The Path to Professional License: Mari Otto, PE

In the science and engineering industry, seeing a “PE”, “LG”, “PMP”, or other initials behind someone’s name shows that person went through years of work experience that culminated in a substantial test to confirm the right to practice their area of technical expertise. A professional license is a proof statement that communicates that the people charged with designing roads and buildings; solving water supply challenges; cleaning up contaminated soil and water; and successfully managing project quality are qualified and ethically accountable professionals. Many go through this licensing journey but few outside that group know what the process is really like.

We’re telling those stories here. Aspect’s professionals are writing a series of articles that capture the trials and successes of studying for and receiving these career-defining milestones.

Mari Otto, Professional Engineering License

Test: October 2020

Awarded: December 2020

Mari on the Skyline trail at Mt. Ranier

Mari on the Skyline trail at Mt. Ranier

Where did you start with your test prep?

I started thinking about my PE test early in 2020 when I was making my New Year’s resolutions (Item 1: pass the PE). I did a bunch of Googling to see what people were saying about the exam – there’s a lot out there (Editor’s note: including Aspect’s own License Prep Series!) Some people say you need 300-400 hours of study, some people say you barely need to study at all – it was a little overwhelming, but I figured I could find a happy middle somewhere.

I spent some time outlining everything I’d need for my test application and researching study materials. The Washington State Board of Registration requires you to submit an application with an engineering law review exam, proof of experience (including transcripts from school and an experience verification form signed by a supervisor PE), and pay an application fee before you are approved for the exam. I decided to get my application in and buy my study materials early (like, in July) so later on I could focus just on studying. I’m grateful that Aspect is very supportive of the PE process and I was able to expense all my study materials and application fee. Thanks Aspect!

I started studying in earnest in late August 2020 for my exam on October 23, 2020.

What was the best piece(s) of advice you got from others who’d done this before?

  • Do as many practice exams as you can.

  • Do the actual test in passes:

Pass 1 = Go through the entire exam and answer the questions you know how to answer quickly.

Pass 2 = Go through the exam again and answer the questions you know how to answer but will take more time.

Pass 3 = Review any remaining questions.

This strategy helped me because I wasn’t panicking during the exam. I could look at my answer key and have a good idea of what my percentage score would be for that portion of the exam. Building up my score early on helped reduce anxiety as the clock ran down.

What should a person gearing up to do this know about the mental, physical, and social challenges of test prep?

I initially tried studying after work so I could keep my weekends free. That plan unraveled pretty quickly. It just wasn’t sustainable for me to work a full day and then hit the books. If you can make that work for you, then great! But go into it knowing that unless you’re a superstar time manager, you’ll probably have to give up at least some of your weekends to studying. That being said, I found it was really important for me to rest between long study sessions.

My schedule generally followed this timeline:

  • Saturday: Practice exam (full 8-hour practice test)

  • Sunday: Rest day – go on a nature walk or do a water activity

  • Throughout the week: light practice problems if schedule allows

  • Saturday and Sunday: ~4 hours study sessions to review practice exam and study weak material. Prep for another practice exam the next week.

  • Repeat

I’m lucky that the people in my life had just the right mix of being understanding of my study schedule and being pushy enough to drag me outside every once in a while.

Walk us through the Big Test Day…

The test was in Puyallup, so I got a hotel nearby and got a good night’s rest before the exam. I woke up early and did some light stretches and ate some yogurt and fruits. I made sure that I had my lunch packed and that I had plenty of water and granola bar snacks.

I felt pretty well-prepared for the exam from all my practice exams, so I just took my time and did my best. It actually wasn’t too bad. During lunch, I had a great big salad and took a walk around the neighborhood and listened to a podcast. I made friends with a neighborhood cat on my lunch walk, so that felt auspicious.

After the exam, I drove home and had vegetarian burgers and beer and just chilled. It was great. I then took that Friday off for a long weekend trip down to the Oregon coast for some surfing.

