I just took the PE exam today (civil engineering i.e. water, concrete, dirt, steel, roads, foundations, sewage). I studied, but not as much as I should have. I went in with something near absolute hopelessness. I figured I studied just enough to realize that I couldn't pass the exam. I had resigned myself to using this exam as another study session.
It went better than that (knock on wood). Most of the time I found an answer similar to my calculations. I now have some hope that I passed it. I'm trying not to get TOO confident though, because they desing these multiple choices tests to have an "obvious" wrong answer. Maybe I found a bunch of those today.
Anyway, the PE is not a test to walk in and take without studying unless somehow you got a perfect job that keeps you running calculations on all different aspects of your branch of engineering.
Questions I would have liked to have seen:
1) The heavy equipment operators have coalesced into two competing groups with opposing gripes. You're just the assistant manager with no authority whatsoever. The operator that acts most like Nelson from the Simpsons corners you and is trying to force you to make a decision. Do you:
a) Act like you're on his team long enough to get out of his sight
b) Backpedal like crazy and remind him that you're not in charge of anything
c) Confront him with the fact that you actually DON'T sypathize with his gripe
d) Act all dumb and say "That reminds me of an episode of the Sopranos I watched last night."
2) End dump truck X weighs 30 tons fully loaded. Landfill Compactor Y weighs 40 tons. Truck driver Z backs end dump truck X into Landfill Compactor Y causing damage to the end dump truck. The truck driver and the heavy equipment operator blame it on each other. How much money will it take to fix the situation?
a) $1,000,000 for each driver
b) $0 because you call the operator that acts most like Nelson from the Simpson's and he bullies the other two into compliance
c) $20 in beer
d) It's all taxpayer money anyway
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