If you have decided to take the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam, you know it’s a turning point in your engineering career. And you probably are ready with your PE exam prep study course to ace the test too. But is it enough?
A lot of students take this test with the hope to clear it on their first try, however, it isn’t that easy. To make the most of your knowledge and pass the PE exam convincingly, you got to practice. How many times, have you heard “practice makes a man perfect”, this is where you test this saying.
Besides, with so many good practice exams available for both your PE and Fundamentals of Engineering exam (FE), you can have all you need. But not everybody thinks the same. Many students waste too much time trying to cover up the courses that they hardly have time or energy for practice exams. And those whose PE or FE civil exam prep includes lots and lots of practice papers automatically get an edge over them.
In case you are in a dilemma trying to decide whether or not to prioritize practice exams, go through the following points:
- Practice Exams Help You Test Your Knowledge
No matter how much you think you are ready for the exam, you can always prepare better. And practice exams help you do that. Taking practice tests is an effective way to identify knowledge gaps and figure out what you know and what you don’t precisely. While studying with the concepts in front of you in your reference book, you could think that you know how to solve it, but on a practice test, you challenge your brain to work on it and that’s how you master a concept or an entire test.
Also, for a high-profile exam like this one, your confidence and self-belief play a huge role as well. If you take more practice tests you find and overcome your knowledge barriers, growing higher in confidence every time. You can become pretty much an expert in PE exams with the help of relevant practice tests.
- Teaches You Time Management
For your PE exam, you get 80 questions to solve in 8 hours and every second matters. This is why learning time management is as important as working on your PE exam prep study course. With practice exams, you allow yourself to test your pace and improve it. You might find it difficult to divide and allot time to each problem at first, but the more your practice the easier it gets.
Depending upon your speed and available questions, you must know how much time to spend on each problem. It is important because, at the beginning of the paper, you might think you have a lot of time but could be rushing through the paper by the end of the exam. Practice tests teach you how to pace yourself in a way that you give enough attention to every question without a hassle.
- Practice Exams Helps You Adjust Better
Further, after you think you have done everything needed for your PE or FE civil exam prep, start doing practice tests. Don’t waste time going over each concept again and again. If you want to know whether or not the study courses are cemented in your brain, there’s no better way than by taking practice exams. It proves an effective way to revise what you have studied and exposes the problems you haven’t worked on before.
Challenging yourself before the exam is crucial for the exam to go smoothly. With practice exams, you get a clear idea of the strong and weak zones that you maybe need to work on harder. Then, after taking 2 or 3 practice exams, compare the papers to see how much you have progressed with each one. There’s no better alternative to revision than solving practice exams.
- Overcome Stress and Anxiety
It is only natural to feel stressed before taking an exam on which your career depends. But that doesn’t mean you let the stress consume you. Test anxiety is more about wondering what if you don’t know what the test would be like, what if you won’t remember anything, etc. So how do you overcome that? By taking practice exams. Anxiety is only in one’s head and doesn’t exist in reality. Turn that anxiety into excitement.
The more practice tests you solve, the less you feel anxious. Taking the test for the first time can bring up a lot of nervous energy, affecting your ability to solve the problems successfully. With each practice test, you overcome your nervous energy and feel less stressed. Make sure you solve relevant and up-to-date practice exams offered by a good engineering academy.
- Master The PE Exam’s Quirks
Every exam is different in terms of format, designing and working aspects. Familiarizing yourself with the quirks of your PE exam will surely help you when you are in the examination hall. The strategies to take a particular test differs from another. Taking practice tests are a must to grow accustomed to the strategies of PE exam.
Although this isn’t the most important reason of all to take practice tests, it does make a difference. It will help you be more comfortable reading through the questions and are about to start. The adjustments that you have to make can be made beforehand when you are working on practice tests. And by the time you are in the hall, you are already ready to get going without a problem.
Conclusion
Are you now convinced that practice exams are as essential as studying for your PE exam? Then don’t waste any more time. If you have already registered for the test, get done with your PE exam prep study course and start solving practice tests. Civil Engineering Academy offers genuine practice exams formatted as per the NCEES guidelines to help you prepare thoroughly for your Principles and Practice of Engineering exam and pass the exam with flying colours.
