Should I take a review course?

[CE0502]

There is a Civil PE review course being offered locally, using Kaplan materials. It is 3 hours a night for two nights a week. I'm wondering if I should take it or not... I failed the test the first time due to brushing off the stuff I didn't think I needed to study. But now I am doubting myself and wondering if it's really because I glossed over it or because I just didn't know it. (I did ok on the stuff I did devote time to.) The review will cost me $700 and I will get two Kaplan books. I'm wondering if it would be worth the money. This time around I have developed a detailed study schedule so on the studying part, I think I'm doing better than the first time. And then also, part of me is terrified that I will spend the money on the review and just fail again anyway, and then I will feel really bad. I don't know. I keep going back and forth on this.

I think a review course would probably be helpful, but putting in more effort to study than last time would probably be helpful too. This is kind of a pointless topic, since only I would really know what's best for ME, but any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[maryannette]

I took a review class that helped a lot. It was recommended by a friend that had taken it and had gotten a lot out of it. We both passed after taking the review. It's different for everybody, but I think it's a good investment.

 

[ktulu]

This is definitely NOT a pointless topic. I have failed this exam 4 times now, and am going to spend $1500 on the School of PE course next April. I will not calculate the total amount of cash I have forked out trying to pass the exam; it will not matter in the end, IMO..

With that said, I have heard nothing but good things about most review courses, and do not think that they are a waste of time or money, in addition to your personal study time.

Good Luck,

ktulu

 

[cement]

this is certainly a personal choice, you have to know yourself. I relied too heavily on the course I took a long time ago, and got some bad advice there not to limit my additional refrences! I have more self disipline now that I am older, and stuck to a rigorous study schedule on my own. I felt I would have resented drive time and instructors that indulged some class members while the rest of us stared out the window. (maybe I had a bad class?)

But I certainly see the value of these classes. To have a schedule set for you, and to learn from quasi experts, esp. if that is the type of learner you are, would be really helpfull. In the long run (or really short run, depending on your employer) cost is not an issue. you will make it back in spades.

 

[maryannette]

My 4th attempt was when I took the review course. If you take the review course for your 2nd try, you might eliminate a 3rd or 4th.

 

[IlPadrino]

I highly recommend Testmasters... even if it means traveling to a city where it's offered. I flew from LA to Phoenix for the three weekends it was offered for the April 2007 exam.

My concern with studying off the CERM is that I think there's just too much to prepare everything equally well. A review course, if done right, will also help you focus on the areas that will most likely represented in the exam.

The cost of any review course is insignificant when compared to the value of your own time. If you're worth $50/hour and you study for 100 hours... well, I won't insult you with the math, but safe to say there isn't a review course anywhere that costs that much!

 

[VA_Env_Engr]

In addition to all the points made earlier, I would just caution you to research the prep class being offered before you invest that kind of money. The class I took for Enviro exam prep was definitely not worth the $$ they charged for it. I did not learn anything I did not know before, not even any new techniques on solving certain types of problems. The only reason I kept going was because I had alreay paid and it was not going to be refunded.

I am certainly not generalizing. There are good prep courses out there, just make sure you go for the better ones.

 

[bigray76]

I would recommend taking a review course for mulitple reasons:

1) It forces you to look at the material for a set number of hours per week

2) Courses usually have handouts, study materials, sample problems, etc. that you won't find anywhere else

3) You can network with the other classmates - maybe find someone who can help you with something you feel weak on, or vice versa. (I actually met a guy who I had gone to college with and we have become good friends since - he was a huge help to me in terms of the resources he had and what I could copy and what we could share).

Work paid for my class. I didn't feel that the class I took (offered by Rutgers Continuing Ed.) was strong at all on geotechnical and was too deep on environmental; but I am glad that I took it. The EIT review class I took there a decade ago was great... the guy was entertaining, sharp, and very motivating.

-Ray

 

[IlPadrino]

Now I've got to wondering...

Should we start a list of review courses and provide feedback? Some are better than others but how can we know?

 

[GTScott]

I took a review class offered by the school that I attended. While one question on the PE did come word for word from my notes from the class, I found the biggest thing that the class gave me was a guide by which to study. It was from this class that I realized, for instance, that I needed to study statics and not the combined load capacity of bolts in a connection. That sort of thing really helped as it allowed me to determine exactly how far into each topic I needed to study.

