Well to start, the reference handbook is only 75 pages long and made up mostly of just bare formulas with little explanation. If the official NCEES® reference handbook is the only allowed supplemental reference material for the new closed book CBT PE exam, how does it compare to the small library of 10 to 15 reference books that most test-takers have traditionally brought with them in the past to the open book paper and pencil PE exam? In contrast, the new CBT format of the electrical and power PE exam will be closed book, with only one allowed supplemental reference that will be supplied by NCEES®, which is the official Electrical and Computer: Power Reference Handbook. They are a wealth of information and have proved to be invaluable over the years in passing the exam by being able to answer the last 5 to 10 questions in each section that are too difficult to be answered without supplemental reference material. The majority of reference textbooks have been college-level academic books that are about 500 pages long and filled with diagrams, example problems, and theory explanations.
The average PE exam test taker would bring in anywhere from 10 to 15 different reference textbooks and three-ring binders filled with case studies, white papers, and explanatory material to help answer the more challenging questions that appear on the exam. Instead, however, you are expected to be resourceful enough to quickly find answers to new challenges using textbooks, IEEE standards, codebooks, and case studies. Passing the paper and pencil format PE exam meant being tested on how well you can use references to answer new challenges, just like in the real world engineering industry you’re not expected to know every answer to every problem off the top of your head. It allows test takers to bring in their own outside reference material to help answer questions on the PE exam. The traditional paper and pencil PE exam format that has been in place for decades is open book. The Reference Handbook for the new CBT Format Electrical Power PE Exam for January 2021 – Open vs Closed Book
How to Login to NCEES® and Download or Print the CBT Reference Handbook for the Electrical Power PE Exam.Final Thoughts on the new CBT Reference Handbook for the Electrical Power PE Exam.Instantaneous Functions, Average Value, RMS.Second Biggest Surprise – Codes and Standards.The Reference Handbook for the new CBT Format Electrical Power PE Exam for January 2021 – Open vs Closed Book.What’s in this Article? Click below to jump to any section : Originally scheduled for April 2021, the first CBT Electrical Power PE exam will be offered at the beginning of the year in January 2021.Īfter this date, the Electrical power PE exam will no longer be offered in the traditional open book paper and pencil (PP) format that has been around for decades. The schedule to transition the electrical power PE exam from the traditional paper and pencil format to the new computer-based testing (CBT) format moved ahead of schedule by four months. Besides the reference handbook, the CBT PE exam is closed book with no outside reference material permitted. The reference handbook is the only supplemental reference material you will be allowed to use when you take the new electrical power CBT format PE exam. If the questions on the CBT version of the electrical power PE exam are the same level of difficulty as the traditional paper and pencil (PP) format, then test takers are in for a very challenging adjustment if no major changes are made to the scoring process. We read through all 75 pages of the brand new reference handbook to give you the best idea of what to expect for the new upcoming CBT format of the electrical power PE exam and what it means for anyone that will be taking the new CBT PE exam starting 2021. On July 15th, 2020, NCEES® officially released the first version of the supplemental Reference Handbook for the new computer-based testing (CBT) format for the Electrical and Computer: Power PE Exam. Click here to print this article for your exam references! ? Click play to watch or listen to this article on the new reference handbook for the CBT Electrical Power PE Exam: