Demystifying Exam Anxiety: Techniques to Overcome Test Stress

There are many reasons why a person might fail an exam. They include lack of preparation, lack of interest, procrastination, poor time management, and a myriad of others. It all leads to one state of being on exam day: stress. It is such a big problem that test anxiety has been recognized by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America as a legitimate anxiety disorder that leads to negative test results and unhealthy testers.

In fact, a study titled Testing, Stress, and Performance: How Students Respond Psychologically to High-Stakes Testing, by Jennifer Heissel and her team, measured the level of cortisol in testers in the weeks surrounding an exam and found that cortisol levels were elevated significantly before an exam when compared to baseline tests. Those with an increase of cortisol had significantly reduced test scores, leading to the conclusion that the test was not an accurate representation of the tester’s skills or ability.

In order to gain an accurate representation of knowledge gained, it’s important to understand where your stress is coming from and how to work around it. Regardless of the reason for the elevated stress levels, it’s important to understand your root cause of exam anxiety and learn tips to overcome test stress.

In this Blog,

1. What Exam Are You Taking?

2. Why Are You Stressed?
2.1. Is it that you didn’t prepare?
2.2. Is it that you feel like you don’t have enough time to prepare?
2.3. Is it because you lack confidence in your own ability?
2.4. Are you easily distracted by other things?
2.5. Is your life outside of the exam consistent or consistently turbulent?
2.6. Do you have a procrastinator personality?
2.7. What strategies do you have in place?
2.8. Do you simply get anxiety around the whole situation?

What Exam Are You Taking?

Exam anxiety can be eliminated, or at least mitigated, by knowing the purpose behind the exam itself. Fear of failing the test can lead many qualified professionals away from their desired career path, which is a disservice to them, as well as the many people they’d be helping along the way. A nursing exam, for one, can be a gateway to many opportunities in the medical field that can lead to a rewarding lifelong career, but the stress of first preparing and then taking the exam gives so many people pause, and they put it off far too long.

So, let’s get the main trick out of the way first. Know why you’re taking the exam. Cliché, maybe. Justifiable reasoning, yes. Knowing why you’re taking the exam and what you’ll do with the certification will help you know the level of preparation needed and the level of appropriate stress that makes sense for the situation.

For instance, a simple school test feels like higher stakes for a student than it does for a qualified and knowledgeable professional because, generally speaking, the student’s graduation hinges on the successful demonstration of their knowledge. The diploma is their gateway to many possible careers. The stress level would be higher for the students because there is greater pressure on them.

Why Are You Stressed?

In order to eliminate the stress surrounding tests, it’s important to understand why you’re anxious in the first place.

Is it that you didn’t prepare? Lack of adequate preparation is one of the leading causes of exam anxiety. Simply not knowing the content that’s in a test leads to failure, so not being prepared can have major consequences on one's emotional state. Exams are different from practical application events, where knowledge is given in a presentation style. The exam has specific information that must be demonstrated for a passing grade.

In order to prepare better, you can find many online programs to help, such as School of PE’s review courses for many professional certifications. With guides and practice exams that enable you to test your knowledge in a low-stress environment, you’ll be able to eliminate one reason for text stress. Oftentimes, simulating the environment in which the test will take place can help eliminate the unknown of the situation. Preparation is one way to control what you can when things feel out of control.

Is it that you feel like you don’t have enough time to prepare? It can feel like there is so much information you’re required to know. There are dozens of books, research articles, and studies you need to read before the big day, not to mention practice exams and other useful test prep resources, that can feel overwhelming. As hard as test-taking is, it’s sometimes not even the highest priority in a person’s life, and there has to be a balance in the time taken to prepare.

Adequate time management is key in making it a higher priority and enabling you with enough preparation. Block off time, and make sure that the people in your life know that during that time, you need to be left alone. If you don’t have large chunks of time, make sure you have materials with you wherever you are to practice in the small moments in between the larger events.

Is it because you lack confidence in your own ability? Truthfully, this one also comes down to preparation. However, another reason that people feel test stress is because, while they’re knowledgeable and have a deep understanding of the subject material, their confidence in their own ability can sometimes be a hindrance.

This is where practice exams can really come in clutch. Practicing the actual event and getting those test scores back can give you confidence in your ability, especially if the score comes back with favorable scores.

Are you easily distracted by other things? Distraction can play a major role in stress levels, both in practice and in the actual testing event. Anything from family, movies, music, and environmental input can slow progress and leave you feeling anxious like you have no time left in a bad way.

Eliminating distractions wherever you’re able to can reduce this type of anxiety, enabling you to enter the exam space with a cool, level head and ace the test.

Is your life outside of the exam consistent or consistently turbulent? In the same study of the cortisol levels of students, one factor that came into play was their home life. Students with overly turbulent home and social lives were more likely to feel anxiety surrounding tests than their overall less stressed counterparts. These stressors were their poverty level, parental input, and their social status among their peers.

There are things that are obviously out of our control, and these are great examples of stress contributors, but one thing that is within our control is the response to our situation and what input we allow to affect us in different ways. Although sometimes easier said than done, using meditation and other types of chemical balancing practices can help keep internal stress low while the outside stressors are high.

Do you have a procrastinator personality? Procrastination can be a valuable tool when used correctly. It’s often seen as a negative personality trait, but those with it work well on a deadline, completing assignments with success and a consistent quality level. This can even benefit those procrastinators when they understand how they work. They may do well under pressure, but only when they understand themselves.

As a general rule, however, procrastination is a detriment to most people. It causes them to fail because of their lack of adequate preparation. Waiting until the last minute is fine with small assignments, but when volume is the name of the game, they’ve lost. One reason behind procrastination is actually the anxiety of getting started: of making the first move. This is particularly impactful during preparation and can lead to feelings of inadequacy and, therefore, anxiety about the test.

Eliminate the procrastination effect by not even thinking about the first steps. In this scenario, the best solution is to just start. Get the momentum going, and the rest will follow.

What strategies do you have in place? Sometimes, test-taking comes down to the strategies you have in place to eliminate the reasons for stress. If you stress over the environment while testing and get distracted by little things, see if the proctor is okay with bringing something small that enables you to focus better. If you stress over the final results, going prepared with the knowledge you need to succeed will help eliminate the stress as well. Putting a plan in place to build confidence in your overall experience.

Do you simply get anxiety around the whole situation? Sometimes, and it doesn’t matter what preparation has gone into the task, some people simply get anxious and stressed when an exam is looming. They can have everything in place and do all the right things leading up to the exam itself, but they still feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of questions on the exam or the weight of what it’ll do for their future.

In the end, exam anxiety can be reduced by adequate preparation, resources, and discipline. By using the resources available to you and practicing discipline in every facet of your life, you can control the outcome of the exam just a little more. Exam anxiety is one of the biggest reasons that professionals don’t go for their career goals, but it shouldn’t be. Using these tactics to understand your anxiety and move past it will bring you one step closer to taking and passing these important tests.

Get prepared for your exam with the leader in FE and PE exam prep, School of PE. Our courses have been created by our subject-matter expert instructors, who are committed to helping you pass!

About the Author: Anna Taylor

Anna Taylor is a freelance writer and avid researcher- a jack of all trades, but a master of none. She graduated from the University of Hawai'i with an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts because she had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up. She has since found her love of Extended Reality and the possibilities it brings to the world, as well as gardening, cooking, and writing. Anna lives in Interior Alaska with her family.

