Study Plan for Power PE

[wjrez]

OK. So 3 time loser is here to discuss how I am going to get it right this time. My most recent failure was April 2014. I thought I came pretty close, but close only counts in a game of horseshoes or with hand grenades. I attribute the matter to lack of working out problems. Some of this was due to the fact that my job doesn't give me a lot of "down' time and I did not study as diligently as I should, but there are a lot of people who took the test with the same restrictions going in, so no excuse.

The board says I need to wait 12 months and within that 12 months provide proof of passing a course that focuses on Power PE study and meets the satisfaction of the board. Like I stated earlier, the issue I had was time and working out as many test type problems that I could. So even though I can (and will) take another course, I feel like I still need more time to work out problems, so I intend to shoot for October 2015. I feel that gives me enough time to go through the course work and then focus on a lot of self study and working on problems to at least give me a better chance at passing this thing.

Your thoughts?

 

[KatyLied P.E.]

New to the forum here. Took the Power PE earlier this month. Don't know if I passed but the test appeared to be reasonably fair in that I'd seen comparable problems in my studies. I used a combination of GA Tech, Graffeo, C&I, Spin-up, Camara and various info culled from the internet. The internet info came in handy for VFD and harmonic questions. Let me add this. I actually ordered a copy of Wildi's book after the exam and received it this weekend. I can use it as a general reference and just in case I have to take it again in October. Aafter a cursory read, it apppears to be very good source for the PE. Very straightforward and readable. In some of the material it was almost like they pulled questions straight from this book. I hope I won't have to take it again but I could see this book taking me over the hump. Finally, I have read postings in this forum for awhile. The info here was invaluable to me being as well prepared as I was. I took the PE almost 17 years ago and even though I had the years of experience did not hve the depth required. thanks to the tips from this forum I was much better prepared. if I didn't pass this time time I feel really confident about October.

I averaged about 15 hours a week over a 4 month period. In the last 2 months I ramped up the number of weekly hours. I spent a lot of time during the first 2 months looking at GA Tech lectures. Great source. Last two months spent a lot of time working through 8-9 sample tests from C&I, spinup, and NCEES. I'd work through test on weekends and spent weeknights tryin to really understand the ins and outs of problems I'd worked the previous weekend. the last three weeks I spent a lot of time organizing material. I used two binders and had all material tabbed and divided in sections similiar to what GA had. In each section I also cross referenced where I could find sample test problems related to that material. I also prepared a very detailed note sheet. the cross referencing really helped in that I was able to locate some test solutions rather quickly. One more thing. C&I publishes an NEC drill book. I recommend it. It helps you get used to how the NEC book is organized. Apologies if that's more than what you wanted to know.

Yes 300 hours is just about right. these were the books I took in with me:

Two three ring binders. Composed of GA Tech material, solved problems, and miscellaneous info I printed from the internet. One of the binders was the GA Tech one. By the time I included all the supplemental info I had to split it in two. GA Tech really gives you a good foundation. It also has a good section on code and NESC.

Camara reference manual along with the associated sample test and solved problems. the reference manual came in handy but I did not really use the other two books.

Graffeo book. Electrical Engineers Guide to Passing the PE Exam. Handy reference manual good and concise. Good lighting and wattmeter info. I recommend a good cursory reading of this book. A nice amount of miscellaneous info which could come in handy. Good section on CT's. also has helpful sample test.

Complex Imaginary sample tests. Good sections on ideal transformers, motors, and code problems. Some problems are on par with actual exam problems.

Spin Up exams. Problems are not as difficult as exam problems but they focus on details which come in handy during exam.

NEC handbook, as opposed to actual NEC book. The additional, clear explanations worked better for me.

Grainger and Stevenson's Power System Analysis. I used it more as moral support than an actual reference.

NESC book. Focus more on NEC as opposed to NESC. I would recommend becoming familiar with the basic goals of NESC and what it covers and doesn't cover. If you read through NESC introduction I think that will be sufficient.

