!!!
After I left the exam on my 3rd attempt, I went home and started looking for questions that I could remember from the exam in an attempt to make myself feel more comfortable with the results (of course I would later find those results to be negative!)

The VERY FIRST question that I looked up in my book, a mistake that I made hit me right in the mouth, and I could NOT believe I made the mistake. It was a simple question that basically had me look on a chart in one of my recommended books for the answer....well the answer was easily found, then when I got home, I noticed the SMALL print below the chart that contained a critical adjustment to the answer......It was then I realized that being in a hurry was the reason I had failed that test.

I was smart enough to know what I was looking for, had the right book, went to the right page, looked up the correct answer.......and FAILED to pay attention to the details!!!!

The 4th time I took the test, I really took my time on EACH question....I worked them in order, occasionally skipping one and going back to it, but I paid a LOT of attention to EACH question.

Success is in the details!

I only took the test once, but I can attest that this was probably the biggest factor between passing and failing. I found that while I was studying 99% of my mistakes were not due to not understanding the concepts or the questions, but to overlooking some of the details or just not being careful in my computations. On the exam itself I made every attempt to be as careful as I could, read and comprehend the entire question and then try to come up with a solution. Even then after the exam I knew what would keep me from passing was the silly mistakes. The months between the exam and the results give you plenty of time to agonize over your potential miscues.

 

[Guest]

The months between the exam and the results give you plenty of time to agonize over your potential miscues.

Truer words were never stated!

JR

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

On the exam itself I made every attempt to be as careful as I could, read and comprehend the entire question and then try to come up with a solution. Even then after the exam I knew what would keep me from passing was the silly mistakes. The months between the exam and the results give you plenty of time to agonize over your potential miscues.

Right after the exam I swore I nailed it. By results time I wondered if I had done basic arithmetic right!

I too had to focus on slowly, carefully reading the questions. Sometimes I circled the unit to report the answer in since it's not listed among the choices. I'd hate to do everything right and get a problem wrong because I answered in liters when they wanted ft^3.

 

[roadwreck]

Right after the exam I swore I nailed it. By results time I wondered if I had done basic arithmetic right!

I thought the exact same thing. I remember driving home after the exam feeling pretty good about my performance. In the weeks to follow that confidence dwindled to the point that by the time results started to come out I'd pretty much convinced myself I didn't pass.