To Those Who've Failed

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Also, regardless of your topic or many study references, you should consolidate them into an AM binder, PM binder, and the CERM (no advice about those huge codebooks though).
I highly recommend this. I went into the exam with two bankers boxes (yep, I had a lot of codes to bring for the structural depth) and had one box for the morning section and the other for the afternoon section. This helped me a lot in keeping my references organized and my mind focused on the proper resources. I had the EET binders as my AM and PM binders, and ended up using them much more than the CERM. But I definitely had the CERM too! Obviously, this is just relevant to civil PE exam takers.

Otherwise, just bumping this thread!

 
I failed and I have to admit, I feel pretty damn deflated.  I did study quite a lot, but I've also been out of school for quite some time (15yrs) and also I didn't graduate in the discipline I'm taking the exam in.  I got 52/80.   It is a hell of a slog studying for that thing and the worst part is thinking about doing to all over again here in a couple months.  

 
II would agree in combing references to 1 binder.  I went in with many smaller binders and it turned out taking more time switching between binders.  I found that there was not too many problems that required multiple resources to solve the problem that would require me to have 2 references open side by side. If there are general equations,  tables, and/or charts they can go in a seperate smaller binder.

Another thing to keep in mind is weather.  I used a milk crate and it was raining when I got to the site. Luckily I had 1 of my daughters blankets in the car to cover the crate, otherwise it could have been a disaster with everything getting wet. Also don't be afraid to bring a cart to help with the books. I saw people with 2 large luggage cases as well as someone who brought a full-sized hand truck with him.

 
What really helped me was to have the NCEES outline out during the test and follow it question by question because the test questions followed the exact order of the outline so I knew what folder to reference for every question.

 
If you didn't pass this time, I STRONGLY recommend you take EET; don't waste your money on other courses that just want your money. 

 
I failed and I have to admit, I feel pretty damn deflated.  I did study quite a lot, but I've also been out of school for quite some time (15yrs) and also I didn't graduate in the discipline I'm taking the exam in.  I got 52/80.   It is a hell of a slog studying for that thing and the worst part is thinking about doing to all over again here in a couple months.  
Yes I can understand the feeling. I failed too and it feels awful just to recall all those hours required for preparation since I have other stuff beyond the PE exam preparation. Good luck to those who will be working for the exam again.

 
I feel for those that failed. Remember that this is just a test. Being licensed doesn't make you a better or worse engineer. Many of my colleagues and bosses aren't licensed and they're some of the smartest engineers I know. Be sure to thank those that helped you make your emotional and physical investment in taking an exam. Take a month off. Go on vacation. And tackle this beast again in October!

 

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