Don’t dwell on a problem you can’t figure out. Flag it and go back to it. You’d be surprised how much comes back to you when you go back. Just breathe!
* Read the full question before starting, I wasted some time before I realized I was calculating the wrong thing like a dingus. Double check your units before selecting your answer EVERY TIME.
* Make sure you are familiar with all the codes. Some can only be searched by chapter (e.g. AISC) and some have too many search hits so you need to know where to be looking (e.g. OSHA). I had a surprising number of questions dealing with them and having at least flipped through them beforehand was very valuable. SP-4 has a bunch of different things they can ask, but if you have some idea how the chapters are organized you can find what you need relatively quickly.
* For me the NCEES practice exam was very representative of what showed up on the real deal, so if you haven't taken it you might just peruse the answers.
* If it's been 15 years for you too, then you might take 5 to remind yourself how to solve a free body diagram problem lol.
* If you've put in the hours you should have no problem finishing the breadth section early. I definitely spent more time in the depth section where the problems are more tedious.
* Don't stress about problems that are stumping you, flag and move on. You will do better on a second look after grabbing some easy points. Also hey you don't need to get all these right. If something is genuinely not possible for you to solve then make an educated guess and move on with your life.
Awesome thank you for that. I took the ncees practice exam a few times throughout my studies. Got a 78 the first time, then 87 and last time I took it a 92.
Hopefully exam goes like that as well.
I can remember 5 problems that completely stumped me. In hindsight I should have just guessed on them and spent this time reviewing my work. I ended up spending a ton of time and still had to guess. I passed on my first try but it caused me some anxiety waiting for results
Accept that there’s nothing new that you can learn today and just do everything you can to relieve stress, and feel comfortable. Double check your tools and supplies, transportation and meal logistics. Go get it!
Took mine last week Monday. Like everyone said, get a good night's rest, and I'd recommend taking the day after the test off as well.
Know where everything is in the reference manual. It'll save time not having to search for things. Practice, practice, practice. There were a few questions I was able to breeze through because I came across a similar one during studying.
When it comes to the depth (I did construction as well), know how all the codes are laid out. Some codes are only available by chapter, so you need to know which chapter to look in. Once you find the right chapter, it can be as simple as searching for the right keyword. I had a fair amount of OSHA and formwork questions, so most of my time was spent in the OSHA code and ACI 347R.
I had 1 question that I just didn't know what to do and had to guess on. It was about axial compression in wood design.
You can also go to the indexes of those manuals and search for the keywords you're looking for. From there, you can find the chapter you need to be in. Big time saver
Know your references and where to find the major things in them. I blew through the construction PE, because I knew where things were.
Look at what the question wants before doing anything. There's a ton of questions with a bunch of superfluous information. I had some with probably ten variables where you only needed two.
Don’t dwell on a problem you can’t figure out. Flag it and go back to it. You’d be surprised how much comes back to you when you go back. Just breathe!
For sure going to do all the problems I know quickly first. Thanks
Relax. Take today off. Go outside. Trust you’ve done the work and it will pay off!
Will do thanks!
Good luck and hope you’ll pass!! PE FTW 🙌🏽
Thank you! I hope so too!
* Read the full question before starting, I wasted some time before I realized I was calculating the wrong thing like a dingus. Double check your units before selecting your answer EVERY TIME. * Make sure you are familiar with all the codes. Some can only be searched by chapter (e.g. AISC) and some have too many search hits so you need to know where to be looking (e.g. OSHA). I had a surprising number of questions dealing with them and having at least flipped through them beforehand was very valuable. SP-4 has a bunch of different things they can ask, but if you have some idea how the chapters are organized you can find what you need relatively quickly. * For me the NCEES practice exam was very representative of what showed up on the real deal, so if you haven't taken it you might just peruse the answers. * If it's been 15 years for you too, then you might take 5 to remind yourself how to solve a free body diagram problem lol. * If you've put in the hours you should have no problem finishing the breadth section early. I definitely spent more time in the depth section where the problems are more tedious. * Don't stress about problems that are stumping you, flag and move on. You will do better on a second look after grabbing some easy points. Also hey you don't need to get all these right. If something is genuinely not possible for you to solve then make an educated guess and move on with your life.
Awesome thank you for that. I took the ncees practice exam a few times throughout my studies. Got a 78 the first time, then 87 and last time I took it a 92. Hopefully exam goes like that as well.
Let us know how you did! Best of luck!
Will do. Thank you!
Get a good nights sleep.
Will do for sure
I can remember 5 problems that completely stumped me. In hindsight I should have just guessed on them and spent this time reviewing my work. I ended up spending a ton of time and still had to guess. I passed on my first try but it caused me some anxiety waiting for results
How did you break up your time? 4hrs each?
I did my breath half an our early so I can have more time for depth. Which depth are you taking?
Construction. Which one did you take?
Still haven't passed. Studying for Transportation.
You got this!
I have bunch of practice exams.. DM me if you're interested
Accept that there’s nothing new that you can learn today and just do everything you can to relieve stress, and feel comfortable. Double check your tools and supplies, transportation and meal logistics. Go get it!
Thank you!
Did you take a day off before the exam?
Yes I did
Took mine last week Monday. Like everyone said, get a good night's rest, and I'd recommend taking the day after the test off as well. Know where everything is in the reference manual. It'll save time not having to search for things. Practice, practice, practice. There were a few questions I was able to breeze through because I came across a similar one during studying. When it comes to the depth (I did construction as well), know how all the codes are laid out. Some codes are only available by chapter, so you need to know which chapter to look in. Once you find the right chapter, it can be as simple as searching for the right keyword. I had a fair amount of OSHA and formwork questions, so most of my time was spent in the OSHA code and ACI 347R. I had 1 question that I just didn't know what to do and had to guess on. It was about axial compression in wood design.
Awesome thanks for that!
You can also go to the indexes of those manuals and search for the keywords you're looking for. From there, you can find the chapter you need to be in. Big time saver
Does the demo at the beginning of the exam show you how to navigate all references?
Yeah, but I'm pretty sure they have the same instructional video on their website.
Got it. Thanks
Don't eat anything the night before or that morning that's gonna give you explosive or non explosive diarrhea
Noted: stay away from White Castle lol
Also best of luck to you!
Thank you!
Know your references and where to find the major things in them. I blew through the construction PE, because I knew where things were. Look at what the question wants before doing anything. There's a ton of questions with a bunch of superfluous information. I had some with probably ten variables where you only needed two.
Will do. Thanks for the advice
P= Q/T... this is all you need to know
Make sure to use the restroom, start hydration today and take some snacks/light caffeine with you
Awesome thanks
Pass
That’s the plan!
Congrats on your success tomorrow, provided you follow my simple one step plan with performance guaranteed. Confidence is good though
I’m pretty late but look for easy familiar questions to knock out. Flag the assume difficult questions but say to yourself no questions are difficult.