Enjoy the Rollercoaster of Life - PE Exam and Work

An engineer's life in general can be compared to a fine balancing act of walking on a tightrope of choices. In the journey to become a professional engineer, the ability to make tough choice is important. Few of the State Boards have stipulated the need for four years of experience before sitting for the Principles and Practices of Professional Engineer Exam or PE Exam. In the intermittent duration, it is possible that you would have a family of your own with new responsibilities. In such a situation everything boils down to being able to grow socially, professionally and individually in an even pace by making tough personal and career choices.

Table of Contents

1. Translating Happiness for Engineer-Interns

2. Importance of Integrating Over Balancing

3. Some Tips and Tricks for PE Exam Preparation

4. Gain Confidence to Handle Your Work-Life-PE Exam

Translating Happiness for Engineer-Interns

Paul Krassner is an American journalist and satirist who defined 'happiness' as something which has as little separation as possible between your work and your play. The expression 'work-life balance' first came into existence in United Kingdom in the late 1970s and in 1986 this expression found its way into the American society.

Naturally, given the above definition of happiness, finding the right view to what is important and what is not becomes essential. Human being are social being who play various roles when at work, with family or alone. It is simply impossible to remove any of these roles. Sometimes, none of these roles happen in sequence. With the advancement in the communication technology the demarcation of work and life is slowly dissolving. So it becomes all the more important that you are aware of the choices you make for your life and for your career.

Importance of Integrating Over Balancing

The best way to achieve your professional and personal goals is in how stringent a plan and schedule you create for all your commitments as a whole. It might help you, if you began your preparation for taking the PE Exam a year or so earlier. Then you may want to find out how you wish to achieve your ambition to gain a PE Licensure for upscaling your engineering career while maintaining your work-life balance. If you could integrate studying for the PE Exam well in advance then you set a learning pattern for getting familiar with the PE Exam syllabus.

When closer to the exam dates you may choose to study alone or with a fellow engineering friends aspiring to take the PE Exam. You can motivate each other and find creative ways in your exam preparation. You could do this by assigning a particular duration in your day for preparing for the exam. It is important to remain committed to the time that you assign. If your responsibility takes you away from the study time, then make sure you don't miss the next day's schedule.

Since you are your best judge you would be aware of your strengths and weakness. If working alone is not your strength then you may even wish to enlist for a PE Exam Review Course. These course will give you practice time for problems and sample tests while refreshing your engineering topics. Review Course providers generally will give you sample simulation test where you can find out your test timing and pacing issue. This then allows you to fix any issues at the early stages of study.

Some Tips and Tricks for PE Exam Preparation

Indexing and tabbing references allows you to get your reference material organized well. Use colorful indexing methods for individual topics and its related topics. This will help you to quickly find information during the examination.

Take a few practice test or simulated test to familiarize with the exam format. The saying 'practice makes you perfect' is true because this makes you ready to face certain type of trick questions. Answers to some questions might lie in the twisted wording used in them. Use caution when answering these questions.

Gain Confidence to Handle Your Work-Life-PE Exam

As the renowned poetess Maya Angelou says "everything in moderation, but moderation in moderation too." Try to find various ways to integrate preparation for PE Exam as a part of your happiness zone with good planning and scheduling.