PE Civil: Construction - PASSED
Hi everyone-
I passed the PE Civil: Construction exam on my first try. This community has been a huge help on why I was able to pass.
Some advice and how I prepared:
I used EET On Demand to prepare and started the course in November last year. I watched every lecture and made sure I understand the topic completely. All the practice problems that were given in the lecture I tried first before listening to the solution. I studied about 2-3 hours a day. My exam was originally scheduled for April but end of March i did not feel well prepared and rescheduled to May. I took that month to strictly do practice problems averaging about 15 problems a day. I did all the quizzes on EET averaging about 70% on each one and they are in line difficulty wise with what was on the exam. I found the NCEES practice exam to be a lot easier.
If you feel off on a study day, it is better to skip and get a fresh start the next day. I felt many days burnt out so I encourage if you are burnt out to close the laptop and rest.
Know your references very very well. I knew the handbook like the back of my hand and what equation serves what purpose. The search feature on the exam is also neat so take advantage of that. The other important reference is the SP-4 and you can find the .pdf file online for free. The ACI manual has search functions but you need to be familiar with table of contents to navigate quicker. Same with the OSHA manual. The MUTCD manual has the one equation in chapter 6 regarding the taper length so that is really the only useful item from that manual.
Day before the exam I did a brief review of my notes but cut all studying off at 2pm to give my body and mind time to relax. I had a nice dinner and went to sleep at 9pm. The morning of, I had a nice breakfast (nothing greasy or heavy) and a coffee.
When I finished the exam I felt defeated and had really low confidence. It is important to read every word of the question and every word of the answer. The 3 pass method is the best way to go with getting the easy ones out of the way and coming back to the more challenging questions later.
I believe in all of you that are about to take the exam! Happy to help with any other questions.