Closing Skill Gaps: How Training Opportunities Address Team Needs

A team is a group of people connected by common goals that use their complementary skills to complete tasks and reach goals under the direction of a leader who uses their skills to their advantage. The three components of an effective team are a good leader, attainable goals, and skilled employees. Any one of these three can lead to the separation of a team, but making sure that there are adequate skills within the structure enables teams to set goals and work under the guidance of said leader. Skills like critical thinking, time management, and problem-solving are some of the most overlooked skills in the workforce, and closing these skills gaps is critical in developing a team that can hold its own against others.

Closing these skills gaps can also ensure that companies aren’t losing money over a lack of adequate training and team building. For example, a lack of skilled employees could create a 8.5 trillion dollar deficit in revenue over the next decade. On top of this, only 34% of workers feel supported by their company’s skills training opportunities, and up to 46% of companies have no strategic plan to address these gaps.

Closing skills gaps in the workforce can be as simple as investing in training opportunities to address team needs. By investing early on, companies can mitigate the risks of having an unskilled team. Let’s talk about the root cause of skill gaps, creating an action plan to close those gaps, and how to train and track improvement to make sure the investment is profitable.

In this Blog,

1. Hard Skills Versus Soft Skills

2. Training Opportunities that Match the Goal Outcome

3. The Root Cause of Skills Gaps

4. Creating an Action Plan with Tips to Close the Skill Gaps

5. The Importance of Measurement

Hard Skills Versus Soft Skills

When considering training opportunities, the first thing to understand is which skill you’re trying to develop. There are two different categories of skills that are necessary for a team to work effectively together: hard skills and soft skills.

There are a few key differences between the two types. For one, hard skills are measurable, while soft skills aren’t quantifiable. There’s no real metric to use in measuring soft skills. They’re more something that you see and experience rather than something you can measure. Another way to think about soft skills is that they’re internal skills with external results. Things like integrity, open-mindedness, creativity, and teamwork, while not necessarily always visible, soft skills are crucial in helping teams work well together.

In contrast, hard skills involve technical knowledge that requires specific training and experience gained in life or education. Things like being multilingual, networking capabilities, and data analysis are examples of hard skills. Experience with different software is also a hard skill that can be seen and tracked for its usefulness.

In order to be part of a team and to use these skills effectively, it’s important to know that not every team member needs to be qualified with every hard skill. This is where skill gaps can meet in the middle, and each member will pull their own weight with the technical knowledge that they individually have. However, every team member must have well-developed soft skills to make the team last. For instance, having a team full of open-minded, creative members with effective problem-solving skills is more valuable in collaborative settings than each person knowing the fastest way to create an Excel Spreadsheet when only one or two people with that skill will suffice.

Training Opportunities that Match the Goal Outcome

When trying to create or find a training opportunity, it’s important to understand which skills you’re trying to develop. For instance, training for hard skills needs to have a system in place that helps track the learning outcomes of that specific program, whereas the soft skills are a little harder to see. Oftentimes, training opportunities enable a person to practice both soft skills and hard skills at the same time. For instance, you can have formal and informal training opportunities that enable team members to learn how to handle stressful situations with an emphasis on endurance, while the initial training desire was to learn how to properly create a client-requested proposal.

While we look at the root cause of skill gaps, we’ll also discuss how to determine the right training opportunity.

The Root Cause of Skills Gaps

There are several reasons that skills gaps remain a continuous problem in the workforce.

1. Employee turnover, for any reason, creates gaps by taking away employees who’ve worked in a specific job, gaining experience in the niche, and being part of a team. Whether large numbers of employees are retiring or moving on to jobs that fit them better, creating space for newer and inexperienced employees opens a natural gap where none had previously been.
2. Lack of adequate training in soft skills creates gaps where none should be. In reference to an earlier statistic, only 34% of workers feel that their training opportunities have adequately prepared them for job responsibilities and collaboration.
3. Improperly listed job advertisements or dishonest applicants cause a gap that can otherwise be avoided by ensuring that job listings have been created with the best and most accurate descriptions possible. Using the interview process well can make sure that each applicant either comes equipped with the necessary skills or that they possess the qualities that the employer knows can be easily trained on and can also mitigate the risks involved.

By identifying the root cause of a specific skill gap, you’ll be able to determine the factor that has led to the gap in the first place and know where to place the necessary training program to develop better skills. By running a root cause analysis, you’ll find the quantifiable information that will lead to improvement in team dynamics. An effective root cause analysis will:

• Clearly define the problem
• Establish the causal relationship between the root cause and the problem
• Delineate the known dynamics of the causal relationship and how they combine to create the problem
• And clearly present the evidence-based conclusion that supports the identified cause’s existence

Creating an Action Plan with Tips to Close the Skill Gaps

There are several ways to help close these skills gaps, and these include:

• Determining the demand for skills needed
• Developing soft skills like collaboration, critical thinking, business basics, and other useful skills that make a person more team-minded
• Creating tailored learning plans for specific roles within the team
• Offer variety in the learning format to enable team members to choose what format works best for them.
• Use a learning management platform that enables the accessible tracking of learning outcomes to determine effectiveness
• Track progress and development after the fact

An action plan will give you a quantifiable goal to track in order to determine a specific route’s effectiveness. Each individual training method has its own benefits and drawbacks, and narrowing down the right one for your team is crucial in making it work for you.

The Importance of Measurement

While training opportunities are an excellent way to begin closing skills gaps, they don’t do much more than a baseline training scenario. In order to get the most out of a training program, it’s important to measure the effectiveness to make sure that goals are being met; the goal in this scenario is a closed skill gap.

Measuring the effectiveness of a training program gives us quantifiable data to determine if specific targets are being met. It allows companies to take action as early as possible and make adjustments in the program or process before going too far. Without tracking, they’ll realize too late that the program isn’t nearly as effective as they thought.

Qualities of a metric that produces results are:

• A baseline of knowledge that’s quantifiable or trackable
• Targets that can be measured at regular intervals
• And it must align towards a goal

Teams work best together when collaboration is met with highly efficient and knowledgeable members, people who work well together and can find a good middle ground in their hard skills with overlapping soft skills. Despite this knowledge of effective teamwork, some companies lack what’s necessary to move forward toward their goals. It’s only by identifying the places in which they lack and creating definitive goals to reach within their team training opportunities that they find success. Developing and taking advantage of programs designed to provide workers with the necessary skills to work effectively as a team enables them to reach their goals as a company.

Level up your career and your team's performance. Enroll in one of School of PE's PMP exam review courses today and become a project management expert.

About the Author: Anna Taylor

Anna Taylor is a freelance writer and avid researcher- a jack of all trades, but a master of none. She graduated from the University of Hawai'i with an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts because she had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up. She has since found her love of Extended Reality and the possibilities it brings to the world, as well as gardening, cooking, and writing. Anna lives in Interior Alaska with her family.

What to Know Before You Take the FE Exam

The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam is a daunting task for any engineering student or recent engineering graduate. The test day will bring about additional levels of stress and intimidation, especially if you don't know what to expect. This blog post will walk you through what to expect and how to fully prepare for FE exam day.

In this Blog,

1. Arriving at the Testing Center

2. Starting the Exam

3. Pacing Yourself

4. Exam Sections

5. Discipline-Specific Knowledge - Remaining questions

6. Review and Submit

7. What to Bring on Exam Day

Arriving at the Testing Center

Make sure you know exactly where your designated testing center is located and how to get there. Ensure that before you head off to the test site, you give yourself ample time to account for traffic, parking, finding the test room, etc. It's always better to arrive much earlier than risk being late and missing your scheduled exam time.

