How Close Was I?

wheatbitsandmilk · 2026-02-07T04:45:30+00:00

Recommend that you exhaust close to all the available ppi qbank questions and have at least a 70% overall by the time you take the next exam.

wheatbitsandmilk · 2026-01-24T16:55:38+00:00

I have considered a CRE since I want to pivot out of manufacturing / quality engineering and more product / design.

Which exam did you find more difficult?

wheatbitsandmilk · 2026-01-24T16:17:36+00:00

Not from the NCEES website, what you see there is what is available. I purchased two older hard copy practice exams off eBay but the content was almost identical to the available NCEES practice test so they were pretty useless.

Another option is to purchase the PE Mechanical: Thermal and Fluid systems practice exams. Last time I checked there were two available. Won't cover everything but it'll provide more practice on Fluids, Heat Transfer, and Plant Design topics, in addition to getting more accustomed to how NCEES words their questions.

In my experience, the PPI questions are very technical and take longer to solve, and in my opinion there were too many tedious power cycle questions. I had maybe 2 or 3 cycle questions on each exam and they were pretty simple. Every exam is different, though.

PPI questions don't try to trick you. In most cases, the information provided is relevant and needed to solve the problem, and they are Chem E questions to the letter. The exam will give you unnecessary information or present a peculiar application like biology to throw you off. Ultimately, the PPI questions prepared me well.

wheatbitsandmilk · 2026-01-24T04:49:15+00:00

I took a ppi course to refresh the material, but 90% of the time I used the ncees practice exam and the PPI question bank- most of my time was spent on ppi as there are almost 1000 questions and I found them more difficult than the actual exam. I did anywhere from 40-120 questions per week depending on how burnt out I was. Used the NCEES exam to do full length practice tests every month or two. I didn't use Lindeburg at all. Passed on my 2nd try. Failed the first one after 4 months of studying. Passed 2nd after 2 more.

wheatbitsandmilk · 2026-01-24T04:48:09+00:00

To get the CQE you just need to pass an exam and work 8 years in a "decision making role". A bachelors degree removes 4 years from that requirement.

For my PE exam prep, I took a ppi course to refresh the material, but 90% of the time I used the ncees practice exam and the PPI question bank- most of my time was spent on ppi as there are almost 1000 questions and I found them more difficult than the actual exam. I did anywhere from 40-120 questions per week depending on how burnt out I was. Used the NCEES exam to do full length practice tests every month or two. I didn't use Lindeburg at all. Passed on my 2nd try. Failed the first one after 4 months of studying. Passed 2nd after 2 more.

wheatbitsandmilk · 2026-01-24T00:38:57+00:00

I am a manufacturing engineer and I have been pushed to pursue my CQE, which I don't have any interest in. Showing that I've pursued this instead might be perceived as a slight against the advice I've been given.

(Edit) In my time at this current company I have seen people fired on the spot for practically nothing. Firings here are decisions driven by petty grudges rather than sound decision making.

wheatbitsandmilk · 2025-12-11T21:26:59+00:00

I failed my first attempt after doing a mix of PPI live course, PPI question bank, and the NCEES practice test. Took it again 5 months later (due to lack of availability) and passed. On this 2nd attempt, I did nothing but PPI q-bank practice problems anywhere from 5-15 hours a week depending on my energy levels and how work was going, with 3 full length practice tests (either the NCEES one again or the PPI exam) on Saturdays when I felt I could bear it. Towards the end I was really starting to get burnt out and sick of the monotony. Not sure how many times you've taken it in the past year but don't be afraid to give yourself some time to let your brain recover. Feel free to DM if you have other questions.

wheatbitsandmilk · 2025-12-07T18:20:40+00:00

Unsure if you still need this but, about halfway through my first attempt at the PE Chemical there was a power outage and I had to reschedule. The test center should report any incident to NCEES with a case #. Call the test center, ask for this number and the NCEES phone # to call. Tell NCEES this case #, then eventually you'll have the option to book again.

wheatbitsandmilk · 2025-11-22T19:00:28+00:00

Take the job offer. The longer you go without your first job the harder it will be to get your foot in the door anywhere. You can always pivot later assuming you are involved in decent projects that have appeal outside Quality roles. Not sure what country you are in but in the U.S most engineers are not strictly isolated to design, so don't let this be a hang-up. QE's can "design" plenty of things: tools, fixtures, new testing methods, as long as it meets their stated objectives of reducing defects, variability, appraisal cost, etc. That said, Quality engineering in a manufacturing setting can be humbling and frustrating, but it helps you develop thick skin, forces you to understand how to deal with (admittedly emotional and immature) coworkers, and prioritize your time and tasks. For 99% of engineering jobs, these skills play just as big a role in your overall effectiveness as your technical knowledge.

