You have decided to get your Professional Engineering License, which means your journey has already begun.
Now you are thinking about the future. What potential opportunities will open up to you once you have become a P.E? But you also know you have some work to do.
Perhaps it’s been 5 or 10 years since you really studied for something. Maybe the last serious exam you took was the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) that allowed you to become an Engineer In Training (EIT). Or has it been even longer for you, and perhaps you do not have an educational background in engineering and are taking an alternate route to licensure.
Regardless of your personal circumstances, the important question arises: How long will it take to study for the PE Exam?
State Your Assumptions
As engineers, we don’t generally leave things to chance. Start with your assumptions and constraints.
The PE Exam is an 8-hour, computer-based test (CBT). You know you don’t want to take it twice. It also costs money to re-test, and there is a limit to the number of attempts you can make in a specified time period (3 per year at the time of this writing).
You may also have upcoming projects or roles that will become available only once you’ve earned your PE license, so you don’t want any unnecessary delay.
You want to do it right and pass on the first try with confidence.
How Long Should You Study For the PE Exam?
Once your application is approved (depending on your State’s requirements), how long should you give yourself to study?
I generally advise candidates to schedule their test date 4-6 months out.
How Can You Go Faster?
If you are studying on your own with no external guidance, the high estimate for total study time is 300+ hours.
There are certainly ways to reduce this number significantly, such as by taking a program that targets the key subject areas and guides you efficiently through the study process. That’s why I created the HVAC & Refrigeration Full Access Bundle, to cut the time down by 70%.
Another factor that will help reduce the total required study hours is being a fairly recent graduate with sound recollection of engineering concepts and well-ingrained study habits.
Engineers working in the design or commissioning fields and routinely using fundamental HVAC & Refrigeration principles will also have an advantage and may be able choose a timeframe toward the shorter end of the range.
Why Not Even Faster?
Suppose you have everything going for you: great study skills, relevant experience, and the right program to take you precisely where you need to go.
What is the minimum time you could compress the study window into, without sacrificing confidence that you will pass on the first try?
With the right background and tools, the entire study process could be reduced to less than 100 hours. And even for candidates that have been away from academia for a long time, a targeted study plan lowers the maximum time required for 90% of candidates to less than 150 hours.
However, I would still recommend giving yourself at least 4 months to prepare.
Engineers are good at optimizing things and finding limits. But is it really necessary to save that additional month? Is getting your P.E. license one month sooner going to make a world of a difference in your career and life?
If the answer is ‘no,’ do yourself a favor and space your studying out a bit. Life has a tendency to get in the way, and it is likely you have commitments at home and at work, as well as hobbies you enjoy which need not be neglected simply because you are preparing to take a test.
Even if you are in the 10% of candidates that do not have the optimal background or experience and you are unable to invest in a quality study program, such that you will be spending 300 total hours, you can comfortably prepare in less than 12 hours per week spread over 6 months.
Even the best study plan will have setbacks and distractions.
I’ve attempted to take as much guesswork as possible out of the study process, but if you ask me a month before your exam date how to cram everything into 4 weeks, I’m going to suggest you reschedule your exam.
Why Not Slower?
What if you want to space it out and give yourself 9 months or a whole year so that studying will more easily fit into your busy schedule?
This sounds reasonable, in theory, but in practice, I have found that candidates giving themselves long timelines aren’t taking the process seriously enough. When life gets busy, study sessions are the first commitment to get canecelled, because the test is so far away. Before long, the habit of not studying begins to form, simply because there is no urgency.
Candidates generally snap out of this cycle of procrastination with around 4-6 months remaining, which is perfect.
So my recommendation is to wait to start studying until you are going to be ‘All In.’ And when you reach that stage, set up your work and home life to support consistent and focused effort, and trust the process.
What Should Your Study Plan Consist Of?
Alright, so you’ve carved out 4-6 months to spend 10-15 hours per week studying. Great!
Now, what do you actually study?
To help you be as efficient as possible, I’ve put together a Free 16-Week Study Plan for you, based on my HVAC & Refrigeration Full Access Bundle.
To download the Study Plan, sign up below and you’ll receive the Study Plan that will keep you on track as you progress on the path to becoming a Professional Engineer!
