When should I start studying??
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TatumPE
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I just took the October 2011 Civil PE exam and passed. A lot of sources recommend approximately 300 hours of study prior to the exam. This is right about where I was when I walked into the test, including a TestMasters prep course I took. I started studing about 3 mos out, but 6 months out would not have been too soon. Hope this helps.
ditto. I attempted to study 4 months earlier but i only really started studying hard 2 months before exam. You gotta get your feet wet
Early
TrussGuy85
Yep.
Everyone is going to be different on this. I eased into studying by tabbing the CERM and getting familiar with how and where to find info QUICKLY. Really, getting to know the CERM was the hardest part (most intimidating) for me. I started doing problems every night about 3 months before the test. Problems, problems, and more problems....passed on the first go. I too have heard that 300 hours is the recommended goal, however you just need to study until you can do the problems. I think I studied for about 100 hours.
Define the term "study" first. Just reading books will not get it done. Doing problems until you know it cold is what worked for me. Took an review course and put in a solid 5 months of every evening, every weekend locked in my home office running problems - passed, and it really seemed easy to me. Did most of my "tabbing" during the review course also.
Boomer01 PE
Boomer Sooner!
Begin early by skimming the CERM and getting yourself familiar with it (flag pages). The best advise is to do as many sample problems as you can get your hands on.
Cracked the books (MERM) with the PPI Passing Zone (expensive but I thought worth the structure and guidance) 4 months before the test and with 3 weeks left I was doing 4 hours of problems a weeknight and atleast 8 hours each on Sat & Sun....passed Mechanical HVAC but felt that I definitely did not go in feeling very comfortable on MD since all my problem sets were HVAC.
ACC_HOKIES
Member
I'd suggest to start planning as soon as you can, but actually studying is much more of a personal preference. About a year in advance I was working out the application process and speaking to coworkers and friends for resource and study material, planning my study and test regime, and I started completing hand calculations instead of using software and spreadsheet aids at work to help in my preparation. I preferred to wait on actually beginning that planned study regime, partly because of professional workload and partly because I was better motivated closer to the exam.
Like others have said, it will be different for everyone. If you practice in a general type of engineering field like construction or building systems, you'll need to study more than if you practice in a focused discipline like hydraulics. I have a Masters in my discipline, so I spent about 100 hours doing the breadth questions from all of the six-minute solutions books for civil, and the depth questions from the geotech one. As I did each problem, I wrote down important equations/constants and tabbed my references for quick access during the test.
I shoved all my studying into the four weeks before the exam so it was fresh in my mind. It might help if you could take a few days off before the exam and do as many practice problems as possible to put yourself in "exam mode".
I shoved all my studying into the four weeks before the exam so it was fresh in my mind. It might help if you could take a few days off before the exam and do as many practice problems as possible to put yourself in "exam mode".
dontlikebeinganeng
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I did it out of discipline and I crammed it all in 3 weeks for the national. It wasn't fun, pretty much nonstop studying.
I recommend a good month or two out minimum. I also recommend a class if your employer pays for it.
I recommend a good month or two out minimum. I also recommend a class if your employer pays for it.
Jacob_PE
Well-known member
I started 6 months out and passed on my 1st try. I think what I did was overkill, I evolved from not knowing how to solve the problems at all, to then needing help when i got stuck, to finally being able to work problem after problem, getting the correct solution without ever having to look at a solution guide. Think about how long it will take you to get to that final phase.
i don't think anybody has mentioned this yet - you said you are planning on taking the PE in 2013. If you are already approved to take the test why don't you take it in 2012 (October)? That way you can go into the test cold and see how you do - that will give you the best assessment of how well prepared you really are and how much you need to study.
Fo the OCT 2011 exam, i started studying Mid June. I studied 4 nights a week (2 1/2 hrs/night), and Minimum of 9 hours every friday, sat and sunday and solve at least 1000000000 problems. One/two full day of break every month. I also sugget you gather all the references/study material/sample exams and questions/school text books or any other documents before you start studying. and I PASSED.
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What discipline are you taking? I started early August for the October PE and passed. Honestly it all depends on how you do on test. I'm a natural test taker and do not get rattled on tests. I just needed to refresh myself and remind myself how to do certain problems. One thing that really helped me is that NCEES sells practice exams. Don't burn yourself out. I had a friend who did this. He started studying early June and by September was so burnt out he wasn't sure he'd take the test. It's best to study at a pace that allows you to learn than to force all of it on you.
I studied for about 8 months. Weeknight evenings (when I was single) and longer on the weekends, without burning myself out. I found that taking the practice exams were really key to time management, as well as understanding what you know. My reference materials were the Lindeburg package from PPI, including the 6-minute solutions. Since I was weak in Structural, I studied the other 4 first and passed with no problem. Skipping Structural only exposed me on 8 morning problems, so it was worth it.
Right now I am in graduate school and since I am close to being complete I would prefer to not take the exam while in school. I am also working so it would be too much.
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