It is crucial that you bring a valid photo ID to show the test proctors when you arrive. This can be a driver's license, passport, or student ID as long as it has your name, photo, and signature. The name on your ID must exactly match the name on your FE exam registration.

Security at the testing center will be similar to airport TSA screening. You will need to empty your pockets and walk through a metal detector. The proctors may search your belongings as well. Prohibited items include phones, food/drink, notes, watches, and anything that could provide an unfair advantage. Lockers are typically provided to store personal items while taking the exam.

Starting the Exam

When it is time to begin, proctors will check you in, verify your ID, give instructions, and escort you to a testing station. Stations will include a cubicle with a computer, a writing surface, and an erasable markerboard. Noise-canceling headphones may be provided or allowed.

You'll have an online calculator and searchable digital FE reference handbook available in the exam software. Scratch paper and pencils are not permitted. Anything written will be collected by proctors at the end.

The FE exam duration is 6 hours total. This includes:

• 2 minutes of nondisclosure agreement
• 5 hours and 20 minutes for actual exam completion
• 25-minute scheduled break

Pacing Yourself

With only 5 hours and 20 minutes to answer 110 questions, you will need to keep up a steady pace. Don't spend too much time stuck on any single problem. Mark it for review and come back later if needed. Keep moving forward through the exam efficiently. Take breaks during sections if needed, but be aware of the clock.

Some people prefer to answer all the questions they know first. Others like to go in order, skipping unknowns. Find the strategy that works best for you. Just be careful not to fall behind. The computer will warn you when 10 minutes remain.

Exam Sections

The exact topics on the FE vary slightly depending on the engineering discipline. However, all exams cover the same general knowledge areas:

• Mathematics - approx. 11-15 questions
• Ethics and Business Practices - 5 questions
• Engineering Economics - 5-10 questions
• Statics - 5-10 questions
• Dynamics - 5-10 questions
• Mechanics of Materials - 5-10 questions
• Materials - 5-10 questions
• Fluid Mechanics - 5-10 questions
• Electricity and Magnetism - 5-10 questions
• Thermodynamics - 5-10 questions
• Engineering Sciences - 10-15 questions
• Have a strategic plan for how much time to allocate to each section based on your strengths/weaknesses. Stick to your plan.
• The ethics, engineering economics, and business practice questions tend to be shorter and more straightforward. Make sure to take advantage of these quicker points.
• Use the searchable reference handbook efficiently when needed. Don't waste time trying to memorize equations.

Discipline-Specific Knowledge - Remaining questions

Use your scratch paper liberally when working through more complex quantitative problems. Don't try doing everything in your head. Write out the given data, your steps, sketches, etc., to avoid simple mistakes.

Review and Submit

About 10-15 minutes before exam end time, the software will prevent you from moving forward. Use this time to review skipped questions, check previous work, and fill in any blank answers. Make sure you have answered every question before ending the exam. There is no penalty for guessing on the FE exam.

When you are ready, the software will prompt you to submit your test. Once submitted, you cannot go back and change answers. You will be escorted from the testing center, and your exam will be scored electronically. Results are provided within 7-10 business days.

What to Bring on Exam Day

1. Valid Photo ID
2. Registration ticket
3. Approved calculator - Check NCEES site for specific models
4. Eyeglasses - no smart glasses allowed
5. Light jacket/sweater - testing rooms can be cold

Recommended:

1. Earplugs - if distracted by noise
2. Tissues/cough drops - if you have allergies or a cough
3. Bottled water & snack - for the break

What NOT to Bring:

1. Phones, smartwatches, electronics
2. Bags, purses, wallets, pens, hats
3. Books, notes, scratch paper
4. Rulers, pencils, erasers
5. Food/drink (except label-free water)

Conclusion

The FE exam can be challenging, but being well-prepared will help you pass on your first try. Know what to expect on test day and get plenty of rest the night before. Stay calm, make good use of your reference materials, and trust your preparation. You've got this!

Ready to take the next step and pass your FE exam on your first try? Check out School of PE’s FE exam review courses today!

About the Author: Khoa Tran

Khoa Tran is an electrical engineer working at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and is currently pursuing his master's in electrical Power from the University of Southern California. He is fluent in both Vietnamese and English and is interested in outdoor activities and exploring new things.

Tips for Taking the FE Exam During Your Senior Year of College

The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam is a big hurdle that all aspiring engineers must clear before following their path to becoming a licensed Professional Engineer (PE). As a recent college graduate with a degree in electrical engineering, I knew that passing the FE exam was an important step in advancing my engineering career. However, I was quite anxious heading into the months leading up to the test, being familiar with its notoriety and knowing the exam covers such a broad range of engineering topics. In this blog post, I’ll discuss my experience preparing for and taking the FE exam on the first attempt during my senior year of college.

In this Blog,

1. Timing of the FE Exam

2. My Three-Month FE Exam Study Plan

3. Study Materials

4. Starting with Stronger Topics First

5. Reflecting on the FE Exam Experience

6. Key Takeaways from my FE Exam Journey

Timing of the FE Exam

I decided to take the FE exam during the fall semester of my senior year. This timing worked well because I had completed almost all of my major-related engineering courses at that point. The FE exam tests your knowledge of core engineering principles from the first three years of an engineering degree, so it’s best to take it as late in your college career as possible.

I also wanted to get the exam done before my final semester when I knew I’d be busy with senior design projects and job applications. Taking the test in junior year is also an option, but you run the risk of forgetting some of the material by graduation. Ultimately, the fall of senior year was the sweet spot for me to take the exam.

My Three-Month FE Exam Study Plan

Once I decided on when I wanted to take on the FE, I needed to develop a proper study plan. The exam covers dozens of subjects, so I knew I couldn’t delay preparing until the last minute and just cram. I committed to studying for the FE exam over a three-month period: August, September, and October. The exam was scheduled for late October, so this gave me enough time to methodically cover each topic without feeling rushed.

I chose to study one subject area per week over the three months. The FE Reference Handbook provided by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) was instrumental in guiding the topics to focus on each week. I made a 12-week calendar and penciled in the subjects I planned to cover each week, such as mathematics, statics, dynamics, fluids, and materials science.

Study Materials

To fully prepare for the breadth of topics covered on the FE exam, I used several study resources:

• NCEES FE Reference Handbook - This is the official reference document provided during the actual exam. Studying it was key to understanding the equations, constants, and formulas needed to solve problems. I read through it multiple times and got very familiar with navigating it.
• NCEES Practice Exam - This full-length practice test from the exam creators was invaluable. It gave me experience applying concepts under timed conditions, and I could review solutions afterward. I took it twice during my prep.
• School of PE Review Course - About two months before the exam, I enrolled in an FE exam prep course online. The structured curriculum and study schedule kept me on track. Access to instructors and practice problems was also hugely helpful.

Starting with Stronger Topics First

I strategically scheduled the review topics in my calendar to begin with the ones I felt most confident about. For me, this included engineering economics, mathematics, and ethics. Beginning with my stronger areas helped build momentum and confidence for tackling trickier topics later on. During the first month, I supplemented my review with practice problems and sample FE exam questions in each corresponding weekly topic.

