| Preparing for the Control Systems Engineering (CSE) PE Examination Disclaimer: The following information is posted by Penn State as a service and possible aid to persons planning to take the CSE PE exam. It recounts the experiences of the author as he prepared to take the 2001 examination - his sources of information, preparation techniques, materials, etc. Some references and policies may have changed since 2001. It is left to the reader to decide which information is applicable and useful in the present context. Author Robert E. Shaw, PE
BSEE 1990, Penn State University
rshaw@psualum.com Preface As the author prepared to take the October 2001 Control Systems Engineering, CSE, Professional E examination, he found that there were almost no sources of information to help him in his self-study program. This document tells how he solved that problem and went on to pass the CSE PE exam, in Ohio, in October 2001. In fact, his approach was so successful that he received a special award from the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers for getting the highest score in the state on the CSE exam. In this document, Mr. Shaw shares his experiences and knowledge, as an aid and a guide to others who are preparing for the CSE PE examination. For convenience, all print references and web site links have been placed in tables at the bottom of the document, rather than interspersed throughout the text. Throughout this document, Mr. Shaw references The Complete Moron's Guide To Taking The Control Systems Engineering P.E. Exam. Mr. J. A. Miller, the author of that Guide no longer maintains it at his original web site, but he has been kind enough to allow us to post it. Click here to see the Guide. Author's Background
From 1990 through 1996 I worked in Chicago and central Illinois for several engineering firms, primarily in the steel and the foods industry. My work evolved to the point that I worked almost exclusively in the "controls" discipline – PLC programming, HMI programming, and control system design. In 1996, I began working for an Ohio OEM of water purification equipment. This experience gave me a wide background in final element selection (valves, transmitters, sensors, etc.). After five years of employment with that company, I now work at a government research facility. With eleven years of controls-type background, I thought that I would more easily pass the "Control Systems" PE exam, as opposed to the "Electrical Engineering" exam. The Problem
Four months before the CSE exam and after receiving approval from the state of Ohio to take the exam, I set out to find study materials, reference materials, and review courses to help me prepare for the exam. I spent countless hours performing internet research and old fashioned library research looking for information. I quickly discovered that almost nothing existed to help prepare me for the exam. Aside from the Instrument Society of America, ISA, review manual. I couldn’t find any example exams, review courses, or even another person who had taken the exam. I was alone! The Solution - How I Prepared
I needed to know what to study and what materials to take into the exam. My exam preparation consisted of the following three steps:  | Information gathering (Identifying what materials I needed to get) | | Material gathering | | Actual Study |
The following paragraphs detail how I handled each of these steps. Information Gathering - I first obtained a copy of the ISA Control Systems Engineering Study Guide, worked through all the problems, and identified my specific areas of weakness. This was also a good measure of whether I should take the exam at all. I intended to focus my study time on these weak areas, but I didn’t know any good reference materials for some of the disciplines. The road to my salvation began at the The Complete Moron's Guide To Taking The Control Systems Engineering P.E. Exam web site. This site was created by an engineer who had taken, and passed, the CSE. Not only did this site provide helpful tips and study strategies, but it had a very extensive reference list. Material gathering - I proceeded to either buy or borrow nearly every reference listed on The Complete Moron's Guide web site, along with many of the references listed in the ISA Control Systems Engineering Study Guide. I’m fortunate that my current employer maintains an extensive technical library, with very liberal borrowing rules. The items that I didn’t have, and couldn’t borrow, I bought - mostly over the internet. I found very reasonable prices at web sites like "Half.com" and "AddAll.com". I often bought an older edition of a reference book, just to keep costs down. I believe I spent less than $200 on books for the exam. Note: The TI-89 discussed in the following paragraph may no longer be used during the PE examination. I also bought a TI-89 calculator, based on recommendations from The Complete Moron's Guide web site. There are many good web sites from which you can download valuable programs for the TI-89. I downloaded programs for root-locus analysis, loop tuning, general control theory, and economics. I was unable to find any programs for valve sizing, but I would really liked to have had one. Time permitting, I would have written one for the TI-89. Please note the NCEES Calculator Policy regarding the use of calculators during Engineering exams. Actual Study - Basically, I spent most of my free time, for about three months, reading and working problems. My study schedule had to be very flexible, since I was waiting for books from the library, or waiting for books to arrive in the mail. As soon as a new book arrived, I read it cover-to-cover, and worked all the problems I could. I found that, during the exam, I didn’t need to know everything in the book, but I did need to be very familiar with my books so I could find information quickly. I used my new TI-89 calculator as much as possible to familiarize myself with it and the programs.
The Day of the Exam - Tips
I drove to Columbus the night before the exam and stayed in a hotel. I had bought a Rubbermaid Roughtote, with wheels to carry my books (thanks, again, to The Complete Moron's Guide web site). Transporting the books was no problem with the Roughtote. I had my TI-89 calculator, and a TI-30 calculator. Concerning what materials to bring into the exam, here are some suggestions I found helpful:
| Dress light, and bring a sweater – you never know what the climate in the testing room will be like, and you have to be comfortable | | Bring a lot of drinks – I had at least a gallon of water with me. | | Pack a lunch – there is only one hour between exams, and I was happy I didn’t have to wander around, looking for lunch. | | Common sense things: extra batteries for the calculator, lots of pencils, big eraser, and a watch. | | I wish I had brought aspirin. I got a terribly debilitating headache during the morning exam. Fortunately, I found a nearby drug store, on my lunch break |
The Day of the Exam - What I Learned
Here's what I found on the day of the exam.
