By Dr. Peter T. Martin on March 1, 2010
As we all know, NCEES structures the PE into two exams: AM and PM which it identifies as “breadth” and “depth” respectively. Each exam has 40 questions. Each lasts 4 hours. The only difference is that the AM exam has 5 disciplines and the PM exam has one. This means that both breadth and depth problems are designed to fit into an exam structure that allows about 6 minutes each. However, the PM exam has 4 to 5 times as many questions drawn from one discipline compared to about one fifth of those which are represented in the AM exam. So, we could call the PM exam “breadth” because there are so many more questions!
This is why we at PeReview.net don’t differentiate between breadth and depth problems. Instead,we advocate breadth in preparation which, in turn, will deliver depth.
Category: PE Exam Preparation | Tags: breadth, depth, pe exam prep
By Dr. Peter T. Martin on February 26, 2010
For anyone over 40, taking the PE Exam may seem like a younger persons endeavor. Not so… Here’s a recent comment we received from Carla, responding to this post, The Holiday Spirit and that looming PE Exam:
I really like the article Holiday Spirit and that Looming PE Exam. However, I do not consider myself a “young engineer”. I’m 50 years old and even though I graduated in 2006 (yes it took me 8 years and I worked as an Engr. Tech) sometimes I feel that I should push this out of my mind and consider myself a “young engineer”.
Any advice on not letting my age make excuses for me? I do feel younger than 50 and I’m trying to work that one!
Continue reading “The Civil Engineering PE Exam for the Over 40’s”
Category: PE Exam Preparation | Tags: pe exam prep
By Terry on January 25, 2010
Here’s a question from Jacqueline that’s stumping all of us; anyone know the answer?
It is my understanding that you cant take a drafting compass into the exam so how do you plot mohrs circle for the triaxial test problems?
Category: Subscriber Questions | Tags: drafting compass, mohrs circle, questions, triaxial
By Dr. Peter T. Martin on December 28, 2009
When the winter solstice brings us Christmas and all the other end of year festivities, there’s a natural break. For the majority of us, the holidays are a break from work. It’s also a time when treadmills and exercise bikes sell. It’s the time when we resolve to change something.
Continue reading “The Holiday Spirit and that looming PE Exam”
Category: PE Exam Preparation | Tags: civil pe exam, pe exam prep
