The narrative (as you prepare for the FE Exam) The world does it’s best to feed us a one-line narrative when we move to prepare for the FE Exam. A narrative that says there is only a single way of doing things, and all too often… We buy in. But it’s this buying in that […]

The battle within (thinking about taking the FE Exam) For most, a war is waged internally the moment you begin thinking about taking the FE Exam. A barrage of mental bombs come out of nowhere. These bombs seek to expose any and all insecurities in an effort to destroy any semblance of hope. If you […]

Wanting vs Doing (the tension of preparing for the FE Exam) If you are reading this, then you are likely one of the thousands who want to start preparing for the FE Exam. You want to pursue becoming a licensed Professional Engineer – and for that, I applaud you. But “wanting” won’t get you far. […]

You are the asset (and how this mindset changes everything on the FE Exam) If there was one thought of value that could change everything on the FE Exam for you, it’s this: You are the asset. It has nothing to do with taking the exam at all – this is deeper. This is about […]

Humility (and finding success on the FE Exam) Humility. It’s meta, but after a decade working with engineers at all stages of life, I have seen it as one of the most consistent traits of those who have found success on the FE Exam. Admittedly, it’s a double edged sword with real benefits in one […]

Calm or Chaos (the “forks” of the FE Exam) Over the last decade, I have been blessed to work with some of the most talented engineers around the world as they take on passing of the fe exam. Over this time, I have observed countless stories of personal struggle lead to life changing growth. These […]

The real reason you don’t follow through (and can’t pass the FE Exam) With a new year comes new aspirations reinforced by a reinvigorated spirit to get after an opportunity that comes from the chaos of a years past. But, last year, it all started the same way – what happened? Why are we still […]

Our Hamster Wheel (and what would passing the FE Exam mean) Let’s be real, we as engineers are pretty good at creating our own hamster wheels. Rung by rung. And this my friends, is holding us back from taking the FE Exam. Until it won’t. Let’s get in to it. From day one, our lives […]

The Middling (and your FE Exam prep) As it is with any worthwhile pursuit, there will exists two extremes that will determine where we will end up at the end studying for the FE Exam. On one side, there is unaccountability. On the other, vulnerability. One tends towards a hopeless trajectory of mediocrity, while the […]

Routine & Cadence (and attempting the FE Exam) Going in to a new year allows us an opportunity to turn a page. Maybe a page many of us have had an eye on for some time now. If attempting the FE Exam is the page you are gearing up to flip, then I want you […]

Your greatest struggle passing the FE Exam Life is full of struggle. From daily commutes to personal relationships, as human beings we are always seeking one thing: Ways to ease the tensions that exist. But what about those struggles that come from pursuits that we decide to take on ourselves? These struggles tend to be […]

Studying for the FE Exam and my lessons from a mountain bike trail Whether it be riding a mountain bike or studying for the FE Exam, getting back in to doing something you haven’t done in a while will present it’s challenges. From lactic acid to feeling like you can’t remember a thing from college, […]

Your FE Exam Study Schedule Sucks Welp, if that’s not the most click baitiest title of all time, then I don’t know what is? But for real, your FE Exam study schedule, heck, all of our schedules suck – that’s it. Let’s discuss. We are on record for being the most horrible estimators of all […]

Why do you even want to do this? Seriously, why do you want to do this? I know this may come across tongue-in-cheek, but for real, why do you even want to go through preparing for and taking the FE Exam? Let’s discuss. If you are anything like me, the moment you walked across that […]

We go 4 (ahem 5…) years limping through engineering while in college, yet, now in the real world, we expect the process of becoming a professional engineer should just be a formality. Question is, is this a proper way of approaching this whole process…

Run solo, or find a group to study with? When it comes to passing the FE Exam, the answer is neither and all of the above. The reality of it all is it this…it takes an ecosystem

We’ve all heard the saying that “perfect is the enemy of good”…and this rings true for so many of you studying for the FE Exam. One of our greatest qualities, and struggles, as engineers is our attention to detail, the striving for perfection in everything that we do. We naturally overthink in an effort to ensure quality – as we should.

Getting started preparing to take the FE Exam should be simple – until it isn’t. What should be a trivial task of studying – something we have done a thousand times before – ends up being a battle, both mentally and logistically. Test prep post-academia is a different game, and sometimes we just have to be a bit “shallow” in where our motivations come from to get us going.

Whether you like it or not, these four words are on the minds of everyone – and I remember clearly the first time I heard them…