Spanking May Lower Kids' IQs
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From: Queen City, NC
Originally Posted by zachismisitok,Sep 25 2009, 03:48 PM
I feel sorry for the person that judges someone based on how they "present" themselves on car forums. I didn't realize it was such serious business!!!
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Originally Posted by zachismisitok,Sep 25 2009, 02:03 PM
is the pe exponentially harder than the fe, or just harder because it has been so long since school
The first portion (breadth) of the FE was a joke - I probably wouldn't have needed to study for it, in general, despite having been out of school for three years. The second portion of the FE (depth) was more difficult but I still passed easily (just had to know the reference book).
The first portion of the PE (breadth) is similar to the second portion (depth) of the FE in any given topic. The second portion of the PE (depth) is probably harder than the FE by quite a bit.
The major difference is that the PE is an open-book exam but it also potentially offers questions you can't answer if you don't have the proper reference material. Just my basic reference book is 1296 pages and I'll have two or three others that are 300+ pages each. It is an all-encompassing test within your chosen field (Mechanical Engineering for me) and so ANYTHING is fair game within that general area of expertise. I haven't done HVAC/thermo/heat transfer in years so that's much more difficult for me to pick up.
I'd estimate the PE is at least 50% harder than the FE. Structural engineers have an especially tough time as they have multiple exams (two, minimum) to pass to get their full PE license.
Recommended study time for the mechanical PE exam is 300 hours. That's way more than is needed for the FE and probably where the greatest difficulty lies (most people don't have the time or discipline to study for 300 hours). I expect to have roughly 100 hours of study completed by the time I write (four weeks from now) as I only started two weeks ago. I am studying most week nights and for six or more hours each weekend.
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Originally Posted by JonBoy,Sep 25 2009, 12:26 PM
I don't know for certain but I'll let you know after I write it.
The first portion (breadth) of the FE was a joke - I probably wouldn't have needed to study for it, in general, despite having been out of school for three years. The second portion of the FE (depth) was more difficult but I still passed easily (just had to know the reference book).
The first portion of the PE (breadth) is similar to the second portion (depth) of the FE in any given topic. The second portion of the PE (depth) is probably harder than the FE by quite a bit.
The major difference is that the PE is an open-book exam but it also potentially offers questions you can't answer if you don't have the proper reference material. Just my basic reference book is 1296 pages and I'll have two or three others that are 300+ pages each. It is an all-encompassing test within your chosen field (Mechanical Engineering for me) and so ANYTHING is fair game within that general area of expertise. I haven't done HVAC/thermo/heat transfer in years so that's much more difficult for me to pick up.
I'd estimate the PE is at least 50% harder than the FE. Structural engineers have an especially tough time as they have multiple exams (two, minimum) to pass to get their full PE license.
Recommended study time for the mechanical PE exam is 300 hours. That's way more than is needed for the FE and probably where the greatest difficulty lies (most people don't have the time or discipline to study for 300 hours). I expect to have roughly 100 hours of study completed by the time I write (four weeks from now) as I only started two weeks ago. I am studying most week nights and for six or more hours each weekend.
The first portion (breadth) of the FE was a joke - I probably wouldn't have needed to study for it, in general, despite having been out of school for three years. The second portion of the FE (depth) was more difficult but I still passed easily (just had to know the reference book).
The first portion of the PE (breadth) is similar to the second portion (depth) of the FE in any given topic. The second portion of the PE (depth) is probably harder than the FE by quite a bit.
The major difference is that the PE is an open-book exam but it also potentially offers questions you can't answer if you don't have the proper reference material. Just my basic reference book is 1296 pages and I'll have two or three others that are 300+ pages each. It is an all-encompassing test within your chosen field (Mechanical Engineering for me) and so ANYTHING is fair game within that general area of expertise. I haven't done HVAC/thermo/heat transfer in years so that's much more difficult for me to pick up.
I'd estimate the PE is at least 50% harder than the FE. Structural engineers have an especially tough time as they have multiple exams (two, minimum) to pass to get their full PE license.
Recommended study time for the mechanical PE exam is 300 hours. That's way more than is needed for the FE and probably where the greatest difficulty lies (most people don't have the time or discipline to study for 300 hours). I expect to have roughly 100 hours of study completed by the time I write (four weeks from now) as I only started two weeks ago. I am studying most week nights and for six or more hours each weekend.
yah, the FE was a breeze. Most of it was in the book they gave us. But I think I remember it being different for every state. Side note, how did you get the experience portion as an ME (that's what I am). Did you do design work under a PE boss-man?