How did you feel when you got the results?

I did my best to put the test out of my mind after taking it, knowing that it would be a couple months before I got my results. When I finally got my results in December and saw that green “Pass” icon, I felt a huge sense of relief and gratefulness – I could relax! It was the middle of a winter week during COVID-times, so I really went wild with my celebrations – I spent the evening drinking peanut butter whisky and watching Schitt’s Creek.

Mari study graphic.jpg

Any parting advice for those getting ready to take the PE?

  1. Lots of people love to talk about the PE and share their experience / give advice. I loved hearing people’s stories, but I found it important to not compare myself to others too much, ESPECIALLY when people talk about how many hours they are studying/have studied. You can listen to what worked for others, but in the end, you’ll have to find what works for yourself.

  2. I spent a lot of time at the beginning of my studies trying to do a deep dive into the subjects that would be on the breadth morning exam – it was NOT necessary. When I started doing practice exams, I noticed that the Geotech questions on the breadth exam were really basic. It’s reasonable to assume that the breadth questions for the other subjects would be considered really basic by someone who specializes in that particular subject. Realizing that helped me relax about the breadth exam – I identified common questions using the NCEES Examinee guide (use it - they tell you exactly what kind of questions will be on the exam) and used that to guide my breadth studying. It helped me to not get too into the weeds subjects that were not Geotech.

  3. Do lots of practice exams. The NCEES practice exam is the closest you’ll get to the actual exam. I did that exam at the beginning of my studies in late August and again at the end of my studies the weekend before the exam. I found other practice exams online. I took practice exams every other weekend and tried to simulate exam conditions – quiet environment, 4-hour morning exam, 1-hour lunch break, 4-hour afternoon exam. I even wore my facemask during my later practice exams to make sure I was used to having it on.

  4. In addition to the huge CERM book, I would recommend getting the little CERM Quick Reference. It has 99% of the equations you might need for the morning exam and probably like 60% of the equations you might need for the afternoon exam (at least for Geotech).

The Path to Professional License: Kirsi Longley, PMP

In the science and engineering industry, seeing a “PE”, “LG”, “PMP”, or other initials behind someone’s name shows that person went through years of work experience that culminated in a substantial test to confirm the right to practice their area of technical expertise. A professional license is a proof statement that communicates that the people charged with designing roads and buildings; solving water supply challenges; cleaning up contaminated soil and water; and successfully managing project quality are qualified and ethically accountable professionals. Many go through this licensing journey but few outside that group know what the process is really like.

We’re telling those stories here. Aspect’s professionals are writing a series of articles that capture the trials and successes of studying for and receiving these career-defining milestones.

Kirsi Longley, Project Management Professional (PMP)

PMP awarded February 2018

Kirsi in Sunshine_stamp.jpg

What the heck do the initials PMP stand for?

Pretty Marginal Pianist? Nope! PMP stands for Project Management Professional. It’s a certification administered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), the internationally recognized association “for those who consider project, program or portfolio management their profession.” Pretty fancy, huh!

Having PMP certification can give you a great advantage in a variety of careers, including environmental consulting. When clients see PMP on your resume, it shows you’re a professional and among the cream of the crop of project managers. In Aspect’s realm of work, some public agencies, like King County, strongly encourage or even require PMPs to be included on project teams to be considered for contracts. You also receive recognition from fellow PMPs who know and appreciate the hard work and diligence that goes into the certification.

Kirsi - Girl Boss Mug.jpg

How does one become a PMP?

The process of becoming a PMP is not as long as what’s required for a PE or LG in terms of meeting the qualifications, testing and studying, but it is still pretty rigorous. For me, it was a very intense six weeks.

In-Person Course Work

The first step is to complete 35 hours of in-person project management education. Several organizations offer classes with curriculum approved by PMI. I went through the Project Management Academy, which I highly recommend. I took a week off from Aspect (thanks Aspect!) and met with the class in a hotel conference room over four long days. On the last day of the in-person class, we took a practice test to gauge how well we’d absorbed the material. Let’s just say that I did not ace the practice test, meaning I had a lot of studying ahead of me.

