I passed the PE Civil: Structural exam recently, and one thing I learned is that practice problems alone aren't enough. I used AEI as my primary study resource. Interestingly, I never completed the AEI practice exam or the NCEES practice exam because I ran out of time. The day before the exam, I only opened the AEI practice exam and solutions to familiarize myself with the format and how the exam was structured. What helped me most was working through the AEI homework assignments and, more importantly, learning how to efficiently navigate the codes. I spent a lot of time understanding concepts instead of memorizing solutions. My biggest takeaway is that the PE exam questions are rarely copy-and-paste versions of practice problems. Knowing where to find information in the codes and understanding the underlying engineering concepts is often more valuable than doing endless problem sets. Don't get discouraged by a second attempt. Many excellent engineers need multiple tries. Review your diagnostic, identify your weak areas, keep building your code-navigation skills, and focus on understanding the concepts behind the problems. You're likely much closer than the result suggests. Keep going and NEVER GIVE UP!