FE Electrical and Computer Planner - Course
FE Electrical and Computer Planner - Course
FE Electrical and Computer Planner - Course
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3-Step Pyramid Approach
The 3-Step Pyramid approach discussed here forms basis of most projects.
FE Electrical and Computer exam preparation shall be considered a project
because like any other project it requires investment of time, effort and
money. Project objective is to pass the exam in first attempt with most
efficient use of our resources.
Execution
Planning
Mindset
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SECTION #1:
THE RIGHT MINDSET
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Section #1 includes:
▪ Benefits of PE license
▪ FE Electrical & Computer exam overview
▪ FE-Style Sample Problems
▪ FE Electrical & Computer exam challenges
▪ Playing to win attitude
▪ Leaving no stone unturned
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Benefits of PE license:
Why discuss benefits of PE license? What does it have to do with
the mindset. Well, it is important to fully appreciate the fact that
your project goal carries significant benefits. Otherwise, what is
the point of going through all the trouble?
The exam consists of 110 questions which can asked in the form
of multiple choice, fill in the blank, selecting a point of graph etc. It
is a timed test and candidates have 5 hours and 20 minutes to
complete the test. It gives the candidates approximately 2 minutes
and 54 seconds per question which includes the time to:
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FE-Style Sample Problems
(See solutions at the end of planner)
Problem 1) Find the equation of a straight line passing through points (2, 10) and (3, 12).
(A) 𝑦 = 3𝑥 + 12 (B) 𝑦 = 2𝑥 + 10
(C) 𝑦 = 2𝑥 + 6 (D) 𝑦 = 3𝑥 + 10
Problem 2) A retired couple is considering 20-year term annuity with their $200,000 cash
savings at 6% annual interest rate. The yearly annuity amount they can expect to receive is
_______.
Problem 3) The capacitance of parallel plate capacitor is 100 µF. Initial voltage across
capacitor was 5 V. Calculate constant charging current if voltage across capacitor is recorded
as 10 V after 3 minutes.
(A) 5.4 µA (B) 2.7 µA
(C) 16.6 mA (D) 8 mA
Problem 4) Find the equivalent resistance between terminals A-B of the circuit shown
below.
Problem 6) Determine the state of transistor shown in the circuit given below.
FE Electrical & Computer exam
challenges
Are there any other challenges involved in FE exam? Yes, quite a
few as a matter of fact:
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Playing to win attitude
Ideally, we all want to pass every
test in first attempt whether it is
driving license (failed three times
to before I got driver’s license) or
PE license for obvious reasons.
However, failures are encountered
along the way before reaching
goals by every successful individual or company. The important
thing to remember is that, with every attempt you are getting
closer to the finish line. Hopefully very soon you will find that the
time and efforts spent were worth your while in the long run.
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Leaving no stone unturned
Half-hearted approach towards FE exam is most likely going to
result in disappointment. If you have made the decision to take
this exam and pursue the goal of PE license then it is strongly
recommended to leave no stone unturned in your quest.
Even a partial exam preparation effort will cost you significant time
and hard costs (such as exam fees, books) and maybe optional
costs (such as courses, tutoring etc.). The fact is that anything
less than a 100% commitment will simply increase the odds
against you. As discussed earlier, it is worth noting that according
to the statistics available at www.ncees.org second attempters
have a higher failing rate for both FE and PE exam.
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Exercise
Keep this work sheet around your study area to help you
stay focused and motivated.
List the ideal employers that will be willing to hire you after obtaining PE
license?
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Notes
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“By failing to plan, you are
planning to fail.”
Benjamin Franklin
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SECTION #2:
PLANNING
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The 4-month schedule:
It took me approximately 3-4 months to prepare for FE Electrical
exam. Having said that, please take a deep dive into FE exam
preparation and ascertain the timeline based on your own
judgment. I averaged around 10 hours per week for first 2 months
and 20 hours per week for the last 2 months.
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Month # 1 - First Review Cycle
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Theoretical Review
Engineering Economics
Mathematics Mathematics Mathematics Probability & Statistics Probability & Statistics Probability & Statistics
Ethics
Theoretical Review Practice Problems Practice Problems Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Practice Problems
Mathematics Mathematics Properties of Electrical
Engineering Economics Probability and Statistics Probability and Statistics Properties of Electrical Properties of Electrical Properties of Electrical Math
Ethics Engineering Econ Engineering Econ Materials Materials Materials Engineering Economics
Ethics Ethics
Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Practice Problems Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Practice Problems
Linear Systems
Circuit Analysis Circuit Analysis Circuit Analysis Circuit Analysis Linear Systems Linear Systems
Circuit Analysis
Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Practice Problems Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Theoretical Review
Signal Processing
Signal Processing Signal Processing Signal Processing Electronics Electronics Electronics
Probability
Electronics Power Systems Power Systems Power Systems Power Systems Electromagnetics Electromagnetics
Practice Problems Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Practice Problems Theoretical Review Theoretical Review
Electromagnetics Control Systems Control Systems Control Systems Control Systems Communications Communications
Practice Problems Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Practice Problems Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Theoretical Review
Communications Computer Networks Computer Networks Computer Networks Digital Systems Digitals Systems Digital Systems
Practice Problems Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Practice Problems Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Practice Problems
Digital Systems Computer Systems Computer Systems Computer Systems Software Engineering Software Engineering Software Engineering
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Month # 3 - Second Review Cycle
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Practice Problems
Mathematics
Engineering Probability & Statistics
Mathematics Mathematics Probability & Statistics Probability & Statistics Ethics
Economics Engineering Economics
Ethics
Practice Problems Practice Problems Theoretical Review Practice Problems Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Theoretical Review
Mathematics
Propert of Elect Mtrl
Probability & Statistics Properties of Electrical Circuit Analysis
Linear Systems Circuit Analysis Signal Processing
Engineering Economics Materials Signal Processing
Linear Systems
Ethics
Practice Problems Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Practice Problems Practice Problems Theoretical Review Theoretical Review
Electromagnetics Electromagnetics
Circuit Analysis Electronics Electronics
Electronics Power Systems
Signal Processing Power Systems Power Systems
Control Systems Control Systems
Practice Problems Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Practice Problems Theoretical Review Theoretical Review Practice Problems
100 questions in
Areas of weakness Areas of weakness Areas of weakness Areas of weakness Areas of weakness
exam like setup
110 questions in
Areas of weakness Areas of weakness Areas of weakness Areas of weakness Areas of weakness
exam like setup
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Synergies between the sections
In case you are not bothered by non-sequential approach, it may
be possible to further improve your exam preparation strategy by
studying some sections in 4 – 6 to make use of internal synergies
between such sections. For instance, following sections can be
looked as individual blocks:
You can observe that Block # 1 carries the largest weight (close to
25%) as an individual aggregate. As such, my recommendation
would be to invest proportional efforts in that area.
ECE is a very diverse engineering discipline (which is part of the
challenge in preparing for FE exam).
• High Competency
• Moderate Competency
• Low Competency
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Significance of Practice Exams
Practice exams will help you establish your exam readiness. They
form a very important component of overall exam preparation
strategy. I hope that my full-length practice exams for FE
Electrical and Computer engineering exam based on latest
specification will provide you additional practice.
Practice exams will also help you develop the skill of attempting
problems from different sections quickly in exam like setting. Once
you have attempted practice exams and reviewed all weak areas,
you would have consolidated most knowledge areas which is
extremely important skill for passing exam
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Exercise
Complete this exercise to develop your own schedule
based on answers to following questions.
How many hours you are willing to spend on exam preparation each week?
Multiply this number by 4 to obtain hours per month (4-month schedule given
above is based on 15 hours per week average)
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Notes
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“If you cannot measure it,
you cannot manage it.”
Presidential Medal of Freedom winner –
Peter Drucker
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SECTION #3:
EXECUTION
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Section #3 includes:
▪ Maintaining momentum
▪ Managing time and energy
▪ Staying organized
▪ Exam week strategy
▪ Exam taking strategy
▪ Solutions - FE Exam Sample Problems
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Maintaining momentum:
“I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to
success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes
almost everything, even nature.”