Application

It was recommended to me that I take the in-person course first, and then fill out the PMP application. This might seem counterintuitive, but once you’ve gone through the course, you have a solid grasp on the terms PMI uses and can then incorporate that language in your application to talk about your experience. It also makes it easier for you to go through your work history and identify pieces they are looking for.

The application takes hours to complete. In order to be considered a candidate for PMP certification, you must document at least three years managing projects during the five stages of the project lifecycle: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing. You have to document this experience in great detail and provide references for those who oversaw your work over the years. This takes a lot of time and research to track all of it down and complete the application.

After you’ve completed the course work and application, it’s time to start studying for the 4-hour exam.

How did you study to prepare for the exam?

I’ve heard the passing rate for first try is 50-60 percent, so the pressure was “on” to really absorb the material. I studied for about 5 weeks before taking the exam. The Project Management Academy and PMI have a lot of Study Guides and other materials to review, including all of the slides from the course, and some mock exams. There are Laminated Study Guides – double-sided sheets that cover the key concepts, work flow charts, vocabulary, and equations – that you can write on and mark up as needed. Those came in quite handy. There are also PMP apps that have flash cards and quizzes to help. I made myself some flash cards too, mostly to help memorize vocabulary with definitions specific to PMI.

Over those 5 long weeks, I ran flash cards or studied on the app on the bus to and from work, then would come home and study for a few hours each night. I studied in 4- to 8-hour blocks on the weekends, including taking practice tests – which meant sitting for 4 hours at a time on a Saturday.

To help me focus on the weekends and remove household distractions, I would set up camp in the local library with snacks, white-noise sounds playing through my headphones, and my study materials. 

What is the best piece of advice you got during your study process?

Kirsi side bar.jpg

The best piece of advice I got from those who’d gone through this was to take the practice exams repeatedly until you get at least 80 percent correct. The practice exams are the best gauge of how well you understand the material. The exam results break down how you did on each section – showing what you got wrong and what the correct answer was, and summarizing all incorrect questions so you can review and know what material you need to focus on in your next study section.

I took five practice tests in all. On the last one, I got 81 percent. I knew then I was likely as ready as I could be to take the real thing.

Walk us through the Big Test Day…

I was assigned to take the exam at a testing center north of Seattle, so I stayed at my parents’ house the night before to save some commuting time and get a better night’s sleep (unfortunately, my dog Cooper had other ideas about getting sleep that night).

On Test Morning, I went to a coffee shop a few hours beforehand to wake up with some caffeine and a bakery treat while getting in some last-minute studying. At this point, I was very ready to have it all be done. Then I drove to the center and sat for the 4-hour exam.

Kirsi and her dachshund, Cooper

Kirsi and her dachshund, Cooper

The test itself was at times excruciating. It’s multiple choice, but there are nuances in answers that require you to really sit with them and think about the right choice. There are also math equations.

How did you feel when you finally got the results?

One great thing about the PMP certification exam is that it’s scored in real time and the results are immediate – no waiting in agony for weeks to find out how you did. After I submitted the answer for my last question, a pop-up appeared letting me know I’d passed. I felt a rush of mixed emotions as weeks of anxiety lifted off my shoulders. I closed my eyes and raised my arms in victory. This drew the attention of a test proctor, who came over to ask if I was ok. I just gestured at the screen, and they nodded approvingly. I left the testing center and cried in my car with relief that this was no longer hanging over me. The journey was over, and I’d earned that certification.

Any parting advice?

I would pass on the advice I got to keep taking the practice tests until you’re getting at least 80 percent correct. You don’t want to take the test, fail, and have to go through prep all over again.

