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My PE Exam Journey

Back in May 2014 when I registered for the Fire Protection PE Exam, I did what most other engineers did at the time. I purchased an expensive prep course, attended the virtual classes every week, and spent nights and weekend studying. Over the course of 6 months, I easily logged hundreds of hours studying, taking practice exams and becoming familiar with the reference materials. 

But the hours of late night studying paid off!

I passed the exam and finally received the coveted title of "Professional Engineer."

The feeling was awesome! It felt like I had reached a huge milestone. PE licensure earns respect from colleagues and brings a sense of credibility to clients - both things I was excited about. And I could finally change my email signature and business cards to say Chris Campbell, PE!

What every PE hopes to find on the NCEES website!

​As the initial excitement of passing wore off, I did some reflecting on the past months. I had put a lot of time into studying, particularly through the prep course. While the course did help me to pass the exam, there were many components that were time consuming and only offered marginal value.  In other words, not the best use of my study time. But there were two key insights from the course that clearly paid dividends in my preparation:

Insight #1: The most important part of PE exam prep is setting and keeping a study schedule.

Looking back, I realized:

• The most value part of the prep class was not the instruction, it was knowing what to study and when to study it
• 30+ hours of classroom instruction may be helpful to some, but it won't replace taking the time to learn and master the material on your own time
• The best preparation involves a combination of study and practice problems

​Another insight I realized during my reflection was the importance of consistency. Writing out a study schedule is one thing, but actually sticking to it week after week is another. It's easy to sit down for a few hours one day to study, but the PE exam is not a last minute study endeavor. Some people start studying 6 months in advance! I certainly could not have maintained the weekly discipline for that long by myself, but doing so alongside other people in the course kept me going.

Insight #2: Preparing for the exam with a community of other engineers keeps you accountable.

Studying with others:

• Keeps you on schedule, even when you're busy, tired or don't want to study
• Provides a place to ask questions and help others
• Builds accountability into your preparation plan

​Six years after passing the PE exam, I'm a Senior Fire Protection Engineer in Washington, DC, an adjunct faculty at the University of Maryland Department of Fire Protection Engineering, and I write here at the Building Code Blog.  

Professional headshots...perks of working for a large company.

Need a refresher on egress modelling? Feel free to join me for ENFP413/613 - Advanced Life Safety at UMD.

​Is there a better way to prepare for the PE?

Over the years, I've talked with numerous colleagues and fellow engineers who share a similar sentiment about preparing for the PE exam. Instead of an expensive course with a lot of things you don't need, why not build a course that offers the two most important things you need to pass the PE? Instead of hours of lecture content, why not offer a step-by-step study system, a road map explaining exactly what to study and when? And why not build in an online community, a place for test takers to ask questions, post their progress and reap the accountability benefits of studying with others?

Introducing the PE Roadmap

Your Step-By-Step Guide to Passing the Fire Protection PE Exam

The PE Roadmap takes the most important parts of PE exam preparation and packages them into a clear and concise study system.

Here's Everything You'll Get in the PE Roadmap:

Week-By-Week Study Schedule:

• A weekly study schedule, telling you the exact content to study each week
• Direction to the formulas, references and assumptions relevant to each weekly topic, with specific page references to the MeyerFire Prep Guide
• A list of the relevant peer-reviewed practice problems corresponding to the weekly topic
• Specific references for each topic in the NCEES PE Fire Protection Handbook
• Scheduled time to take half and full-length practice exams

​

Access to the PE Roadmap Forum:

• A dedicated online forum for PE Roadmap participants
• Ask technical questions, share your study progress and connect with other test takers
• Regular progress check-ins, for both studying and practice problem completion
• Your first stop for motivation and accountability from other PE test takers

"Things to Focus On" Guide:

• A curated list of important concepts, references and figures developed by Chris and other FPEs
• For each topic, we'll provide our opinion on the most important things that you must know going into the exam
• A helpful tool to identify the right thing to study and avoid getting lost in too much detail

​Course Materials

I'm partnering with Joe Meyer to provide references materials and questions for the PE Roadmap. Joe is a fellow FPE and author of the MeyerFire PE Prep Guide, which has quickly become the highest-selling Fire Protection PE exam resource! The PE Roadmap provides references to the MeyerFire PE Prep Guide and utilizes the MeyerFire PE Prep Series for example questions.

2020 MeyerFire PE Prep Guide:

• 150 of the most important formulas for the exam with helpful references, assumptions and more
• Specific page references to 2020 referenced materials for variables, formulas, and example problems 
• Symbols list and unit conversion table
• A full-length, 80-question, peer-reviewed sample PE exam with thoroughly worked solutions
• 100 additional peer-reviewed practice questions
• Top exam-passing strategies based on interviews and surveys of test examinees from the last four years
• References to the latest (5th) edition of the SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering
• Common tables and charts for quick reference​

​MeyerFire PE Prep Series:

• 20-week series of timed 1-hour, 10-question simulated PE Exams. We simulate the types of questions and pace of the exam with instant graded solutions emailed immediately following each exam
• In 2017, 80% of those who took the 20-week challenge passed the PE Exam, ahead of the industry average.
• Access to the live leader board, where you can track your scores and progress week after week

Is the PE Roadmap Right For Me?

