Exam: 03/25/2024, Result: 04/03/2024, First Attempt, PASSED!
Tighten your seatbelt, it is going to be long post!
Background-
I completed bachelor’s in electrical engineering from India in 2020 and worked there for 15 months in solar. I came to U.S. and right away started MS in Jan 2022 and graduated in May 2023, in between I did fulltime internship in solar from May-Dec 2022. In my last semester, I joined as fulltime permanent employee from Jan 2023 until now. I started preparing for FE right after my graduation and passed it on my first try in July 2023. Then I got EIT and the moment after that I started focusing on our common goal PE. You may be wondering why I am describing here? That is because to let you know that I am on a fast-track mode in my profession which helped me to gain MOMENTUM. It’s really important to have it and hold it until you get green passed symbol.
Starting phase of preparation-
Fear of PE in market- This is for beginners like me who do not have much experience, and not familiar with codes. At first, I felt that this exam was for the one who had good experience and uses code book as routine. Then, I heard the great name @Zach Stone, P.E. . After reading many reviews, I felt that if I am going to enroll in electricalpereview course, for sure I am going to pass PE. Heartiest thanks to @Zach Stone, P.E. for designing this beautiful asset for us-the only asset I have when I enrolled. I highly recommend enrolling in 6 months full subscription. Every penny is worth, trust me! For me, I am more comfortable in on-demand session, but it doesn’t matter because Zach and other colleague are very active on student message board to answer your question. Don’t be shy to ask even a silly question but make sure to search board before asking to avoid repeating same question.
Statistics & Preparation-
566 hours, 5.5 months with 3.2 hr/day ave, 9 exams, and trust on course. Every Friday I skipped study as I am doing some other work. I started preparing from Oct-09 and completed coursework on Dec 31. I used to do all prework, homework, quiz first which make me very comfortable to watch live recording at 1.5X and to play with workbook. Target 1 class/week.
From January till May-9, every Saturday I gave full test under exam condition and then I used to work on my mistakes and Index on Sunday and weekdays. Here is my summary of exams result, please take it for refence only-you can do even better than me 😊. I also did 150 questions from random practice exam and got average 92%.
Exam Day-
I took a week off in job before exam to relax myself & to revise and retain what I studied. That week I worked on Index, checking message board, and just putting some dust off to my notes I made during coursework. Get proper planned schedule for every minute of exam day because for me my every second is worth of 1 minute of my preparation. Get proper food and sleep before exam, equally important! I went to testing center 1 hour before, used restroom and got my two engines started. I was feeling confident when I got my check-in.
Completed first section in 4 h 02 min, quantity and sequence of questions are as per NCEES syllabus. My strategy was to attempt all non-code book question in first pass & flagged all (11 que) code questions, second pass for code question, third pass (7 que) for incomplete questions. I got 11 NEC in first section out of them around 70% are easy and searchable. More questions from NEC, and then from other code books. Focus more on NEC topics as scrolling was not working that good. Search button was working fine so I used that one. 3 similar battery questions were difficult to solve in last pass but overall I did well. I was sure that I am going to pass if second section goes likewise.
After 40 mins of break I started second section, with same strategy completed first pass, got 4 code que- all easy. After second pass I left with 11 que out of which 6 were easy. Again, I got 3 similar induction motor question which made my brain to release more power. But overall, it was easier than first section and I completed second pass before 40 minutes which allowed me to revisit all questions.
If I compare actual exam difficulty, then I felt easier compared to my preparation. If you are going to get 70% in TSG means you are in very good shape. All EPG exams are more calculative compared to actual exam which helped me to solve Quant questions faster. AIT is more informative & kind of revision test- way harder than actual exam. Best exams to compare is TSG and NCEES.
After exam, I felt relaxed and was 90% sure that I am going to pass it based on 100% correct questions I attempted. I am guessing at minimum I have scored 70% in actual exam.
Note- All number of questions are tentative as I don’t recall it accurately. This post is for reference only and you may encounter different situation as seen from past success stories! If you have any question, reach out to me on LinkedIn-you can find my profile link when you click my name or comment below the post. Happy to help 😃
To summarize-
· opt for full subscription and follow Zach words. Use the platform because you are using the best platform of industry to prepare for PE.
· Don’t hurry to give exam-take more time and solve more questions before exam.
· Create your high-level planning to utilize every sec.
· Be confident and trust yourself & course.
· If you are a fresh graduate, still you can do it!
· Actual exam difficulty is like TSG and NCEES.
· 70% code questions were easy to search.
· Enjoy the exam preparation, this journey is beautiful.
· If you don’t pass after many attempts, still you have gained a lot more knowledge to serve society. Never underestimate yourself.
· Lastly, after getting license- serve the public & society with highest integrity and safety.
Thankful to @Zach Stone, P.E. and student member who helped me a lot. Thanks to my family and friends. Thanks to the dream of my Dad which made this exam a piece of cake for me!
Together, let’s power the world⚡ Cheers🥂