Things to do a week before the PE Exam

Weeks of preparation and several review classes later, you've finally reached the last week in the run up to the PE exam. So what should you do? Is it wise to loosen up and relax or should you hit the books extremely hard? Many PE aspirants fail to realize that the week before the PE exam is extremely vital. Months of preparation boils down to how you play your cards during the last week and determines the probability of your success.

Never take the last week for granted. If you're unsure about how to spend your week before the PE exam, here's what we recommend:

Table of Contents

1. To study or not to

2. Assess yourself

3. Revise and revise again

4. Pamper your mind

5. Prepare for the odds

To study or not to 

You've spent countless hours poring over voluminous books for weeks. Should you take a break now? Although the week before the PE Exam is deemed the most stressful, putting a full stop to your PE exam prep can do more harm than good. 

Assess yourself

You've finally reached that stage where you think you know it all, but do you really? Take a full practice session a week before your PE exam. This will allow you to analyse the facets of the PE Prep Course that you're lacking in and work on it the rest of the week.

Revise and revise again

It is definitely hard to remember everything you study. Therefore how do you ensure that your PE exam prep is not washed out? There are ways to entrap the information you've studied in your long-term memory by using the right techniques. The best way to achieve it is through constant revision. Use the week before your PE exam judiciously. There are subjects that every PE aspirant is tested on. Dedicate a day for each subject and brush up on all the important concepts to commit it to your memory.

Pamper your mind

Take a day off at work right before the exam to relax yourself and do things that you're fond of. This will help relieve stress and allow you to mentally prepare yourself for the huge challenge ahead. There are always moments when we feel like we've reached the breaking point. Do not let that happen to you right before your Exam. The 8-hour long exam demands a lot of concentration and a healthy state of mind before you could proceed. 

Prepare for the odds

The day before, pack all the necessities you'll need for the next day. This includes your reference manuals, calculator, extra batteries, id card, water bottle and any other thing that's necessary.  A last minute rush in the mornings will make you forget crucial stuff. Arrange for transportation well in advance. Get a good night's sleep to ensure you don't doze off in the middle of the exam. Eat healthy, stay hydrated and pack your lunch to ensure that nothing messes with your digestive system during the D-day.  It is vital to anticipate undesirable circumstances and prepare well in advance.

How to pass the PE Exam on first try

For many engineers, earning the licensed Professional Engineer tag could spell a major leap in their career. Nearly all the top engineers in their field, most likely hold a PE license. Four years of study and nearly four years of work experience later, a PE allows you to fully reap the benefits. Although earning the Professional Engineer's stamp is a dream come true for many, the road to getting there is not as easy.

Despite the PE exam's reputation for being difficult, the right kind of planning and study can help you ace it. Believe it or not, nearly two-thirds of engineers taking the exam, clear it on their first attempt. 

If you'd like to ace the PE exams in your first attempt, follow these steps and watch how success comes knocking at your door:

Table of Contents

1. Applying for PE

2. Buy the right reference materials

3. Charting out a study plan

4. Avail the right guidance

5. Formulate a test taking strategy

Step 1:  Applying for PE

Make sure you meet all of NCEES requirements before applying for a PE. A degree in engineering and at least four years of relevant work experience under a professional engineer is a must. With a lot of engineers lining up to take the exams, it is better to apply for the PE well in advance to process it quickly. For instance, filling out the application form for the April session at least 5- 6 months earlier, say January, is necessary. Early registration will leave you with plenty of time for planning out your PE exam prep.

Step 2:  Buy the right reference materials

It goes without saying, that buying the right reference and study materials is a crucial part of your PE Exam Review Course. More often than not, engineers tend to make the mistake of buying too many course books. Fumbling through these books in the exam hall will do you no good. The right approach is to buy the required course book as per the NCEES certification. work your way through them and get comfortable with the content.

Step 3: Charting out a study plan

It is suggested that at least 300 hours are required to clear the PE exam. The number is sure to send you into frenzy. Besides a professional life, an individual may have a lot of personal responsibility and commitments. Trying to cover the entire study material seems highly improbable. The trick is to chart a smart study plan and stick with it. Plan on preparing for engieering within days in the field of your expertise with adequate preparation time. Space out your study plan and take steps towards learning for the PE exam.

Step 4: Avail the right guidance

You may have the best books and study plan at hand, but what you'll really need is a review course. A few may disagree on the importance of joining a review course and are apprehensive about shelling out a few extra bucks. Would you rather pay for a PE exam review course? Or retake the PE exam investing a lot of your personal time? Those who have taken a review course will swear by its effectiveness in clearing the exam on first try. Acquiring PE training will equip you with the necessary skills to tackle any kind of question. The practice sessions accompanying the PE prep course will let you know exactly what to expect before taking the exam. The School of PE offers excellent PE review courses that you can choose from.

Step 5: Formulate a test taking strategy

You have prepared well and have learnt all you need to know during your review course. Does this suffice to ace the test? Apparently not! Many have fallen prey to lack of a test taking strategy. Pick out the reference books you'll carry with you to the exam. For easy access, use tabs and highlights in the book to get to the section you want during the exam. You'll also need to ensure that you have the right tools with you provided by the test conductors. And most importantly, approach the exam with confidence!

If you follow these steps sincerely and take the exam, your PE stamp is most likely on its way. If you do not make it, then as Winston Churchill rightly puts it, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts"

Qualifications that make a Civil Professional Engineer

Think of these giant structures of the world: The towering Empire State Building, the massive Library of Congress, The Brooklyn Bridge or the Seattle Central Library. All these marvels of architecture have redefined the limits of engineering possibilities. They have raised the standards of engineers on a global level. 

Have you ever wondered how these building structures could have been visualized, designed and planned? Each of these structures have showcase the work of a skilled engineer in their blueprint. An engineer, could look beyond the building sizes and styles based on his imagination. That said, being an engineer is not an ordinary task. 

In addition to passing the professional engineer exam, an engineer must possess managerial skills for supervising, coordinating and completing engineering projects on time. Here are some must have interpersonal skills that an individual must cultivate along with his or her preparation for the professional engineering exam. 

1. Critical thinking ability and Logical reasoning
2. A good leader who is capable of managing teams of diverse qualities and skillsets
3. A self-starter who can manage projects, monitor them, achieve milestones seamlessly
4. Sound negotiation skills with customers, clients, resources, etc.

How Professional Engineer Exam prep course will help your professional engineering career?

Preparing for the professional engineering exam will expose a student to the depths of core engineering concepts and theories that are applied in real time projects. A professional engineer will devise and plan  new structural designs, organize the logistics and arrange for engineering equipment's  to carry out the civil engineering process.

There are professional engineer exam prep courses where lecturers with practical experience in handling complex and challenging engineering projects impart learning to aspirants. These courses can be accessed over the internet. Distance, timing and working hours can no longer remain as excuses for securing a professional engineering qualification. 

Brief work profile of a Professional Engineer

The roles and responsibilities of a professional civil engineer will be to design, plan, execute and manage civil engineering projects. Travelling will be part and parcel in the work life of an engineer. They have to manage multiple projects happening in various locations around the world. At the project site, an engineer will be required to study survey reports, project documents,  monitor work in progress, procure and manage material and manpower, liaison with local governing bodies and much more. 

To sum up, professional engineering is a technical profession and also requires managerial abilities. Further, the art of making right decisions without letting situations go out of hand must also be developed during this period. No textbook will teach these skills. The individual must exert his or her own efforts to nurture these interpersonal skills along with professional engineering qualifications for a successful career.