John D. Rockefeller
Here are some tips that can help you sustain your momentum:
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Managing time and energy
“Time is what we want most, but what we spend worst.”
William Penn
3 hours of study time after a 9-5 grind at work are not the same as
3 hours of study time on a weekend morning. Although we are
talking about same amount of time but you would probably agree
that the actual efficiency will be very different. The missing piece
of the puzzle is ‘energy’. In the first example, we will most likely
fail at accomplishing any significant progress during our study
session because our energy is already drained by a tough day at
work. However, in the second example, we are more likely to
achieve great progress due to higher energy level.
I’ve included some tips that can help you stay organized and
focused throughout this process:
• Keep a good record of questions and concepts that you
find difficult as you go progress from one section to
another. At the end of this section, you will find a checklist
containing all specification sections and subsection. It will
allow you to review them much more efficiently later.
• Avoid cluttering your study space with unnecessary items.
Cluttering is known to cause stress and distraction.
Arrange your workspace so that all exam relevant items
are within your arms reach. These include:
o Calculator
o Copy of FE Electrical and Computer specification
o Stationery
o 1-2 exam preparation books
• Similarly, another reason for allocating 1 week for sample
exams is to allow you to understand the 'concepts' behind
questions that you get wrong so that you can successfully
answer similar questions on actual exam. Time yourself
while solving problems.
• Develop a habit of adding bookmarks, comments and
notes that can save time in future.
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Exam taking strategy
Strategy # 1 – Three round knock-out
• First Round - After reading the question classify it into one
of the following three categories: ‘Easy’, ‘Medium’, ‘Difficult
but solvable’ or ‘No clue’. If it is ‘Easy’ or ‘Medium’ solve it
right away otherwise flag it and move on. After completing
the first round you’ll be left with ‘Difficult but doable’ and
‘No clue’ questions.
• Second Round – Go through the list of flagged questions
and try to solve ‘Difficult but doable’ questions. Carefully
remove the flags from solved questions. After completing
the second round, you’ll have only ‘No clue’ questions left.
• Third Round – Depending on the amount of time left in
exam either try to solve the remaining questions or apply
elimination method.
Under no circumstances should you leave any question
unanswered. You should use remaining time rechecking the
answers.
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Exercise
Scroll through the list of all 17 sections of FE Electrical
and Computer specification given in NCEES® Reference
Handbook. Aim to convert all sections into your areas of
strength.
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Notes
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Solutions - FE Style Sample Problems
1) CORRECT ANSWER - C
𝑖% = 6% 𝑃 = $200,000 𝑛 = 20 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝐴 =?
𝐴
𝐴 = $200,000 × ( , 6%, 20 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠)
𝑃
3) CORRECT ANSWER - B
4) CORRECT ANSWER - B
2 𝑘Ω||10 𝑘Ω = 1.66 𝑘Ω
𝑒 −(𝑠) 𝑒 −(𝑠+𝑎)
ℒ[𝑓(𝑡)] = 𝑒 −(𝑎) =
𝑠+𝑎 𝑠+𝑎
To analyze a BJT circuit we assume a state of operation, enforce conditions and then verify assumptions.
0 − 𝑉𝑏𝑒 − (3𝑘Ω)(𝐼𝑒 ) = 0
0 − 0.7𝑉
𝐼𝑒 = = −0.233 𝑚𝐴
3𝑘Ω
𝐼𝑒 = (𝛽 + 1)𝐼𝑏
𝐼𝑒
𝐼𝑏 = = −0.0023 𝑚𝐴
(𝛽 + 1)
𝐼𝑏 = 𝐼𝑐 = 𝐼𝑒 = 0.
Study Guide for Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Electrical and Computer CBT Exam
Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Electrical and Computer – Practice Exam # 1
Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Electrical and Computer – Practice Exam # 2
Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Electrical and Computer – Practice Exam # 3