Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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The PE Exam Survival Guide!
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8. Be a Test-Day Hero!
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11. (Bonus Chapter) Special Offers! Discounts and offers on Reference and Review
Materials!
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Ways to save on Reference Materials!
Civil PE Review Course Savings!
Save on PPI Reference Materials!
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AceThePE.com 2
Introduction
Will this Book Help Me Pass the PE Exam?
The answer is Yes! Though I do not provide any technical advice for your particular discipline, this eBook
will give you guidance on how to approach your exam review. I begin the book by providing three keys to
passing the PE Exam; which include focus on the correct subject matter and motivation to put in sufficient
study time. In this book, I will also share topics such as study strategies, creating a study schedule, the
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registration requirements, and frequently asked questions about the PE Exam itself. Finally, I will cover
some exam-day tips to give you an edge on the exam and to help you score your best.
Andy Richardson, PE
EDUCATION:
Clemson University; Clemson, SC; Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Magna Cum Laude, 1998; Calhoun
Honors Society; Environmental Systems Minor
NCEES PE Exams:
Civil PE Exam- 2003; Structural I PE Exam 2005
LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS;
SCPE No. 22824; NCPE No. 036442; GAPE No. 031369; NCEES National Council Record
AFFILIATIONS;
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE); Structural Engineering Institute (SEI); Structural Engineering
Association of SC (SEA of SC)
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Structural Innovations, LLC., Owner 2009 present
PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING EXAM REVIEW EXPERIENCE
Civil Engineering Online Review Course
Instructor for the 36 hour review course covering the five sub-disciplines of civil engineering. Was hosted by
Professional Publications, Inc. (PPI) (2012-2014)
Ace The PE Exam
Developed a website and podcast to provide information and resources to help people prepare for and pass the
PE Exam. (2009- present).
Civil Engineering Solved Problems
Provided an update to the structural chapters of the well-known publication of PPI (2209)
Masonry Chapter Update - Civil Engineering Reference Manual
Provided an update to conform to the 2009 IBC. (2010)
Hopefully, now you see that I have the credibility to provide suggestions about the PE Exam, and more
importantly the knowhow to help you pass the exam. If there is anything that I can do to help you, or if you
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have any ideas for this guide or my website, please do not hesitate to contact me using the contact
information on the cover.
Andy Richardson
Professional Engineer
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If you are reading this, then you probably do want to get ahead. You want to have the benefits of PE
Licensure, and have the credentials of of being a PE. You have worked hard for a long time, and you finally
want to realize the dream of becoming a Professional Engineer. You may very well be on the last leg of the
journey of getting your PE License, which is passing the PE Exam. This book will provide guidance to you
to be successful in that endeavor and help you to get started. By getting this eBook and following the
advice in it, you are well on your way to doing exactly that.
you can get the correct answer for the theoretical questions as well. During your review, you will need to
work a ton of problems in order to cover the possible questions that the exam may throw at you. Of
course, you will need to skim and/or briefly read chapters from a reference in order to get refreshed on the
subject and to help you through the problems, but your focus should be working problems (a ton of
problems, that is).
Key #2 - Be Motivated
Let me take a second to clarify a common question that may be rolling around in your head. Many people
ask me Is the PE Exam hard?. Yes, the PE Exam is hard. The passing rate for the PE exam averages
about 67%. This means that 33% of people fail the exam. Many of these people worked pretty hard at the
exam and still came up short. So, yes the PE Exam is hard, and if you do not properly prepare by working
a ton of problems, you will fail! In summary, the PE Exam is hard, and will take focus, a plan, and
following through with the plan. If you take it lightly, you will fail!
"Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude is how well you do it."
-Lou Holtz
That is why I believe that motivation is one thing that sets apart those who pass the PE Exam from those
who unfortunately do not pass. Why is that? Well, as I mentioned before, the PE Exam is hard, and to pass
it you need to put in the time, work problems, and prepare. You are juggling a job, your social life, and
possibly a family and now you have to study for the PE Exam... how will you do it? Somehow you have to
motivate yourself to stay on track with a study schedule over a period of several months. Some of the
things that will help you stay motivated include being accountable to others, joining a study group or
review course, and setting goals along the way. Chapter 6 provides more information on preparing for the
PE Exam, and how to stay motivated during your PE Exam review.
And of course, as with any test, you need to be prepared physically. This means treating your body well,
especially the few days leading up to the exam. If you have been burning the midnight oil studying, then
take it easy the last few days before the exam.
