Isaac Oakeson: Hey, what's up everybody? Isaac here with Civil Engineering Academy. Thank you for joining our podcast today. I'm excited to share this one with you. If you haven't liked or subscribed to this stuff, please do so and share it with a friend. We love sharing this and, you know, our mission is to help people on their journey to pass their exams. So if you're in that boat or you know of others, let them know about us. We definitely appreciate it.

Isaac Oakeson: Today, I bring a guest, Wade Broussard. He reached out to me a long time ago after he failed his PE exam the first time. Very frustrated with his results, wasn't sure quite how to move forward, and we had a little consultation and got a plan to move forward. And he was able to ace his PE exam this last round that he took it. He also is a member of our course, the Ultimate Civil PE Review Course. And excited to share with you his journey to pass his PE exam. He has lots of tips, whether you're a repeat taker or a first-time taker, and how to tackle the transportation depth exam, which is what he took.

Isaac Oakeson: So, Wade is working as a professional engineer now. He does land development in Louisiana and is doing fantastic stuff out there. So I'm excited to bring Wade on. A great guest and I think you're really gonna enjoy this one. So, without further ado, definitely give this one a listen and it'll be coming up right after this.

Isaac Oakeson: Hey, I wanted to jump on real quick and let you know about a free resource we developed for you. You can find it at civilengineeringacademy.com/peguide. And this will help you to jumpstart your studies for your PE exam. So if you're in the hunt and you're just thinking about the PE exam, this guide will help you get through the process of figuring out everything you need to do, from the PE exam's prerequisites that you gotta figure out, the must have materials that you're gonna need for the exam, any approved calculators, what groups you should join, exam secrets, and much more. It's all in this guide that we've got developed for you. It's completely free. You can go check it out at civilengineeringacademy.com/peguide. Just put in your email, we'll get you that information as soon as the email comes to your inbox. So go check it out: civilengineeringacademy.com/peguide.

Isaac Oakeson: All right! We are live and rolling. Wade, thank you for jumping on the Civil Engineering Academy Podcast. Excited that you've joined me today.

Wade Broussard: Oh, thank you, man. Excited to be here.

Isaac Oakeson: Well, this is gonna be awesome. You know, you shared some awesome news with us that you passed your PE exam. I wanted to bring you on and kind of detail your journey into passing. The wisdom and knowledge that you have to share with others is always an inspiration with people that are in your same shoes. So, we'll get to that in a minute.

Isaac Oakeson: I always like to start these kind of just describing a little bit about your background, why you chose engineering, and where are you working, what are you doing today?

Wade Broussard: Yeah. So, I graduated from LSU, Louisiana State University, in 2019 with a bachelor's in civil engineering. Kind of my background on why I got into civil engineering was, you know, my dad graduated from LSU as an industrial engineer. And I kind of, you know, always looked up to him and, you know, the way he provided for my family. And, you know, I kind of admired the work he did because he would, you know, pick me up from school and I'd go to his office and see what he was doing. I always thought it was so cool. So, you know, that was definitely a big reason why I started doing engineering.

Wade Broussard: And then, I kind of -- There was a class they offered at LSU and it was an intro to all engineering. So I took, you know, I took that class and civil, you know, stuck out the most to me. So that was kind of the reason why I chose that one.

Isaac Oakeson: Well, I myself have lived in Louisiana and I know there's a lot of petroleum factories. There's just a lot of industrial stuff there. So, you know, definitely a place that you could go to if you wanted to go that route. You found civil as what you were finding interest in. Did your -- I imagine your parents supported that or did he want you to follow in his footsteps at all?

Wade Broussard: He did, for sure. He works in the petrochemical industry right now, but I kind of -- I was thinking I was going to go down that route until I got an internship my senior year at, you know, where my current employer is at right now. And my current employer is McLin Taylor Engineering and it's a small firm based out of Livingston, Louisiana, and we do mostly land development. So that got me into that industry and, you know, it's kind of where I've stayed since and kind of have a lot of interest in it.

Isaac Oakeson: Well, that is awesome. Good to know your background.

Isaac Oakeson: Well, let's dive into the exam a little bit. As we kick this off. How did we meet? What was our introduction together?

