"Been There!" -- Advice from Electrical PE Examinees

Each of these comments has been contributed by an engineer who has recently taken the Electrical and Computer PE exam (in the current all-multiple-choice, breadth-and-depth format.) Some of the advice may seem contradictory--sometimes engineers disagree. Needless to say, no one received any compensation for mentioning any product.

As you read this advice, keep in mind that the exams change from administration to administration. Subjects that are emphasized on one exam may not show up at all on the next exam. The dates that follow some of the comments below (e.g., 10/03) indicate the exam administration to which the person was referring.

If you would like to contribute to this compilation, send us email. Please mention when you took the exam.

General Advice | Computers | Electronics, Controls, and Communications | Power

The new EE exam is very broad and very fast paced. It's really a test of how familiar you are with your references and how fast you can use them. Bring EERM for its index and coverage, and at least a couple of textbooks for your depth module.

Be sure to download and print the EERM index from the PPI web site and bring it to the exam in a three-ring binder. It's a real time saver to have it separate from EERM.

Be aware that this test has changed format to all multiple-choice questions that need to be answered in about 5-6 minutes each. I was expecting the old format and was shocked.

Knowing your references well, and how to use their indexes and contents pages, is just as important as knowing a lot of formulas. Know your references inside out.

Know exactly where topics are in the reference books and don't bring to many. I found PPI's EERM was my main reference; I used only a few others for special topics. Time flies during the test, you can't waste time trying to find stuff.

I graduated in 1978 and have forgotten most of what I learned in school. I used nine different Schaum's Outlines to help get me up to speed. EERM was a good review, too. Unfortunately, in Illinois Schaum's are not allowed in the test.

Create your own single-page overviews for various subjects, including values for all constants, all formulas, and, in the case of matrix solutions, the calculator key strokes to accomplish a stated example. It's amazing what you can forget when you are under stress!

I brought my references in a crate and put a mounted book divider within the crate that kept the books upright and organized.

Thoroughly tab all reference materials, to save time.

Flip through the exam as soon as you get the "go" signal. Work the problems that are easiest for you first. You don't want to get hung up trying to solve harder problems and miss working some easier ones in the process.

There ARE problems on engineering economics, so don't skip studying the basics here.

When reading a problem, underline the part that says what the problem is asking, AND the information needed to solve it. There is frequently extra information given that is unneeded. Underlining the necessary data helps you ignore the unnecessary.

The questions were worded so that they contained a bunch of additional information that had no bearing on the solution.

In the exam, there are no units on the answer choices. This makes your work a little more taxing than what you see on the practice problems.

The percentage allocation of problems in each of the categories spelled out by NCEES was not even close. There were MANY NEC problems, way more than expected.

Experience solving problems is the key. Solve every kind of problem you can find. Have a general knowledge of everything (or at least know where to go to get information during the test). One study guide and four or five references is about the right number.

Take a practice exam prior to taking the actual exam, and structure it like the real exam. It helps you get into the mindset of working problems for a full eight hours.

The NCEES practice exam is a very good representation of the different types of subjects and problems on the real exam. Take the NCEES practice exam well before the real exam. Note which topics the EERM doesn't cover well. Find textbooks that cover these topics well and bookmark. (There shouldn't be too many topics.)

The NCEES sample exam was actually a great preparation for this module. I was surprised at how close it was to the exam I took. (4/03)

Don't take this depth exam unless you work in or have real expertise in the field of computer science. Otherwise the level of detail will kill you. (10/02)

There is no single book that covers everything you need to know for this exam. EERM is useful but you will need your textbooks (if they're not too old) as well. (4/03)

I needed textbooks other than EERM for afternoon questions on RS-232, ASCII code, networking, etc. (10/03)

I found some of the questions on computers to be somewhat obsolete--the exam clearly lags reality, forcing you to dig back into your memory banks. (10/02)

The morning exam session is really light on digital. You expect it will be about one-third devoted to each depth module area, but it most certainly isn't. Computer guys get stiffed. (4/03)

Expect heavy-duty computer science questions in this module, such as definitions of TCP/IP and SSL terms. (10/02)

This exam does not lend itself to studying from one book. I found I needed a number of resources to cover all the bases (operating systems, software project management, etc.) (10/03) (10/02)

There were many questions relating to networking/datacomm and software engineering in the Computer Engineering depth section. (10/02)

Study the NCEES sample questions to get a feel for the trend and depth of problems. To refresh your memory of topics, use EERM. (4/02)

EERM is exceptionally useful for the AM section--I used it for about 80% of the test. It was lacking the depth necessary for the PM section. There you need subject-specific references. (4/02)