The Path to Professional License: Matthew Lewis

In the science and engineering industry, seeing a “PE”, “LG”, “PMP”, or other initials behind someone’s name shows that person went through years of work experience that culminated in a substantial test to confirm the right to practice their area of technical expertise. A professional license is a proof statement that communicates that the people charged with designing roads and buildings; solving water supply challenges; cleaning up contaminated soil and water; and successfully managing project quality are qualified and ethically accountable professionals. Many go through this licensing journey but few outside that group know what the process is really like.

We’re telling those stories here. Aspect’s professionals are writing a series of articles that capture the trials and successes of studying for and receiving these career-defining milestones.

Matthew Lewis, Hydrogeology License (LHG)

LHG awarded October 2019

Matthew in the field at a gravel mine in Shelton

What was the best piece of advice you received as you started your LHG journey?

The best piece of advice I received was to keep this test in perspective and not let it stress me out. That the worst-case scenario would be to just take it again. Failure is feedback, not the end of the world.

Given this advice, what would you tell those about to begin?

My first piece of advice to anyone starting out is to treat the application as an important task itself, not just a formality. You will need to take time to coordinate with your project managers, who will have to take time to submit their own forms on your behalf. The application also requires a lot of information about projects you’ve worked on to prove evidence of your experience. I found that remembering relevant projects and describing my contributions were more time consuming than I initially thought they would be (what was that 5-year-old-project’s name again?), and I had some unexpected issues arise in gathering information about the projects as well. I was glad I started work early and submitted my application well ahead of time –a small road bump can turn into a critical failure when you’re up against a hard deadline.

Matthew and his high-energy family

My second piece of advice is to assess ahead of time how studying will impact your work/life balance. I have three high-energy kids at home, none of whom like to go to bed, and post-bedtime was the only time I could hope to squeeze in some study time. So I knew I had to start studying months in advance and plan for smaller, bite-sized study sessions. This early start helped me manage my time and stress and allow some flexibility in my study routine.

How did you study strategically?

I made sure to lock in the fundamentals like calculating a groundwater gradient by hand from a few wells, determining hydraulic head across an earthen dam from a flow-net diagram, and even just memorizing common unit conversions. Since I’m typically working with spreadsheet models and calculation software, it was easy to let some of those basic skills get rusty.

I knew from my days playing guitar that the best way to make progress is to practice towards your weaknesses. At work, I typically work on pumping tests, construction dewatering, and infiltration analysis, etc., so I focused my study efforts on areas of hydrogeology that I don’t work with every day. Even so, I was caught off-guard by several questions about aquifer tracer tests that I didn’t have that specific background knowledge in. This was a little discouraging, but I did so well in the other areas that it balanced out in the end. So, I recommend that once you have the fundamentals down, find the areas of hydrogeology you have the least exposure to and put your energy there.

Walk us through the Big Test Day…

My main focus on Test Day was to manage my stress levels and keep my mind clear. My LHG test was in the afternoon, so I made sure to get a good night’s sleep (no cramming the night before!) and eat breakfast with my family. I arrived at The Evergreen State College with plenty of time to find my testing location and listen to a bit of my favorite music. When I finally took the exam, I flew through half of it in less than an hour, and then spend the rest of the period taking my time on the more complex problems. I left feeling cautiously optimistic, but I also knew that test results don’t come for three loooooong months, so it’s best not to dwell on it—just let it go. Also, why does a scantron test take so long to process?!

How did you feel when you got the results?

I was thrilled to find out I had passed the exam. I was expecting a letter, but the email was just sitting there in my inbox one morning. I immediately called my wife with the news, and then I called my studio lead.

Obtaining my LHG was an important career milestone that helped pave the way for my Project Manager position. It also feels good now to see my LHG stamp on Aspect reports; it communicates a specialized knowledge background to our clients.

Matthew Lewis, LHG is a Project Hydrogeologist in Aspect’s Seattle office.