Wade Broussard: So the introduction was -- So I'm a repeat taker myself. So the first time I took it, you know, I failed the exam. I was really close, was a little disappointed, and I chose -- When I took the FE exam, actually, I came across the Civil Engineering Academy just when I was looking for more, you know, problems, more practice tests and stuff like that. So I was like, "Man, when I passed the FE I used Civil Engineering Academy."

Wade Broussard: So I kind of looked on your website again and I found that you had a, you know, a consultation. So I went in and signed up for that and we -- You know, I kind of discussed where I was in the PE and you kind of helped me, you know, get a game plan. And I think that was one of the most helpful things. It was doing an initial consultation with you on preparing my path forward, you know, to success. And I followed it to a T and, you know, that's where we're at now.

Isaac Oakeson: That's awesome. Well, yeah. I also think it was awesome that you signed up for that. I was happy to kind of just share my knowledge with you and I'm really glad it helped.

Isaac Oakeson: So, why don't you discuss a little bit about how you balanced your time between, I guess, work and study. Did work support you studying? Could you study at work? Could you describe some of that balance?

Wade Broussard: Well, we were -- I mean, we're insanely busy right now. We were back when I was studying. So, you know, the way I would do it is, I kind of took your advice. I made a calendar, I printed out a huge calendar of what I had, you know, leading up to the test and I filled out this is how many hours I want to get in and study in a day. And I would usually break it up between -- I would maybe, you know, wake up a little earlier before work and study some, and then during my free time at lunch, because we have about an hour lunch break, so I'd, you know, hit the books a little bit then.

Wade Broussard: And then, you know, usually I would get home probably around 5:30, you know, hang out with my wife for about an hour or so and then, you know, hit the books until I got tired. And that's kind of how I did it. And really didn't take any days off, though. So I was studying pretty much nonstop. I didn't try to take a day off. I kept trying to build on it each day.

Isaac Oakeson: Awesome. So for you, how many months do you think that was and how much, like, study time a week do you think you had?

Wade Broussard: Yeah. The first time I took the PE was in March and I started studying in September. So it was -- You know, I felt confident going into it, but I don't think I was a hundred percent ready to go. But, you know, probably somewhere seven to eight months in my opinion, you know? I took the transportation depth, and has a lot of depth material and a lot of references you gotta know. So it took some time for me. So I think about seven, eight months for sure.

Isaac Oakeson: Yeah. And that's probably, like, total time.

Wade Broussard: Yeah.

Isaac Oakeson: We definitely recommend -- You know, the longer the runway obviously the better, especially when you've gotta know all those codes and standards as well. Transportation has definitely a lot of them.

Isaac Oakeson: I guess while we're talking about Transportation, would you have any tips for people that are taking that same depth exam? What helped you? What did you notice on the exam that was like, "Holy cow, I was not prepared for this!"? Anything?

Wade Broussard: So definitely, I did purchase most of the references. Some, you know, like the Green Book, we had a copy at our office because we use that. You know, we had a couple AASHTO standards. But the rest, like the Federal Highway, you know, Hydraulics [inaudible] that we had to use, like, I had to purchase that one. But basically when you're taking the exam, they don't give you the references as one big PDF document. It's all broken up into chapters.

Wade Broussard: So it's very, very beneficial because I realized the first time to know where everything's at and which chapter it's in, because that's gonna save you so much time on the exam. Because, when you scroll through it, it's insanely slow. So if you know what chapter, what section to go immediately, you're gonna save yourself at least two to three minutes a problem. And that, you know, definitely adds up over time.

Isaac Oakeson: Yeah. I mean, time management's kind of a big deal on the exam, right? So all those little tips and tricks can definitely help.

Isaac Oakeson: Do you feel like on the exam that you had to rush through it or do you feel like maybe the first half of the exam you did well with or anything like that?

Wade Broussard: Yeah. So, you're definitely on a time crunch, and I feel like the whole experience is almost designed to kind of test you on that or maybe mess you up a little bit, because they'll throw a few problems right up front, like, as soon as you take the morning half that are a little out there and a little harder to kind of maybe throw you off your game a little bit and start you a little panic.