By September, I was ready to jump into studying subjects I had not taken courses on for over two years, such as dynamics, circuits, and Thermodynamics. To re-learn concepts and formulas in these rustier subjects, I needed to spend more time reviewing my old textbooks and notes. I also watched online video courses for topics like electrical circuits to see the concepts applied visually.

The final month involved intense practice sessions, taking mock FE exams under timed conditions. I attempted to simulate the actual testing environment by using an approved calculator and taking full 6-hour practice exams. Doing this helped me pinpoint any remaining weak areas to brush up on and ensured I had endurance for the real 6-hour test.

Reflecting on the FE Exam Experience

Walking out of the FE exam, I was overwhelmed with relief that the long prep period was over but uneasy about how I performed after answering 110 questions in just 6 hours. Some sections felt straightforward, particularly the math and ethics problems that I studied first. However, questions on Engineering Economics, and Power required me to make some educated guesses after drawing a blank.

Overall, I was confident I put in the work required to pass based on diligently following my 3-month study plan. I could not have absorbed such a vast amount of engineering knowledge in a hurried couple of weeks of cramming. When I received my results several weeks later, I was thrilled and relieved to see I passed the FE exam on my first try!

Key Takeaways from my FE Exam Journey

Preparing for and passing the FE exam was a major milestone in my engineering education and career. Here are some key lessons I learned along the way:

- Start preparing at least 3 months in advance and establish a study schedule. You’ll retain material better with an organized plan versus cramming.

- Use the FE Reference Handbook to guide which topics to focus on each week. Check them off as you review.

- Begin reviewing the subjects you feel most confident about to build momentum. Save the tougher topics for when you have more preparation under your belt.

- Solve practice exam questions for each topic, even ones you know well. This helps you apply concepts and gets you comfortable answering questions under time constraints.

- Take full-length practice tests in one sitting to simulate exam conditions. Use an approved calculator and timer to make it feel authentic.

- Trust in your preparation come test day. You’ve put in the hours studying and have earned the right to be confident!

Conclusion

Earning my passing score on the FE exam was a testament to the methodical preparation and perseverance which I had developed and adhered to. I’m proud that I took ownership over my study plan and saw it through. Passing this challenging exam was a huge confidence boost as I moved forward in my engineering career. The FE exam will always stand out as a pivotal learning experience in my development as an engineer.

I passed my exam with School of PE—and you can too! They have helped tens of thousands of engineers earn licensure and advance their careers, and are ready to help you next! Check out their course options today!

About the Author: Khoa Tran

Khoa Tran is an electrical engineer working at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and is currently pursuing his master's in electrical Power from the University of Southern California. He is fluent in both Vietnamese and English and is interested in outdoor activities and exploring new things.

What Experience Do You Need to Take the PE Exam?

Getting an engineering license is an important milestone for many engineers. Successfully completing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) and Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exams are the first steps in becoming a licensed Professional Engineer (PE). But before you can take the PE exam, you need to have the right kind of engineering experience. So, what kind of qualifying engineering experience do you need for the PE exam? In this blog post, we’ll break it down and explain the basic required experience needed for the PE exam.

In this Blog,

1. What is the PE Exam?

2. Why Take the PE Exam?

3. PE Exam Experience Requirements

4. What Counts as Qualifying Engineering Experience?
a. Supervision by a Licensed PE
b. Gained After Earning an Engineering Degree
c. Meaningful Application of Engineering Principles
d. Progression of Engineering Competencies

5. Examples of Qualifying Engineering Experience

6. How Much Qualifying Experience is Needed?

7. How to Document Your Experience

8. Next Steps After Gaining Qualifying Experience

What is the PE Exam?

The PE exam is a computer-based test administered year-round by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). It covers subjects like mathematics, statistics, chemistry, physics, and engineering economics, but the exact topics on the exam will depend on the specific discipline you decide to take.

The PE exam is the second exam you need to pass before earning a Professional Engineer (PE) license. It shows that you have mastered the fundamentals of your engineering discipline as well as the more minute details.

Why Take the PE Exam?

Although you don’t NEED to pass the PE exam to work as an engineer, earning your PE has several career advantages:

• Increased job opportunities and ability to work independently as a consultant
• Higher earning potential
• Ability to check engineering documents and offer services directly to the public
• Professional prestige and recognition

But you can’t just sign up and take the test – you need to have the right engineering experience first.

PE Exam Experience Requirements

To take the PE exam, you must have:

• A degree from an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)-accredited engineering program
• Passed the FE exam
• At least 4 years of qualifying engineering experience

The engineering degree requirement is straightforward. But what counts as “qualifying engineering experience”? And how do you know if you have enough?

What Counts as Qualifying Engineering Experience?

According to the NCEES, qualifying engineering experience has to meet the following criteria:

• Experience must be under the supervision of a licensed Professional Engineer (PE)
• Experience has to be gained after earning an engineering degree
• Experience must involve the meaningful application of engineering principles
• Experience must show a progression of engineering competencies and responsibilities

Let’s break these requirements down:

Supervision by a Licensed PE

For experience to qualify for the PE exam, it must be completed under the direction of a licensed PE supervisor. They don’t have to directly oversee every single task, but they need to be responsible for your work. Having a PE sign off on your experience documentation is important.

Gained After Earning an Engineering Degree

The experience also must be gained after receiving at least a bachelor’s degree in engineering from an ABET-accredited engineering program. Any experience before you earn your degree does not count.

Meaningful Application of Engineering Principles

This is where the rubber meets the road – your experience needs to involve putting your engineering knowledge into practice. For example, design work, analysis, fieldwork, lab work, or manufacturing and construction tasks. Just regular office work would not count.

Progression of Engineering Competencies

As you gain more experience, you should take on higher-level engineering work and responsibilities. This demonstrates that you are acquiring more skills and competencies. Progression could involve things like managing projects, supervising team members, and making high-level technical decisions.

Examples of Qualifying Engineering Experience

To better understand what constitutes qualifying experience, let’s look at a few examples:

• Designing mechanical components and systems for a product development company. You apply engineering principles to design gear trains, electronics enclosures, and hydraulic systems under the supervision of a licensed PE.
• Writing embedded software code for avionics systems for an aerospace company. You develop code to DO-178C standards that is then integrated and tested by a team led by a licensed PE.
• Performing geotechnical engineering tasks like subsurface investigations and analysis for a civil engineering consulting firm. You are mentored by senior geotechnical PEs, and your work undergoes quality assurance reviews.
• Working in a metals manufacturing plant doing failure analysis and process improvements on the production lines. Your team troubleshoots issues and implements solutions to reduce defects and downtime. Your supervisor, a licensed manufacturing PE, approves the changes.
• Conducting research on electronic properties of new semiconductor compounds in a PhD program under your advisor, who is a licensed electrical engineering PE. Your experiments involve substantial application of physics and chemistry principles.

These examples show engineering work where principles were applied meaningfully under the direction of licensed PEs. On the other hand, just basic IT support, drafting, or technician roles likely do not qualify, even if done at an engineering firm. The work must actually leverage engineering knowledge.

How Much Qualifying Experience is Needed?

In most cases, you need a minimum of 4 years of post-degree engineering experience to be approved for the PE exam. However, in some cases, just 1 or 2 years may be sufficient if it is focused experience demonstrating progression of competencies. On the other hand, more than 4 years may be necessary if the experience is basic or disjointed. Be sure to check your experiences with NCEES if you have concerns or doubts.