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that are consistent in all states. This information will apply to anyone who is planning to take the PE exam college student, potential engineering student, as well as PE Exam candidates taking the exam shortly.
Generally, There are Four Main Pre-Requisites for Taking the PE Exam.
(Check your State for Specifics on Prerequisites !!!)
You can find this information from NCEES.org.
Step 5 - Congrats! You did it! 8 Hours ago you couldnt spell Professional Engineer! Now
you are one!
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State Application:
First apply through your state of residency to take the exam, providing required documentation:
Fill out the personal information and experience.
Provide the character and experience references - up to five references are typically required and
usually three are required to be licensed engineers.
Transcripts sent from your University Registrar
Pay a State application fee.
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http://ncees.org/Credentials_evaluations.php. The cost of the initial review is $400. The evaluation consists
of a comparison of your education to their standard by the state board.
The engineering education standard used by the NCEES consists of three parts: 32 hours of Mathematics
& Science, 16 hours of Humanities, and 48 hours of the core engineering curriculum. Bachelors courses
are included along with the Masters and Doctorate work in the evaluation. Any advanced placement work
done during high school will also be included in this evaluation. For thesis work or independent studies,
only six hours will be granted. Work experience and co-ops do not contribute to the accreditation in any
way. Finally, degrees earned exclusively as work-experience based learning are not considered.
In some countries, you will find that your education meets and exceeds the technical requirements, but
you may be deficient in non-technical humanities classes such as sociology or literature. While you may
feel these standards are not ideal, the best approach is to work with the board and accept their review.
You may need to take an extra few classes to meet the requirements. In the end, you will learn something
that will make you a better person and in fact a better engineer.
Remember, in the long run, reaching the dream of getting a PE License really is worth it, so keep that
goal in mind while you are working through what seems like a tedious mountain of requirements at times!
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PE Exam Disciplines
There are actually 25 exams administered by the NCEES (that is, if you count the depth exams on the
mechanical, civil and SE exams separately). The exams are as follows:
Civil PE Exam
Civil with Water Resources and Environmental emphasis
Civil with Transportation emphasis
Civil with Structural emphasis
Civil with Geotechnical emphasis
Civil with Construction emphasis
Mechanical PE Exam
Mechanical with Thermal and Fluid Systems emphasis
Mechanical with Mechanical Systems and Materials emphasis
Mechanical with HVAC and Refrigeration emphasis
Electrical PE Exams
Electrical and Computer with Power emphasis
Electrical and Computer with Electrical and Electronics emphasis
Electrical and Computer with Computer Engineering emphasis
Structural (SE) Exam
Structural (SE) Exam with Bridge emphasis
Structural (SE) Exam with Building emphasis
Industrial PE Exam
Petroleum PE Exam
Nuclear PE Exam
Naval Architecture and Marine PE Exam
Mining and Material Processing PE Exam
Metallurgical and Materials PE Exam
Fire Protection PE Exam
Environmental PE Exam
Control Systems PE Exam
Chemical PE Exam
Architectural PE Exam
Agricultural PE Exam
(New in 2013) Software PE Exam
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More information about the discipline exam specifications can be found in Chapter 4, on the website, or
directly from the NCEES website. It is very important to review those specifications and use them as a
study guide.
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Civil PE Exam (Main Page) l Civil Exam Specifications l Civil Exam References
Civil PE Exam Sample Questions
Other PE Exams
FE Exam
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Discipline-Specific Requirements
For your discipline-specific requirements, refer to you can just go straight to acethepe.com/pe-exam/
and click on the exam you are taking in the menu. There you will find exam specifications and suggested
study materials for your exam. Use this checklist along with the specific requirements to gather your
materials together.
Checklist of materials
For a printable checklist of study materials, as well as a step-by-step process for preparing for the Civil and
other PE Exams, go to AceThePE.com and signup for the newsletter.
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Candidates may bring printed reference materials as long as they are bound and remain
bound during the exam. Loose paper may be bound with ring binders, brads, plastic snap
binders, spiral-bound notebooks, and screw posts, but not with staples. Sticky notes and
flags are permitted only when they remain attached to book pages.
--NCEES Website
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Bonus Failure Method - Dont Coordinate Your Work and Family Life
Now that we know what does not work, lets go over some ways to be successful at taking the PE Exam.