Wade Broussard: So, definitely, what I would recommend is, you know, taking the morning half, maybe about three and a half hours to allow you a lot of time to take your depth. Because that was the main in mine. Taking that depth takes some time definitely to, you know, go through it.

Wade Broussard: But, you know, if you don't know a question right off the bat, I would recommend flagging it, moving on, and, you know, giving yourself some time to go back and, you know, maybe check a few problems that you were uneasy on. You know, that allows you to go back and redo those other ones that you flagged.

Isaac Oakeson: And you were a member of our course, The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course. What are some things that that helped you with on this exam?

Wade Broussard: I mean, like, doing all the problems, the video problems that you have and definitely doing those practice tests and the bonus theory. You know, it's a difference between doing them and -- Like, you know, you understand what's going on, but the way you have it set up allows students to know the actual big picture behind it and the why's that we ask as engineers. So, I mean, I feel like it was great.

Wade Broussard: And I did every single one of the problems, every single one of the tests and bonus theory, and I felt extremely confident going into the exam because I [inaudible] everything that you went over. So, like, for example, in the Construction section of the morning half, you know, the brick and mortar. Like, I was very uneasy on that at first. And then, you know, all the video problems cleared that up. The shoring and everything. So, like, that was great.

Isaac Oakeson: That's awesome. Was there something in the course that you thought was like -- I don't know. Something that really stood out to you that really helped you the most?

Wade Broussard: They have a little chat box at the bottom of each section when you do the practice with the video problems. So, if you had, you know, little uneasy on one of the problems, you could, you know, put your question in the chat box and you were guaranteed with the way you all have it set up, you know, we get a response within 24 hours. I mean, it makes clear sense. Or "Hey, where's this located at in the references?" and, you know, somebody would respond and say "Hey, it's here" and would provide a solution. Like, that was extremely helpful.

Isaac Oakeson: Awesome. Yeah. We have definitely a lot of resources in the course, whether it's the lectures or the video practice problems. We also offer a full-blown CBT kind of simulator of the exam. I don't know if that helped you.

Wade Broussard: Yes. I did that as well, and that was extremely helpful. I would say that's about 85% to 90% of what you're gonna see on the test. And you know, when I took it -- I actually took the CBT simulator like a week out from the exam and I scored an 80 in one and I was like, "All right, well, I'm pretty confident now." I mean, it's very -- You have the references up there. I mean, it was, like, literally what you're gonna see in the test.

Isaac Oakeson: That's awesome. Well, that's great feedback. Yeah, if anyone's sitting on the fence and needs to -- You know, we even offer that as a separate, standalone so you know how important it's to get practice in. So if people do need that CBT simulator, that's an option for people to dive into.

Isaac Oakeson: I just had a couple questions about the exam itself, but do you have any tips? Like, if you were to describe to someone what the big secret is to passing this exam, what would you tell your friend?

Wade Broussard: Try to do as many problems as you can. And you know, going through Civil Engineering Academy, I mean, you're, you're given that, in my opinion. Like, I mean, just the more practice, the more you know, the more, better, more competence you get, and the competence is the big thing in the test. And, you know, there was a lot of problems that were in that you guys gave us that were extremely close to what you're gonna see on the test. Maybe, you know, a step further that you saw in another problem. So, I mean, it pieces it all together for you for sure.

Isaac Oakeson: That's great. Wade, were you checking out any other courses and maybe why did you choose Civil Engineering Academy? How come you gravitated to us?

Wade Broussard: So, the first time I took it, I used a different review course and it was, you know, due to some recommendations from people, some of my coworkers. So, you know, I went through that course and, you know, paid an insane amount of money for it. And, you know, I just felt like it was so much information that was unnecessary.

Wade Broussard: And what I did, the Civil Engineering Academy and the reviews I read based online, it was the exact information that you need. Nothing more, nothing less. So that's what works for me is, you know, if that's the minimum I need, then that's what I'm gonna do.

Isaac Oakeson: That's right.