States and licensing boards have some leeway in interpreting experience requirements for PE exam applicants. However, in general, the 4-year rule is a good guideline to ensure you will have enough qualifying experience. Having 4 or more years under your belt also allows you to show a steady progression in responsibilities over time.

How to Document Your Experience

To apply for approval to take the PE exam, you will need to carefully document your engineering experience. This usually involves listing your work history along with references who can verify your qualifications. Specific application forms and requirements vary by state.

Here are some tips for effectively documenting your experience:

• Keep thorough records of all your projects and responsibilities at each job. Save files, reports, drawings, code samples, etc.
• Get experience verification from current and prior supervisors, especially those who are licensed PEs. Ask them to write letters.
• List specific technical skills you utilized or developed at each position. Quadruple check for accuracy.
• Quantify your experience details whenever possible - provide numbers for things like hours, dollars, people managed, etc.
• Highlight any promotions or increased responsibilities over time. This demonstrates progression.
• If any experience is borderline, get a second PE to also review and sign off.

Thoroughly documenting your work history and engineering competencies is key to getting approved to take the PE exam. Be detailed, be accurate, and spotlight your progression over time.

Next Steps After Gaining Qualifying Experience

Once you have accumulated at least three years of acceptable engineering experience, here are the typical next steps:

1. Review the PE exam requirements for your engineering branch in your state.
2. Start collecting past work samples and references to document your experience credentials.
3. Fill out and submit the application to take the PE exam. Each state has its own form.
4. Wait for approval from your state licensing board. This may take a few weeks.
5. Once approved, register and pay a fee to NCEES to take the computer-based PE exam.
6. Schedule a date, time, and testing center to take the official PE exam.

With diligent preparation and persistence, proper qualifying engineering experience can set you up for success on the PE exam. Use this as an opportunity to take your career to the next level and pursue professional engineering licensure.

Conclusion

Earning the title and license of a Professional Engineer is a momentous accomplishment for any engineering career. In order to do so, you must first pass the FE and have 4 years of industry experience.

This experience must meet certain requirements - it must be under a licensed PE, gained post-degree, show progression, and involve meaningful application of engineering principles. In most cases, 4 years of experience is recommended, but 1-2 years may sometimes suffice. Document your experience diligently and get verifications from licensed PEs.

Once you’ve accumulated sufficient qualifying engineering experience, you can submit your application to take your PE exam. The effort put into gaining qualifying experience will pay dividends for your career.

Ready to take the first step in earning your PE license? Consider taking a course from School of PE, the leader in engineering exam prep. You can see our full course library here!

About the Author: Khoa Tran

Khoa Tran is an electrical engineer working at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and is currently pursuing his master's in electrical Power from the University of Southern California. He is fluent in both Vietnamese and English and is interested in outdoor activities and exploring new things.

Understanding Personality Types to Maximize Team Collaboration

The earth just hit a really exciting milestone in the last year; we passed 8 billion people in our global population. There are so many of us that it makes sense that sometimes we don’t get along. It makes sense that there are areas that can cause distress in work settings and team dynamics. That’s because we all have different personalities that clash with each other. For every early bird, there’s a night owl. For every creative person, there’s a logician. People are sensitive, bold, ruthless, and a million other things, and it’s hard to see how we can work together.

A lot of these traits can be seen as weaknesses in a team setting, but that’s not a beneficial way to look at them. When brought together with a leader who understands personality dynamics and collaboration, they can take those perceived weaknesses and turn them into strengths. This post will discuss the key to effective teamwork, understanding different personality types, and using personality tests to create a productive team.

In this Blog,

1. The Key to Effective Teamwork is Collaboration; So Why Don’t They Collaborate?

2. How Does Knowing the Personality Types of Your Team Foster Collaboration

3. Myers-Briggs – Utilizing the Most Popular Personality Test

4. Collaboration Tips

The Key to Effective Teamwork is Collaboration; So Why Don’t They Collaborate?

Collaboration is a difficult concept to grasp, and that’s not to say that we don’t know what it means. However, the road to effective collaboration can be riddled with bumps and potholes to an undefined destination. It’s a concept that, when you see it, you know it, but it’s hard to get there without actually knowing what you’re looking for.

Collaboration doesn’t look like a well-oiled machine. Instead, it looks like clashing personalities and brutal conversations, backtracking and sidestepping, before ultimately reaching a final result. A major factor in fractured teams is not knowing how you and your teammates work solo and as part of a team dynamic. It’s the reason that most school groups fall apart in presentations and most corporate teams separate: the unwillingness to learn about themselves and others and delegation based on strengths.

How Does Knowing the Personality Types of Your Team Foster Collaboration

Understanding different personality types at work facilitates effective teamwork by:

• Creating sell-awareness at a personal level
• Building empathy for others
• Fostering communication and reducing conflict
• Empowering managers to understand their team as a whole, allowing them to distribute responsibilities for optimal results.

Myers-Briggs – Utilizing the Most Popular Personality Test 

There are plenty of ideas and opinions surrounding personality dynamics and tests. There are also dozens of tests that you can use to help your team work better together. For the sake of ease, we’ll look at the most popular personality test and figure out how to use it to your advantage.

The Myers-Briggs personality test has been used by many people, not only in the corporate world, to learn more about themselves and how they work in order to better understand their individual traits. If you want to take this test yourself, here’s a link to the test that will give your results for free.

This official MBTI website states that “By developing a clearer sense of self-awareness and awareness of others, you’re able to better frame decisions, reduce miscommunication, and understand personal needs more effectively.”

Understanding the test and how to balance personality traits in order to determine a person’s strengths and weaknesses begins with personality preferences.

How do you get your energy? Are you introverted or extroverted? Do you feel more yourself in large crowds or in solitude? Do you feel energized by connecting with other people? Or do you find that your battery is recharged when you’re able to sit with yourself and readjust to what you need that way?

How do you take in information? Are you sensitive or intuitive? Sensers like to know facts and statistics, while intuitive learners prefer to understand the possibilities and causal relationships. Do you like to know everything before beginning a project, or do you prefer to go with the flow and see where it takes you?

How do you make your decisions? Do you focus more on how you feel? Or do you have to think through everything thoroughly? Do you struggle to finalize decisions but stick to the decision once it’s made? Or do you decide quickly, test it out, and adjust as you need to?

How do you organize your time and environment? Do you like things to be level and constant? Or are you spontaneous and adaptable? Judgers, according to MBTI, are those who make a plan and stick to it, while perceivers are comfortable with ambiguity and adapt to change easily.

These four questions have two answers each and make up a combination of 16 different personality types. Of course, there are even more variables that go into a team than just their personality. Things like their background, culture, and lifestyle all play a part in creating who they are and how they perceive the world. It’s what makes teamwork such a valuable part of the corporate environment.

For a long time, the world was of the opinion that different traits were weaknesses. However, thinking of the traits as an advantage instead of a weakness enables the team leader to divide responsibilities in a way that each person is able to fulfill their responsibilities to the best of their ability. By playing to a person’s traits, rather than thinking of them as either strengths or weaknesses, you’ll enable more effective collaboration across the team.

Collaboration Tips

Personality types play a huge role in how effectively a team can collaborate. With that in mind, here are some collaboration tips.

