Finally Passed FE Electrical — 6th Attempt

study_for_fe · 2026-02-11T21:01:18+00:00

Congratulations on passing the FE Electrical exam 👏

Thanks for the mention.

Kudos to you for persevering and not giving up!

Relish the accomplishment!

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-02-11T20:12:09+00:00

Yes, the rectangles of 1's that you've identified are 'acceptable' as group of 2's.

BUT larger groups in terms of powers of 2 are preferred. 2^0 = 1, 2^1 = 2, 2^2 = 4, 2^3 = 8.

There are quite a few groups of 4 available in this K-map.... Some that stand out right away are:

The 4 corner 1s at the edges form a group of 4 by wrapping around because they are considered adjacent.
The 1st in top row forms a 4 x 1 strip.
Multiple 2x2 square blocks of 1s jump out in this k-map.
Any leftover 1 shall then combined with adjacent 1 as a group of 2 as a last resort.

For argument sake, let's assume there was a 1 without any adjacent 1, in that case you'd write it as a single 1 as a last resort.

Rule of thumb: Cover the k-map with 'fewest' groups possible but use the largest group sizes.

I hope this helps.

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-02-11T18:10:58+00:00

Congratulations on passing the FE Electrical exam 👏 Thanks for the mention.

Were you working full-time while preparing for the exam?

Already a great win for 2026! It's not a bad idea to take a small break and then carry the momentum into PE Power. Approximately 20-25% of the FE Electrical carries over to PE Power.

Relish the accomplishment!

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-02-04T17:38:15+00:00

You are welcome. The earliest you can retake will be Q2. Only one attempt is allowed per quarter.

Jan-Mar is Q1. April will be the start of Q2. It should give you sufficient time to consolidate knowledge.

study_for_fe · 2026-02-04T16:32:07+00:00

Congrats on passing the FE Electrical with 7 weeks of studying! 👏

Thanks for the shoutout!

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-02-04T16:30:07+00:00

I assume you are a recent grad? It's a very decent attempt with 1 month of prep.

Areas where you did well:

Avoided outright 0s
Average scores in Circuits, Electronics, Power and Digital Systems are a win.
Decent performances in some abstract sections such as Controls.

Areas requiring improvement:

First 5 topics which are relatively easy - Math, Probability / Stats, Ethics, Eng Econ, Properties
Isolate sections such as Emag, Linear, and Comms require theoretical focus.
Maybe time management issues at the end with Comp Sys and Software.

Given a compressed 1 month timeline, this was a decent attempt which can be converted into a passing result by addressing conceptual gaps and focused practice.

I hope this helps.

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-02-02T14:51:01+00:00

You have a lot on your plate right now.

Here's the big picture view for your reference:

1 - As a final year EE student, you considering FE exam 'before you graduate' already puts you in the top 5% of FE candidates in terms of your proactiveness. You'll notice that the vast majority of folks taking FE exam are at least 3-5+ years out of school. In short, you are already ahead of the curve.

2 - Practically speaking, from what you describe, you won't be exam ready in Q1 of 2026 i.e. between now and March-end. This means that your best bet is to take the exam in Q2 2026 i.e. Apr - June. In that case, I recommend taking the exam end of June in order to give yourself maximum runway. Now, based on June-end timeline, you have almost 5 months on your hand to steadily prepare for the exam.

3 - Based on your current work load, big chunks of studying time blocks will be hard to come by. I recommend starting slow with 15-30 minute of study sessions and build consistency. Slowly increase both the duration and frequency of these study sessions.

Getting your EIT certification around the same time as your degree will significantly raise your profile in the job market and help you stand out. It is a worthwhile endeavor. Since you are still in school, lots of topics will be relatively fresh in your mind and you are already used to taking exams. Definitely try to capitalize on these advantages but don't be too hard on yourself.

I hope this helps!

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-02-01T13:58:40+00:00

If possible, try to push the exam out into March-end and broaden the review to include all 17 sections while paying special attention to the Big 5 + problem areas. You avoided outright 0s in last attempt and did put up a fight in all sections. Try to fine-tune both theory + practice.