The Path to Professional License: Delia Massey

In the science and engineering industry, seeing a “PE”, “LG”, “PMP”, or other initials behind someone’s name shows that person went through years of work experience that culminated in a substantial test to confirm the right to practice their area of technical expertise. A professional license is a proof statement that communicates that the people charged with designing roads and buildings; solving water supply challenges; cleaning up contaminated soil and water; and successfully managing project quality are qualified and ethically accountable professionals. Many go through this licensing journey but few outside that group know what the process is really like.

We’re telling those stories here. Aspect’s professionals are writing a series of articles that capture the trials and successes of studying for and receiving these career-defining milestones.

Delia Massey, Professional Engineering License

April, 2019 – Tested; April, 2019 – Awarded

Mountain Biking Happiness!
Photo Credit: Riley Seebeck (Flowphoto Co.) https://flowphotoco.smugmug.com/

Where did you start with your test prep?

I started by going through a review book and focusing on sections that had the highest percentage of questions on the test and that I needed the most help with. There weren’t a lot of options for study materials because I was taking the new computer-based test, but I went with the highly rated “PE Environmental Review” by Michael R. Lindeburg, PE from PPI. Once I was done reviewing, I began taking practice tests and would go back to review specific sections as needed.

Knowing the test material is just one part of the experience. What should a person gearing up to do this know about the mental, physical, and social aspects of test prep?

Preparing for your PE exam means making big sacrifices in your life outside of work. It takes a toll on your mental and physical state and your close relationships. I knew it would be hard, but the stress, anxiety, and burden of needing to succeed were worse than I imagined. I also put unnecessary amount of pressure on myself to pass the first time (only about 64 percent of people pass on their first try) because if I passed, I would be the first woman to receive a PE while working at Aspect.

I think part of what made preparing for the PE so hard for me was that I have a very active life outside of my engineering job. I am a semi-professional mountain biker, and I spend my free time riding bikes, working on bikes, planning for rides and races, and talking about bikes. I normally say yes to every adventure, and thrive off of a packed weekend and post-work schedule of outdoor activities. Getting outside to exercise solo or with friends helps calm my mind and gets me through hours of sitting at a computer for my day job.

Preparing for the test meant I had to say no to everything I loved so I could focus on my career, and I lost my physical, emotional, and social outlet. It meant spending my weekends indoors studying in addition to a full workload.

My anxiety about the exam grew to be almost unmanageable and I began to have panic attacks, which were terrifying and made it hard to focus on studying. I would allow myself to go on one bike ride per week, but I felt guilty for taking time off from studying. Usually, riding my bike is one of my biggest comforts when I’m feeling down, but during my final month of preparation, I was studying two days per weekend to prepare for the impending test. I tried to stay off social media because it made me sad and angry that everyone else was seemingly out having fun all the time, and I had nothing happy or positive to post about.

Bike-to-Work-Month Selfie!

What was the best piece of advice you received as you started your PE journey?

Figure out what works for you, not what works for someone else. I quickly realized that trying to study after a full day of work wasn’t effective for me, and moved my study days to the weekend. I also realized that starting 8 months before the exam and studying for 500 hours was not realistic for maintaining my sanity, so I set a goal of studying over 4 months, which equaled about 100 hours.

Walk us through the Big Test Day…

Exam day came, and I was tired and extremely nervous. I was one of the first people to take the computer-based test [1] , and I wasn't entirely sure what to expect.

It was stressful to have to decide when to take my lunch break while not knowing what the second half of the exam would look like, and I ended up guessing on a few questions to save half the allotted time for the second 40 questions.

I felt like I bombed the first half, and sat in my car at lunch, sobbing hysterically and debating whether I should just give up and drive away. I took a deep breath, reminded myself of how much preparation I had done, and tried to focus on positive self-talk, and went back in feeling much better about the second half, but was still afraid that wouldn’t be enough to pass.

