Study Schedule for April 2012

[engineergurl]

It's almost the new year, has anyone thought of the next go-round? Developed a study plan? I have nearly decided not to take a review class... but I'm still on the fence about it since it's been so many years since I graduated from college (nearly 10 years). Here's my plan... I am open to any suggestions!!!

Week 1 (starting Sunday Jan 1)- I will be taking a practice exam just to see where I stand, I have set aside the day for the full 8 hour exam with a lunch break... at this point in time, all I will have been able to do is become a little familiar with the supplied reference handbook, so I think it is a good start point.

I have then broken the next 12 weeks down into each of the morning session areas giving each area about a week (two weeks for whatever my weaknesses are, and one week for the areas that I don't think I need to focus on). I plan on setting aside an hour and a half on Monday's, Wednesday's and Thursday's, 6-8 hours every other Saturday to devote to afternoon session material, 8 hours every Sunday (except for one Sunday a month) to review what I have cumulativly covered. I was also planning on taking a practice exam every 3 weeks to track my progress. I will probably increase my study time due to my worry-wort nature but am trying to not burn myself out in Jan.

I have purchased a multitude of review materials and should be recieving them before Sunday, I intend to go purchase a few binders, a ton of paper and a crapola load of mechanical pencils.

I also am wondering, the last two days before the exam, any suggestions? Do you just maybe go over the reference handbook again and hope for the best at that point... do you cram?

 

[chemicalpe]

One more thing, get familiar with your calculator. This will save lot of time on the test especially with matrices, quad eqns, permutations, combinations, probability and stats.

 

[thwlruss]

if you have not studied that practice exam is gonna suck

 

[treyjay]

if you have been out of school for a while, the FE is really a test where you need to work A TON LOAD of practice problems. I used the FERM, PPI Exam Cafe & the NCEES FE reference manual...no review course... to get myself passed after 21 years of out-of-school. It worked for me. Good Luck.

 

[engineergurl]

I have purchased the FERM; 1001 Solved Engineering Fundamentals Problems; FE in a Flash (400 flash card set); Kaplan FE Review Manual; the supplied reference manual; a few of Potters books (I currently have one of those but it's a 4th edition) and the NCEES supplied reference handbook. I also dug out some of my old college books because I figure statics and dynamics don't really change much, and I grabbed some books from work buddies that should help in the environmental portion. The guys in our construction inspection branch said I could snag any of the books in their office to borrow too.

Today I went out and bought some binders, looseleaf paper, notebooks and pencils, two of the approved calculators (one casio, on Ti), and then I got myself some fun colored highlighters and pens and post-it flags because that's just how I tend to work

I will say that I have started working some problems just so I don't end up in tears tomorrow when I take the practice exam

I have also finally chosen to go with the Civil... I think it will pay off in the long run a bit more than the Environmental... and it's less intimidating to me in my opinion since the Environmental percentage breakdown is so heavy in the water areas...

 

[EM_PS]

You & I don't know one another, but I would say bag the practice exam, esp if its Lindburgh's. All its gonna do is harsh your buzz. Go thru his FERM chapters, then maybe take the practice exam modules to see if you get it. And def., the day before the exam you take off! No studying, its either in ya at the point or no. Let your brain have that day of rest before the test Oh and there will be stuff youre just weak with. If study & review aint making it click for you, dont waste time on it, but moreso on the stuff youre strong in. See the % breakdown of subject matter on the FE, and strive to excel in the higher % numbers, if that makes sense. You can do it, complete stranger

 

[engineergurl]

thanks stranger :wave2: btw... I got you on speed e-mail as my surveying resource...

 

[engineergurl]

Soooo, I tried to take the practice exam, but unfortunately, it is very difficult for me to have a distraction free zone in my house. After about an hour, I had to let the dogs out and bring them back in once, my phone had rang three times, so when the cat jumped on the table and knocked a glass of water over and got everything wet, I kinda gave up on it being a diagnostic for me.

I have been working on problems each night, and noted that in the book 1001 Solved Engineering problems, there is a section devoted specifically to physics. I don't have this as a subject with time devoted to it and I was wondering if I needed to work that in? I based my study plan off of several different things, and none of them have an actual review of physics specifically. I glanced at the problems and had a few wth moments, and a few, well that's a stupid easy problem, so I'm not so sure if I should review it or not?

Any opinions?

 

[dakota_79]

Distractions aren't bad - utilize that as part of your prep when you do practice exams. On test day there will be the distraction of dozens to hundreds of other people taking the test in the same room, punching calculators, turning pages, coughing, chewing gum, tapping pencils, leaving because they finished early, all putting pressure on you. I specifically sought out distracting environments for my full 8 hour practice exams (took 3 of them in the month before exam), and it made the exam environment a cakewalk. Also important for developing the sense of pace and time management you're gonna need. So turn the phone off and work through all other distractions. Don't cheat on the practice exams: use only the reference manual, time yourself, etc...simulate exam day conditions as much as possible. This will make exam day like muscle memory. Practice exams are the #1 best prep, followed by #2 working as many example problems as possible.

2 days before exam: go to the movies, go to the beach, go to work, go fly a kite...go anywhere but to the desk to study! Clear your cranium.

As far as physics, skip that. Would help you in the fundamentals of statics & dynamics, but for those just study...statics and dynamics! Stick to the actual topics as specifically laid out for the exam.

Also, have you picked the 2 subjects (excluding math) that you're hopeless in that you're going to ignore in studying and just guess on the exam yet? For me these were Electrical and Thermo. (6+ years out of school and passed 1st try for context).

 

[khtPSU]

My reparing for exam on Oct/2011: (start from May/2011)

- Buy new calculator 36x-pro Texas Instrument. This calculator is so easy to use to compare with Casio 115-es.

- Buy old text books about Engineer Economic, Thermodynamic, Marterial Science, Fluid, Static and Dynamic (Hibelle). Those subject I did not have in school except static.

- Make a schedule as below. For each subject I had in school, I use my old text book to review things listing in NCEES Electrical Exam Specification. I practiced only odd number question at the end each chapter. For those subject not have in school, I read each chapter for theory, then did only odd question from 1-21 of each chapter. I kept go back and redo at least 3 times.

- Each of section of my schedule, I spend at least 40 minutes.

- at the exam, do not try to do some question you think you can do with litle thinking. You should do all the questions you know how to solve without thinking first, then go back do other question. I was spend 8 minutes for an economic question, but after exam I think I am stupid. With 8 minutes I can do more than one of some easy questions. I ran out of time with 15 questions. Then I just mark answer C for those. For the PM electrical, I do all easy questions first then go back for others. I have to guest 2 questions one about communication and one about computer, I passed this exam with my plan, so you can do too.

Monday: Math, Circuit, digital system, Ethic & business practice, communications, fluid mechanics

Tues: Probability & statistic, Power, Computer system, engineering economic, DSP, electricity & magnetism

Wend: Chemistry, electromagnetics, Strenght of marterial, Engineer mechanics (static & dynamic), Electronics, Thermodynamics

Thu: Computer, control system, Material properties. Math, circuit, digital systems,

Fri: Ethic & business practice,communications, fluid mechanics, Probability & statistic, Power, Computer system

Sat: Engineer economic, DSP, electricity & magnetism, Math, electromagnetics, Strenght of marterial

Sun: Engineer mechanics (static & dynamic), Electronics, Thermodynamics, Circuit, control system, Material properties