| I used the simple TI-30 about 70% of the time. Only in complex computations did I use the TI-89. | | The books I found most useful were Liptak’s Handbooks, Fisher Control Valve Handbook, EIT Review manual, The Entire ISA Standard's Series, Feedback Control Systems, and the Glover Pocket Ref. | | I finished the AM exam is around two hours. I reworked all the problems and was done in three hours. I finished the PM exam in three hours, and reworked all the problems until the four hour mark. | | During the exam, the most important skill is the ability to find information quickly. Time is your enemy. This is where the studying really pays off. As long as you’re familiar with the reference material, you can find things quickly. |
Suggestions
Here's what I suggest to those preparing to take the CSE PE examination.
| Go to the The Complete Moron's Guide web site. Follow those recommendations whenever possible. | | Get a TI-89 calculator, download some software, and get really familiar with it. This is a very powerful tool that can save a lot of time | | Study as much as possible. The more familiar you are with the references, the better | | Get as many of the books on the print reference list below as possible. Review The Complete Moron's Guide reference list, and get as many of those as possible. All the references listed below, and on the Complete Moron site were valuable during the exam. | | Work all the problems in the ISA review guides until you understand where your weaknesses are. Then strengthen them. The ISA review guide is pretty indicative of the actual exam. | | No loose papers are allowed in the exam. However, in Ohio, spiral-bound papers are allowed. I had a good deal of material processed and spiral bound at Kinko’s, and it helped. (Check your state's regulations, first, if you plan to do this.) | | Review the web reference list below. The NCEES web site provides a breakdown of specific disciplines, and their approximate percentage of examination. This, too, is quite accurate. | | If necessary, travel to the exam locale the day before and get a good night’s sleep. The night before the exam, I performed a "dry-run" drive from the hotel to the exam site so I’d be familiar with the route, the travel time required, and the parking facilities. | | Find what calculators and reference materials your state permits at the exam. Regulations differ by state. Do this early, so you can practice with the calculator and materials you will be permitted to use at the exam. | | Join your local ISA chapter, and go to the meetings. It’s good for the profession, and you’ll make some good contacts to help you prepare for the exam. After all, ISA is the organization that really pushed for CSE recognition ten years ago. | | Call your local colleges to see if they have any relevant review courses. This didn’t work out for me, but I understand that Auburn University had a good class at one time. | | Be familiar with codes and governing bodies (NFPA, ISA, OSHA, etc.). I had difficulty here, simply due to lack of familiarity with the reference material. This is very "dry" reading, and I didn’t read it as thoroughly as I should have. |
Summary
By following the suggestions on The Complete Moron's Guide web site, a lot of hard work, and a little improvisation, I found that I was well prepared for the exam. There were no real surprises on the exam. There were problems I couldn’t solve, but the material was familiar, and time was more of a factor in these cases. There are some specific areas of weakness that I wish I had studied more, but I can’t really discuss those without revealing specifics of the exam.
References - Print
The following table contains a list of the printed references I took to the exam. | Title | Author | | Instrument Engineer's Handbook on Process Control | Bela Liptak | | Instrument Engineer's Handbook on Process Measurement and Analysis | Bela Liptak | | Fisher's Control Valve Handbook | | | Electrical Engineer Review Manual | Raymond B. Yarbrough | | Instrumentation for Process Measurement and Control | Norman A. Anderson | | Feedback Control Systems | Phillips & Harbor | | NFPA 85C, 497, 493, 8501 and 8502 | | | ISA's Standard Library for Measurement and Control - Vol 1 | | | The Entire ISA Standard's Series | | | A Farris or Consolidated relief valve catalog | | | Tuning of industrial control systems | | | Control Valve Primer - A User's Guide | Hans D. Baumann | | Pocket Ref | Glover | | Flow Measurement Engineering Handbook | Richard W. Miller | | An NEC Handbook | | | Omega Engineering, Inc.'s The Temperature Handbook | Omega Engineering | | Fisher's Regulator Handbook | | | A Crouse-Hinds (or Appleton) catalog and Code Digest | | | Electrical Instruments In Hazardous Locations | Earnest Magison | | System Identification | | | Temperature measurement in industry | | | Technical Bulletin T150-1 Engineering Handbook for Neles-Jamesbury Control Valves | | | Fundamentals of Process Control Theory | Paul W. Murrill | | Schaum's Outlines on Feedback and Control Systems | Di Stefano III, Stubberud, Williams | | Elementary Differential Equations | Rainville & Bedient | | Digital Control System Analysis and Design | Phillips & Nagle | | Schaum's Outlines on Laplace Transforms | Murray R. Spiegel | | Purdy's Instrument Handbook | | | Safety Shutdown Systems: Design, Analysis and Justification | Gruhn and Cheddie | | Schaum's Outline on Engineering Economics | | | Flow of Fluid | Crane | | EIT Review manual | | | ABB Kent-Taylor Flow Data Reference Book | | | ISA's Fundamentals Of Industrial Control | | | Process Instrumentation Applications Manual | Bob Connell | | ISA Handbook of Control Valves | | | ISA Handbook of Measurement Equations and Tables | | | Process Control Strategy and Profitability | Page S. Buckley | | Grinnell's Pipe Fitter's Handbook | | | Cameron Hydraulic Data | Ingersoll-Rand | | The Control Of Boilers | Sam G. Dukelow | | Protecoseal's Handbook on Flame and Detonation Arresters and Protecoseal's Technical Manual on Vapor Control and Fire Prevention | | | A Daniel's Catalog | | | A Groth catalog | | | ISA's control Systems Engineering Study Guide, 2nd ed. | | | ISA's control Systems Engineering Study Guide, 3rd ed. | |
References – Web
The following table contains a list of web sites that I found useful in locating information and preparing for the exam.Feedback - Comments or suggestions about this page are welcome. Contact us at the address below. |
RECENT COMMENT