• Figure out what motivates individuals. No two individuals are motivated by the same thing. One gets a rush at checking off little boxes at each milestone, while the other is only satisfied at seeing the whole picture come together. To the same effect, one is motivated by being able to earn little rewards along the way, while the other only wants results from their specific work. It’s important to understand which one you’re dealing with to be able to cater slightly to the individual. Motivation is not the only factor in collaboration. The traits that a person possesses make them particularly more suited than others to work within a team dynamic. See the OCEAN model below.
• Use the Five Factor model, also called the OCEAN model, to understand each team member. The OCEAN acronym refers to a person’s Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.
• Communication is king in teamwork and collaboration. It’s not just being okay with vocalizing thoughts and opinions. It’s also being aware of how others communicate. It’s about understanding how receptive others are to criticism. Do they absorb it well and move forward with thoughts on how to do better? Do they shut down if it’s not phrased properly?
• Build trust between team members; Forbes compiled data into a study that brought the expertise of a hundred thousand corporate leaders. In the report, they detailed four skills that build better collaboration: building positive relationships, powerful communication skills, inspiration and motivation, and trustworthiness. What they found when testing whether one has a more positive effect than others was that if a leader (or team member) was above average at every level but wasn’t trusted by the rest of the team, their ability to collaborate went down from the 79th percentile, all the way to the 10th.
• Know yourself. You’re never going to know everything about your team. There’s way too much to unpack for one individual, and even more, people change drastically in the pursuit of their own understanding. However, understanding yourself, how you work, what motivates you, etc., will help you keep in line with the goals you’ve set up and the purpose behind building the team in the first place. It also helps you build a team that you know you can work with, and that aligns with your purpose.
• Overall, awareness of each other’s needs is the final aspect of collaboration. You might scoff and say that it’s unfair to expect each person to be individually aware of the other team members and that there’s no more room for themselves. It’s not about removing yourself from the conversation or even putting others' needs above your own. Instead, it’s about understanding how you work in conjunction with them. Teamwork only works if everybody knows and understands each other and can trust each individual to get the job done.

It’s not hard to learn more about the different personalities that people have, nor is it difficult to cater to people’s strengths rather than their weaknesses. It takes time and intention to build a team that works well together. Learning the strengths of diverging personalities takes a lot of research and a lot of trial and error. However, taking your team and learning how to play to their strengths or building a team right out the gate that was created for a specific purpose with their individual personalities in mind can help build a high-achieving team that collaborates well to reach the overall goals.

About the Author: Anna Taylor

Anna Taylor is a freelance writer and avid researcher- a jack of all trades, but a master of none. She graduated from the University of Hawai'i with an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts because she had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up. She has since found her love of Extended Reality and the possibilities it brings to the world, as well as gardening, cooking, and writing. Anna lives in Interior Alaska with her family.

Team Building Activities: Fun and Effective Approaches

Having an effective team as soon as it’s created would be great. But that’s not always the case. It’s difficult to bring people together who have no background information on each other. However, getting people to work as a team is one of the most crucial steps in making them efficient and productive. In fact, a team that doesn’t work well together can be counterproductive and ultimately a waste of time for all involved. 

But let’s say that you’ve curated this team from the ground up, taking in each of their strengths and weaknesses, personality types, and every bit of available information into consideration. At this point, you know that all you need is to break the ice and help them learn how their individuality can balance each other to create a healthy, productive team. Team building activities are a fun and effective approach to bringing a team together.

In that case, we can discuss the qualities of a productive team and the different types of team-building activities and follow up with a list of team-building activities that will bring your team closer together.

In this Blog,

1. Qualities of an Effective Team

2. Types of Team Building Activities

3. Team Building Activities the Bring your Team Together

Qualities of an Effective Team

Teams are brought together for a reason. They have tasks to complete and goals to reach. Good teams that work together have these qualities that enable them to reach those goals quickly and efficiently.

• There is clear leadership, guiding the team and connecting personal goals to the bigger picture goals.
• Assigned roles play a huge part in the effectiveness of a team, allowing each person to play to their strengths and strengthen their weaknesses.
• Open communication without fear of shame or reprimand allows team members to communicate effectively and get the job done.
• The team is able to collaborate while working through their differences.
• Not only does a good team have clear leadership, but they also have quality leadership. A team is only as efficient as the leader that guides them.
• Skilled team members drive their individual responsibilities forward with exactness and confidence.
• Positivity plays a huge role in team building. Teams that can work through negativity within the team can come out the other end with a tighter system of engagement.

Types of Team Building Activities

There are several different types of team-building activities that really correspond to the specific skill outcome you’re looking for. This can include getting to know activities that help break the ice, communication and collaboration activities that help the team learn how each member communicates. Problem-solving activities can also play a part in teaching the team to work together under pressure. There are even activities that can help align the team’s goals with the organization. So, with that in mind, here are some activities that you can use within your team to help bring them together.

Team Building Activities the Bring your Team Together

Below, you’ll find a short but diverse list of activities you can do with your team that will help you get to know each other on a deeper level. These activities can take a few minutes to a few hours and help you learn how to work as a team.

Solve a puzzle- Puzzles are simple things that can be done over time and with a larger group of people or as a solitary task, so they might not seem like a tool for team building. However, they can still offer insights into an individual and how they tackle a problem. Some people work from the outside in, completing the edges before ever touching the inside. Some people go for background pieces, and others go for focal points. Some like to sit down for extended periods of time and get it done fast, while others like to pick out a piece here and there and take longer to finish the project in general.

Host a brainstorming session- Brainstorming as one person can certainly get a job done, but brainstorming with a team can give a larger variety of ideas for a project, no matter what it is. Brainstorming sessions don’t necessarily have to do with a singular project. Instead, it can be something as simple as rearranging a room or coming up with ideas for a future potluck. Not only can it help start off a project, but it can also help you learn about a person’s background and how it fits into their work. By bringing together a variety of people with diverse backgrounds, you can also help create a more well-rounded final product.

Have a show and tell- Take time to have each team member boast of their accomplishments. It gives the group the opportunity to root for each other and learn what matters to others by what they’ve done and what they’re proud of. While simple, it gives the group an opportunity to engage in a positive way, and the more you can encourage that form of positivity, the better.

Complete a personality test- Personality tests offer valuable insights into individuals. Not only will it help the team understand the group they’re working with, but it will also help the person understand how they work and put logic behind certain personality traits. For instance, is one person a slow but consistent and steady worker? They complete tasks on time, sometimes ahead of schedule, with quality and efficiency. On the other hand, you may be working with a very fast worker that works well on a deadline. They’ll put the task off, but it will always get done, still with quality work. They just work differently than each other. Personality tests can put a reason behind this, and many other traits that can be a benefit to the team.

Play board games in the break room- Monopoly is known for tearing families apart for fun. Other board games, however, can be ongoing and bring groups together. Like the puzzle, you can place board games in the break room that can help the group learn how to work together and separately towards a common goal.

Untangle a human knot- The human knot is an engaging way to teach the group how to solve a problem together. Stand in a circle and have random team members connect hands. From there, twist and turn and go around, over, and under to untie the knot. Sometimes, it’s impossible due to the way that the hands are connected, but even when it doesn’t work out, and the group is still tangled together, it’s a fun bonding experience when the group realizes there’s no escape.

Do a silent line up- This task must be completed silently. Have the group line up by various indicators: height, weight, eye color, hair length, clothing color, etc. This activity can help the group learn new facts about each other, add a new challenge to the task, and have fun doing it.

