Career By Design

Dear ASCE Community,

I took the FE Civil Exam twice-my first attempt on March 3, 2026, followed by a retake on July 22, 2026.

Unfortunately, my diagnostic scores have remained almost unchanged, and I am unsure how to adjust my preparation strategy for the next attempt.

So far, I have:

• Practiced consistently and solved hundreds of problems

• Used PrepFE, Islam 800, Iqbal, and School of PE materials

• Watched Mark Mattson's FE Civil videos

• Tutored first-time FE candidates for nearly a month

Despite the time and effort, I am struggling to identify what is holding me back.

I would sincerely appreciate advice from anyone who has faced a similar situation:

How did you improve after multiple attempts? Should I focus more on concepts, timed practice, the FE Reference Handbook, or exam-taking strategy?

I am sharing my diagnostic reports for context. Any honest feedback or study recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

in the FE Reference Handbook.

Thanks for reading my post.

Regards,

Zeeshan khan

mkhan247@...

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Mohammed Zeeshan Khan S.M.ASCE
Student
Chantilly VA
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Hello Zeeshan,

Did you focus on the FE Handbook? The kind of questions asked in the FE exam are almost directly from the handbook. You just need to know where exactly the formula is given in the handbook. Also, if you have not done your bachelor's from the US, you must take care of the units while doing calculations. I practiced only from Mark Mattson's videos and was able to clear it in my first attempt.

Best,

Shubha

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Shubha Bamney Ph.D., M.ASCE
Graduate Research Assistant
Oxford MS
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Hi,

First, you did do better the second time.  There are 3 categories where you did as well as those passing the test, vs only one the first time you took the test.

In order to do better you have to identify what is holding you back.  

Are you finishing the exam? Are you the kind of person who overthinks multiple choice questions? Were there multiple questions that you did not know the answer to? Do you get nervous and lose what you already know?

Understanding why you are not succeeding is the way to figure out how to succeed.

Here is a reassuring story: I have two close friends, one who is a born test taker, the other who is truly bad at timed tests.  The one who was bad at tests took AP Biology and was serious about becoming a biologist, the other did not take AP Biology and was casually interested in biology.  The one without AP Biology class got an 800, the other one did poorly.  The poor test taker studied hard, took the test again and got an 800.  She went on to a PhD in Biology and became a professor.

I was a nervous test taker which made me not do as well as I could have; my strategy was to read through the test, put my head down on the desk, cradled in my arms as if taking a nap, breathe deeply, and say the phrase, "Bust it out." over and over as I reassured myself that I would do well.

Using this technique I started outperforming my peers on tests.

I sympathize with you over the disappointment of preparing hard for the exam and not passing, two times.

Remember, that success comes with understanding yourself and figuring out what you need to do based on what is holding you back.

I hope this helps you to figure out how to succeed the next time you take it.

Best wishes,

Sarah

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Sarah Halsey P.E., M.ASCE
New York NY
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