Professional and Career Topics

Hi everyone,

I was recently approved to take the PE Civil: Transportation exam, which I have scheduled for October 8. I've primarily been preparing through School of PE and the official NCEES practice exam in the last year.

Several coworkers who have taken the exam told me that these are great resources, although the actual exam may be somewhat more difficult. I'm now at the point where I can typically identify which reference manual and chapter I need for a problem, but I occasionally freeze up-possibly because I still need to build confidence under exam conditions.

For those who have taken the Transportation PE recently, are there any additional practice exams or books you would recommend that realistically represent the exam's difficulty? I have Jacob Petro's book. I would also appreciate any advice on building confidence, improving reference navigation, or preparing for exam day as a first-time test taker. Thank you!

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Brianna Rotheram EIT, M.ASCE
Engineer Project Manager 1
Duncannon PA
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I fell into the strange transitional period where I took the FE online but the PE on paper. One thing I did that in hindsight that was very helpful was take practice tests in as close to the testing conditions as feasible.

For my testing conditions, that included

• Phone on airplane mode so it was my timer but wouldn't ring or give other notifications
• Only used the materials I would have with me on exam day
• Marked off the physical space I would be given on exam day
• Took the morning session practice test in silence once day
• Took the afternoon session practice test in silence another day 

For yours, I recommend a similar approach with the adjustments for the exam being online

• No phone access
• Use the exam handbook and digital copies of reference materials so you can practice the "control + F" to navigate the resources
• Use a similar writing setup to what they allow you to use on exam day (dry erase marker on a laminated sheets, I think)
• Use an approved calculator 
• Take the exam without music or other background noise
• Take multi-hour practice tests to help with the testing endurance 

Another piece of advice I got that was very helpful was creating a pre-determined method for approaching the test. I had a math professor who loved to say "taking an exam is like going to war; you need a strategy!" She was right. 

Here is what I used for the FE that can be modified to what works for you:

• When reading a problem, check what they are asking for before worrying what information is provided; sometimes they provide much more than you actually need.
•  If you could solve the problem in less than a minute or so (so not looking something up in the reference manual), answer it after reading it.
• If you think that even with a lot of time you would probably not be able to (with any confidence) get a correct answer, make an educated guess and move on.
• If you could figure the problem out with more time, flag it and move on.
• If you think you could maybe answer it with a lot of time, take an educated guess and flag it.
• On the review screen, start by clicking to jump back to the unanswered questions.
• Then do the unanswered flagged questions.
• Lastly, work on the answered but still flagged questions.

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Heidi C. Wallace, P.E., M.ASCE
Tulsa, OK
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I took it in 2023. No cell phone is permitted at all. Recommend putting car key in sock. Take nothing but NCEES calculator. No watch, jewelry, wallet. Just drivers license.

Best book is Julienne Sinclair's practice exams. She preps for computer based exams.

Go over problems you got wrong, keep taking test until 100%.

Exam is now much more transportation depth than it used to be. Not as much general civil anymore.

Best of luck to you.

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David Huston M.ASCE
Pittsburgh PA
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I agree 100% with Heidi! She has a great answer. You should be banging out practice problems with your calculator and handbook/references (to simulate exam conditions) whenever you can. Did a meeting at work end early? Do a 6 minute problem. Lunch hour - try to squeeze in 1 or 2 problems. Cooking and waiting for water to boil? Do a 6 minute problem...It's just going to take time and repetition to stay calm, trust your self, and execute. And that's so you can improve your confidence and reference navigation.

You should probably do a simulated 4-hr exam soon, so you can give yourself a baseline of where you're at. And you can evaluate: did you have to guess on a lot of problems, did you waste time on problems spinning wheels or not finding what you were searching the manuals for, etc.? Identify your weak areas in both the content and Test-taking skills. Then keep studying and do another 4-hr exam maybe 2 weeks before test day. If you still have time, a 3rd 4-hr practice exam. Hopefully those simulations confirm that you have the skills and also the endurance to make it through and score a passing grade! 

I did not take the Transportation exam, so unfortunately I don't have recommendations for you there. I loved the EET program that I took in 2023. EET only offers a complete course (16+ weeks of content), but if you find any friends using EET maybe they can share practice problems with you. I found EET to be just enough harder than my exam which made it easier on exam day.

Finally, I will add that my ASCE Maryland Younger Member Group is offering a webinar event open to anyone - you can find it here on Collaborate and register by Sept. 8th! Event link: Virtual PE Exam Prep Panel on Sept. 10th. A group of engineers who have previously taken the PE exam have volunteered their time to provide future test-takers with studying tips, test taking strategies, and helpful resources for the exam!

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Leslie Tillman P.E., M.ASCE
Project Engineer
Baltimore MD
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