Zach Stone P.E.
Well-known member
****Post Updated for 2020 and 2021****
As the lead instructor of an online review course and live class for the Electrical Power PE Exam since 2014, one of the questions I get asked the most is:
"What books do I need to pass?"
Take a look at this email:
The PE exam is already cost prohibited, especially if you purchase a review course. You don't want to buy books and references that aren't going to help you.
To help you decide which books are best for you, here are our top recommended references with more information to help you decide which books to purchase.
Electrical PE Review's Recommended References for the Electrical Power PE Exam - Updated for 2020 and 2021:
*Don't forget you can find many of the international versions of these books on Amazon for significantly less money. The international editions are typically softcover and sometimes come in black and white but compared to their $300 hard copy editions they are usually in the affordable price range of $20 - $40.
As the lead instructor of an online review course and live class for the Electrical Power PE Exam since 2014, one of the questions I get asked the most is:
"What books do I need to pass?"
Take a look at this email:
The PE exam is already cost prohibited, especially if you purchase a review course. You don't want to buy books and references that aren't going to help you.
To help you decide which books are best for you, here are our top recommended references with more information to help you decide which books to purchase.
Electrical PE Review's Recommended References for the Electrical Power PE Exam - Updated for 2020 and 2021:
- Texas Instruments TI-36X Pro Scientific Calculator
Our Recommendation: The TI is the most intuitive calculator and fairly inexpensive. Buy two to take with you in case one breaks.
Honorable Mention: Some engineers prefer the Casio fx-115ES PLUS. Both calculators are capable of handling complex numbers with ease, however, we find the Casio to be much less intuitive with a greater learning curve if you are already used to the Ti family of calculators. You may prefer this calculator if you are already familiar with it, if not stick to the TI-36X Pro.
- Electrical Engineering PE Practice Exam and Technical Study Guide by Electrical PE Review and Zach Stone, P.E. (NEW! – Updated for 2020 and 2021)
Our Recommendation: This is the best educational content to date for the electrical power PE exam written and illustrated by Zach Stone, PE. It is designed to help you identify the subjects unique to you that are most likely to prevent you from passing the PE exam. The solutions are extremely detailed with graphs and illustrations to help you learn through your more difficult subjects the fastest. Get the hard copy if you want the best practice exam currently on the market.
- NCEES® Practice Exam
Our Recommendation: This is the official practice exam by NCEES®, the organization that oversees the administration of the exam. This should be one of the first books you purchase since it is the closest you can get to the real PE exam.
- 2017 National Electrical Code® Handbook Edition (NFPA70, NEC®) (2017 NEC® will be tested on until 2021)
Our Recommendation: You're going to have a hard time passing the PE exam without the NEC® handy. The Handbook is much easier to use for answering code questions you're not familiar with. It is expensive, but most employers will pay for code books to keep in the office, so talk with your boss first to see if they will pick up the tab.
- Electrical PE Review.com Practice Questions and Course Notes
Our Recommendation: A online review course is a good investment if you want to ensure that you have the best chance of passing on your first attempt, or, if you've already taken the PE exam before and did not pass. Compared to competitors, our online program is the most thorough and accurate that is updated every semester. Watch out for competitors that offer courses on all PE exam subjects that are either watered down or not as accurate. We ONLY focus on the electrical power PE exam.
Our online program includes:
- A separate self-paced approx. 800-page online review course
- 46 hours of weekly online live class covering every subject with an accompanying live class workbook approximately 385 pages long
- over 400 videos of worked-out examples in the self-paced online review course
- over 450 practice problems covering every subject in the self-paced online review course
- 200 page 80 question full-length practice exam to test your knowledge
- Power Fundamentals Bootcamp - video boot camp to improve your power fundamentals (the #1 most common mistakes that result in wrong answers)
- Circuit Analysis Fundamentals Bootcamp - video boot camp to improve your circuit analysis fundamentals (the #2 most common mistakes that result in wrong answers)
- Unlimited email help with typically the next business day response for when you need it or get stuck.
