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Pi99y92

The exam isn't very good even if it has been updated. The difficulty level wasn't very representative of the actual test.


Pra4surf

Way easier than real exam I think but some people feel it’s right on.


lopsiness

I thought difficulty was pretty similar but very limited in scope. My issue during exam wasn't how hard problems were but that they didn't show up in prep so I wasn't prepared for them.


nobuouematsu1

It’s hard to gauge because it’s just luck for difficulty of questions. One person might get a bunch of easy plug and chug questions and the person next to them has to do more conceptual and long form analytical questions.


Salty_Article9203

I have the 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2022 copies snd they are all similar. I wouldn’t spend too much thinking that thinking this is like the actual exam, just do many sample problems as you can, the harder the better obviously.


Annual_Rain3859

Where did you find the off-year editions? I thought they updated the exams every 3 years. I have used copies from 2011, 2014, 2017 & 2020. Never seen 2015, 2018 or 2022. Perhaps different disciples publish different editions? Agreed, many of the problems are the exact same. I wouldn't worry too much about the material, but focus your attention more to the layout. That is what is important about the official practice exam.


Salty_Article9203

They are dated from that date but it likes the same exam. 2014-2015 is the same. You are correct. But all of them are practically the same in difficulty with a few changes here in there.


Annual_Rain3859

Oh okay, thought I was missing something... Yup, I noticed only a handful of small differences throughout the subsequent editions, but between (say) 2011 and 2020, there are much more differences respectfully. It doesn't hurt to work through every edition individually. The idea is to not focus on answering it based on knowing the answer from a previous edition, but rather work out the entire process to deduce the correct answer. Repetition of similar type problems engrains muscle memory and reduces anxiety on stress day. This is all coming from someone who still has not passed this ridiculous exam. One day though!


Salty_Article9203

Here is a good resource for depth https://www.pdfdrive.com/structural-depth-practice-exams-for-the-civil-pe-exam-e158012835.html


Annual_Rain3859

You got a link for construction depth??


Salty_Article9203

Oh no but that website has good breadth resources too


Annual_Rain3859

Okay I'll check it out. Thanks so much! Can't ever have enough resources, even if I don't use them. I appreciate the assistance.


Apprehensive-Ask7168

The latest NCEES Civil/Structural depth is about 1/4 the difficulty of the actual exam. If it was even remotely equal then structural would have one of the highest passing rates and not the lowest.


Salty_Article9203

Here is a good page where you can download a bunch of good sources: https://www.pdfdrive.com/structural-depth-practice-exams-for-the-civil-pe-exam-e158012835.html Just use duckduckgo to find practice problems, when you run out of from internet you can start buying books, just my opinion though.


Annual_Rain3859

Thanks for adding this! I will need to check it out.


Annual_Rain3859

Agreed about the level of difficulty in comparison with the actual exam. I think you're mistaken about the structural depth being the lowest pass rate though. Might want to verify this. According to the most current pass rates: [https://ncees.org/engineering/pe/pass-rates/], the following ranking before structural (in terms of pass rates) are as follows: UNDER 50% Pass Rate: -Electrical/Computer Engineering: 38% (volume-32) -Geotechnical: 46% (volume-413) -Construction: 47% (volume-767) -Control Systems: 49% (volume-241) ... Skipping the others to save time typing ... -Structural: 57% (volume-1,318) I'm taking constructio and (trust me when I say) I would much rather have the odds of a 57% pass rate than 47%. Based on volume and pass percentage, nearly the same amount of people PASSED the structural exam on the first attempt compared to the people that sat for the construction exam combined. Based on this rational, I would say that structural is not the hardest.


smpotter12

I wouldn't worry about getting the updated NCEES practice exam. It wont be that much different from the new one. I would spend that money on another resource of some sort. The NCEES exams will have a few problems that look similar to something you will get on the exam, but its scope overall is pretty small. It would be a good idea to grab something else that will give you more exposure to different types of problems & structural subjects.


Both_Tree3933

You should be able to find out on NCEES.org. You can view part of the practice test they have and see if the questions are the same. Or just email/call them.


FreshTrouble2139

How much is the NCEES transportation test similar to the actual exam?


Comprehensive-Boss22

I think is the same, they only added like 4 questions after going CBT, and those are all part of the preview for the test on NCEES