A Better Way to Learn: Strategies I Discovered While Studying for the PE Exam

When I started studying for the Professional Engineering (PE) exam, I knew it was an 8-hour gauntlet. What I didn’t realize was that it would redefine how I learn, teach, and tackle challenges far beyond engineering.

My journey began eight weeks before the exam. Fresh off my honeymoon, I cracked open a prep textbook, determined to read every chapter methodically. I scribbled notes, underlined formulas, and told myself I was making progress—until I tried the first practice problem. Five minutes in, I froze. The numbers blurred. Hadn’t I just read this? Why was none of it clicking?

That moment forced me to abandon my old college habits. I ditched the textbook and dove straight into practice problems, floundering at first, but slowly finding a rhythm. YouTube tutorials became my lifeline. I learned to solve the same problem in three different ways: formulas, unit conversions, and even reverse-engineering multiple-choice answers. By exam day, I sat in a cavernous basketball arena, surrounded by 1,000 stressed engineers, armed not just with reference binders but with a strategy that’s since shaped how I learn and teach.

Here’s what changed:

1. Engagement Isn’t Optional

Passive reading wasted my first weeks. Retention skyrocketed only when I switched to doing—timed problems, video walkthroughs, and even explaining concepts to my new wife. Research backs this: active engagement (solving, discussing, teaching) can boost retention by 50%.

Years later, I use this in workshops. If I’m explaining supply chain logistics, I’ll throw a real-time scenario at the team and ask them to troubleshoot. In a coding seminar? We debug live. Learning sticks when it’s participatory, not passive.

2. Customization Beats Labels

I used to believe in rigid “learning styles”—visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. But my PE prep revealed a flaw in that logic: what you’re learning matters more than how you prefer to learn. Stress calculations clicked with diagrams, not textbooks. The free-body diagram analysis made sense only after I watched someone model it.

Now, when I train teams, I match the method to the material. Flowcharts for processes, live demos for software, and brainstorming sessions for creative problems. It’s not about labels—it’s about fitting the tool to the task.

3. Progress Lives at the Edge of Discomfort

My first practice problem was a wake-up call. I’d spent days “studying” without ever testing my knowledge. After that, I attacked problems cold, using mistakes to spotlight gaps. Discomfort became my compass.

I apply this intentionally now. In mentoring sessions, I’ll ask junior engineers to solve a problem before I explain the theory. In meetings, I’ll toss a “what if?” scenario onto the table. Growth happens when we’re nudged just beyond what feels safe.

4. Flexibility Is a Superpower

The PE exam taught me there’s always another path. If a formula confused me, I’d try unit conversions. If time ran short, I’d plug in answer choices. That adaptability didn’t just help me pass—it made me a better teacher.

When a metaphor falls flat in a workshop, I pivot to data. If a client glazes over during a lecture, we shift to a case study. Stubbornness stalls progress; flexibility unlocks it.

The Takeaway

The PE exam’s real lesson wasn’t about engineering. It was about strategy: learning and teaching thrive on engagement, customization, challenge, and flexibility. These principles have guided me through mastering new software, training marathon runners, and mentoring teams.

So whether you’re prepping for a certification, upskilling a department, or tackling a personal goal, ask yourself:

• Are you doing or just absorbing?
• Does your method fit the material?
• Are you testing your limits?
• Can you pivot when stuck?

Learning isn’t a checkbox—it’s a dynamic, messy, deeply human process. And that’s what makes it worth mastering.

Share your biggest learning or teaching “aha” moment in the comments—I’d love to hear your story. And if this post resonated, pass it to someone who’s tackling their own marathon. Let’s grow smarter, together.