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Sure, I know it is an open-book exam, but with 80 problems to work in 8 hours, you only have an average
of 6 minutes to work each problem. As such, you don't have time to re-learn material during the exam;
rather you need to be solid on the questions asked. When I took the PE Exam, my goal was to study for
300 hours. I did the best I could to meet that goal, though I probably fell a little short. With work, family,
and your personal life I know that it can be difficult to prepare for this exam.
Study 24 hours a week for 13 weeks. (This assumes that you will miss a couple hours.)
1. Study 3 hours M-Th (1 hour during lunch and/ or before work; and 2 hours in evenings).
2. Study 6 Hours on Fridays (12:00 pm to 7:00 pm).
3. Study 8 Hours on Saturday (7:00 am to 3:00 pm).
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2. Retake if necessary.
Once you write your goals down, it is important to review them periodically. Post your goals to your
bathroom mirror, refrigerator, or on your computer desktop. By having your goals visible each day, you will
be reminded to stick with it and continue to improve!
Focus
I know this stuff sounds really hard. You are busy with your job, family, perhaps kids, and your social life. In
order to meet your goal of passing the PE Exam, however, you are going to need to find a way to focus
your attention on just this exam and put everything you can into preparing for, taking, and passing it. The
time you spend may seem like a lot, but in the grand scheme of things, it will be a short period of time that
will be well worth it. A laser beam is just a light that is focused intensely on one thing. When focused in that
way, a laser can do some amazing things. So can you when you get focused!
Accountability
Most people cannot maintain a high level of intensity and focus for extended periods of time. Some
engineers do excel at this skill and you may have no issue motivating yourself to study and prepare. If you
do have a hard time motivating yourself, consider getting some sort of partner or system of accountability
to help you stay on track. The next section lists a few resources that will help you study and also stay
motivated.
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Time Management
We all have the same amount of hours in the week; the only difference is how we use them. There are 168
hours in the week. If you take 13 weeks to study for the exam, then you only need about 23 hours per
week to reach the suggested 300-hour mark. Twenty-three hours seems like a lot of time at first, but it is
less than 15% of your time throughout the week. Is the PE Exam important enough for you to put in 15%
of your time for 13 weeks in order to pass it?
Study Groups
If possible, try to connect with a some people who are taking the same exam as you and study together
as a group. This will provide an opportunity to work through problems which are not clear to you and you
can teach each other the problems that you may not have time to go through alone. I actually did this with
a co-worker when I took the Civil PE Exam. We would work a few different problems, and then we would
teach each other the problems the other did not work. There is no better way to learn and remember
something than to teach it to someone else.
Review Courses
Review Courses, such as the one that is offered by PPI or Kaplan, not only help to review the course
material, but they also provide a means of holding you accountable. People that pay for such courses have
indicated that the schedule and the organization alone were helpful in encouraging them to stay on track
with their studies.
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Study Tips
Study Each Day.
The old adage that Rome was not built in a day is true with your PE Exam studies as well. With the
business of life it is almost impossible to expect to find 6, 8, or even 10-hour increments to study. Of
course, those times are important, but try to study each day to keep the continuity and habit of studying.
In addition, I believe that sometimes you learn more in the shorter increments than in the longer ones.
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
--Aristotle
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Snack Attack. Be cautious about overeating (or drinking) as a way to cope with the stress of
taking the exam. It is far to easy to overdo on the snacks while you are studying. Of course,
sometimes it is the only motivation you have to keep studying. I know I used to look forward to
my cappuccino at the coffee house while I studied.
Take a Break.There is plenty of time to study and to take a break. By taking breaks, you can
actually get more out of the time you are cracking the books.
Taper down the week before the exam. I ran my first marathon in November of 2011. From
that experience, I learned that you need to taper your training the week before the race in order
to get the most out of your body. I believe the week before your exam, you need to begin to
focus less on studying and more on relaxing and getting sharp for exam day.
Sleeping arrangements
If you are taking the exam away from home, take a moment to call and confirm your sleeping
arrangements and/or hotel room. If you will be at home the night before the exam, check your schedule,
and plan a low key evening the night before the exam.
Travel Arrangements
Get good directions to the location of the exam and find out where the exam room is ahead of time. Of
course, leave early enough to check into the exam room with plenty of time to spare. Getting into a traffic
jam, accident, or getting lost could all happen on your exam day, so it is best to allow a few minutes of
cushion just in case.
Being prepared for the day of the exam will make your exam day go much smoother and will help you be
successful in passing the PE Exam.
