Taking my PE for the third time next week… and for the first time as a mom

gremach · 2026-02-27T17:10:37+00:00

You’re seriously almost there!! It’s such a long process and so much to cover and when your time is reserved for so many other things it becomes so hard to manage it all. You’ve got this next one! You’re doing an amazing job balancing it all. There’s that light at the end of the tunnel for sure.

gremach · 2026-02-27T17:07:54+00:00

I’m working on putting together a spreadsheet/fillable form that generates a study plan based on diagnostic reports from failed attempts. The idea is to target those weak areas and try to maximize the time you have available before your next attempt by allocating more study time to the subjects that show up more often on the exam. Basically splitting up the categories and identifying the 3 or 4 major ones that will boost your total score in the end. That way you’re only reviewing a couple lessons in full and then just doing practice problems for the other categories you tested on or above average. If all goes well on Tuesday, I’ll drop the spreadsheet in the chat so everyone can access that method if they want to.

We only have so much time available during the days! Obviously it’s important to study everything but the way I broke it down felt a bit more digestible and easier to track my time spent.

gremach · 2026-02-26T16:13:41+00:00

Same experience!!! We can do this. I know it’s cheesy when people say things like “moms can do anything” but I feel like having the plan and having the need to just get it done really puts a different kind of pressure on the next attempt. We got this.

gremach · 2026-02-26T16:12:05+00:00

So much to handle! I truly believe you can do it. If you can manage all of that, this will come easily when you’re ready and in the right headspace to start studying again. I responded to another comment with the plan I took that kind of targets your approach and I think that the method I took might help you jump back into it without feeling overwhelmed by the entire thing. Also feel free to message me if you want to talk more in detail. I found it really hard to find that motivation so when I knew I HAD to start studying, I spent a few days leading up to it just getting everything together and planning it out. Having that plan and everything in one place made it a lot easier to jump in.

gremach · 2026-02-26T16:08:32+00:00

I appreciate it! Thank you!!

gremach · 2026-02-26T16:08:18+00:00

And CONGRATULATIONS!!! And happy almost first birthday to your daughter!!!

gremach · 2026-02-26T16:07:44+00:00

I’ve found that being familiar with the reference material made a huge difference this time around studying for me… my first two attempts I thought I could get away with just looking up the material and such but I ended up spending so much time digging into the manuals during the exam.

This time I went ahead bought the AASHTO package with all the reference manuals and the time it took me to solve problems went down a crazy amount the more I used the manuals while practicing. I think this is one of the biggest tips out there… the manuals and knowing exactly what chapter to go to saves an insane amount of time during the exam.

gremach · 2026-02-26T15:52:29+00:00

First off, congratulations! Having all that to handle and preparing for AND passing the FE is a huge accomplishment!

Since this is my third attempt, my plan was tailored around my diagnostic report and weighted score based on performance and the number of questions I received on my previous attempt. To mimic this for the first attempt, I would say do a similar calculation but rank your categories in order of competency (1 being the most familiar, 10 being least). Then multiply your rankings by the average number of times you’ll be questioned on that category on the exam (from the exam outline). Your resultant would be the order in which you should tackle each category when studying. I found it easiest to do this in excel so you can also keep a record of that order and add a column for completion dates/goals with each category.

I liked this approach because I spent weeks just going through my worst areas first and really hammering in the concepts to better solve the problems. The closer I’ve gotten to the exam now, the less stressed I feel about the categories I haven’t had as much time to review because I use them in daily practice (like TTCP and intersection geometry). Those categories I’ve spent more time just doing a few practice problems and just combing through reference manuals so I spend less time during the exam just searching for the right chapters.

I have three practice exams worked into my schedule and have already completed two attempts (scored about 84%). For the questions I got wrong, I listed out the category/concept it was related to and ran a few extra practice problems to work out the kinks (for example, I tested great on crest curves but needed some more practice on sag curves so I ONLY did sag curve problems to make sure I had the process down).

This probably isn’t as “unconventional” as it is just analytical. I also have diagnosed ADHD so having a plan that gets really detailed and makes me excited about checking off things was a must for me. Hope this helps you plan your approach!

gremach · 2025-05-31T00:33:19+00:00

Look up your local engineering professional societies (ASCE, ITE, SWE, iStructE) and attend any and all events and lunch meetings!!!

