Taking the Exam
We’ve talked about how to sign up for the exam, plan your studies, and crack open those books. Now it’s time to talk about the actual exam: What should you expect on the day, what do you bring, and how to keep your spirits up during this 8-hour exam.
Find the location: I highly recommend going for a trial run to the testing location before the day of the exam. Trying to find the correct building, where you should park, the right entrance to use, and which room the exam will be held can be a frenzy in the morning of the exam. If you do a quick trial run before the exam, you can remove this variable on the exam day. As an added bonus, you can hit the snooze button a few more times exam day morning, knowing that you don’t have to factor in time to find where you’re going.
Pack your bags: Pack everything the night before to give yourself more time to sleep in the morning and to minimize your chances of forgetting anything. My personal packing checklist included:
Print out of the exam authorization
Drivers license (or other photo ID)
References
Calculator and spare calculator
Clock or watch
Ruler (not necessary, but I like using the straight edge to read charts)
Bagged lunch
Snacks (different states and proctors may have different rules on whether or not they allow snacks in the room)
Water Bottle
Ear plugs
Be anti-social: During the mid-day break, a lot of people will want to discuss the exam. I highly recommend you drown out that noise and find a quiet place (such as your car) to eat your lunch and decompress. You can listen to some music or a podcast, go take a short walk, or search unlikely animal friendships on your phone. You want to clear your head and feel refreshed for the second half of the exam. If you engage in the conversations with others, you risk shaking your confidence for the rest of the exam. Someone could say something that makes you realize that you totally f***ed up a problem. Another could bring up an incorrect concept that makes you waste your time in the second half.
Start with the easy problems: The generally recommended strategy is to go through the easy problems first and then go for the difficult ones. This allows you to be smart with your time. The easy problems are worth the same as the hard ones. So only spend the time on the more difficult problems if you have time to take a stab at them. You’re aiming to get about 70% of the problems right or 28 out of the 40 problems per exam half. If you’re able to be confident in 28 problems, then you can feel pretty good about your chances of passing the exam.
Fix your stupid mistakes: If you studied the way I suggested, then you should know your favorite stupid mistakes to make. Whether it’s units, reference points, or load factors, you know what to look for when you’re reviewing your exam. Budget some time during the exam to check that you’re not throwing away points on something dumb.
Room rules no one tells you: Before I went into the exam, I scoured the internet to find out what to expect. But a few things threw me for a loop when I was in the exam room for myself..
Sweaters on or out of the room: I was not allowed to have a sweater on my chair (note that this rule may be site specific). I was planning on having layers that I could take on and off during the exam as I got hot or cold. However, this was not allowed. They gave me a choice of wearing my sweater or stashing it outside the exam room. Keep this in mind when you’re picking out your outfit for the exam.
Books on the table: I arrived at the exam site early and spent my time setting up my space, placing my books in front of me for easy access. Turns out that this was not okay to the proctors, and they had me rearrange everything during the first few minutes of the exam (even though they had plenty of time to tell me before the exam started). It took away valuable exam time and put me in a frantic mood at the start of the exam.
One bathroom pass: At my testing location, they only allowed a single person out of the room at the time. If you need to go to the bathroom, you need to ask for permission. Don’t make the mistake of waiting until it’s an emergency, and then having to wait uncomfortably while the previous bathroom pass holder returns. Also, ladies that are “surfing the crimson wave,” note that you won’t have the freedom to “haul a** to the ladies.” So prepare accordingly.
Treat yo self: Plan a nice treat for after the exam. Get a yummy dinner, go out to drinks with friends, take a vacation, or make big plans with your couch and a bag of flaming hot Cheetos. Whatever treat you decide on, it’s worth it to have something to look forward to on exam day. Go on, you deserve it!