The PE Roadmap is right for you if:

• You want a step-by-step guide, giving you a study plan to cover all exam topics
• You are motivated and encouraged by interacting with other engineers, studying for the same exam as you
• You want your study plan to consist of a mixture of topical study time, practice problems and practice exams
• You would prefer to spend less money but get the guidance you actually need to pass the exam

Am I Better Off Taking One of the Other Courses?

Maybe. The PE Roadmap may not be right for you if:

• You want to spend 20-30 hours of virtual class time AND then study on your own (we recommend letting us tell you what to study so you can focus on actually studying!)
• You are completely unfamiliar with many of the major exam topics (unlikely if you have been working in the FPE field and/or have an engineering degree)
• You want to take the time to develop your own comprehensive study schedule (we recommend letting us do that for you...we've already done this and passed the exam!)
• You would not benefit from the online forum interactions (we've never met anyone who didn't want the opportunity to ask a few questions over the course of preparing for thee exam)
• You don't mind spending $1500-$2000, plus the cost of guide books (the cost of other prep courses)

Need Customized Guidance? Try PE Roadmap Pro.

With the PE Roadmap, you get a step-by-step guide to all of the topics, questions and references that you need to prepare for the PE exam. But some people prefer direct, one-on-one guidance, with suggestions and input based on their specific situation.

Is that you?

If so, try out PE Roadmap Pro.

What You'll Get in PE Roadmap Pro:

Everything in the PE Roadmap, plus:

Practice Question Progress Dashboard:

• Each week, we'll provide an updated dashboard, showing your progress on the MeyerFire PE Prep Series practice questions
• The dashboard shows progress over time, both overall and by specific topics
• Allows you to quickly see the areas where you need to improve based on your practice question performance

Customized Study Suggestions:

• We'll review your individual progress on practice questions from the MeyerFire PE Prep Series
• Every other week, we'll send you custom study suggestion based on your progress
• The customized study suggestions will provide extra resources and direct you to additional practice problems - giving you the extra boost where you need it most

One-on-One Check-In Calls:

• We'll schedule up to five (5) thirty-minute check-ins over duration of the course, all via zoom calls
• We'll check-in on your progress, listen to your feedback and offer you the best advice tailored to your specific situation

Comparing the PE Roadmap to other Courses

Value	PE Roadmap	PE Roadmap Pro	Other Prep Courses
MeyerFire PE Prep Guide Book and Question Series	✔️	✔️
PE Roadmap Week-By-Week Study Schedule	✔️	​✔️
PE Roadmap Forum Access	✔️	​✔️
​PE Roadmap "Things to Focus On" Guide	✔️	​✔️
​Five (5) Thirty Minute Check-In Calls (Zoom Meeting)		✔️
Customized Study Suggestions, Provided Bi-Weekly		✔️
Practice Question Progress Dashboard, Updated Weekly		​✔️
20+ Hours of Online Lecture Outside of Your Personal Study Time			​✔️
Group Office Hours Only (No One on One Coaching)			​✔️

Yes! Sign Me Up

PE Roadmap

$249.00

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PE Roadmap Pro

$549.00

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Need to Pickup the MeyerFire Materials Too?

We have partnered with Joe Meyer to offer the 2020 MeyerFire PE Prep Guide Book and Test Prep Series together at a discounted rate of $380.

PE Roadmap (with MeyerFire Bundle)

$629.00

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PE Roadmap Pro (with MeyerFire Bundle)

$929.00

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Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Do I have to purchase the MeyerFire materials (or other PE references materials) to use the PE Roadmap?
Answer: We recommend purchasing the MeyerFire Prep Guide Book and Test Prep series, as the Roadmap provides direct references to these materials in the week-by-week study schedule. If you don't purchase the MeyerFire materials, you can still use the PE Roadmap, you just won't have access to the referenced equations and practice questions. If you purchase PE Roadmap Pro, you must purchase the MeyerFire materials in order to have access to the progress dashboard.

Question: What if I have questions on an exam topic, such as fire dynamics?
Answer: The PE Roadmap comes with access to a dedicated forum, where you can ask any technical question you want. You can also signup for PE Roadmap Pro, where you get multiple one-on-one calls to check in on your study progress.

Question: When does the PE Roadmap Start?
Answer: The PE Roadmap starts on June 1, 2020, which coincides to the first week of the MeyerFire Test Prep weekly questions. Participants will receive materials via email or web download by June 1.

Question: Can I start after June 1?
Answer: Yes! The Roadmap schedule has several review and vacation weeks built in. It also includes weeks off to take practice exams. While it's best to start studying early, many past test takers have begun in July or later and still passed the exam.