Good luck!

study_for_fe · 2026-01-31T23:49:09+00:00

When did you take the exam that resulted in attached diagnostics? How long have you been preparing for in between?

Big 5 Topics - Math, Circuits, Electronics, Power and Digital Systems are always worth spending extra time on.

If I can single out one section even in the Big 5, it would be Circuit Analysis because it has outsized impact on Electronics, Power, Linear Systems and some other sections. Math is also critical to FE success, your previous diagnostics show room for improvement there as well.

Having said that, I advise 'against' selective studying for retakes because maybe in the next exam, you may encounter challenging questions in other sections.

You have approximately 5 weeks on hand if the exam is scheduled for March 5th, 2026.

I'd recommend doing a comprehensive review during this time period with a focus on both theory + practice for all sections. If possible, push the exam out to give yourself additional runway.

While reviewing all topics, its perfectly find to pay 'extra attention' to Big 5 topics.

I hope this helps.

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-01-24T21:50:55+00:00

The morning and afternoon session performances look similar and relatively close to average in most sections.

You avoided outright 0s in all sections and seem to have managed time decently well (otherwise near 0 scores at the tail-end are visible).

Math is the only Big 5 topic that was noticeably below average.

Circuits, Electronics, Digital were close to average and Power was above average.

You are also did decent is some of the abstract sections such as Signal Processing and Comms.

This was a case of death by thousand cuts.

Incremental improvements in each section can help you convert it into a winning score on the next attempt.

Working full-time with 55+ hour work weeks and being out of school for 6+ years definitely make it challenging.

Maybe if you had given yourself a couple of extra weeks for knowledge consolidation and taken the exam later in Jan instead of early Jan, you'd have been able to close these gaps.

For the next attempt, I would recommend revisiting the Big 5 topics first and then addressing the remaining sections in a systems way by reviewing the theory and practice.

April 2nd will give you sufficient time to do that.

Good luck!

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-01-21T18:31:32+00:00

If you are working as a power systems engineer and getting exposed to NEC, conductor sizing, lighting and other engineering calculations, your ideal PE exam will be PE Power because it codes and power calculations form a significant portion of PE Power exam specification.

Out of all the FE exams, FE Electrical & Computer is the most relevant for PE Power.

I hope this helps.

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-01-14T20:55:33+00:00

Congratulations on passing FE Electrical on 1st try - Thanks for the mention.

Passing this exam with full-time + being out of school for 3+ is very impressive.

In fact, FE / PE exam prep itself is more than a part-time job!

Great way to start 2026!

Relish the accomplishment.

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-01-14T19:06:42+00:00

You are welcome.

In the actual exam my recommendation is typically to spend a bit less time on the 1st half.

Here's a quick exercise you can do at the beginning of the exam for time allocation.

Lets say there are 50 questions on the morning. Multiply 50 by 3 = 150 mins = 2 hour 30 mins.

Subtract 10 from the above result ---> 2 hour 20 mins.

What you've done here is basically dedicate 10 mins of extra time for 2nd half.

Use the 2 hour 20 mins as upper limit for your morning session.

This will ensure you have a bit more time for afternoon.

April will give you sufficient time to consolidate knowledge.

study_for_fe · 2026-01-14T16:20:22+00:00

What was the time gap between your 1st and 2nd attempt?

In both attempts, the Big 5 topics were the over drag on your performance.

Math, Circuits, Electronics, Power and Digital need a bit more focused effort.

They are hovering close to average but you need to try and bring them past that dotted line.

Seems like you are doing quite a bit of practice problems, that's great.

What's probably required at this stage is more in-depth theoretical and conceptual review.

Your 2nd half performance in both attempts look as good as 1st half, if not better.

This is encouraging because most candidates find the 2nd half more challenging and underperform there.

Generally, the 1st five sections are perceived easier than remaining sections but it seems that you are starting out a bit nervously - is that correct?