Complex Imaginary NEC drill book. I highly recommend getting this. Time was tight so I only worked through about a third of the book. the drills helped me become familiar with where the topics were located. As I attempted each problem I would underline the nouns in each question. then go to the index, look up the nouns and go from there. You just have to grind it out but if you use that process you should be able to answer the drill problems in 6 minutes or less. I felt really good about the NEC test questions as a result of this book.

As I worked through each sample test, if I couldn't find the answer in my reference book I would google it. I'd then print that info out and add to my notebook. A lot of this included PLC's, VFD's, GFCI's, harmonics, voltage classifications, short circuit calc, generation prime movers, load flows/bus types and any other subject I couldn't find.

NCEES sample test. Good overall study guide. Know different ways that the problems can be asked. I only carried in the 2011 edition but also had 2009. Problems are exactly the same. 2009 contained a lot of general info which is now found on NCEES website. My guess is NCEES wanted to be able to quickly update any rule/guideline changes. If I have to do it again I will spend a little more time on this test.

Finally spin-Up suggested a good test day strategy.

1) Don't skip around the test but go through each problem in order. On first pass, work the ones that you know off the bat and don't necessarily have to dig deep to solve.

2) Mark the NEC/NESC problems with a "2" and work on the second pass. That way you don't have to worry about going back and forth between the code books and other reference matl's.

3) Mark all problems with a "3" that you think you can solve after digging deeper in your reference matl's. Also, any code problems that you couldn't work on the 2nd pass should also be marked with a "3".

4) Mark all problems with a "4" that you really don't know but maybe can use solid engineering reason to solve. Hopefully by this time you only have about 20% of test left. I'm not saying I was fortunate enough to have this happen to me I'm just telling you my strategy.

5) Mark all problems with a "5" that you have no idea how to work. Assuming the light bulb doesn't come on for these, I would recommend doing a quick scan on the rest of your answers, seeing what letter is trending and go with that.

On some of the "4" and "5" the light bulb did come on for me after a 2nd or 3rd look. Hopefully that made up for any careless errors I might have made on 1-3. I actually used that same strategy to pass the CEM (Certified Energy Manager) exam in 2013.

Hopefully all this translates into a passing score but nonetheless I felt really good about my test prep. As a result of my cross referencing and various tabs I was able to quickly access a good amount of info. How you organize your references and sticking to a test strategy are just as important as knowing the material.

Also if you can get your hands on a CEM textbook/formal class notes it has good sections on customer billing and metering , power factor correction and motors. There's actually a kVar chart which can save you time on PF calcs. Association of Energy Engineers has the textbook called Guide to Energy Management. One more thing. Complex Imaginary has YouTube videos on several subjects. Excellent stuff. In fact, Youtube in general has many videos - some good, some bad. Could be helpful. Man I'm tired. Time for bed.

 

[KatyLied P.E.]

May be more than you wanted but that was my plan for studying. I think your time frame is good. What I've listed was about 5 months worth of work.

 

[wjrez]

Thanks for the insight. I have the Ga. Tech binder and the spin up exams. My NEC handbook is from 2008, but I see no real reason to update as the code questions I saw on the exams were mainly those that have not been revised (grounding, cable ampacity, etc). I did get Wildi and Grainger, but never got a chance to get into them. My plan is to do the class study (I think I am going to go with the MGI course primarily due to cost) then onto my books and do problems from that point onward. So the overall plan will be around 10 months.

 

[KatyLied P.E.]

You are welcome. BTW, if the MGI course works for you that's great. I found that the problems and study material did not match up well with the exam. GA Tech course is twice the cost but is an excellent value and less than PPI. Not trying to sway you but just wanted to tell you what worked for me. Did you take the Tech course or do you just have the material?

 

[wjrez]

No. I took the GA Tech course and I found that although I found the lectures very well done and Dr. Ca;;en very responsive to questions, I hoped for more problem solving as part of the coursework. I also find it hard to stare at the computer screen and listen to lectures. Perhaps a late onset ADD issue, but nonetheless a problem for me.

 

[KatyLied P.E.]

I understand. The Spin Up, CI, and NCEES sample test should help on problem solving. Also, CI's NEC workbook really helped understand the layout of the Code. Good luck.