I went home and spent the weekend in a dark mood, thinking I had failed and would have to re-take the exam, which would mean more weekends of studying, and admitting to everyone at my company that I was a failure.

How did you feel when you finally got the results?

Six days later I got my exam result (one benefit to taking the computer-based exam!). I HAD PASSED. I was so relieved I was shaking, crying, and laughing all at the same time—my hard work had paid off, I was a licensed professional engineer and I would never have to take that test again. My months of stress and anxiety and feeling isolated were over.

Getting my license nearly killed my soul, but it’s the biggest and most important milestone in my career, and necessary for me to advance in the environmental consulting field.

I am already seeing the benefits of having a license as I get to take on more responsibility at Aspect. It’s important to remember that while I had to give up my life for about four months, the benefits of getting my PE will last forever. The suffering and sacrifice are temporary.

Any parting advice?

Although the PE is really important for your career, remember that it is just one exam, and that passing or failing does not define the rest of your life. You may be surprised to find out which of your coworkers failed their first attempt at a professional licensing exam, yet are now licensed and highly successful!

Delia Massey, PE is a Project Engineer in Aspect’s Seattle office. She was the first woman to become a professional engineer while working at Aspect.

[1] Historically, the PE exam has been a written test where you have four hours to complete the first 40 questions, a set lunch break, and then four hours to complete the second 40 questions. Test takers were also able to bring in any reference materials to use during the exam. I was one of the first groups to take the computer-based test, which is formatted slightly differently. Examinees are allotted eight hours to take the whole exam, but you can only see the first 40 questions before your lunch break.

You choose when to take your lunch break, so you could spend 5 hours on the first half of the test, but then you would only have 3 hours for the second half, and you don’t know what the second 40 questions are until you return from lunch. And, test takers only have access to the supplied reference material (which you can use while you study), and you can’t bring in any outside reference materials.

The Path to Professional License: Taylor Dayton

In the science and engineering industry, seeing a “PE”, “LG”, “PMP”, or other initials behind someone’s name shows that person went through years of work experience that culminated in a substantial test to confirm the right to practice their area of technical expertise. A professional license is a proof statement that communicates that the people charged with designing roads and buildings; solving water supply challenges; cleaning up contaminated soil and water; and successfully managing project quality are qualified and ethically accountable professionals. Many go through this licensing journey but few outside that group know what the process is really like.

We’re telling those stories here. Aspect’s professionals are writing a series of articles that capture the trials and successes of studying for and receiving these career-defining milestones.

Taylor Dayton, Professional Engineering License

October 2019 – Tested; January, 2020 – Awarded OR PE; May, 2020 – Reciprocity WA PE.

There comes a point in every engineer-in-training’s life where you have to face the music. Eight years into my field of practice, I had my own hardhat, leather-bound hydraulic flow data quick reference manual, and a fancy metal scale ruler sitting on the corner of my desk. I’d written hundreds of pages worth of technical reports and wiled away long afternoons in AutoCAD wondering why the newest version hid all the buttons I needed to pull together a construction plan set. I’d even replumbed part of my own home successfully after mistakenly spilling a can full of black beans down my garbage disposal – confirmation that my skills can fix real-world problems.

Eight years in, it seemed like my career was going well, but there was one specter looming. The state licensing board has chosen the eight-year mark as the best time for a casual spot check of your developing skillset through a 9-hour NCESS-administered examination of every engineering concept you’ve ever learned. If you are successful, you gain the privilege of ordering new business cards with two tiny letters at the end of your name.

Where did you start with your test prep?

I started studying in March 2019 in preparation to take the October 2019 exam. My goal was to hit 300 hours of dedicated study time. Because of my degrees (undergraduate in biochemistry and master’s in civil engineering, with water and wastewater focus) I knew I would be strong in chemistry, pumps, and pipes, but not have as much experience with air engineering or landfill design.

Knowing the test material is just one part of the experience. What should a person gearing up to do this know about the mental, physical, and social aspects of test prep?

