Professional Engineering (PE) Exam Guide

The PE or Professional Engineering examination tests your understanding of engineering theories as well as your experience in your selected specialty. IThe time between the two tests varies from state to state but it is usually four years.

Theoretically you are not required to study all of these diverse engineering subjects to pass the exam. However, the probability of passing the exam is higher if you are able to study more subjects. Remember, part of the test does test you on theories and principles on subjects you might not have studied since college. Thus, it is a good idea to fully refresh yourself on such topics. One effective tip to consider before you embark on the studying process is, come up with a strategy for preparing for the exam. This strategy will vary from engineer to engineer but should primarily be to determine which topics you would like to focus more on during the studying process.

1.   Based on a survey of recent P.E’s, one of the most successful strategies for passing the PE exam is following the broad approach. The strategy is to review the fundamentals of the different subjects in a very broad manner. Most of the subjects are from the undergraduate level and it is as such not a Herculean task to cover the fundamentals. The strategy has helped many engineers to pass the PE exam since the examination includes many fundamentals questions.

2.   The second approach, though not as popular as the broad approach strategy is according to one engineer, for “those examinees who are short of time for preparation” is to focus on subjects in which they expect most questions to be from. This strategy fails if the examination does not “cooperate” with the subjects that you have spent your time preparing for.

3.   Some other engineers’ approach relies on subjects in which they have work experience. This approach also seldom works because the exam may never feature enough questions from these subjects.

4.   The last approach involves buying an FE exam study guide and solving as many questions as possible. Lot of time gets wasted in collecting and compiling questions and the preparation becomes haphazard.

For first time takers of the PE exam, it is advisable to take some form of review course. Review courses are available as audio, video, correspondence or classroom coaching. Classroom coaching is by far the best to assist in studying for the PE exam because it is structured well and is time bound. Most universities with some kind of an engineering program usually conduct these classes a couple of months before the test. Additionally, your company might be willing to pay for the class as well.     As tough as it might be for a practicing engineer to get back to studying, realize what takes to pass the PE exam. Like any other examination, a long-term approach to studying is better than a short-term crash course. Most of the classroom courses are designed for 3-4 months. A good preparation for the PE exam requires about 300 hours. The initial time is spent in brushing through the fundamentals. The major part of the time is spent in solving problems. This time can be spread over a year or crammed into the last two months. Spreading it over year helps you take help for subjects that you are not confident about. Cramming it into the last two months is risky since it does not account for any uncertainties.