FEATURED PE EXAM PREP TIP – Have Only One Way to Work a Problem

As you prepare for the PE Exam, you will find many sources of exam-type problems (MERM, CERM, NCEES Practice Exams, etc).  This wealth of information has a great many benefits. However, having a number of references has a troublesome downside. For a class of problems, you will see several solution approaches. You may have even thought of additional, and quite valid, approaches on your own. All you need is one right way to work a problem, but which one to use? You don’t want to make this decision during the exam; that can use up valuable time. You need to make that decision now while you are preparing, and use that same solution consistently throughout your review.

You are free to choose any solution you like, but I would like to make a strong argument for using the a solution approach that follows a logical order and is applicable across multiple problems. Easier to remember and less to learn that way. In my review courses, that’s what I’ve done – I have worked to select the most direct and teachable solution approach for a class of problems, using an approach for each class of problems that is consistent and repeatable, and from the feedback I have received from past participants is that it really does pay off for them on the exam.
- Dr. Tom

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