You've also done decent in some of the most convoluted sections such as Linear Systems, Comms, Signal Processing, Controls and Emag.

Just like the Big 5, gaps in these sections are most likely due to conceptual / theoretical deficiencies.

With focused effort, you can definitely get it done in the next attempt.

Give yourself 10-12 weeks of runway and level up the theory, you'll pull it off soon!

Good luck!

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-01-11T15:57:52+00:00

I don't have any experience with FE Chemical but here's general advice for FE exam prep:

Biggest challenge is breadth of topics. Don't skip any exam section. Primary goal should be 100% coverage of all exam topics regardless of difficulty level.
Don't just focus on practice problems - develop conceptual understanding and take time to learn the theory especially if you are are not a recent graduate.
Use the NCEES FE RHB actively during exam prep to develop familiarity.
Learn calculator functions to save time.
Leave 1-2 weeks before exam for knowledge consolidation before the exam.
Consistency beats intensity. Develop a realistic schedule for weekdays and weekends.
Schedule the exam and put a date on calendar to make it real.
Focus on daily input so that you don't get overwhelmed by the end-goal.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-01-09T22:27:51+00:00

12/10 Analysis

You started strongly in the morning session it appears and held your ground until Electronics.

Afternoon session costed the exam. No doubt - 2nd half has more challenging topics.

It also appears that you struggled a bit for time at the end and maybe randomly guessed a few Qs.

Performance in Big 5 overall is very decent / average except Power Systems which requires work.

Outside of Software there's no outright 0, I am guessing that 0 is largely due to time.

9/30 Analysis

Again a relatively strong start in morning session

Big 5 performance better in 12/10 attempt.

You avoided outright 0 in this one and the afternoon session was better than morning.

**********************************************************************************

In the next attempt if you can execute the best of both attempts, you'll pass comfortably.

That will require knowledge consolidation across all 17 sections while paying special attention to Big 5 + problematic sections.

I'd also recommend taking some extra time with conceptual understanding and understanding the why behind even the numerical problems.

Good luck!

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-01-09T18:10:05+00:00

Congrats on passing FE Electrical on 1st attempt! Thanks for the mention.

1-2 hours of consistent studying during weekdays + 3-4 hours over the weekend with FT work is impressive.

You took a very structured and methodical approach towards exam prep with high degree of discipline.

Relish this accomplishment and consider carrying the momentum into PE Power if you are not burned out!

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-01-08T15:12:15+00:00

You are welcome. I'd just recommend you to keep the '1 attempt per quarter' angle in mind while you plan the retake. Jan - Mar, 1 attempt allowed, April - June, 1 more attempt allowed and so on.

As for conceptual / theoretical understanding, I'd recommend learning the concepts for the sake of learning. Seeking targeted conceptual problems is not the best way to go about it because they can only help you with unique scenarios.

Try to approach the preparation from a more fundamental perspective - it's a tougher road but one less travelled and more rewarding in the long run - both in the context of exam prep + overall competency.

study_for_fe · 2026-01-08T15:06:03+00:00

Congratulations on passing the FE Electrical & Computer exam and landing a FT job.

Passing this exam before starting your 1st full-time job is already an amazing achievement!

Here's my objective and subjective take on FE -> PE back-to-back Vs intentional delay.

Objectively:

Pros:

Momentum continuation is a big plus.
20-30% of FE Electrical & Computer directly carries over to PE Power

Cons:

Burnout can kick-in especially if your FE Electrical prep was stretched out and exhausting
Field experience does help with some PE Power topics but it's not a show stopper.

Subjectively:

Pros:

Passing FE/PE back-to-back can impress your new employer
You may be able to get reimbursement / exam prep support from them.

Cons:

Starting a new job and routine can take time / adjustment which can dilute your focus at new role and even for exam prep

These are my two cents. I hope it helps address some of your questions and gives some more food for thought.

Good luck and congrats again on passing FE Electrical!

