Why Do Technical Writers Write So Passively? How To Communicate Better In Technical Writing: Part I
Passive writing adds words and detaches the action from the recipient. For example, “The cat sat on the mat,” (written in the active voice) can be written in the passive voice: “The mat was seated upon by the cat.” In this passive voice example, we go from six words to eight, a 33% increase, and […]
How To Communicate Better In Technical Writing: Part II
Now that we’ve covered active voice vs passive voice, let’s think about writing more generally. Engineers often view writing as a burden or chore that must be finished on time for an impatient supervisor. Negative attitudes influence a work task in a bad way. If a task is addressed with a positive outlook, the work […]
Why Not Leave The State of Technical Writing Alone?
Because Technical Writing Standards Are In Decline. What evidence is there of poor standards of technical writing? I have my own sources. First, there’s the material I read as a director of a research group, a higher education teacher, and the material I read from my peer researchers. Educationalists continually bemoan the falling standards of […]
Three Common Writing Mistakes Technical Writers Make
There are three common writing mistakes engineers make: The writing is unclear. The writing is too long. The attention to detail is either too much or too little. Bad Technical Writing Is Unclear Engineers typically write in a way that’s hard to follow. Unfortunately, the primary characteristic of technical writing is that it must be […]
Learn How To Be A Better Technical Writer
What is it about writing that troubles engineers? What makes engineers so scared of writing? Why are so many of us reluctant to write for work? OTT’s online technical writing course for engineers answers these questions and shows you how to change habits to teach you how to write fluently, directly, and persuasively. It goes right back […]
6 Technical Writing Skills Every Engineer Needs
How will technical writing help engineers succeed in their job? There are many courses on technical writing for engineers. Most are delivered by writers that are not engineers. Today, professional engineers are all college educated. Many of us took “technical writing for engineers courses” at college, but from whom? A professional technical writer is unlikely to have been a professional engineer. Our instructors were English or humanities majors […]
Another subscriber is happy because the PE Exam in Civil Engineering is behind him – “I passed the PE Civil Exam”
It’s always heartening to know OnlineTechnicalTraining.net has helped another engineer to pass the PE Exam through the PEreview course. This is from Brian PE, from North Dakota: “I would like to send a thank you. I passed my PE. The biggest part that helped was attention to units. You were right that the examiners […]
FE Exam $50 price reduction for 2018
On January 1, 2018, NCEES is reducing the FE exam registration fees by $50 to $175. The reduced fee will apply to registrations completed on or after this date; the new price will not be honored for registrations completed before January 1, 2018. NCEES Chief Executive Officer Jerry Carter: “NCEES and its member boards […]
Calculators for PE in Civil Engineering
NCEES recently approved a new calculator model for the PE (Civil) exams in 2017. The complete list is now: Casio: All fx-115 and fx-991 models (all Casios must have “fx-115” or “fx-991” in its model name.) Hewlett Packard: HP 33s and HP 35s models (but no other HPs) Texas Instruments: All TI-30X and TI-36X models (All Texas Inst calculators must […]
What is Your Recommendation for a Reference Manual or Manuals?
Your references are dependent upon your PM exam selection. You need more for the PM than the AM exam. You should compile your own collection of references and use them throughout your preparation because you’ll get to know your way around them. And you’ll be preparing in the same way as actually taking the exam […]
Quiz: How likely are you to pass the PE Civil exam?
How likely are you to pass the PE Civil exam? Take our quiz below to find out!
Why do PE Exam questions have information you don’t need?
When you were an undergrad, you tackled thousands of problems. Almost always, you were given data and required to find the solution. Life was so straightforward. All you had to do was to find the relevant equation, plug in the numbers, manipulate the equations, and out popped the solution. Well, by now, you probably realize […]
PE Exam Tips: Test Taking Techniques
In addition to knowing the material, there is another factor to consider in your success at passing this exam: Test-taking techniques. There are many people who can know the material, but fail the exam because they simply are not good test takers. And the 8 hour PE exam will test your test-taking ability, to the […]
Highway Safety Manual (HSM) on the PE Exam
The Highway Safety Manual 2010 (HSM) is introduced for the Spring 2015 PE Exam. The first rule is that there are no accidents anymore, only crashes. The word accident suggests that there is some kind of inevitability to automobile collisions. “Accidents will happen.” The word crash, however, suggests that the unfortunate could have been avoided. […]
What grade does it take to pass the PE Exam?
The examiners take special measures to identify flawed questions before scoring takes place. They look for ambiguity, gender or ethnic bias, technical accuracy, and unusual statistics. The PE Exam is not graded ‘on a curve’ and so there is no set percentage of candidates who pass each time. But there are procedures in place to […]
What are the Different Types of PE Exam Questions?
PE exam questions are defined in two ways: By discipline By morning or afternoon There are five disciplines of the PE exam: Construction Geotechnics Structures Water and Environmental Engineering Transportation The examiner, NCEES, broadly defines each discipline. However, there are overlaps. Unlike in College, where courses identified disciplines, the PE exam is a little loose. […]
How can I Register for the PE Exam?
Eligibility for the PE exam is generally associated with: Having a Civil Engineering or related degree from an EAC/ABET Accredited engineering program, Several years of professional experience, usually 4, A pass in the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, and Endorsements from a professional engineers. So, if you are eligible, you need to contact the National Council […]
PE or FE Exam? Early birds get the worm!
Why should you be thinking about the PE or FE exams at Thanksgiving time? You should because now is the time to prepare for the April Exam. The earlier you start your preparation, the following will happen: you’ll have a gentler preparation time – less work per week the material will sink in better – […]
FE Exam Subscription
We launched the new FE Exam (Civil) subscription to help prepare for the new FE Exam. The subscription offers six full-length (5 hour plus) practice exams, just like the real exam. Each exam is different. Each follows the exact format of the actual exams. Each offers detailed scores, and solutions. There are also specialist […]
Webinar on Your path to Civil Engineering Professional Licensure
For those of you out there that are ASCE members (and you should be if you’re serious about becoming a Licensed Civil Engineer), there’s a webinar from ASCE that’s just for you. Free for ASCE members, it’s a step-by-step explanation of how to become a PE. The webinar, Path to Professional Licensure, will cover the basics of the […]
PE Review now on your mobile device – there's an App for that
PEreview.net is now available on your mobile device. The live video webinars are delivered through Adobe Connect Pro. It’s the host software for the webinars. Now you can participate on your iPad, iPhone, Android, or Blackberry. There are free Adobe Connect Pro Apps. Go to: for iPhone and iPad: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/adobe-connect-mobile-for-ios/id430437503 for Android: https://market.android.com/details?id=air.com.adobe.connectpro&feature=search_result for […]
PE Exam to go online?
NCEES has launched the computer-based exam for the FE. This means engineers sitting the FE will no longer fill in the little circles with a pencil for their answers. My guess is that the computer-based PE Exam for Civil engineers will be coming. So if you find working directly to a screen, instead of on […]
Everyone Wants to Pass the PE Exam…
New Year Resolution: get my PE License! How many of us put of that beast of an exam or worse yet, try the exam again without proper preparation and practice? I heard a politician on the radio the other day. He was talking about the Fiscal Cliff, taxes, and entitlements. He was explaining how how […]
Chemical PE's on the Rise?
Did you know that other disciplines are increasing their requirement for professional licensure? In the wake of the Gulf Oil-spill, PE’s will now have to approve oil rig systems. Maybe Chemical PE’s will catch up with Civil PE’s, one-day.