 

[CE0502]

Wow, lots of positive feedback! Thanks everyone. I am leaning towards taking the review course but the money I guess is the main reason for me NOT to take it since I'm a little tight on funds right now... still, the possibility of taking the course and never having to sit for the exam again after this is VERY desirable.

Everyone has made some really great points based on past experience. I really appreciate the input here. I will probably take the class and post a review of it once I have PASSED the exam.

 

[CE0502]

Now I've got to wondering...
Should we start a list of review courses and provide feedback? Some are better than others but how can we know?

There was a thread started but it didn't get many responses... but it would be great to have reviews of more courses and how each person felt about them... because I know the experience can be different for everyone.

 

[maryannette]

I did something interesting tonight. I went back to the class roster for the review class I took and checked to see how many passed. I went to the state board site and searched for each name in the directory. 19 out of 43 passed. It was a lower percentage than I thought it would be. But I want to make a point with this. It's not about the review class or the must-have book or the magic method of studying. Everybody is different. What works for me might not work for you. The best advice I can give is to use your most effective study style and habits. I used colors (for highlighting, tabbing, marking) coded to the topics. I also copied a lot of notes over and over because writing something helps me to remember it better. I didn't think I worked enough problems, but I passed. I had given up on taking the exam again. I failed 3 times more than 10 years ago. BUT, a couple years ago I took a certification class for work and learned techniques for studying that I never used before (and also got inspired by a terrific teacher). Come to find out, my daughters knew the techniques, but those things weren't taught when I was in school. (Yes, I'm that old.) There is no easy way or trick or guaranteed method that I know. It's just hard work and knowing yourself and what works for you. Make your decisions based on what you know about yourself.

 

[WR/ENV_Instructor]

I did something interesting tonight. I went back to the class roster for the review class I took and checked to see how many passed. I went to the state board site and searched for each name in the directory. 19 out of 43 passed.

How can you be sure everyone took the exam in the same state?

I took a review course in one state but took my PE exam (passed 1st try) in another.

 

[maryannette]

^^You are right. That is a possibility that I overlooked. I don't remember anyone who talked about the exam in another state, but it's possible. Anyway, the point was that there is no magic wand. A lot of hard work and whatever else you think will help.

BTW, Congrats on passing your first try.

 

[WR/ENV_Instructor]

BTW, Congrats on passing your first try.

Congrats to you also. I agree with your point that one needs to put in hard work. Simply showing up for a review courses isn't going to cut it.

I hope I didn't sound too harsh but my point was it's really hard to know the true pass rates or review courses. I know I often wondered if their posted pass rates were ...

 

[goingtopass]

i took a review class via the web that was 12 2 hour sessions, and it helped. the instructor told us what types of problems to expect in each topic, what would be unlikely problems, and the difficulty of the morning versus afternoon. it really helped to pin down what areas/topics to study. i passed the first time taking it in october 2007! i took the civil with water resources afternoon. Good luck to ya!

 

[BluSkyy]

Did a review course at the university of Tulsa, co-instructed by a professor and professor-emeritus.

One guy's expertise was in thermofluids, the other was machine dynamics. I found this course very helpful.

 

[TXengrChickPE]

Something else to think about for a Civil Review. Try to find out beforehand how much time is spent on each topic. Because of time restraints, I opted for a cheap on-line review course. Well, they spent more than half of the 16 week course on Water Resources and Environmental. Because I was taking Structural, those two sections combined were only worth 20% of my overall score. If I had known that going in I guarantee that I would have found another option. As it was, I gave up on their review course within about 6 weeks (but did not get a refund) and spent the last 10 weeks studying like mad on my own. I still don't know if I passed, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have if I had stuck with their schedule, which only spent 2 weeks on Structures.

 

[fmullner]

I have to say that self-study with the Lindberg books seems to work for me. I took the PE in October, so I don't know how I did there, but I lived and died by the Lindberg FE Review manual. I worked nearly every problem and by the time I was done with it, I knew where my strengths and weaknesses were and used that to tackle the exam (ex: AC Circuits? Afternoon Thermo? The answer is C, thank you).

In the end I took the general sections both AM and PM and got an 86. I think it all depends on understanding how you study and then having the discipline to actually do it.