It’s been a few years since you graduated, likely a few years since you’ve really had to study for anything at all, but now you’ve got a big test coming up, and there’s a lot on the line.
For civil and structural engineers in the US, Professional Engineering licensure is pretty much required to progress very far in the technical field as an engineer, though many end up going into management instead. Many other disciplines can also get their PE Licenses for added prestige, though they aren’t legally required to practice. To get the PE License, and hopefully a big raise, you have to pass the comprehensive PE Exam.
But for many, this examination, covering the full breadth of civil engineering knowledge for the morning session, and with four more hours in your selected discipline in the afternoon, can be quite daunting. Toss in the average pass rates for first-time exam takers of only about 50-65%, and you’d be right to be a bit concerned.
Here are some tips to help you prepare to take the PE exam confidently:
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Review the Exam Specifications & Reference Handbook
Years ago, each state had its own engineering licensure exams and process, but today it’s almost all centralized (a few states have some lingering unique additional requirements) and the exams are written and administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying® (NCEES).
In my experience, the biggest thing that causes students to perform poorly on the PE is simply coming in unprepared for what the test looks like, unfamiliar with the reference handbook, or having forgotten certain key topics.
NCEES is actually kind enough to give us a detailed breakdown of the tested topics, even providing a number of questions in a particular topic area. Go grab your disciplines Exam Specification from the NCEES PE Civil Exam Information page and give it a read-through, you may find you’re surprised that some topics actually have very few questions, and perhaps aren’t as worth spending lots of time reviewing.
The other huge piece of information you can grab from NCEES is a copy of the current PE Civil Reference Handbook you’ll have on half of your screen during the exam.
If you’re unfamiliar with the way this works, you’ll be going to a computer-based Pearson VUE testing center (find a test center here) and taking the exam on their computer. Half of your screen will be the exam, showing one question at a time, and the other half is the searchable PE Civil Reference Handbook.
This handbook is your lifeline. Only a few years ago, students were allowed to bring in their own textbooks and binders full of resources. I took my exam with two milk crates filled with textbooks and class notes, as well as my favorite PE Civil reference handbook of all time, Michael Lindeburg’s PE Civil Reference Manual (grab it from PPI2Pass here with my 15% off code). Pretty much everyone used almost exclusively that reference and only reached for class notes for really odd questions (what in the WORLD is fat vs lean clay? Still haunts me…). I still keep mine on my desk and use it at least a couple of times a week.
Go to MyNCEES, where you registered for your FE exam, will register for your PE exam, and will probably use their multistate licensing feature later in your career, and log in. Go to “View reference handbooks” in the top-right “Common Tasks” area, as highlighted below. Then select the PE Civil Reference Handbook from the top of the next list, and at least give it a read-through.
It’s a searchable pdf file that you’ll be using extensively during the exam, and it’s frankly so well-written and comprehensive, it should be a nice security blanket once you learn to use it. I highly recommend training like you perform, so use this reference when you study or take practice exams, alongside your NCCES-approved calculator.
Grab a PE Reference Manual
When I took the PE exam, the one paper reference (we could bring our own books into the test back then) that was pretty much required to pass and was on every student’s desk at my examination session, was the PE Civil Reference Manual by Michael Lindeburg (which you can grab from PPI2Pass.com with a 15% discount if you use my link).
Now that you can’t bring your own materials into the exam with you in wheelbarrows, this isn’t quite the godsend it used to be, but it’s still the best preparation manual I know of by far!
You will likely keep the manual for the rest of your career, and use it often. I reach for mine at least once or twice a week, as it’s full of great summaries of complex topics, like torsion on open shapes.
Take a Practice Test
Depending on how much time you have to prepare and how confident you’re feeling, taking a practice test should either be your first or second step. They’re great diagnostic tools to let you know what you know well, and what you need to study some more on.
My weakest area was soil mechanics, just because I hadn’t thought about them since the FE exam, and that was pretty expected. It did actually help me well enough to nail down the two or three major topics within soils that I needed to brush up the most on, though, so was well worth the effort.
NCEES has one practice exam for each area, and I do recommend trying these directly from the source, as they’re going to be the most realistic.
Make sure that when you take your practice exam(s), you try to match the actual exam conditions as well as possible. Use your NCEES-approved calculator, and the NCEES PE Civil Reference Handbook, and lock yourself in a room away from distractions. Try to give it a full run-through at least once so as to get used to the timing and format.
If you want more exams, places like PPI2Pass have practice problem sets in specific areas, or full exams available for you. If you use my link, you’ll get 15% off all books from PPI2Pass.
Study for your Weak Areas
Once you’ve taken a practice test or two, you should start to notice which areas you have nailed down, and which ones you need to give a little more love.
Take your time, go back over old class notes, check out YouTube videos on specific topics you need to review, or consider grabbing a review course if you have a few you need to work on.
Check-in with your employer, as many larger ones actually have study rooms and materials from other engineers set aside to help you prepare. Studying on company time (if allowed) certainly helps take a lot of the burden off!
Grab a Review Course
If it’s been a while since you graduated, you’re not having a great time studying, you prefer to have a little more structured study plan, or you maybe didn’t pass the first time around, grabbing a paid review course is another great option. Often you can even get your employer to pay for all or most of a review course, which makes it an easy decision. I’m using a paid course to study for the SE exam right now, in fact.
While many groups offer these, I’ve been nothing but impressed with those from PPI2Pass (a Kaplan company), and while there are a few others in about the same price range, I do have a 15% off code for you for anything from PPI2Pass, good for all books and Learning Hub subscriptions.
These courses come in a wide variety of structures, from self-study packets to rigorous live classes on a regular schedule. Whatever you need they or someone else probably has it.
After you Pass
After you pass the exam, take a breath and celebrate! This is a huge milestone in your career as an engineer, and unless you are a structural engineer planning to take the SE exam, it’s the last exam you probably ever have to take!
Next, make sure to finish up with your state on all the paperwork, transcripts, and professional recommendations you’ll need to get licensed! As soon as you get that nice certificate approved and sent out (timing varies hugely by state), hang it up on the wall, get it framed, and brag about it. Then go ask your employer for a raise.