Wade Broussard: Other courses kind of got lost in the weeds in my opinion. They would focus on stuff that wasn't in the scope of the exam or it was just something that you didn't, it was way out there for your depth or way out there for what they would ask in the morning half.

Isaac Oakeson: That definitely makes sense. You know, we try to tailor this course, the courses that we offer, to be just what you need. We're not gonna go into a college discourse or anything like that. We wanna get you what you need to get in and out, because once you're done with the exam, you know, you're done with it. And now all you gotta do is continuing education to keep that license going. And it sounds like you just got yours, so congratulations on that.

Wade Broussard: Thank you.

Isaac Oakeson: What advice would you have someone that has to repeat this exam or is finding that it's just been a challenge for them to get over the hump of doing this? I guess what tips would you have for them? Is there some self-realization that needs to happen? Like, what do you think?

Wade Broussard: When we did our initial phone conference, I think it was the day I found out that I failed the exam and I remember sending it right to you. You know, my diagnostic and everything to you. So I was, you know, for about a day I was a little aggravated and you kind of -- Basically what you told me is, "Hey," you know, "don't get mad at the exam. Don't get mad at the people that are making the exam. You know, it's part of the process and you're kind of gonna get off your game when you do it that way."

Wade Broussard: So, you know, maybe get a little aggravated but use that as your fuel to, you know, keep at it and, you know, stay positive. That's a big thing. It's just stay positive and, you know, trust yourself. Like, "Hey," you know, "I'm doing this process. It's gonna be worth it one day for sure."

Isaac Oakeson: Very true. Yeah, I mean, I can't tell you like -- There's a lot of people that repeat this exam. I'm a repeat taker myself, so I definitely know the pains of having to redo this thing and kind of the sunk costs of money and time and sacrifice to doing it. So, anybody that comes to me and shows me, you know, their score and they're wondering what's going on with their life and why am I doing this.

Isaac Oakeson: Attitude is a huge piece of this puzzle. And like I said, if you're going in to the exam with a bad attitude and you hate the NCEES and you hate the exam, you've pretty much already lost the battle. So, you know, you take these failures as opportunities to learn. I mean, look how much you've learned from failing. You've learned what they test you on, how they ask the questions, the look and feel of the problems, you know, how much theory they're throwing at you. You just kind of absorb all that, I think, and apply it to your studies and do the next one.

Isaac Oakeson: So, I guess, what would be your advice -- We were talking about practice exams and stuff. Do you have any tips around taking practice exams? Would you work them like homework problems? Would you set them up like a real environment? How did you tackle that?

Wade Broussard: Yeah, so the way I would do it is, I would study -- So Fridays for my schedule at work would be, we work, you know, 7 to 5 Monday through Thursday, and then I get off half a day. So at 11 on Friday. So I would come home, try to get home as early as possible on Friday, and I would set up a timer and I would do nothing. But I'd actually set it up like I was taking the test when I did any practice test.

Wade Broussard: So, I would definitely think you should take the NCEES practice test a few times, like you're, you know, simulating the exam. Same thing with the Civil Engineering Academy exams, which are very, very, very, extremely close to what you're gonna see on the test too.

Wade Broussard: I mean, that's the way I would do it. I would block out a lot of time. You know, block out five hours and do the morning section and then, you know, maybe Saturday get up early and do the depth and you know, maybe review on a Sunday. I would usually do practice exams on the weekends that I had time to block out four or five hours, you know, and do something.

Isaac Oakeson: That's awesome. Yeah, and we've kind of tailored that CBT exam. I know people have a life, so we have a lot people to like pause the exam in the middle of it because we know that you do have a life and sometimes you can't dedicate the whole eight hours to an exam. So, you know, block off what you can do, you know? If it's four hours when you're getting ready for the big day and put yourself in that simulation so that you can put the pressure on yourself. And doing that I think also helps with time management as well when you're actually going through the problems.

Isaac Oakeson: Did you ever feel like you were rushed in getting through the exam? Or do you feel like that was OK?