Have a surprise task- Take the group out of their normal task set and have them complete an impromptu project, something that can be completed quickly but offers the same thrill of a game or activity in the sense of accomplishment they’ll get. Bonus points for added pressure like time constraints, and even bigger bonus points for making it a work-centric task.

Take classes together- Taking classes together is a fun way to get to know each other outside of the work environment. Cooking classes, exercise classes, pottery, etc. can all be fun learning experiences that add to both their overall development, as well as learn more about each other outside of work.

Create an office mix tape- Everybody likes music. Well, almost everybody does. Creating a mix tape has several benefits. First is that you can learn a lot about a person from their taste in music. The second is that you can have a list of music that works for everybody, like a soundtrack to the workplace.

Rotate desks- Rotate desks like musical chairs. Don’t arrange anything, and don’t take anything with you. Changing desks can be a fun way to learn about each other personally and professionally. A person’s desk can often be an outward expression of who they are individually, and trading places for a day can add valuable personal knowledge to the group dynamic.

Nobody can do everything alone. A team is one way that companies reach their overall goals. They use an individual’s strengths combined with another’s to develop long-lasting companywide success. However, teams don’t just learn how to work together in a day. It takes time and intention to learn how to work effectively together. The truth is team building exercises are often an overlooked method of building relationships within a team and can play a continual role in the professional development of a team’s ability to work together. You can use these fun and engaging activities to help your team create lasting professional relationships, develop critical skills, and teach your team how to work together to reach a unified goal. 

About the Author: Anna Taylor

Anna Taylor is a freelance writer and avid researcher- a jack of all trades, but a master of none. She graduated from the University of Hawai'i with an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts because she had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up. She has since found her love of Extended Reality and the possibilities it brings to the world, as well as gardening, cooking, and writing. Anna lives in Interior Alaska with her family.

The Art of Giving and Receiving Feedback: Enhancing Team Dynamics

Giving and receiving feedback is an important part of working in any environment, from manufacturing to a corporate setting. Giving and receiving feedback is vital for the productivity and continued improvement of a team. Giving feedback takes effort to maintain a balance of constructive criticism while not hurting the feelings of the worker, and receiving feedback with grace and understanding with a mindset of improvement is a critical skill in the workplace.

Giving and receiving feedback is truly an art form. When done well, those involved can offer and accept it without causing negativity in the workplace. It's a very anxiety-inducing process, as this study shows, and we, as living organisms, require constant feedback from our surroundings and other humans to survive.

It's difficult to know where that balance is in your individual circumstance, but with the right understanding and continued practice, you'll learn the art of giving and receiving feedback with the intention of enhancing team dynamics in the workplace.

In this Blog,

1. The Purpose of Feedback in the Workplace

2. Feedback Versus Criticism

3. How do You Give Feedback in the Workplace?

4. How do You Receive Feedback in the Workplace?

5. Examples of Productive Feedback

The Purpose of Feedback in the Workplace

Feedback is a critical step in growing healthy and productive teams. Receiving feedback is a skill that's highly sought after in the workplace. Here are some ways that giving and receiving feedback helps the workplace environment.

Inspiring Growth- Feedback on both ends helps inspire personal growth. By explaining shortcomings in a positive way with a mindset of internalization and improvement, employees are able to understand areas of their work or personality that will be of better use to themselves and the team.

Giving Purpose to Processes- Feedback helps keep team members aligned with their goals and those of the team as a whole. By regularly evaluating a person's process and what could be improved, they can continuously track advancements toward team goals by using team metrics.

Improving Employee Engagement- In an environment where everybody understands how valuable feedback is and how to give and receive it without taking offense, the way the team works together is vastly changed from a team that does not. The team members are able to engage more effectively and comfortably with each other and do not fear stepping on toes.

Nurturing Workplace Relationships- Similarly, feedback helps improve workplace relationships by creating an environment where team members can freely be themselves without the fear of negative criticism. This allows the team to really get to know each other and learn to work well together.

Raise confidence levels- A team that knows that making mistakes is part of the job and that they'll receive corrective advice on any ill-completed task enables the team to make mistakes more freely and confidently. This type of positive engagement helps build a person's internal confidence with external validation.

Feedback Versus Criticism

It's important here to understand the difference between feedback and criticism. Criticism is observation based on personal expectation of another's shortcomings without the intention of improvement. Most people don't even realize that their criticism lacks the necessary parts that would change the conversation into a progressive one. With a small change, criticism can become constructive feedback. Offering ways to improve the way a worker completes a certain task enables the worker to understand ways that they could improve their production in the workplace. Without the key factor of improvement, well-meaning comments can come off as unjustified criticism.

How do You Give Feedback in the Workplace?

• Focus on the positive behaviors you see. Most of the time, feedback is based on what a person sees as wrong and wants to transform it into something that's right. However, that's not always the most effective approach. Wouldn't always hearing about your shortcomings start to get a little discouraging? For that reason, focusing on positive behaviors you see to foster improvement can be a much better tactic for providing feedback.

• Know why you're giving feedback. Have a specific purpose for the feedback, rather than just seeing something you don't like and stating it. We'll discuss this more in-depth when we get to the feedback methods, but for now, suffice it to say that having a clear goal for the feedback itself will make it more effective.

• Ask questions, be specific, and be timely. In order to make the most of an interaction, make sure you have all the details you need to make the conversation better. Perhaps the team member is going through a rough patch in their personal life, or perhaps they were simply unclear of specific instructions given. Knowing all of the facts of the scenario will help you understand the specific feedback required from you personally.

• Read the room. Offering feedback when emotions are high is a tricky thing to navigate. If you can wait to provide feedback, wait. If it would be better to provide feedback privately, do it. If it's necessary, make sure your wording is done in such a way as to keep from needlessly emotionally damaging somebody.

How do You Receive Feedback in the Workplace?

Receiving feedback with a level head is actually a highly sought-after skill in the workplace. Showing that you can internalize and use that feedback to improve the situation gives you an edge as early as the interview process. Here are a few ways to be on the receiving end of constructive criticism.

• Be receptive to constructive feedback and be willing to grow from it. Enough said.

• Request feedback when you know you need it. Don't just wait for your superiors to come to you with feedback. If there's a project you're working on that needs a little direction, or if you're trying to improve your workplace processes, ask. It shows initiative and that you're willing to accept feedback when given.

• Process the feedback for as long as it takes. Criticism can be hard to take. Even when given from a place of growth and positivity, negative feedback is a difficult thing to accept. We tend to shy away from trying to improve our faults, so when others talk about them directly, it can be difficult to handle. When possible, take time to process the comments before reacting negatively to them.

• Learn from your mistakes. Feedback is most often given because of a mistake made. Mistakes are always learning opportunities, and having another person there to offer their perspective on the situation further enables you to initiate and facilitate the feedback process.

• Be thankful for feedback. There is purpose behind the feedback given, and it's important to see it for what it is, even if it's not immediately clear. Oftentimes, even with tactless givers of feedback, the giver is not trying to step on your toes or cause hurt. Show your appreciation for the feedback by saying so.

• Don't feel obligated to implement feedback in its entirety. Sometimes, though given from a perspective of authority, the feedback isn't entirely necessary. Learn how to graciously accept and then forget the feedback if necessary. There are some scenarios in which the giver isn't entirely correct and sometimes doesn't have the entirety of the context necessary to give effective criticism. So, use what you can, show thanks for the feedback, and forget what's not necessary.

