Texas October 2013 PE Results out . How did you do?!

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for me personally it is a matter environmental topics. I work for an engineering firm where our primary design work has to do with stormwater management, some water distribution and sanitary sewer designs. So I got the first half that is WR. Its the BODs, and water chemistry and those type of topics that I just don't handle well. This better explains why I think I scored around 50% in the Pm, and have historically over the previous two exams.


I wish I had my results and knew if I passed before I comment...but, shoot, I'll throw in my two cents anyway on the off chance that anybody's about to start their review and is worried about it. The problem with the environmental problems is that they cover a huge subject area, and are often written specifically to overwhelm the user with information. I feel like to the average test taker, when encountered with an environmental problem, your first instinct is "Wow- I have no clue where to start" and you start flipping through the CERM hoping there's a formula that has most of the information.

But the thing is...for most of these problems, you don't even need the CERM. With perhaps a couple exceptions, the environmental problems are all mass balance/unit conversion questions. You can get misled into thinking it's more complicated when you see chemical equations, pH levels and big words like "Mixed Liquor Volatile Suspended Solids," but if you changed those same words to "apples and oranges" and were asked to find the proportion of apples to oranges after mixing them together, suddenly it's a much easier problem. I think that's the tradeoff the exam writers made. They know that nobody can become a wastewater expert in two months, so they just make them challenging math problems with wastewater vernacular.

The CERM provides a LOT of equations, which I think is in some ways a bad thing, because it makes you depend on them if you're not familiar...but (again with a couple exceptions), many of these formulas are very easily derived, and if you just followed the unit conversion through your problem, you'd arrive at the same result. Even the magic "8.35" mg/L->lb/MG conversion is unnecessary, it's possible to just convert units on the fly.

When working the NCEES practice problems, I found that a couple of the solutions were really badly written for me to understand because they took shortcuts. Instead, I had to solve them with my own method (following logical unit conversions/mass balance) and I was much more comfortable with the result. So, the best strategy is not to review environmental textbooks or read the CERM section over and over. Rather it's to work problems over and over, and instead of trying to mimic the given solution which usually uses a shortcut formula, try to find the solution logically by balancing mass and converting units.

Anyway, hopefully I passed...but even if I didn't, I don't think my strategy for enviro will change the next time around.


This level of difficulty, as I understand it, is true no matter what your afternoon discipline is. The material is relatively simple if you're able to suss out the important and unimportant information. And, frankly, a good engineer ought to be able to do just that. This exam is not required to test whether you can solve for a moment given all the appropriate assumptions, or perform a unit conversion given that direct request, or volumetric flow rate given a flow speed and pipe area... it's a test of whether you can apply discipline-specific engineering judgement to solve extremely simple problems (they are 6-minute problems afterall). If you did not pass, don't stress too much. You are all capable of it with the proper amount of studying. A lot of the studying benefits are derived from just learning the way the test works, how the questions are typically phrased, etc. So keep at it and you'll be alright. Don't make it bigger than it is. Afterall, there are a TON of PEs out there. It can't be that hard, right?

Maybe it won't happen your first time. That just means you need to study a bit more. The time you take doing that now will be trivial when you look back. So to the folks that are done -- congrats. To the folks needing to re-test. Go at it twice as hard and make sure you're not in this position again in 6 months. We're all gonna make it :)

 
I only do hydrology and hydraulics at my work. Like everyone said, AM was easy but the PM portion was really hard. Half of the PM test was stuff that I'm not familiar with.
how did you do?




I don't know yet. I'm actually in Alabama, waiting for the snail mail. I'm on this Texas thread because I'm dying to find hints of the passing score, haha

 
for me personally it is a matter environmental topics. I work for an engineering firm where our primary design work has to do with stormwater management, some water distribution and sanitary sewer designs. So I got the first half that is WR. Its the BODs, and water chemistry and those type of topics that I just don't handle well. This better explains why I think I scored around 50% in the Pm, and have historically over the previous two exams.


I wish I had my results and knew if I passed before I comment...but, shoot, I'll throw in my two cents anyway on the off chance that anybody's about to start their review and is worried about it. The problem with the environmental problems is that they cover a huge subject area, and are often written specifically to overwhelm the user with information. I feel like to the average test taker, when encountered with an environmental problem, your first instinct is "Wow- I have no clue where to start" and you start flipping through the CERM hoping there's a formula that has most of the information.

But the thing is...for most of these problems, you don't even need the CERM. With perhaps a couple exceptions, the environmental problems are all mass balance/unit conversion questions. You can get misled into thinking it's more complicated when you see chemical equations, pH levels and big words like "Mixed Liquor Volatile Suspended Solids," but if you changed those same words to "apples and oranges" and were asked to find the proportion of apples to oranges after mixing them together, suddenly it's a much easier problem. I think that's the tradeoff the exam writers made. They know that nobody can become a wastewater expert in two months, so they just make them challenging math problems with wastewater vernacular.

