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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:

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:

The Day of the Exam - What I Learned 
Here's what I found on the day of the exam.

Suggestions 
Here's what I suggest to those preparing to take the CSE PE examination.

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.