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. Motivation may be defined simply as “the reasons for acting.” Motivation builds gradually until it becomes a powerful, almost irresistible urge to move forward. This emotion is not to be wasted.
Naturally, you start taking action. You tell friends, family, and colleagues you are going to become a professional engineer, you start the application process, you select your exam, and you get all the books or courses that you plan to study with, and you dive in!
The Slump
Flash forward 4 weeks. You are slumped over your computer desk looking over your work from the same question you’ve been staring at for 45 minutes. It is the first day you have made time to study in a week because of commitments at home and at work and it is not going well. You are fully aware that you’re falling behind, and you are starting to wonder if the whole PE thing was a bad idea. Even on days that go well, the process feels slow and painfully boring. It’s hard to imagine continuing for another 3 months, and still not feeling confident about being ready for the exam.
What happened? Where did all that motivation and enthusiasm go?
First, let’s recognize that you are not alone. This is the classic motivation slump experienced by many PE candidates like you, and lots of other people pursuing a wide variety of goals having nothing to do with engineering.
We tend to get excited and focused at the beginning, frustrated and tired in the middle, and then, fortunately, re-energized toward the end.
There are 3 tactics that will help you navigate the motivation cycle:
- Expect the Slump
The first and most important way to head off the loss in motivation that so many of us experience when faced with a significant challenge is to simply be aware of the phenomenon in the first place. Studying is genuinely hard, so losing motivation when you’re already struggling makes for an uphill battle. However, if your expectations are for the cumulative effect of studying day after day to take its toll, you will be less surprised and more patient and understanding with yourself when the going gets rough. You will have predicted that it would get as hard as it is, and you will feel like the work you are doing is part of the path to your success rather than an unplanned detour.
- Constrain Your Study Window
I’ve written extensively on why it is critical to give yourself enough time to prepare for the PE Exam, typically 4-6 months. But there may be a good case for keeping the window on the shorter side of this range, perhaps as little as 90-120 days. The rationale is that it is easier to push ourselves when the finish line is in sight. Six months may be too long to be pushing, so we end up wasting half the time anyway and would have been better served with a more aggressive plan. One quarter of a year is sustainable with the right program as long as you keep moving and don’t get stuck for too long. And it’s over by the time the seasons change.
- Establish a Study Streak
One of the most effective methods for maintaining motivation throughout the entire study process is to establish a study habit early and then keep the streak. Sometimes your streak will get broken. If that happens, it’s OK, but don’t miss two in a row. Get right back to work and don’t beat yourself up about missing one. On the flip side, don’t overdo it in any one day. If you’re having a great study session and want to extend from an hour to two hours, that’s welcome and encouraged. But be sure you are getting enough rest and not hampering your ability or desire to continue the next day. It is always better to put in an hour every day than 3-4 hours twice per week, because lots of the connections are made subconsciously by our brains between sessions. With this approach, you are making daily progress without wearing yourself down.
The Rebound
Somewhere around 2-4 weeks before your exam date, you will likely notice your motivation increasing again. There are two primary reasons for this. First, you have proven to yourself over the previous ~10 weeks that you are willing and able to show up most days and do the work necessary to move toward your goal of passing the PE exam. You have by now successfully convinced yourself through action that you can and will get it done. Second, the deadline is well within view and your focus and conviction are growing. You can handle the pressure of your exam date knowing there is rest and recovery waiting on the other side. It is certainly encouraged to ride this wave of motivation through the final stages of studying, perhaps making additional room in your days to accommodate final preparation with added urgency. Suggestion: Be sure to stop and rest 24-48 hours before your exam as there is little value in cramming right before. It is much more important to have all your mental faculties with you on the big day.
In summary, the best ways to deal with the slump in the motivation cycle are to plan for it at the start, strategically constrain your study window, and maintain a study streak.
If you found this article helpful, I’d be honored to support you on your journey toward professional licensure. To learn more about the process and our programs, contact Dan@mechancialPEexamprep.com.