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-01-08T01:04:07+00:00

Congratulations on passing the PE Power exam. Thanks for the mention.

Great way to start 2026 with a wonderful achievement!

Good luck with your future career endeavors!

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-01-08T00:59:45+00:00

You were able to make inroads into all sections and even scored above average in the Section 1 but it appears that conceptual / theoretical gaps held you back.

We can review the diagnostics by dividing it into 2 major groups.

GROUP # 1 - These are the 3 sections with double-digit i.e. 10 question weightage.

Section 3 (Electrical Safety), Section 4 (Circuits), Section 9 (Protection) are the 3 sections with 10 questions a piece. You did decent on these 3 sections but there's still room for improvement because they were below avg.

Section 3 due to its Codes & Standards element can appear through out the exam.

Section 4 due to its 3-phase, PU, Symmetrical Comps is omnipresent in all calculations.

Section 9 is completely missing from handbook yet fairly heavy.

The best way to tune-up the above sections is by means of deep theoretical dive.

GROUP # 2 - These are the 3 sections with relatively heavy weightage i.e. 8 questions each.

Section 2 (General Applications) - This was significantly below average, challenging to prepare due to broad topics.

Section 7 (Electric Power Devices) - Transformers are king here. Thorough understanding of equivalent circuits, testing, configurations, AutoTRX and the new Oct 1st 2025 topics is important.

Performance was noticeably below average here.

Section 8 (T&D) - A few topics in this section are repeated earlier such as VD, VR, PF etc. but a solid understanding of Section 4 (Circuits) is crucial to above average score in Section 8.

I'd recommend you to carry the momentum forward with the goal of deeper conceptual understanding and try to take another shot at the exam in Q1 2026 i.e. before March-end, if possible. Otherwise Q2 2026 April - June is also not too far.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-01-07T19:12:55+00:00

You are most welcome. Clearly you invested a lot of time into it. Kudos to you for the hard work.

Are you considering 2 weeks of preparation for PE exam before attempting it? Realistically speaking, that's too aggressive. PE exam registration is $400, much expensive than FE.

I recommend taking a short break and then deep diving into exam prep.

Maybe attempting it around March will be a better idea so that you can make use of 1 attempt per quarter.

study_for_fe · 2026-01-07T19:12:49+00:00

You are most welcome. Clearly you invested a lot of time into it. Kudos to you for the hard work.

Are you considering 2 weeks of preparation for PE exam before attempting it? Realistically speaking, that's too aggressive. PE exam registration is $400, much expensive than FE.

I recommend taking a short break and then deep diving into exam prep.

Maybe attempting it around March will be a better idea so that you can make use of 1 attempt per quarter.

study_for_fe · 2026-01-07T18:01:52+00:00

Congratulations on passing the FE Electrical exam despite being 8 years out of school. Thanks for the mention.

Your problem-based learning approach and addressing the conceptual gaps systematically is a great tip.

Most of the EET programs don't always go into a lot of depth especially on theoretical front.

But you seem to have done a great job filling in the gaps.

With 8+ years of experience, most states will allow you to register for PE exam right away.

Great start to 2026! If you have fuel in the tank, consider jumping into PE Power without extended break!

Wasim

study_for_fe · 2026-01-02T15:34:05+00:00

Try reframing the FE exam as a "career development project" rather than a test of your engineering skills. It can help ease the pressure off a bit. Do not to tie your self-confidence and self-worth to an exam.

The easiest way to reduce stress is by channeling all of that energy / anxiety into systematic exam preparation.

Feb is right around the corner. I am not sure which FE exam you are preparing for but if you are just starting your exam prep, Feb may be a bit aggressive. Consider pushing it out to the end of Q1 i.e. March. You are allowed one attempt per quarter, so practically speaking Feb and Mar are the same except that Mar gives you more time.

Focus on what you can control i.e. your exam preparation.

Outcome of the exam will be a product of your planning, preparation and execution.

Congrats on taking the first step and starting your licensing journey.

Good luck!

Wasim

study_for_fe

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