This was my general approach to the exam. Season your preparation approach to taste.

  1. Philosophy: Failure was not an option. I was committed to temporarily sacrificing elements of my work/life balance to make sure I would nail this exam on the first try.

  2. Time Management: I evaluated my performance at work, talked to my manager, and adjusted my commitments to what was realistically possible knowing that I would need enough mental energy to hit the books just about every day before or after work. I minimized travel where possible and dialed down on my business development efforts while I was preparing for my exam.

  3. Friends and Family: I notified everyone in my life of my six-month commitment to a disgruntled hermit lifestyle. I set up a dedicated study space and committed up to two hours a day during the week and up to 12 hours on the weekends. If this sounds like a HUGE time commitment, it was. I’m not really geared for partial commitments to things.

  4. Mental/Physical Health: I blocked out and prioritized a time to hit the gym four times a week. This is absolutely critical. You will be consuming many study snacks and disappointing your daily step counter of choice during the study process and it’s easy to let that inertia get you down.

  5. A Pre-Test Reward: Plan a trip or mini-adventure for two weeks prior to your exam. Stop studying when you hit that point and do a lot of fun things in the two weeks leading up to your exam.

What was the best piece of advice you received as you started your PE journey?

I appreciated everyone who was humble enough to reveal that it took them two or three times to pass the exam. It was comforting to know that their lives didn’t fall apart immediately and that it didn’t hinder their journeys to becoming respected scientists and engineers. They just refocused, studied better, and got it done.

Walk us through the Big Test Day…

After months and months of preparation, test day approached in October. I recommend doing the following to help keep your peace of mind before/during/after the test:

  • Book a hotel as close to your testing location as possible. Take a half-day from work and travel to the hotel. Go pick some great snacks for your lunch break the next day, eat a good dinner, and watch a great movie.

  • Plan to take off work the day after the exam to de-stress and start getting your life back in order.

  • Reconnect with whatever friends and family will have you back, notice your pets are a little overweight from all the hikes you haven’t been taking them on, and go outside to see what season it is in nature now since you probably missed at least one while studying.

Ten days later, you will receive your results and can send them on to the State Engineering Board for verification.

Here I am repping my top of the line safety gear and the North Central Washington Beekeepers Association, cracking open the overwintered beehives for the first time this season.

How did you feel when you finally got the results?

“All right! Time to go after that beekeeper certification!”

Any parting advice?

In retrospect, was the amount of time I dedicated to this crazy? Could I have gotten away with only 150 hours of preparation or one quick scan of my old college binders the night before? It’s possible, but I think this approach was helpful on three levels.

  1. Preparing the PE is an introspective journey. You get to retread eight years of growth and affirm that you’re not the freshman barely treading water in differential equations anymore.

  2. The process reminded me of the breadth of the skillset I’ve built as a professional and encouraged me to reach out to PMs I don’t usually work with to utilize some of that skillset in new ways. Aspect does water system planning now!

  3. The (over) preparation made exam day a straightforward and easy experience. There were a few questions on topic areas I have never encountered in my day job, but they were a very small portion of the exam. I’d practiced 95% of the test in my review process and was familiar enough with the process that I didn’t have to waste time browsing the reference manual. That allowed plenty of time to make some educated guesses on the material I didn’t know and knock out the exam a couple of hours early.

Taylor Dayton is a Project Engineer at Aspect Consulting in Wenatchee, Washington. Contact her to share any test-taking tips you have.

Favorite Study Resources

PE exam-specific guides:

The NCEES reference manual – Free. This is your only lifeline to the outside world during the exam. Print it out and become familiar with every page and table.

The NCEES practice exam - $30. This is your bible and only insight from the test provider on the actual content of the exam. I recommend attempting this exam once at the start of your studying process and again near the end. Use this to gauge the difficulty of the problems you may encounter on the exam.

