Preparing for the PE Exam: A Basic Checklist
Michael Lindeburg, PE
Preparing for the PE exam is a formidable task. In
fact, planning your preparation is an engineering
feat in its own right! However, all successful examinees
go through the same basic steps outlined
here. Examinees who skip steps are often unsuccessful.
The steps in the first half of the checklist are meant to be
completed sequentially, one step at a time.
As exam-day grows closer, you may want to
"multitask" some of the steps in the second half of
the list.
This checklist assumes that you have already applied to take the PE exam and
that you have sufficient time to prepare for it.
1. Explain to family members and friends what you are doing and why it is
important to your career that you pass the PE exam. Explain how long the process
is going to take and what changes to your behavior and lifestyle might be noticed.
2. Spend a few minutes exploring the features in PPI's website so that you
can return to it for more information as needed.
3. Thoroughly study the exam
format and subject outline.
4. If you have a current PPI reference manual, read the introductory chapter
for information about your exam and tips on how to prepare successfully for
it. (If your manual isn't current, however, it may have information about a
prior exam format, so it's best to check this online.)
5. Read through the relevant FAQs
on PPI's web site.
6. Take some time to read the "Been
There" advice from previous examinees in your discipline. Also use the Search
feature to locate subjects relevant to your exam on the
Exam Forum.
7. Based on what you read in "Advice" section and the Exam Forum, decide WHAT
you are going to study: (A) Are you going to study all exam subjects (which
I recommend) or a subset of the exam (which is what most engineers do)? (B)
Are you going to review explicitly by studying the chapter theory or review
implicitly by solving problems?
8. Decide how you want to prepare: (A) Study on your own with books and practice
problems (B) Use audio, video, or CD-ROM products to enhance your self-study
(C) Enroll in one of PPI's online
Passing Zones (D) Enroll in a "live" review course (E) Take a correspondence
course
9. If you intend to take a review course, check the Review
Course Listing.
10. Establish a secure study location in your home where you can leave your
mess and calculator each day without having to clean up.
11. Establish an "exam-item consolidation" box or drawer, into which you can
toss items that you want to take with you to the exam. It is surprising how
much you will accumulate in a month or more.
12. Read through the "exam kit" lists in your PPI reference manual. As you
run across these items during your review, you can drop them into your exam-item
consolidation box.
13. Identify the books that are essential references for your exam. Lists
of such books appear in PPI reference manuals, and a list for civil examinees
is online. You can also
get a good idea of what other engineers have found useful by reading the Been
There advice. Decide which books you want to accumulate. Get as many
as you possibly can.
14. If you are taking the civil or structural exam, make sure you know which
codes (year or edition), if
any, will be used in your exam. Study with the editions of the codes that
are specified for the exam, whether they are current or not. Frequently,
what's used on the exam lags well behind current usage in the real world.
15. Check your local and corporate library for books you can borrow rather
than purchase.
16. Ask friends and coworkers about other books you can borrow.
17. If you have a passed-down or borrowed PPI reference manual, determine
if the edition is current. Changes in exam format, codes, and emphasis often
make using an old edition a big mistake.
18. Assemble college textbooks, collections of old class notes, Schaum's outlines,
and other collections of solved problems. (These are not necessarily the same
books you will take into the exam.)
19. Seek out and accumulate practice or sample exams, available from PPI and
other commercial sources.
20. Download any free materials
on the Web that are useful. (Note: Although web searches on "PE exam" and
similar subjects may turn up hundreds of references, don't waste time looking
for actual past exams or problems from prior tests--there are none.)
21. Use PPI's Errata listings
to correct any mistakes that have been identified in PPI books. Check with other
publishers whose books you may be using to see if they have errata lists.
22. Decide on a calculator. Locate the instruction manual. Make sure you have
extra batteries and know how to change them. Have another calculator available
as a spare, and make sure you know how to use it.
23. Put your name on everything (your calculator and books) that you intend
to bring with you to the exam.
24. Make a review schedule. Allocate time to all of the subjects you intend
to study.
25. As you review, add book tabs to useful pages. You may want to use a color-coding
system for your tabs. (Caution: Some states do not permit the use of
removable sticky notes in books. Check with your State Boards.)
26. As you review, assemble and organize your work in a manner that works
for you.
27. Near the actual exam date, take one or more of your practice exams. Evaluate
your readiness. Work on your weaknesses.
28. Reread the "What to Do Before the Exam" sections in your PPI reference
manual.
29. Assemble other items in your exam "kit."
30. Get a good night's sleep before the exam. Then go into the test knowing
that you've done your best to prepare.
Preparing for the PE Exam
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