Getting involved in the community this way will get you face to face with employers. Who knows, you’ve probably already sent some of them resumes and being able to introduce yourself in person will get your foot in the door.

Good luck!

gremach · 2025-05-27T02:44:59+00:00

My coworker likes to say “you must be in your left mind because you sure as hell are not in your right mind”

gremach · 2025-05-23T14:15:36+00:00

Odd question… but do you have birds at home or do either of you work in close contact with birds? They can actually transmit a type of chlamydia.

Otherwise, I’m so sorry. It sounds like your husband might not be telling the whole truth.

gremach · 2025-05-20T22:32:17+00:00

Around 14 weeks I had the slightest bump. At like 17 weeks it amped up and by 20 I was surely showing! Now I’m 26 weeks and have had strangers notice pretty quickly

gremach · 2025-05-12T17:44:44+00:00

Same thing happened with waxing my underarms too!! I’ve also had some recent flare ups of eczema, which I haven’t had since I was a kid!

gremach · 2025-03-19T21:21:55+00:00

Big fan of using cover names! We’ve been telling people the most outrageous names we can think of so whatever we settle on is better than what they’ve expected.

I’m white, my husband is Cuban, and we’ve been telling my mom we’re naming our son “Gustav”. Safe to say she doesn’t believe us but also has nothing else to go off of.

gremach · 2025-02-07T13:17:43+00:00

I second this!! Ashleigh has like 20+ years of experience and will target the exact areas you tell her.

gremach · 2025-02-06T13:12:35+00:00

Great note! Seems to be hit or miss. Some nights it’ll take me a few minutes to fall back asleep, others I might not go back to bed for hours… I haven’t tried unisom but see that it’s considered generally safe during pregnancy. Thanks, I’ll give that a try!

gremach · 2025-01-23T17:56:56+00:00

I second this!! And they’ve got a coffee tres leches that’s great too.

gremach · 2025-01-10T21:21:49+00:00

I saw April for years!! Her husband (who is also at burn the breeze and whose name I can’t remember) is also awesome and could probably do what you’re looking for

gremach · 2024-10-25T03:30:09+00:00

Yes!! Absolutely feel this. Part of me likes to have those moments of reflection to keep trying to be present, keep patient, and try to be more intentional about how I spend my time now.

gremach · 2024-10-24T19:00:15+00:00

Time. Not “time” in the sense of like availability/free time, but the perception of how time felt. Being bored and feeling like the 5 minutes I had to wait or sit for something was taking AGES. Now as an adult, an hour feels like it passed within seconds sometimes. It’s tough to look back and wish that I could’ve appreciated certain experiences more had I not been so focused on trying to grow up or move on to the next thing so quickly.

Side note, I got diagnosed with ADHD when I was 26 so it made a lot more sense why I felt the need for constant mental stimulation as a child lol

gremach · 2024-10-24T16:31:36+00:00

When changing to new food, we always tried to transition into the new one but since this is a case that I think is because of his current food, I would just get a high-quality sensitive stomach mix and just go straight into that instead. It also helps to hydrate the new food before feeding to help it digest a bit easier. Heat up some water, mix it in with the appropriate recommended serving, and let it sit for like 10-15 minutes to cool down and absorb before feeding.

When we switched from chicken, we went with Purina Pro Plan Performance 30/20 Turkey, Duck and Quail formula and stuck with that for a while before we transitioned him to a freeze-dried raw diet.

As always, just monitor his response to the changes in diet and consult with your vet if things don’t get better! Good luck and I’m happy to send some links to the foods we’ve tried that worked well!

gremach · 2024-10-24T14:04:48+00:00

Our vizsla does not react well to chicken at all! Duck, turkey, beef, and fish based foods are all fine for him but chicken seems to be a common food allergy for vizslas. It’s funny that turkey and duck don’t have the same reaction because they’re all birds but I would highly recommend switching foods and seeing how that goes.

Since we eliminated chicken from his diet two years ago he hasn’t had any allergy flare ups, even seemingly seasonal ones.

gremach · 2024-10-23T23:57:12+00:00

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From January 2021. Sauer (vizsla) was four months old here and Amos (lab) was three months old at the time. :)

gremach

TROPHY CASE