TESTMASTERS FOR PE ELECTRICAL POWER?? 1

[imisspla07]

I have been studying for the PE for the last couple of months. I got an email from Testmasters for a review for the PE that guarantees passing. My work won't pay for the course, which is $1600 and I have to take (4) vacation days, and spend (4) weekend days taking the course. I also will have to travel from Dallas to Houston and pay for lodging for myself. All that being said, does anyone know if the Testmasters course is worth it?! Of course their website has customer reviews that all say it's amazing and you cannot pass the PE without the course, but that's off their website.

 

[rbulsara]

What about all those who passed the PE test before TM made their website?

I hope this is not a marketing ploy.

Rafiq Bulsara

http://www.srengineersct.com

 

[photoengineer]

You can take it if you want. I passed the mechanical PE without using Testmasters.

Cedar Bluff Engineering

http://cedarbluffengineering.webs.com

 

[xnuke]

I passed the October 2009 PE exam in EE (Power) without taking the Testmaster course. I don't even have an undergraduate degree in engineering, I had been out of school for a long time when I took the exam, I had not focused on power system design for quite some time, and I used an old edition (5th) of the EE Reference Manual (EERM). I set up my own study schedule and worked example problems from textbooks, the EERM, and the sample exam from NCEES.

I just looked at the Testmaster website and they don't even state the proper format for the EE exam - they still state it has a breadth area and a depth area, which hasn't been the case since April 2009. It also appears that they cover both power and electronics/comm/controls areas in their course, which means that you're paying for them to cover material in an area you won't be tested on. They also state that they provide you with the 7th edition of the EERM by Camara, though the 8th edition is the most recent. The testimonials are from people raving about how good their course was. Do you think they would post any from dissatisfied customers? Of course not! All of this together makes me wonder if you consider this a good investment based on what you said it would cost you in terms of the course, travel, and vacation. You'd probably still come out spending less if you took a couple of undergrad college courses in power and electrical machines at night - you could even audit them if you didn't want to do any homework or worry about the exams.

xnuke
"Live and act within the limit of your knowledge and keep expanding it to the limit of your life." Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged.
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[GregLocock]

Oh come on. I'm glad for your sake you are posting pseudonomously.

No, they can't guarantee you'll pass.

The best they can offer is some sort of money back guarantee.

Some will pass, hey that's one more testimonial. Some will fail, never to be heard from again.



Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[Ron]

Greg...it's common here in the states for the test preparation companies to "guarantee" passing. They are actually doing somewhat as you mentioned....they will let you take their course over and over until you pass...or they'll give up on you and give your money back..but not as likely. The figure you'll give up before they do!...and they have your money.

 

[ShaggyPE]

for good pe exam info... look into

http://www.engineerboards.com

-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional
Certified COSMOSWorks Designer Specialist
Certified SolidWorks Advanced Sheet Metal Specialist