Mechanical PE Exam Strengths and Weaknesses

Mechanical PE Exam Strengths and Weaknesses

Preparing for the PE exam can be challenging, but it’s also an opportunity to assess your strengths and weaknesses as an engineer. Whether you’re a recent graduate or an experienced professional, this journey allows you to refresh and deepen your technical knowledge. Embracing both your strengths and challenging topics is crucial for becoming a well-rounded engineer. In this post, we’ll discuss how to leverage your strengths, address weaknesses, and develop a balanced approach to mechanical PE exam preparation. Let go of pre-conceived notions about the mechanical PE exam. Looking at the PE exam specification, you may get flashbacks to the good, the bad and the ugly from your undergrad years.  It is natural to recall that you were strong in one course and struggled in another.  However, studying for the…
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Balancing Parenthood and the PE Exam

Balancing Parenthood and the PE Exam

There is nothing quite like finding out that you are becoming a parent to light a fire under anyone with significant goals.  Many of the engineers I’ve had the privilege of supporting in the last few years became highly motivated to pass the PE exam prior to the arrival of a new baby.  This is undoubtedly a wise approach as the addition of a new person in your life brings about a reorganization of priorities, and rightfully so.  As a recent father myself, I have a newfound appreciation for how challenging studying can be with a little one in the house.  Some days it is hard to get around to washing the dishes, much less carve out blocks of time for deep critical thinking. Pursuing a major goal like studying…
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PE Exam Success Factors for Seasoned Professionals

PE Exam Success Factors for Seasoned Professionals

The vast majority of PE candidates are within the first 10 years of their career when they pursue professional licensure.  My personal experience puts me in this majority, having obtained my PE license in 2014, 6 years after completing my undergraduate engineering degree.  However, there is a smaller cohort of PE candidates that have been in their careers for a decade or more and are only now seeking to obtain their PE.  Having served as a guide to both groups, I’d like to share the following success factors that are unique to more experienced engineers. Respect the limits of practical experience. NCEES expects qualified Professional Engineers to have a sufficient level of practical experience and technical knowledge.  The experience portion is documented in the written portion of your application and…
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5 Ways to Push Yourself When Studying for the PE Exam

5 Ways to Push Yourself When Studying for the PE Exam

When an aspiring Professional Engineer decides to get serious about pursuing engineering licensure, he is inspired to take action.  Motivation is at its highest when we first decide to embark on a major goal like preparing for the PE Exam.  But motivation works in a cycle. And when the process becomes tough or boring, it is easy for procrastination to creep in, and in the worst case, abandonment or deferral of the endeavor. Conscientious and well-intentioned PE candidates understand this challenge.  They recognize the need to push themselves to stay the course and keep moving forward, but the various methods they choose are not always effective, and in some cases may be counterproductive.  In this article, I’ll offer 5 suggestions successful candidates have used to push past obstacles and pass…
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PE Exam Prep for Every Budget

PE Exam Prep for Every Budget

Disclaimer: This article is not intended as financial advice.  Everyone has different financial resources and values.  There's no right or wrong way to study for the PE Exam, but I believe the broad framework outlined in this article may be helpful for figuring out which course of action makes sense for aspiring professional engineers. Studying for the PE Exam is a journey much like traveling to a faraway destination.  You have a variety of options for how you choose to travel, and different modes will make sense for different people, or the same person under different circumstances.  This article describes four levels of exam preparation that candidates broadly fall into. Level 1: The Gritty Minimalist Method (aka Walking) Level 2: The Independent & Self-Directed Method (aka Driving) Level 3: The…
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Beyond the Books: Fueling Your Brain and Body for the PE Exam

Beyond the Books: Fueling Your Brain and Body for the PE Exam

Any successful study plan must incorporate the use of resources that are rich in technical detail, sequenced appropriately, and consumed thoughtfully in order to develop the necessary knowledge and skills required for the PE Exam.  However, there are additional considerations beyond what to study and how to go about it.  Studying is a cognitive process and the quality of our thinking depends on having enough energy and mental clarity to do the work day after day.  Cultivating this state of readiness is a metaskill that creates the possibility of building new skills, and it rests on three pillars: sleep, nutrition, and fitness.   This brief article, while far from comprehensive, offers a few practical tips for engineers pursuing PE licensure. You will notice an outsized benefit for each additional tactic you…
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Slow Studying for Faster Results

Slow Studying for Faster Results

I recently finished reading Cal Newport’s book Slow Productivity and was inspired to share how his insights can be applied to preparing for the PE Exam. Cal observes that many of us are overwhelmed by work and have a difficult time recognizing what our priorities are, so we just try to work on a lot and hope to make progress.  We have learned how to look busy from years of knowledge work in offices, but when it comes time to block out distractions and focus, many of us struggle.  The goal of Cal’s three “rules” that follow, adapted from the book, is to enable us to apply our cognitive effort and transform our time and energy into something of lasting value. Specifically for PE candidates, we wish to build the…
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The PE Exam Motivation Cycle (and What to Do About It)

The PE Exam Motivation Cycle (and What to Do About It)

When you first start considering going for your PE, the possibility feels exciting!  You may find yourself dreaming of your future career, exploring possible job opportunities, researching the application process in your state, asking colleagues what their PE journey was like, and scouring the web for the best study resources. In fact, all of this may happen before you are fully committed to the process.  Even if you’re not sure whether it is the right time in your career, or you’re worried the process may be too complicated, or you’re concerned about asking your references to endorse you, you may find yourself compelled to take on the challenge in spite of these obstacles. The Start When your reasons are stronger than what could stand in the way, you feel motivated. …
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3 Tips For Retaking the PE Exam

3 Tips For Retaking the PE Exam

Have you taken the Mechanical PE Exam and failed?  Are you committed to getting your professional engineering license but not sure what adjustments you need to make in order to pass the exam?  Here are three suggestions I've compiled from working with hundreds of candidates in the same situation, including multiple repeat takers that passed on their sixth try! 1. Recalibrate Your Expectations One of the most common questions candidates ask themselves, me, and anyone on Reddit willing to venture a response is: "How hard is the Mechanical PE Exam?"  The answer depends on a variety of factors, such as: What you studied in school How long since you were a student How accustomed you are to thinking critically for hours at a time What you work on day to…
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10 Steps to Get Started Toward Your PE

10 Steps to Get Started Toward Your PE

This article is for you if you have already decided you want to get your Professional Engineering License in Mechanical HVAC & Refrigeration or Thermal & Fluids Systems and you are figuring out how to get started. Gather State Board Requirements Before you start studying, find out what the requirements are for the state you are getting your license in.  Specifically, some states require the application and approval before you sit for the exam.  Other states allow candidates to take the exam any time, even before they have met the experience requirements, then they apply later once they have enough experience.  To quickly find out how your state works, here’s a map we put together, and you can also find your state board’s official website from the NCEES website. Describe…
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