FREE HVAC PE EXAM STUDY RESOURCES!

1: Test Rules

Before we jump into how we tailor our practices we should know the rules of the test.  

The HVAC and Refrigeration exam has a total of 80 questions broken up evenly between a morning and afternoon session, each 4 hours each.  If you do the math, that leaves you 6 minutes available to spend on each question.  

Time will be a critical factor in your ability to pass the test!

Also, you won’t be able to write on anything you brought with you.  That means books, charts, notes, etc.  I almost got in trouble because I forgot that rule and was writing on my psychrometric chart as I was plotting the solution to a problem.  I was reminded about that rule by the proctor and given the chance to erase it.   

The NCEES Examinee Guide has the latest rules and regulations for the exam.  I keep up with this guide and routinely monitor the rules so you don’t have to, but it’s still a good idea for you to be familiar with it.

2: Where to Get Practice Problems

Practice problems can be found in the reference materials and resources I recommend.  I highly recommend the NCEES Practice Exam and the Six Minute Solutions Manual for high quality practice problems that are most similar to the exam.

Wherever you obtain your practice problems, make sure that they are reflective of what’s on the exam.  You want questions that are of similar difficulty as what you’ll find on the exam.  Don’t waste your time practicing with questions that are much easier or more difficult than what you’ll see on the exam.  

Remember, the purpose of doing the practice problems as described in this article is to simulate the exam as closely as possible.  This way, you’ll have a good idea where you are as far as readiness for the exam.

3: Practice Tips

Now that you know the rules of the test and where to get quality practice problems, we can tailor how we prepare so that we’re ready to excel at the test during real world conditions.

The first thing to do is have a study plan.  I have created a free comprehensive study plan that you can follow.  This study plan is custom designed for the NCEES test specs and includes everything you will need to know to pass the test with flying colors.  It’s the same study plan that I based my course on.  You can modify the schedule if you like, but I highly recommend you stick to this plan as it has been designed and refined to maximize pass rates and study efficiency.

The study plan includes time allowances for practice tests.  You’ll notice that there are several times for doing practice tests regularly scheduled throughout the course.  

This is where we will focus.

Let’s go over my suggestions for handling practice tests.

3.0.1 Time yourself.  

This is one of the biggest factors on the test, so it should be one of your biggest focuses when you practice for the PE exam.  It is important to easily see the time at any moment, so get a watch or desk clock early on and use it and adhere to it every time you do practice tests.

3.0.2 Do your test at the prescribed time in the study plan.  

It lays out times when you should be doing practice tests.  You’ll want to start out doing shorter sessions and work your way up.  The real test gives you time to do a question every 6 minutes, or 10 questions per hour.  Start out with 10 practice problems and give yourself an hour to do them.  Work up to 20 questions in 2 hours, etc. until you get up to 40 questions in 4 hours.  A four hour practice test is the limit.  Don’t go above 4 hours at a time (you won’t in the exam).  If you feel you need the practice, then you can do two 4 hour sessions in one day and simulate an actual exam.  If you feel that you need to do more practice exams, do it.  Do what you need to do to get ready for the test!

3.0.3 Use the materials that you will carry into the exam.  

It’s vital that you only use materials that will be allowed on the exam.  Get these materials early and use them day in and day out.  The goal is to become familiar with these materials so that they become second nature to you.  You’ll feel more confident and comfortable during the test when you are using the same materials you used for the past several months.

3.0.4 Keep to the time limit and be honest about where you are.

Stop where you are at the time limit.  You want to assess how well you did in two ways:

1. How many questions did you answer correctly?
2. How well you were able to complete the problems in the prescribed time limit?  Honestly assess your progress during these practice problems and make adjustments as needed.  The goal here is to get better for the actual test.  It’s ok if at first you don’t finish the practice test on time or you had to rush through some questions.  The point is to identify where you need to work on and shore up those weak areas for the real test.  

If you follow these rules and maintain consistency, you’ll put yourself in a very strong position to pass the exam.  The more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it.  Don’t shortchange yourself!  Do the work!  The practice tests are the times to mess up.  Make your corrections here and get better for the real test.

3.1 Daily Practice Problems

You should be doing some practice problems daily or every other day (at minimum) to sharpen your skills and to keep the material fresh in your mind.  

When doing these problems, don’t worry about the time limit or any of the other rules above.  Your only goal with the daily practice problems is to learn how to solve the problems.  Take as much time as you’d like, look at the solution, do whatever works best for you.  

3.1.1 My Process

I would take a couple of practice problems each day and first read the problem, give it a minute of thought as to how I would approach the solution and then read through the solution first without putting pencil to paper, all while laying on the couch or relaxing somewhere.  I just simply read through the problem and solution and moved on to the next one.

Then I would come back to those problems later that day or the next day and attempt to write the solution to the problem.  You will find that there are alot of problems of the same style on the exam, so this helped me learn each style.  I was able to practice them without getting frustrated by struggling to provide the correct solutions on the first try.  

In fact, it helped build my confidence for solving problems for the exam.  I was able to memorize many problems and solutions along the way.  The practice allowed me to develop my problem solving skill set for the exam.

I built this method into my study course.  You will get the chance to see many practice problems and solutions during the course of the review material where you will be able to instantly see the solution steps as you go through the review material.  It’s one of the best ways to prepare for this exam.

Find what works for you and do it consistently.

4: The Best Way to Practice for the PE Exam – The Bottom Line

The PE exam will challenge you on your ability to get through all the questions they throw at you during the allotted time.  

It’s important to practice for the PE exam and hone your test taking abilities early and often. That way you’ll be quick and efficient when you sit for the exam. Learn the above strategies and follow them religiously and you WILL be ready for the PE exam!