Examples of Productive Feedback

Here are two methods of offering feedback that eliminate unnecessary negativity in the feedback process.

The Compliment Sandwich- this one is pretty simple. Offer a compliment- "You're doing well here." Provide feedback, "I'd like to see improvement here." Offer another compliment-

"- but I see you working really hard on this."

The compliment sandwich works really well against people who don't take negative feedback easily.

Rosenberg Nonviolent Communication Method- This method focuses on stating your observation- "I see this working/not working,"- feelings- "This is how I feel based on those observations,"- needs- "This is what I need from you to improve,"- and requests. The request for improvement should be clear and concise, with concrete steps to take without being demanding.

When giving feedback, both of these methods are there to help express feelings and intention using non-escalating conversation methods to show both sides of the conversation their perspective.

Feedback is such a tricky area of a workplace dynamic because it can come from anybody at any time. It doesn't have to come from a boss or team leader. In fact, it could be a person lower on the totem pole than you. However, with the right mindset, you can take the feedback in a positive way and use it to benefit yourself and the team as a whole. Most times, those giving feedback do it from a positive place, and when done right, giving and receiving feedback can drastically improve team dynamics and workplace productivity.

About the Author: Anna Taylor

Anna Taylor is a freelance writer and avid researcher- a jack of all trades, but a master of none. She graduated from the University of Hawai'i with an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts because she had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up. She has since found her love of Extended Reality and the possibilities it brings to the world, as well as gardening, cooking, and writing. Anna lives in Interior Alaska with her family.

Prep Like a Pro for the FE Exam with Practice Problems

The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam is a challenging yet rewarding exam that requires diligent preparation. An important part of that preparation is repeatedly simulating the actual exam day experience through practice tests. A simulation of the test-taking environment helps you become comfortable with the format, pacing, and pressure before tackling the real thing. Here in this blog are some tips to make your FE exam practice feel like the real deal.

In this Blog,

1. Choose Practice Problems Strategically

2. Strict Time Sections

3. Limit Resources

4. Take Strategic Breaks

5. Create Test Day Conditions

6. Use Proper Test Tools

7. Practice Stamina

8. Arrive Prepared

9. Keep Track of Errors

Choose Practice Problems Strategically

When selecting practice problems, target those similar in format and difficulty level to actual exam questions. To do so, utilize prep books, sample tests, and the multitude of online resources specifically tailored for the FE exam. Avoid practice questions that are overly simplistic or diverge too far from what you will encounter on test day. Stick to material representative of the rigor and style you will face.

Strict Time Sections

With 110 questions over a 6-hour time period, it may seem you have ample time to ponder each problem. However, this confidence can be deceiving; you must balance speed and accuracy strategically.

In an ideal world, every question would receive equal, methodical attention. Yet some problems will click immediately, while others necessitate more thought; rather than sticking doggedly to one pace, embrace the ebb and flow. Move briskly through questions you comprehend readily, banking time for those requiring careful analysis.

To maximize efficiency, first skim through the entire exam to identify low-hanging fruit. Answer these simpler questions first to build momentum and take advantage of peak mental freshness to tackle the remaining problems. Mark unfamiliar problems to revisit later with full concentration. This triage technique prevents getting bogged down early on unnecessarily.

With preparation, you will learn your strengths and weaknesses. Drill frequently on weak areas until your proficiency improves, develop an instinct through practice for when to pause on a problem versus power through it, and preserve time for review at the end to catch any careless errors.

The FE exam rewards both speed and discernment. Don’t treat every question equally, but rather allocate time proportional to difficulty. Adaptability and time management are essential complements to engineering know-how. With the right balanced strategy, you will demonstrate your technical competence efficiently.

Limit Resources

On exam day, you’ll only have access to limited supplies like a calculator, scratch paper, and the reference handbook. When practicing, only allow yourself these same resources. Don't rely on more outside aids than the test environment provides. This builds skills in quickly locating needed formulas and data.

Take Strategic Breaks

The FE exam has scheduled breaks between segments when you can stand up, have a snack, or use the restroom. Build similar brief pauses into practice tests to mimic the rhythm you'll experience on exam day. The short rests will help you stay focused without getting burned out.

Create Test Day Conditions

Finding or creating a quiet, distraction-free area to study and take your practice tests is important. This could be a desk in your bedroom, a study room at the library, or even just a clear table in your kitchen. The space should allow you to focus without disruptions from noises, other people, TVs/music, etc. Mimicking test day conditions where you'll be in a controlled environment focused on the exam.

Use Proper Test Tools

Invest in the approved calculator you’ll use on the FE to start practicing with it. Utilize scratch paper so you can simulate testing conditions where everything must fit within the space provided. Using the right tools regularly will ensure they feel natural on exam day.

Practice Stamina

It is a long, mentally draining exam day. Don't just drill practice problems for short intervals. Do full-length practice tests lasting 6 hours or more to simulate the required stamina and focus needed to persist through the FE marathon. Mimic exam day conditions down to the hour.

Arrive Prepared

Before practice tests, get plenty of rest, eat a healthy, filling meal, gather snacks, and hydrate thoroughly. Arrive early to your practice space so you can be seated, organized, calculator-ready, and mind-focused when you simulate the start time. This will help you be ready to hit the ground running on the actual test day.

Keep Track of Errors

Keeping diligent track of errors made during practice exams is arguably the most vital test prep technique. By logging each mistake and cross-referencing the topic, you can extract data-driven insights to guide efficient strengthening of weaknesses.

After every practice test, catalog wrong answers in a notebook or spreadsheet. Note the conceptual framework and skills required, not just the surface question. Seeing you missed questions about centrifugal pumps indicates a fluid dynamics knowledge gap. Miss multiple integral calculus problems? That points to a broader pre-calc deficiency.

Patterns will emerge, illuminating needs for review. Perhaps you consistently make algebra mistakes under time pressure. Or you struggle with interpreting geological maps. Use the quantified trouble areas to direct further practice. Revisit textbooks, notes, videos, and other resources to shore up those vulnerabilities.

This focused remediation helps boost competency efficiently. Additional practice questions on identified weak spots will sharpen skills through repetition. By fixating practice only on known flaws instead of reinforcing existing strengths, you maximize improvement per study hour.

As the exam nears, your error log highlights priorities for final review. In the last week, rework missed problem types intensely. Verify these former pitfalls have been conquered. This ensures critical knowledge gaps are sealed before test day.

Approaching prep as an iterative process of identifying and correcting errors builds exam readiness methodically. You are empowered by data, not guessing randomly where more work is required. Measure, analyze, and conquer deficiencies - this scientific method will best calibrate your preparation to ace the real test.

Conclusion

By repeatedly utilizing these tips to mimic real FE exam conditions during practice, you'll build comfort, endurance, and confidence for the big day. On test day, the experience will feel familiar, and you’ll be thoroughly prepared to demonstrate your engineering competence successfully. With strategic practice, you’ll be ready to pass this significant professional milestone.

Working through practice problems allows a student to prepare for the different types of questions on their exam, determine strengths and weaknesses, and develop their general test-taking skills. School of PE’s Question Bank is a great resource if you are looking to simulate your FE exam. We even offer monthly packages!

About the Author: Khoa Tran

Khoa Tran is an electrical engineer working at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and is currently pursuing his master's in electrical Power from the University of Southern California. He is fluent in both Vietnamese and English and is interested in outdoor activities and exploring new things.