Wade Broussard: I thought I was -- You know, I never really felt rushed on it. I would always finish with more time, you know, to go back and look at things. And I was always trying to do the morning half in about three and a half hours. But I kind of felt rushed usually in the morning to meet that. So I'd allow myself more time in the depth so I could feel more relaxed. So I guess it's just a little balance, but I mean, honestly, no. I mean, we as engineers, when we take tests in college, we're always rushed anyway. So we're about used to it, you know? I think we're used to taking tests that way. And so I never really felt rushed on it. Honestly, with the FE, I felt a lot more rushed than I did on the PE.

Isaac Oakeson: True. Well, could you also describe for those listening, what was the testing center like for you? Was there anything that caught you off guard that maybe you didn't know or anticipate? Or what should people anticipate if they're going to the testing center?

Wade Broussard: Yeah. So, you might want to get there a little early because when -- You know, the testing center in Baton Rouge, you know, you could be taking tests with other people taking nursing exams or you know, these other OSHA ones to get into the plant. So you might want to get there a little early so that you could start your test like right on time and, you know, stuff like that. Because the check-in process takes about, like, 20 minutes because they gotta do your fingerprints and scan your hand and all that stuff. That goes to show you what you break, too. So I would definitely, you know, keep an eye on that. You know, definitely take your bathroom breaks too because you don't want to be going in and out of that testing center because it takes a minute to get back in.

Isaac Oakeson: And did you bring a lunch or anything during that middle break or what did you do during that?

Wade Broussard: During the break I, you know, I would bring something like maybe a sandwich or a watchable and, you know, smash that and maybe review your last bit for 10 to 15 minutes, go to the bathroom, and then go back in. I mean, I didn't want to use the whole break. I wanted to just, you know, maybe reset, eat something, get, you know, maybe hydrate a little bit and you know, get back in. Because you know, I know everybody's -- You know, once you're going, you're in the flow, you don't wanna lose it, you know?

Isaac Oakeson: Very true, very true. Well this has been awesome. I think you've shared a lot of tips for people that are repeat takers, tips looking to take the PE exam. Is there anything else on your mind or tips related to the PE exam or the Transportation depth exam that you'd like to share with anybody?

Wade Broussard: It's just stay at it, you know? You know, just keep the momentum going. You know, I would say maybe don't -- I wouldn't recommend doing what I did and I kind of studied, you know, through some holidays. You know, Christmas morning I was studying. My birthday, I was studying too. So probably wouldn't recommend doing that. But I was, you know, you go all in and you're obsessed with it. And honestly, I would become a student of the whole thing. I would listen to your podcast on the way to work and, you know, maybe try to get some more knowledge or maybe another tip that I could do to, you know, to better myself or listen to somebody else and, you know, build it that way. Because it's almost like --

Wade Broussard: You know, maybe go on a tangent here, I would definitely join the Facebook group too. The Civil Engineering Academy Facebook group. Because that was extremely helpful as well. You know, it's a big private group of people in the same situation you're in and, you know, everybody's bouncing all these great ideas. "Hey, I saw this." "Hey, maybe do this." And it was great.

Isaac Oakeson: True. So, we have two different communities if people wanna participate in that. We have a free community, which anyone can join. It's at ceacommunity.com and we're there to help you there as well. But if you do check out our course, The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course, it does come with a private community. And these are people that are just, you know, in the trenches taking the exam very soon. Questions are coming often, whether it's related to the course or problems they're studying, even outside of Civil Engineering Academy, or tips, or celebrations or disappointments. All that jazz is happening in that. And it's a very active group, it's very supportive, and I feel like it's one of the best features of the course itself. So, thanks for mentioning that.

Wade Broussard: Yeah. And the positivity, you know? When I did it, everybody's passing exam showing their success and it's this massive amount of positivity behind it. And that's a big thing in my opinion. You know, you're seeing everybody going through the same thing you went through and you know, they're passing, they're sharing their success stories and everybody's saying, "Man, the Civil Engineering Academy is the best." Like, "This is the truth," you know?

Wade Broussard: And that's what's is great. You know, a lot of my coworkers are gonna be taking it too and I'm recommending it to them and they're like, "Man, I need the Civil Engineering Academy." I'm like, "Yeah, that's, that's the only way to go, man."

Isaac Oakeson: The one!

Wade Broussard: Yeah. It is. That's true in my opinion.