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8. BE A TEST-DAY HERO
You have finally made it to exam day, and you want to execute well once that day arrives. Of course,
being prepared is the ultimate way to execute, and you should do all you can to properly prepare. but let
me first share a few things the day before and day of the exam to ensure that you will be a Test-Day hero.
The Day Before - Remember to Get Your Mind and Body Ready
Hopefully, once exam day arrives you will have prepared, but there are some strategies that can help you
be efficient and as effective as possible on exam day. A few suggestions include: be prepared with all of
your materials and your entrance; sleep well the few nights leading up to the exam; relax; be confident;
and remember to keep track of your units! I have a complete article and podcast that provide strategies to
give you an edge on exam day. Just remember the three Cs and that you need to be Cool, Calm, and
Collected in order to perform at your best.
You want to be at your best on exam day, so that you can obtain the highest score possible AND survive
the whole ordeal. Of course, by then you will have put in many hours of review and you will be wellprepared for the material, but you also want your mind and body to be at their best on exam day. Here is
some advice to ensure that your mind and body are at their sharpest to pass the PE Exam.
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and uptight during the exam. Realize that, although this is an important exam, even if you dont pass it the
first time, thats okay. You can always take it again and just know that youre not a failure if you dont pass
the first time. Of course, do remember that there is a time limit on the exam. So, though you need to be
collected, you will need to be efficient at working through the problems as well.
As I noted earlier, given the number of problems on the PE Exam, you have an average of six minutes to
solve each problem. That is plenty of time to solve all of the problems on the exam and still have time
leftover to check your work. Some problems will take less time than that, and some will take more than
that. So remember to be efficient and remember the three C's on exam day - Cool, Calm, and Collected and you should do just fine.
Next, let me offer you even more practical tips to help you master your test day.
First Pass
For the first pass, go through and do the so-called 'easy problems. These are problems that you know
cold or that you know with no reference. It might be a verbal question or it may just require a simple
calculation. But these are problems that you can probably do within a minute or two - quickly and easily. In
the morning youll probably have about 10 of those kinds of problems, about 25% of the problems. This
allows you to have 10 problems done in about 20 minutes. Thats 25% of your morning exam. So, you can
focus the rest of the three and half hours or so on the remaining 75% of the problems. So, that gives you a
leg up and gets you kind of moving and grooving into the exam.
Second Pass
The next pass involves solving the core of the exam questions. These are the problems that you know how
to do. You just need to refer to your manual, find the formula, and solve the problem. For these problems,
you will want to spend around 3 to 6 minutes per problem. Most of these problems will be answered from
one or two of your core references. With your books properly tabbed you will be able to go through and
just - boom - pick that formula out and do that problem. Also, having an index is very helpful because you
can go to the index, see where the formula is and where the reference is, and then go to the place that you
need to go in your book. So thats the second pass, which is when you will complete problems on the
medium level of difficulty. After completing this pass you will have probably knocked out another half of the
exam, which means you should have about 75% of the exam done, and hopefully you still have plenty of
time to work through the last pass.
Third Pass
At this point, you should have about an hour or so left to do the remainder of the problems on the
morning or afternoon exam. These questions are the hard ones to which you knew you would have to
return. Either you werent clear about the subject, or you knew they were going to take a lot of work.
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Spend the rest of the time working through these last problems. Just try not to spend too much time on
any one problem. If you find yourself exceeding 8 to 10 minutes on a problem, then either wrap it up or
come back to it later. At some point during the last pass, the exam administrator will announce there are
30 minutes left. At that point, you will want to wrap up the last pass, check your work, and check that your
bubbles have all been entered correctly. This way you will be ready to lay down your pencil when its time.
I found that the success and momentum of answering the easy questions early provided the momentum
to answer the harder questions later in the exam. In addition, I felt like I was ahead of the clock which gave
me confidence as well. Other people prefer to just work through each problem sequentially until they
complete the exam. But the 3-Pass System is the one that I have used to get through the PE Exam, and
it could be beneficial to you as well.
Tab it up
During your review, you hopefully tabbed the sections you have used to work problems as well as the
sections that have a high probability of coming up on the exam. Having these tabs and using them during
the exam will make you more efficient and will just help things to go more smoothly for you. I used the
color coded tabs created by 3M for my tabs. Some states ask that you have no loose-leaf papers, so
make sure the tabs are attached sufficiently for your States requirements.