While it's great for the AM exam, you must not rely on EERM for the Computer depth exam--it is too shallow and doesn't track the test well. You will definitely need other references to study from. (10/02)

The PM Electronics control section is brutal--worse than the April 2003 exam. Consider taking the Power exam if you don't do control systems regularly. The Control Systems questions were easier. (10/03)

In general, EERM is very good for the morning breadth section of the exam. For the afternoon depth section, other references and textbooks are required. (4/02)

Bring the NEC Handbook. I had no idea it would be so necessary. (10/03)

The exam is true to its title: electronics, controls, communication. Live by these words. Bring one solid, in-depth reference for each of them. (10/02)

EERM is an excellent guide for the general exam questions in the morning sessions. Also get out your textbooks on power, op-amp circuits, transfer functions, and Bode plots, as these need extra coverage. For the afternoon, go to your textbooks for electronics, controls, and communication. (10/02)

Find good textbooks covering op-amp configuration and characteristics, and communication signal analysis. EERM is not much help in these areas. (4/03)

Who uses flip-flops any more? Obviously the people who write this exam! (10/02)

The controls systems part of the exam was brutal. (4/02)

The Electronics/Controls module continues to be loaded with insane controls problems. (10/03)

The afternoon depth questions in this module are much more difficult than any examples I have seen. (4/03)

Use the NCEES Sample Questions to practice for this module. The questions in EERM are not representative of the difficulty of the exam. (10/02)

The amount and difficulty of the communication and radio theory questions surprised me. (4/02)

This depth module had considerable emphasis on block diagrams and their relation to control functions. (10/03)

Know your filters, Bode plots, and phase margins. (10/02)

The depth of the afternoon exam was unexpected. It wouldn't surprise me if I got 100% of the morning correct and 10% of the afternoon. (4/02)

This module had a lot of signal strength, link budget, and satellite comms questions. (4/02)

For the Power depth exam, study transformers (including interpreting open circuit and short circuit tests), rotating machinery (motors and generators), NEC (including special equipment chapters), transmissions lines (voltage drop and calculating available short circuit current), and relays and instrumentation. (4/03)

EERM is a must for the morning exam but you need other books (Power System Analysis, etc.) for the afternoon power section. EERM doesn't have sufficiently in-depth coverage of many key areas. (Really, no book could cover it all for this test.) (10/02)

EERM lacks information on illumination and basic lighting calculations. You need another reference for this. (10/03)

Expect questions involving practical applications of information--things you actually might experience in industry. It's not all theory by a long shot. (4/03)

Make sure you have a calculator that can operate with complex numbers. (4/03)

Be sure you have the NEC Handbook if you are taking the Power exam, There were more problems requiring it than NCEES led us to believe. You'll need to know GFCI, grounding, conductor ampacities and resistances, and motor ratings. (10/03)

This was my second time taking the exam, and I was surprised to see how completely different the exam was and how much the focus shifted from one aspect of electrical engineering to another--especially in the afternoon section. (10/03)

Study all topics the exam might cover. The dispersion of problems did not follow what NCEES gave as guidelines. Some topics were overrepresented, and some did not show up at all. (4/02)

For the morning section, you need an electronics textbook for the electronics problems. They're pretty specialized. (4/03)

Be familiar with variable frequency drives. (10/02)

I had no idea I would see questions on illumination of parking lots! (10/03)

There were more theory questions (no calculations needed) than I expected. (10/02)

Expect questions phrased like, "Why is X better than Y?" (10/02)

You need to be well-versed in R-C and R-L transient circuits. These showed up all over the morning exam. (4/03)

Be sure to review power electronics and harmonics. (4/03)

Get comfortable with short-circuit analysis on power circuits with generators, motors, and transformers. (10/03)

Schaum's Basic Circuit Analysis is extremely helpful for this exam. (4/03)

Where were all the lighting questions this time? Nowhere to be found. The exam really changed focus. (10/02)

I was surprised by the number of problems involving various aspects of Laplace transforms and Fourier series. (10/02)

Know lux and lumens. Know lux and lumens. (I was sorry I didn't.) (4/02)

Study AC variable speed/frequency drive controllers. This showed up a lot. (4/02)

Be sure to work the NCEES sample questions. They are more representative of this exam than anything else I saw. (After all, the exam is brand new, and NCEES wrote it!) (4/02)

I swear there were problems from the NCEES sampe questions book on the exam! Bring that book to the exam with you. (4/03)

References. The Electrical Engineering Reference Manual (EERM), the NCEES Sample Questions, and Power System Analysis are available from PPI. The Electrical Passing Zone is an online Q&A exam review.