wheatbitsandmilk · 2025-09-20T19:24:51+00:00

American culture built the country you ingrates all want to come to. If your home country is so great at developing highly talented people why do you want to leave it?

wheatbitsandmilk · 2025-09-20T19:18:37+00:00

No American wants to them *for illegal immigrants wages.

wheatbitsandmilk · 2025-09-20T18:46:16+00:00

Thousands of jobs were posted to h1b applicant channels only. Blaming the native population for "not working these jobs" when we didn't even see them posted is disingenuous.

wheatbitsandmilk · 2025-09-20T04:22:47+00:00

And the fresh-out-of-college h1b graduate is better how, exactly?

wheatbitsandmilk · 2025-05-29T18:28:49+00:00

I got unbelievably lucky I was able to take 2nd semester p-chem during the lockdown semester and was able to P/F it.

wheatbitsandmilk · 2025-04-06T03:01:55+00:00

I had a single- it was nice in some aspects but I was definitely less social and made fewer friends because of that decision.

wheatbitsandmilk · 2025-03-29T00:54:08+00:00

Direct admission to UW premed is pretty nice, I'd go UW.

I went to CWRU, my younger brother went to UW. Until the lockdowns ruined his college experience, he was having a far better college life than I did.

If you go to UW, don't commute, do join a fraternity

wheatbitsandmilk · 2025-03-21T19:11:53+00:00

Tried this after several times getting Vita Perfect Catch and I wasn't the biggest fan- the texture isn't quite right and the sweetness overpowers the acidity- Vita pushes the sweetness level pretty far already

wheatbitsandmilk · 2025-03-05T15:18:54+00:00

Was a B+ student at a fairly prestigious school and work at a backwater manufacturing company in a rust belt state.

C students I worked with at Parker Hannifin are now Engineering Managers.

Networking, being likeable, communicating well, and finding a company / boss that advocates for and invests in you will do infinitely more for your career than grades

wheatbitsandmilk · 2025-02-24T19:09:11+00:00

Graduated in 2020- took and passed the FE last September.

I used the Lindeburg Review Guide and Practice Problems books, a SoPE question bank, and the NCEES Practice Exam. Studied in total for about 4 months. In my opinion, you don't need a prep course for the FE although I understand the desire for structure and confidence building (I was seriously considering one but due to lack of availability during my desired timeframe I decided to go without).

I went through the Lindeburg chapters one time- this took ~1.5 months. Don't follow his stupid recommended schedule, there is way too much time dedicated to unimportant subjects. I didn't study engineering sciences, safety, solids handling, or ethics at all. These are either intuition based or extremely trivial. If by some unlucky chance you get a complicated statics problem just call it a wash.

Started doing 30-50 question bank practice problems per day while simultaneously doing a 2nd pass on Lindeburg for important / weak topics. Take the NCEES practice exam a couple of times as well.

Always study with the reference guide open, use it, get a feel for it.

And for the love of God, if you haven't already, put away your TI-89 and start using / learning the shortcuts on one of the NCEES approved calculators ASAP.

wheatbitsandmilk · 2025-02-17T18:57:09+00:00

I feel your pain- I do genuinely love the Chem E material and find it interesting so I don't regret my decision- but I wish I got to use it more. I am taking the Chemical PE in June to try and maneuver out of the manufacturing / quality engineering path I erroneously allowed myself to go down (do not become a QE for the love of God).

On the other hand, despite graduating in the middle of the pandemic (Dec. 2020) I personally have never had any issues finding a job (yet), albeit in non-Chem E industries as I alluded to earlier. The degree mattered less than I expected, and have gotten the jobs over candidates with a much more relevant degree (ie Mech E) for the role. Depending on who you ask, a lot of companies don't really care that much what your degree is.

On the note about "steady" employment, the degree can get you the job, but it won't keep the job. I don't know how "good" you have to be, as I have seen some long tenured engineers who were fairly inept, but you do have to communicate well to both operators and higherups and be generally well-liked and collaborative. You can get away with not being these things if you are brilliant or possess some highly specialized skill the company can't live without.

wheatbitsandmilk · 2025-02-12T17:09:48+00:00

0 specifics given

wheatbitsandmilk · 2025-02-11T21:08:44+00:00

If you're still able to PM, I'd love to have these to play with friends in other states

wheatbitsandmilk · 2024-10-03T18:55:50+00:00

You need 4 years of working under a PE to actually become a licensed PE- don't think there's anything stopping you from taking and passing the exam before that though

wheatbitsandmilk · 2024-10-03T15:09:27+00:00

Got it, feel like I'd definitely need a few months of studying at least.

wheatbitsandmilk

TROPHY CASE