Here are the diagnostics for both my tests. First one is dated 4/9/24, second dates 1/17/25. I did pretty well worse on the second attempt.
For the first attempt, I purely studied the PE practice exam and did my best to memorize each and every question. Of course that only got me so far for the exam, and was sure to study better the next time.
For my second attempt, I had a long period between because I wanted to find a course to take. I ended up buying PPI2Pass 3-month Civil:Structural online course. I studied every weekend for 6-8 hours for 3-months leading up to the exam. As far as the course goes, I enjoyed it and thought it really helped. I do residential structural engineering for my job, and taking the course actually really refreshed me for the concepts and calculations I do on a daily basis at work.
However, you can see from the second diagnostic it didn’t help me nearly enough. I did well on the two practice exams the course offers, and felt I had a very thorough understanding of those problems. Then I took the test and was so frustrated at how many problems I had no clue what to do. I knew the codes fairly well, but I suppose I just did not do nearly enough practice problems.
I know I should not have taken so much time in between exams, but it really feels like the first test was easier. I am sure they have a multitude of questions they ask, so sometimes the questions will cater to my knowledge and sometimes they won’t.
Based off reading past posts, it seems practice problems are the key. Does anyone recommend a website or something they purchase for endless practice problems? Or any other advice for people who passed? I am probably going to schedule to take it in late February or March, while the concepts are still fresh, and give me time to load up on practice problems. Anything helps. Thanks!
By - bmetzler1
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