Isaac Oakeson: Awesome! Well, we love hearing that. You know, when I was a repeat taker, I was frustrated the same. I mean, this is kind of an origin story for all of this, but I was in the same boat, you know? Frustrated. I had taken courses as well, and very expensive. Realized I just had all this material. There wasn't something like in the trenches with somebody that kind of knew this whole experience, because, the bigger name companies, they definitely have, you know, a lot of administrative stuff going on. But eventually, sometimes they get a little out of touch with what's going on. And so, I wanted to try to be in touch with who those who were studying and that's really why I started this; to try to make it a little less painful to those taking these exams.

Wade Broussard: Yeah. And it definitely works. The method you guys have is, I mean, it's second to none in my opinion. I mean, I would highly recommend it. You know, the price is perfect and you get everything you need for sure. I learned way more doing the lecture problems -- I mean, honestly, you know, I know you told me when I was taking it. "Hey, you know, maybe you don't need to watch the videos." I mean, I went through the whole course. So I would say, definitely, you know, do everything that you have to offer.

Isaac Oakeson: Awesome! Well, yeah. I do remember saying that because you had already taken a full course, so it was kind of like, you know, maybe it's a refresher for you. But, yeah. I mean, you know, it's there for you to use whenever you want it. And that's why it's all there for you.

Isaac Oakeson: Awesome. Well, is there anything else you want to tell the world about passing this thing before we wrap this up?

Wade Broussard: It's a huge relief once you pass it. Definitely, you know, as a repeat taker you have to stay at it. You know, stay motivated. You know, don't get down in the dumps about everything. You know, I understand there's people out there who take it a few more times than others, but you know, it doesn't make you a bad engineer, you know? Personally, I was one of the worst standardized test-takers and, you know, just passing this thing was a huge deal for me. And it's very hard to pass it for somebody who, you know, hates standardized tests like crap.

Wade Broussard: So, just stay positive. It's a huge thing. And you know, honestly, the way I had it was, I was almost obsessed with it. I was obsessed with passing and obsessed with learning and, you know, just trying to do whatever I could to pass the test. And when you pass it and, you know, now you get your license, it's a great feeling. And it's worth it, for sure.

Isaac Oakeson: For sure. I remember when I was studying for this pretty heavily. It got to a point where the problem started clicking and you were starting solving stuff. It almost became fun again. I hate to say that. But it's like, once it's clicking, it's like, "Hey!"

Wade Broussard: [Inaudible] Tell my wife, "Hey look, this is cool!" And she's like, "I don't care."

Isaac Oakeson: Exactly. You kind of have to get back into that college study mode again. It sometime is painful because you've been out of school for a while if you're in a state where you still need the four years of experience to get it, which most people do and they wait for that. You know, you forget a lot. So, we're here to help you. If you definitely are interested in checking things out, check us out at civilengineeringacademy.com.

Isaac Oakeson: And Wade, if people had questions or wanted to reach out to you personally, is there a good way for our audience to do that?

Wade Broussard: Yes, you can, you know, reach me on the Facebook group because I'm still active on that. Definitely send me a message or add me on LinkedIn or I can give you my email. It's [email protected], and you can send me an email that way. And we can connect and, you know, maybe I could share my phone number and, you know, we could maybe chat or something.

Isaac Oakeson: Pass it on.

Isaac Oakeson: Well, I have one last question. Why would you choose Civil Engineering Academy over any other course that's out there?

Wade Broussard: Oh, it's the best man. It's the way to go. It's proven results in my opinion. And, you know, seeing everybody else's reviews, the Facebook. I mean, everybody, you know, it just seems like at a certain point you will pass the exam using the Civil Engineering Academy. I mean, there's no way around it.

Isaac Oakeson: Awesome. Awesome. Well, thank you for joining me today, Wade. This has been very enjoyable, very inspirational and I think a lot of people are gonna get a lot of value out of this, especially if you're finding yourself repeating the exam. So thank you for joining me today. Hope you have a great weekend.

Wade Broussard: All right. You as well. Thank you.

Isaac Oakeson: All right. See you.

Wade Broussard: All right.