Be a Morning Hero
Remember that the PE Exam has a morning and afternoon section. I found that the afternoon exam tends
to be slightly more difficult than the morning exam. If you can get some momentum going in the early part
of the exam and especially at the early part of the AM exam, then I think it will give you confidence for the
afternoon exam.
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Guess Away
Make sure that you fill in all bubbles for the portion of the exam you are taking. The PE Exam is a multiplechoice exam and theres no penalty for guessing. So when they announce that you have just five minutes
remaining, you will want to make sure you have every single bubble filled in, and filled in cleanly. Guessing
is better than leaving them blank.
Problem Solving
As you work a problem, just kind of think through it, come up with a strategy for the solution, and then
work it. You can write out the related formulas and think about each of the parameters in the formula.
Then consider what the question is asking for and try to come up with a solution. Its not a trick exam, per
se, but they want to make it reasonably difficult. Theyre going to put all the possible ways to solve the
problem. So just think through the problem, solve it with confidence, and you will do fine.
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April PE Exams*
Fall PE Exams**
- - -
April 5, 2019
Unless noted otherwise, all PE Exams are given in both the fall as well as the spring.
* Architectural Engineering, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering,and Industrial Engineering will be
held only on the April Dates.
** Petroleum Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Mining and Mineral Processing Engineering, Metallurgical
and Materials Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Fire Protection Engineering, Control Systems
Engineering, and Agricultural Engineering are held only on the October Dates.
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For the SE Exam, it is a two-day exam held in both the spring and the fall, with the first day exam listed as
above and the second day of the exam being held on the following Saturday. The Friday exam has a
Vertical and Gravity emphasis while the Saturday exam has a Lateral emphasis. The SE Exam dates can
be found on the NCEES.org website.
Getting references
If the PE Exam is hard, then getting your paperwork and references together seems even harder at times.
Here are a few tips for getting your paperwork turned in on time.
* Make a list of the character and experience references you wish to use.
* Contact your references by phone and ask them if they would be a character or experience reference
(as applicable). Tell them that it is important that it be completed within within one week in order to
expedite the application process.
* Print the forms and fill out as much information as you can in order to save your reference time.
Include postage and addresses on the mailing envelopes.
* Hand deliver the forms to your references, if possible.
* If you can get the form filled out on the spot, that is ideal. You may need to have them place it in an
envelope for you to mail.
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* After you deliver the form, follow up by email in one day to find out the status. If necessary, call after
two days to see if the form is filled out. If it is not filled out after a week, then you might want to get a
new reference.
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passing the EIT Exam was hard enough. Then there were those three months of hard work, which my
family also had to endure. When all of that is followed by passing the PE Exam, it is a great benchmark in
any career, and I will be happy for you to be successful in this regard. I know that I still look back on the
day I passed the PE Exam with great joy.
One thing I want to mention about getting the results of the PE Exam - it can sometimes feel anti-climatic.
This is because normally you will just get a simple letter in the mail or you will view the results online. While
it seems like there should be some kind of bells and whistles going off, the reality is that the result is either
a pass or a fail and the board issuing this decision doesnt assign it a value. Only you can enjoy what this
time means so when you pass, celebrate, have a party, and mark this occasion.
If you have an opportunity to go to a ceremony, I would encourage it. My state board held a ceremony for
the new engineers at the state capital, and it kind of stamped the day in my mind forever. After all of the
hard work you put into getting your license I believe that the occasion should be marked with some sort of
ceremony.
Either way, I am sure you will be a great engineer and I am proud that you will be a fellow 'PE' with me.If
there is anything I can do in the future to help you in your professional or personal endeavors, please let
me know. You may contact me via the form on http://acethepe.com or directly at info@acethepe.com.
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and it meets the requirements of your jurisdiction. If something goes wrong with that project, people will
come after your company first, and then you.
As an employee of a company, you should discuss liability with your manager and/ or boss and find out
what will happen if something goes wrong. Usually your employer will carry an insurance policy that
includes error and omissions insurance. If you will be signing off on work, I encourage you to check with
them to find out about the insurance policy and if you will be included specifically in the policy.
A Final Word
Thanks for taking the time to read this eBook. I hope it is truly useful in helping you to maximize your
potential and to realize your dream of becoming a Professional Engineer.
As I have said earlier, I really care about your success, so if there is anything I can do to help you pass the
PE Exam, or get ahead in your career, please do not hesitate to contact me. I can be reached by email at
info@acethepe.com, and I try to answer all emails within 24 hours (except maybe on the weekends!).
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