PE Environmental Review by Michael Lindburg - $290. The golden standard reference for PE preparation. I committed to reading a few sections of this book each study session. I found it helpful to recall the topics I was familiar with in graduate school, but have not encountered in my current practice. There are other resources available in this series of books if you need additional problem sets to work through (PE Practice, PE Practice Exams), but I did not find them very true to the actual questions on the exam.

School of PE On Demand Lectures and Problem Sets - $340 for one month. I highly recommend the School of PE course to help structure your study approach. They have a much more expensive live version of the course, but one month of the On Demand course was enough for me to review all the lecture video content, annotate the provided course notes, and make a binder of the practice problems they provide. I used the practice problems as the core of my study sessions and they prepared me very well for the test.

Textbooks to Flip Through:

Introduction to Environmental Engineering. Any variety of this kind of textbook will do, but I like the intro book by Gilbert Masters and Wendell Ela. You can find it for a cool $20. It includes great primers on climate change and ozone depletion, risk assessment, indoor air quality, source-reduction and recycling, and groundwater contamination.

Hazardous Waste Management by Michael LeGrega. Your one stop shop for landfill questions.

Water Quality and Treatment by James Edswald. The absolute best handbook for drinking water treatment.

Biological Wastewater Treatment: The golden standard is the Metcalf and Eddy textbook, but I found I preferred Biological Wastewater Treatment by Grady, Dalgger, Love, and Filipe. There are very good comprehensive chapter summaries that I read through that addressed every wastewater question I encountered on the exam.

Trusty Calculator Companion?

I brought along the same loyal TI-36X that I used on the FE exam. I even bought a second one to bring along as a backup, which the test proctor thought was very cool. I’m pretty sure that’s what her expression meant anyway.


Leadership Training in the Built Environment: One Engineer’s Perspective

The built environment (i.e., the man-made environments we live and work in) is developed by interdisciplinary teams of planners, architects, engineers, permitting and construction experts, and other professions. Given the complexity of building in today’s urban world, setting aside time outside of project delivery to connect—and learn from—each other is challenging. The Urban Land Institute (ULI) is the world’s oldest and largest network of real estate and land use professionals and with over 1,000 member organizations. ULI’s Northwest chapter is a thriving network of 1,000 professional members and facilitates connection and professional development opportunities in the region.

Aspect’s Associate Engineer Adam Griffin recently completed ULI’s six-month Center for Leadership (CfL) program with a cohort of 36 fellow professionals. Adam shares some thoughts on this program and the value of trying something different to grow professionally.

Adam (center left, middle row in solid blue shirt) and his Center for Leadership Cohort

 What was the program like?

My cohort was the 5th of the CfL program, which consisted of 6 sessions culminating in a team deliverable and presentation to the Puget Sound Regional Council. The regional ULI staff have refined a program that weaves leadership development into the region’s built environment vision, projects, and challenges. The leadership element is founded on your DiSC® profile[1] in the first session and evolves to sessions and projects where teams are designed based on leadership profiles. Session themes ranged from “Urban/Rural Divide: Finding Common Ground” to “Resilience in the Age of Disruption” and were hosted at some of the region’s coolest spaces (i.e., the Amazon sphere)—my favorite spot was Taylor’s Shellfish Farms on West Samish Bay on a bluebird day!

What did you learn?

A lot! Awareness of my Steady leadership profile (from my DiSC® assessment)—tendencies, strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for growth—and how to apply this awareness to my own professional growth. This program was a departure in how I’ve historically used my professional development time and I learned that when you step outside of your comfort zone, growth and learning are inevitable. I re-learned that relationships are the best investment of professional time. I also learned about the vision and ambition of our region, and what a tremendous opportunity we currently have to shape it.

[1] DiSC is a non-judgmental communication tool that stands for Dominance, Influence, Conscientiousness, and Steadiness. It’s similar to a Myer Briggs approach but focused on describing someone’s communications style—including priorities, motivators, and stress triggers.