How Much Prep Do You Need for the PE? ??

In a previous article, we shared which of the five PE civil exams may be the “easiest.”

But no matter which one you take, you still need to put in the time and effort. The question is… ??

For how long? How many months should you spend studying for the PE Exam to have a realistic chance of passing, no matter which exam you take? ??

Today, we’re going to walk you through the process of determining how much prep time you should give yourself, plus...

We’ll share with you our golden rule of thumb.

We’ve been sharing this rule with nearly 2,000 students of our courses for the past decade, and now we’re going be sharing it with you, too. ?? ??

3 Aspects That Impact Your Prep Time 3??

When it comes to prepping for the PE exam, there’s no one-size-fits-all formula. Your prep time really depends on where you’re at in your life and career.

Here are three questions you need to answer to determine your prep time:

a) What Do You Do at Work?

Do you work at a place where you regularly apply concepts and review codes and standards related to your discipline? ??

If you do, then great! You may need less time to study because things will be fresh in your mind and you can get this over with faster.

But if you’re like Makenzie Allen — a past student of our PE review course — and you don’t have much exposure to the codes, standards, and content in your exam specs on a daily basis, then you probably need a longer runway.

b) How Long Have You Been Out of School (or the Industry)?

Most states require four years of work experience as an EIT before you’re allowed to sit for the PE exam. But have you been out of school longer than that? ??

If yes, then you probably need a bit more time to get fully prepared for the exam.

Plus, if you’ve been out of the civil engineering industry as a whole for some time as well, this can make your runway a bit longer too — but not impossible. ??

Holly Guillaume was a past student of our PE review course who had to step away from the industry for 17 years due to life events.

Then, she made an incredible comeback getting her PE license after all this time. (That’s right. After 17 years with no contact with civil engineering topics and codes whatsoever! ??)

If this is you, then keep in mind it’s not impossible (not at all)!

You just need to give yourself a tad more time to wrap your head around all the topics you haven’t seen for a while.

c) What’s Your Motivation?

Your motivation also impacts how long your prep time will be. How, you ask?

Is your “why” strong enough to get you to buckle down and study…every day? Or are you gonna study a few times a week and pass the exam “when you can?”

These are two different situations.

If you’re gritting your teeth and determined to get this done, then you’ll have the discipline to sit down and study every day — even when you don’t want to.

Wade Brossaurd, another past student of our PE review course, was a repeat taker. He was so determined to pass that he became obsessed with it…and studied when most wouldn’t. ??

The CEA Rule of Thumb You Can Steal ??

If you’ve answered the previous questions, then you have a general idea of how much prep time you’ll need — whether it’s a lot or just a little bit.

Now the question is, “How many months do I need, exactly? ??”

Here’s a rule of thumb we share with our course students… ??

At a minimum, 3-4 months, with 250-350 total study hours.

We highly recommend dedicating 3-4 months to intensive study. Aim for two hours of study time each weekday, and then hit it hard on weekends with four to eight hours.

Can you do it in less than three months? We don’t believe so.

Three months is the minimum amount of time in which you can realistically study and practice every topic in the specifications for your exam. (Sad, but true. ??)

Now, for those who have been out of the game for a while, such as Holly, extending your preparation time to six to 12 months is the way to go.

In fact, 6 months is the sweet spot.

The six-month option is by far the favorite access option of civil engineers who enroll in our PE review course.

It leaves some room for additional practice and reviews if you only need the minimum of three to four months. But it’s also the minimum you need if you’ve been out of school or the industry for some time.

It basically serves both ends of the spectrum. ??

Are You Kicking Off Your Studies for the PE? ??

Yes? ??

Then deciding how many months you’ll have is the first decision you need to make. Why?

Because you need to spread out your studies throughout this prep time to make sure you hit everything in the specs.

So, make this decision now! Then, once you do, you need to build a study plan.

Our PE Review Courses that we’ll be rolling out soon not only makes it easier for you to organize your studies, but it also does the heavy lifting for you.

How?

Each one comes with a planner, which works as both a study schedule (it tells you what you should study and when) and a homework planner (it assigns homework problems for each topic covered in the course material).

Pretty sweet, huh?

If you know you’ll grab a review course to help you get over this hump then listen closely… ??

We’re this close to rolling out our Geotech PE Review Course, and the Water Resources is already in the works as well.

If you want, you can join our waitlist to receive more frequent updates and be the first to know when we launch. ??

We can help you pass, no matter if you go all-in within only three months, or prefer to work slowly but steadily throughout 12 months. We’ll be here for you! ??