The CERM provides a LOT of equations, which I think is in some ways a bad thing, because it makes you depend on them if you're not familiar...but (again with a couple exceptions), many of these formulas are very easily derived, and if you just followed the unit conversion through your problem, you'd arrive at the same result. Even the magic "8.35" mg/L->lb/MG conversion is unnecessary, it's possible to just convert units on the fly.

When working the NCEES practice problems, I found that a couple of the solutions were really badly written for me to understand because they took shortcuts. Instead, I had to solve them with my own method (following logical unit conversions/mass balance) and I was much more comfortable with the result. So, the best strategy is not to review environmental textbooks or read the CERM section over and over. Rather it's to work problems over and over, and instead of trying to mimic the given solution which usually uses a shortcut formula, try to find the solution logically by balancing mass and converting units.

Anyway, hopefully I passed...but even if I didn't, I don't think my strategy for enviro will change the next time around.


This level of difficulty, as I understand it, is true no matter what your afternoon discipline is. The material is relatively simple if you're able to suss out the important and unimportant information. And, frankly, a good engineer ought to be able to do just that. This exam is not required to test whether you can solve for a moment given all the appropriate assumptions, or perform a unit conversion given that direct request, or volumetric flow rate given a flow speed and pipe area... it's a test of whether you can apply discipline-specific engineering judgement to solve extremely simple problems (they are 6-minute problems afterall). If you did not pass, don't stress too much. You are all capable of it with the proper amount of studying. A lot of the studying benefits are derived from just learning the way the test works, how the questions are typically phrased, etc. So keep at it and you'll be alright. Don't make it bigger than it is. Afterall, there are a TON of PEs out there. It can't be that hard, right?

Maybe it won't happen your first time. That just means you need to study a bit more. The time you take doing that now will be trivial when you look back. So to the folks that are done -- congrats. To the folks needing to re-test. Go at it twice as hard and make sure you're not in this position again in 6 months. We're all gonna make it :)
Good thoughts. I was fortunate enough to pass my first try this December, but if I failed I was prepared to go at it and study harder. You are defined by how you respond to failure not how you respond to success, and I was going to take that thought and use it to motivate me the next go round. I am going to take the SE next testing period because I do not think a PE license necessarily validates my expertise in structural engineering.

 
Failed, Mechanical...61%. Can't say how much I studied, had a major family incident which derailed my studying. Took exam knowing it was a long shot to pass, to get real test experience.
SMott, I have been following your circumstances and indeed you shouldnt worry about it as you give a special priority to your family first..having said that I am hoping that you will make it on your second round...btw...would you mind to share us the # of items from each portions from your diagnosis report without showing your performance....I was just curious how many problems are covered from each portions on the exam and wanted to predict my performance until I hear my results......thanks!

 
Failed, Mechanical...61%. Can't say how much I studied, had a major family incident which derailed my studying. Took exam knowing it was a long shot to pass, to get real test experience.
SMott, I have been following your circumstances and indeed you shouldnt worry about it as you give a special priority to your family first..having said that I am hoping that you will make it on your second round...btw...would you mind to share us the # of items from each portions from your diagnosis report without showing your performance....I was just curious how many problems are covered from each portions on the exam and wanted to predict my performance until I hear my results......thanks!
 
I'm sorry I have not had time to post the breakdown. I have been swamped at work, and so tired when I get home. I actually stopped off at the store today and ended up almost getting into the wrong car when I went to leave...ha! I laughed it off, but the guy sitting in the truck next to the car I tried to get into had a priceless look on his face!

 
Hahaha!!! Could be worse!!! One time I returned from the mens room at a restaurant and paid the bill of the table next to us! I looked down at the check, took the money out of my wallet and placed on the table, then sat down and didn't recognize the face across from me.

 
Congratulations to all the new Texas PEs. Those that fell a little short remember that April is not far away and you life has not been destroyed by not meeting a score on a test. You'll take care of business next time around.

Freon, the Greybeard

 
Failed, Mechanical...61%. Can't say how much I studied, had a major family incident which derailed my studying. Took exam knowing it was a long shot to pass, to get real test experience.
SMott, I have been following your circumstances and indeed you shouldnt worry about it as you give a special priority to your family first..having said that I am hoping that you will make it on your second round...btw...would you mind to share us the # of items from each portions from your diagnosis report without showing your performance....I was just curious how many problems are covered from each portions on the exam and wanted to predict my performance until I hear my results......thanks!
Oct 2013 Mechanical MSM.pdf

 
Thank you so much for sharing the breakdown, in fact the reason I asked you was to predict how much problems I did correctly in order to determine my performance prior to receiving my result, however I did pass the exam & your April exam is right down at the corner & do more problems again & again , & you will pass it!

 

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