First, thank you to everyone in this community. The advice, shared experiences, and study tips here helped me a lot, so I wanted to give something back and hopefully encourage someone who is still on this journey.

A little background: I graduated about 5 years ago, and English is my second language, so that definitely made the process harder. But honestly, if I could do it, so can you.

Study info:

\- 6 months of preparation

\- About 500 total study hours

\- I used the Forest app to track my study time and stay away from my phone

Materials I used:

I started with Mark Mattson. If you ever see this, thank you so much. I watched his videos more than once and wrote down the key points he mentioned. In the beginning, if you feel stuck or overwhelmed, do not panic. It takes time for your brain to get back into study mode.

Along with Mark Mattson, I also watched Gregory Michaelson, which helped a lot too.

After that, I used Islam 800. In my opinion, it is very good for building familiarity with the FE Handbook and getting used to solving problems quickly. I went through that book about 3 times, leaving a week or two between each round.

I wanna add the PPI FE Civil Review – Complete Topic Review by Michael R. Lindeburg. I think it helps and is worth using.

I did a little bit of PrepFE, and it does help, but to be honest, it was probably the resource I used the least. Maybe around 10% of my study time went there.

To wrap it up, I also did the FE Civil Interactive Exam from NCEES a few times. My personal advice: do not do it one week before the exam. During the final week, I think it is better to stay in rhythm, move fast, review what you already know, and build confidence instead of stressing yourself out.

One thing I learned is that you need to find your own pace. Do not try to copy someone else’s study style exactly. Adjust your preparation to your reality and keep moving.

There will be days when you question yourself, feel overwhelmed, and doubt whether you can do it. I felt that too. A lot of us do. But keep going.

Also, do not feel like you need to master every single topic. That mindset can really slow you down. I focused on being solid and consistent rather than perfect. Practice mattered more than anything else for me.

My biggest advice is simple: study, but most of all, practice, practice, practice.

Thanks again to everyone here. This community really helped me, and I hope this helps someone else too.

First try after 5 years out of college. You can DO IT!