The Optimal way to Prepare for your FE Exam

We would think delaying our FE exam is a good thing right? It gives us more time to study, more time to practice, and better retention of the information. Well, it depends! 

In reality, delaying the FE exam has two main drawbacks: (1) forgetting content and (2) burnout

Students naturally believe that the more time they study, the better they’ll perform on the FE exam. This isn’t true because students who spend 6, 8, 12, 18 months studying for the FE don’t necessarily do better than those who spend just 3 or 4 months.

Early on, there is a proportional increase between the time spent studying and the overall improvement in performance. But just before a certain point, the more time spent studying, results in peak performance. Any further study will lead to a decline in performance. 

But, why? It’s multi-factored, but there are two main reasons: (1) forgetting (2) burnout

1) Forgetting

It’s normal to forget. Naturally, you will, especially with all these topics you have to study for the FE exam. That’s why it’s crucial that you start implementing a review structure to counter the rate at which you’re forgetting what you already studied in the past. You can do this by using certain study techniques, such as active recall and spaced repetition.

Even with these techniques, studying for longer periods, such as 9 months or 12 months is likely to result in forgetting at a higher rate since a student is spending a few study hours during the week spaced over a long time. In other words, studying for longer periods means we are studying less each week, which also means we are removed from the material for longer, and this ultimately leads to a higher forgetting rate.

With all things being equal, it’s best to study for the FE over a shorter duration at a higher intensity. For example, 3 months at high intensity or even 6 months at moderate intensity. This increases the rate of learning, the rate of retention, and lessens rate of forgetting. 

2) Burnout

FE exam burnout can be avoided. First of all, you cannot expect to study for the FE exam for a very long time at high intensity. If you do, you might burn out simply because you are doing way too much for a very long time—well beyond your mental and physical limits. No one wants to study for this exam all day every day, and you don’t have to pass! 

Make it a serious goal to get this over with in the coming months. Think of it this way: you “only” have to sacrifice a few months to accomplish this goal and get that EIT title behind your name. Since it’s only a few months, it feels like it won’t be that bad right? You can reach your goal faster. You’ll also feel like you’re learning a lot more in a short period of time than you would if you studied for a longer period of time. You’re building your skills, you’re getting better, and you’re overcoming all kinds of challenges. This will keep you motivated, engaged, and ultimately, you will feel that you’re more than capable of doing whatever it takes to pass your FE exam.