How to make the best use of the 15 days before your PE Exam

You've crossed off the days on the calendar and have 15 days for the Professional Engineering exam.  Experts suggest that to pass the PE exam you need at least 3- 6 months of rigorous prep. Before you start feeling nervous remember, that you still have 15 days before the PE exam.

While we can't promise you stellar scores but if you make the best use of the 15 days before the PE exam, you can make it through:

Here's how:

Table of Contents

1. Register for review classes

2. Study selectively for one week

3. Take up a practice test

4. Review study material

5. Practice more

6. Keep the essentials ready

7. Relax

Register for review classes

For those of you who haven't started preparing for the exam, it is wise not to try self-study. Instead enroll into a PE review course. Onsite and online classes are a good option, but you may not find classes that actually fit your time slot. Sign up for OnDemand PE exam review classes at once. School of PE's OnDemand classes make substantial amount of recordings available instantly. If you've already prepared for the PE exam the past few months, you can skip this step and revise key topics instead.

Study selectively for one week

Once you've registered for PE prep classes, it is now time for some serious studying. However, trying to cram several hours' worth of refresher classes and workshops is a challenging task. Instead, it is better to master a few important review topics than knowing a bit of irrelevant stuff from everything.

Take up a practice test

Take up a practice test on Day 8 to know exactly where you stand. While the test scores may not seem promising, there's room for improvement. Identify the problem areas and make a list of all those topics that you still need to improve upon.

Review study material

Spend time reviewing the material. Try and understand the concepts you're having trouble with. If you are unable to recollect or understand , review the class recordings from your PE review course. Close to the end of the 15 days, take up a practice test again. If you've sincerely followed the steps above, you will notice an increase in test scores.

Practice more

The more you practice, the more adept you become at tackling the PE exam's challenging questions. So try squeezing in a few practice tests during the fifteen days.

Keep the essentials ready

Make a checklist of the essentials you'll need during the exam - calculator, charts, reference books, etc. Also, if you haven't already done it, make sure you tab your reference manual correctly.

Relax

Relax so that you stay calm and focused on the day of the exam.

With these steps, you can make the most productive use of the 15 days before the PE exam and walk into the exam hall with confidence.  Even if you do not pass, remember, there's always a next time!

How to build safe scaffolding structures?

Scaffoldings are  necessary structures for construction and maintenance. However, erecting and dismantling scaffolding structures remain a high-risk activity to workers and pedestrians. That is why NCEES requires qualifying Professional Engineers to know how to build scaffolding structure. If you're an aspiring Professional Engineer and would like to ace the NCEES PE exam, here's what you should know about safe scaffolding construction:

Table of Contents

1. Read the OSHA standards

2. Analyze requirements

3. Select the right scaffold material

4. Design calculations

5. Construction

6. Safety comes first

7. Inspection

Read the OSHA standards

The Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration (OSHA) has laid down strict guidelines to ensure the safety of workers using scaffoldings for construction work. Hence, it is imperative for a qualified person to be aware of the OSHA standards before building scaffoldings.  A complete guide to safety standards can be found on the OSHA website.

Analyze requirements 

Before building a scaffolding structure, it is necessary to have a complete plan on paper. Know what is required, how much load the scaffolding is expected to take, the height it's supposed to reach etc. This ensures that all the required parameters are met before actual construction begins. Review all the written requirements to determine what type of scaffold is needed and where it should be used.

Select the right scaffold material

It is the most crucial step in building safe scaffoldings. From suspended to supported type, each scaffold caters to a different set of requirements.

Design calculations

Before actual construction begins, a Professional engineer must substantiate the design drawings by carrying out scaffold design calculations. It involves assessment of all loading conditions, a capacity check of individual components and evaluation of rigidity and stability. The NCEES Exam tests engineers on their competency to carry out such design calculations.

Construction

Assign tasks to competent personnel who have adequate knowledge of reading design drawings and are capable of directing the construction work.

Safety comes first

Accidents that arise due to poorly constructed scaffoldings can be avoided if strict adherence is paid to the safety standards laid in place by OSHA. The following are the common reasons why scaffold-related mishaps occur and must be avoided at all costs:

1. Improper access to scaffoldings
2. Absence of guard rails
3. Planking gives away - this happens either due to improper placement of the planks, use of poor quality material or overloading.
4. Tipping of tall scaffolding structures due to improper support i.e. lack of ties or braces.
5. No fall protection system.

Inspection

Even the best-laid plans can go awry sometimes. A loose bolt or a poor quality plank may seem like a trivial flaw but can be disastrous if left unchecked. It's a must to inspect the structure thoroughly before giving it the green-signal.

Ideally a scaffold is considered to be safe at the height of four times the width of the base is. This aspect should be inspected to avoid any unforeseen situation. Also, Scaffoldings should be kept away from power lines and the weather conditions should be kept in mind before placing the scaffoldings.

The NCEES PE exam tests PE Civil construction aspirants on a variety of construction-related topics and design calculations. If you'd like to ace the NCEES exam and become a successful PE, these steps on knowing how to build safe scaffolding structures can be really useful.

Tips and Tricks to Beat the FE Exam

The Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (FE) is a 110 question, 5hrs 20mins, computer based exam. The exam can be overwhelming to some, but if you are equipped with the right tips and tricks of the trade, you would be better prepared and more confident to challenge the FE exam.

Table of Contents

1. Manage unwarranted stress

2. Focus is key

3. Tackling Problems

4. Program Scientific functions to use your calculator

Manage unwarranted stress
Based on FE exam review material, according to Michael Lindberg the passing scores are tentatively around 70% for the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, (although the scores are not published officially by the NCEES). Candidates appearing for the exam should focus on the subjects that they have a stronghold and also place equal emphasis on other questions to have a comprehensive learning experience. By concentrating on all questions you can manage unwarranted stress.
Focus is key
When you first look at the exam questions, quickly sort the questions based on the subject you are strongest in and those that you are weakest in. Tackle the ones you are confident about, and in an organized fashion keep moving on. How you prioritize your time and focus on tackling the questions systematically is key to completing the FE exam efficiently.
Tackling Problems
While taking the FE exam prep course you might most likely will be stuck with a problem that you might find difficult to solve. The answer can't be found in the supplied reference handbook. Chances of solving it with the help of a calculator is likely or unlikely. You may or may not even have the  liberty to disregard the answers and take a calculated guess. But, a simple trick might just work  in your favor. You have a better chance at guessing the right answers if you take a leap of faith and select from the multiple choices made available for you to guess.
Program Scientific functions to use your calculator
We all tend to make mistakes, unintentionally of course. It is better to be on the safe side and use the calculator to solve the problems rather than entirely relying on your own manual calculations.  Not just for the accuracy of the calculation, but also for the speed with which you can complete solving the problem - a calculator is ideal for scientific calculations.
These tips and tricks should push you in the right direction and boost your confidence in confronting the FE exam.