With the calendar counting down to the last Civil pencil-and-paper PE Exam in October 2022, there’s still time benefit from one of the key advantages of this exam format – that you can take whatever references you want into the exam.
The process of assembling the reference materials to take into the exam is a vital part of your preparation, that is why I made it one of the cornerstones of the Dr. Tom Method we use in our Civil PE Exam Review courses. Deciding what to take and preparing your references for easy access to information, requires much thought, resulting in better retention of that information. I have seen this consistently in many years helping engineers to pass the PE Exam. The more effort our students put into preparing and organizing their references, the better they do on the exam.
How you organize them is your personal choice, but I recommend that you use a system that groups all information on a single topic together in one easily accessible location. You want to eliminate lots of searching through multiple references as much as possible. What’s most important is that you are familiar with your references and know where to find what you need quickly.
Beyond the exam, the materials you generate in preparing for the PE Exam are also materials you can use once you become a licensed professional engineer. You be able to enter the exam with the sense of confidence and accomplishment that you had collected, created and brought to the exam the materials that you needed to succeed, and leave with a wealth of materials you can use in your life as a PE.
There is clearly an advantage in preparing for and taking the PE Exam with materials you gather and create yourself, as well as great reward in passing the PE Exam knowing you were the one who compiled the reference materials. And for these reasons alone, my advice is to take and pass the PE exam now, before the change takes place! – Dr. Tom
“I participated in the 20-Week Review class for the Civil: Water Resources and Environmental exam. All of the hours put into studying and developing the materials following the Dr. Tom method paid off as I passed the Exam. Taking the 20 weeks to absorb the material and develop organized references I believe was also critical to my success. I will recommend anyone taking the test in the future to use the Dr. Tom courses, they were worth both my monetary and time investments.” – Chris Bakey, PE, Cochranville, PA