- Power System Analysis and Design by Glover, Sarma, and Overbye (NEW! – Updated for 2019)
Our Recommendation: Protection is an extremely in-depth topic and is now the largest subject on the exam. Most protection books are either too indepth for the PE exam or do not have enough (or any) worked out example problems. This book is not only the best for protection related questions specifically for the PE exam, but it also covers about 50% of the subjects on the EP exam. If you can find the solution manual to this book it will be one of your greatest assets.
- Electrical Machines, Drives and Power Systems by Wildi
Our Recommendation: This is one of our favorite books and has really aged well for the PE exam. It is the absolutely best reference for motors, generators, and transformers while also covering many other subjects that appear on the PE exam. It has plenty of easy to follow worked out examples, end of chapter exercises, and a fantastic amount of theory to help you answer qualitative questions.
- Linden’s Handbook of Batteries (NEW! – Updated for 2020 and 2021)
Our Recommendation: The subject of batteries continues to play a more significant role on the PE exam in terms of number of both qualitative and quantitative questions. Batteries can be an extremely in-depth subject, especially electro-chemical properties and theory, and applications (which battery is the best/worst for specific uses). This book is costly, but it can surely answer any question you run into the PE exam on batteries. Consider it the battery bible.
- The Electrical Engineer’s Guide to Passing the Power PE Exam by Graffeo
Our Recommendation: A good book that has aged well for the PE exam that is a mix of a practice exam and study material. It is a little on the simple side which is actually useful if you use this book when approaching new topics for the first time before diving deeper into more challenging examples.
- Power System Analysis by Grainger and Stevenson
Our Recommendation: Another book that has aged well for the PE exam that is fantastic in areas of Transmission Lines, Phasor Diagrams, Transformer Connections, Symmetrical Components, and many other subjects that appear on the PE exam. Good number of worked out examples plus end of chapter exercises.
- 2017 National Electrical Safety Code® (ANSI C2, NESC®)
Our Recommendation: This should be the second codebook you should purchase after the NEC® You'll likely only to see a few NESC® questions but you'll likely be unable to answer them correctly without having this codebook to reference the information. Like all codebooks, see if you can get your employer to purchase the updated version for the office that you can use to study with and take with you as it is expensive. The 2017 version will be tested on until 2021.
- Engineering Economic Analysis – Newnan, Lavelle, Eschenbach
Our Recommendation: Engineering Economics is a minor topic in the exam subject of applications. While you're only likely to see a few number of engineering economic questions on the PE exam, most engineers are not very familiar with cash flow diagrams and the formulas required to solve these questions. Engineering economics is actually a very simple topic once you get the hang of it so if you want to make sure you get each of these questions right on the PE exam, this is a great book to use that is very easy to follow with good worked out examples. It is a fairly inexpensive book and also includes intrest tables in the appendix to speed up your calculations. If you are uncomfortable with engineering economics, buy this book
- 2018 Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace: Shock and Burns® (NFPA 70E®)
Our Recommendation: This is the third codebook you should purchase after the NEC®. As with the NESC®, you're likely to see just a couple NFPA 70® questions but you'll likely be unable to answer them correctly without having this codebook to reference.. Like all codebooks, see if you can get your employer to purchase the updated version for the office that you can use to study with and take with you as it is expensive. The 2018 version will be tested on until 2022.
- Power Reference Manual for the Electrical and Computer PE Exam – John A. Camara PE
Our Recommendation: Camara's book has been around for a long time and is quite large. However, a lot of users online have commented that it is starting to become dated and not an accurate reflection of what is on the PE exam. It is a good "jack of all trades" reference book but you may end up spending time learning things that you'll never see on the exam. This book is expensive, so only purchase if you know what you're buying or if you're looking to fill in gaps in your references and already have the books further up on this list.
- Hazardous Area Classification (NFPA 497, 499, 30B)
Our Recommendation: These are the last codebooks you should purchase. You're likely to see a very small number (one to two) of hazardous area classification code questions and there is no telling which of the three books they will come from. Purchase this set if money is not an object, you have a large budget, or your employer will cover the cost. Otherwise consider spending money first on reference books that will help you answer a larger number of questions first.
*Don't forget you can find many of the international versions of these books on Amazon for significantly less money. The international editions are typically softcover and sometimes come in black and white but compared to their $300 hard copy editions they are usually in the affordable price range of $20 - $40.
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