It's a new year. Can you believe that how fast 2014 flew by? Here we are in 2015 with less than 100 days left to study for the next exam.
Right now is the time to start. You can set small goals to win each day. Maybe you have a hard time studying every single day? Maybe you can only study three to five times for the PE exam? Is that going to be enough?
WIN THIS DAY
The truth to that question is that it will NEVER be enough. Trust me when I say that. If you are able to study every day I can promise you that when the test comes you will still feel like there is more that you could study or catch up on or look up because it is almost impossible to capture the entirety of human knowledge of civil engineering in so short of a time.
What you should be doing is going for small wins every day. If you can't study every day then try to get into a habit of studying as much as you can. If all you can do is watch some videos I made during a break at work then that is a small win. If all you can do is study during your lunch time then do it. Get the study time in and it will greatly benefit you.
SETTING GOALS
If you are just starting to studying for the Apirl 2015 exam, or you just just now thinking about it, you should be setting goals to study. It's time to get back into school mode and get in the habit of studying and doing a lot of homework problems. Get a schedule of doing certain subjects and go for it. For example, start this week to cover study open channel flow and next week to study closed conduit systems. Do homework problems from the CERM practice problems manual. Look at the new design specifications for the upcoming 2015 exam and make a plan to study each of those topics and then hit another one the following week. You must study problems that the NCEES organization has outlined for you.
There are currently 8 topics now on the specifications as apposed to the old 5 subjects. It's not that they are much different, but you need to know how to organize your time to study each of the areas they talk about. Make sure you are devoting a Saturday or Sunday as the test gets closer to practicing a practice exam. I would recommend taking at least 2 practice exams for the breadth and at least one for the depth before the big day. This will get you in the proper mindset for actual test day.
So there you have it. Win this day and start setting goals. Focus on one subject at a time and eventually you will get there.
Good luck with studying!
Isaac