How to Pick Your Next Technical Exam(s)

So how do you choose which technical exam to write next?

It depends.

You may have been assigned many technical exams (I got 19!). Or you may have just a couple to complete. You may have many choices on which exams to write and you may have specific exams assigned.

The right choice will depend on your specific circumstances. This article discusses the various options you may have and the factors surrounding those options to help you decide what technical exam you should write next.

Quantitative Problem-Solving vs. Qualitative Written Knowledge

Some exams are straight-forward analytical problem solving with your pen in one hand, the calculator in the other. But some exam topics are heuristic or even subjective in nature and so require you to write.

If you can choose, then choose the exams that align with your strengths and learning style. Your goal is to prepare for the exam that you can pass with the least amount of effort with certainty.

If you are comfortable with hand calculations, then quantitative exams may be for you. The way to prepare for these exams is simple – get to work solving problems. This option is an especially a good option if you are “hungry” to get your exams complete. Put your back into it like an Udarnik and win that Iron Ring.

If you are better at understanding and explaining complex concepts and ideas, then it may be easier for you to study for and pass a qualitative exam. In this case, focus on understanding the underlying concepts and principles, and practice explaining them in your own words. You can do the explaining part talking to yourself in the shower or driving to work. Just read a past exam question before you turn on the shower or fasten your seat belt.

If English is not your primary language, you might have a challenge familiarizing yourself with the technical vocabulary and idioms. This might push you towards the quantitative exams but consider seeking additional resources or support, such as tutoring. A tutor can close the gaps you have between the language you first studied engineering and how to write in English for a technical exam. Quantitative vs. qualitative won’t matter if you don’t fully understand the questions and they can turn on a word.

Of course, some subjects have a mix of calculations and writing. These give you a chance to redeem yourself in one section if you don’t have a good day in the other.

Leverage Your Knowledge

Say you are like me and your past education and your work includes a lot of classical structural analysis – then write as many structural related courses as you can together.

One spring I actually did this, signing up for four exams.

Doubling up on a subject you know best can help you get to your goal sooner.

Some regulators still require you finish your basic studies exams first. Push back on that. I did and it worked – APEGA reviewed and changed their policy. You have to already have engineering education to write the exams – so there is no justification.

Combine Other Like Subjects Too

One fall I combined the following exams:

Since I had an Aeronautical Engineering Technology diploma, my electrical background was limited to the basic studies level. But by combining two exams close in content, I was able to cut some of the effort. I tacked on Engineering Management exam because it was not hard.

If you have a lot of exams to write, this is a tactic that will pay off for you.

The ROCK! (or Cross-Displine) Strategy

A common strategy used in the game Rock, Paper, Scissors (RPS) is to simply continue playing “Rock” over & over again.

Similarly, if your regulator allows you to select technical exams in other engineering disciplines, you can pick the same subject over & over again but in different disciplines.

For example, if you are in the PEO confirmatory program, you are required to write –

Two Group A exams from any engineering discipline,
One Group B exam from any engineering discipline, and
One Complimentary Studies (CS) exam.

So why not write in the same subject area but in different engineering disciplines? Just write what is essentially the same exam or at least a substantially similar exam over and over again.

Here are a few examples –

Subject Area	Exams
Control Systems	CHEM-A6 ELEC-A2 ELEC-B2 MEC-A3/MAR-B3
Strength of Materials	BLD-A1 CIV-A1 CIV-B1 MEC-A7 MEC-B9
Environmental Engineering	CHEM-B2 ENV-A1 MMP-A6 CS-3
Waste Water Engineering	Lots!

Now this won’t work in cases where the regulators use the same exam with multiple codes. For example, MEC-A1 Thermodynamics is also known as MAR-A1,MEX-A4, NAV-B1, NUC-B8, and PHYS-B6. But there are many exams that have near identical syllabi to other exams and yet the regulators run separate exams for them. Sometimes you have a mix of “also known as” and separate exams in the same subject area. So, you could write that third Group A exam as a Group B exam if you select that code. For example, in the table above you can write MEC-A3 under the code MAR-B3 and fulfill your Group B requirement.

Learn Something Useful

You may want to go outside your current knowledge and experience to challenge yourself.

This is generally a bad idea.

Of the thirteen technical exams I wrote, there were maybe three that were all-new subjects to me. I could have wrote none. It was a lot of work.

The upside is of course is that you will grow. Just don’t blame me when you are sweating it out at the library the night before the exam.

What Exactly Is This Exam Supposed To Be About?

It’s also important for you to understand the format of the exam and the types of questions that will be included. This can help you to better prepare for the exam and to focus your studying efforts on the areas where you are most likely to be tested. Practice exams are of course available here at CyberEd.

When You Just Have to Write An Exam

Most regulators will throw you out of the program if you don’t write an exam in a specific time period – say two years.

That nearly happened to me as I thought writing the NPPE would fulfill the requirement. It did not. It had to be a technical examination.

So if you are coming up to such a deadline, you want the exam that takes little time to prepare.

Two such exams:

Both these exams are heavy on written answers with a few calculations. If you spend a couple weekends going through the materials, you should be able to pass.

What They Make You Write

You might have been told to write a specific exam by the regulator.

It is best wherever to “Eat Your Frogs First” so if you can manage it, exams you have to write should be your next exam.

Where To Go Now?

Don’t lock up with “analysis paralysis”. The best next exam or exams are always going to be the ones you commit to writing and pass. Then you’ll be one big step further towards your goal.