Solution | Posted 06/12/19

Solution | Posted 06/11/19

Solution | Posted 06/10/19

Solution | Posted 06/07/19

Solution | Posted 06/06/19

June marks the early beginning to what we call 'prep season' around here. As part of that beginning, today is the first day that Week 1 of the MeyerFire PE Prep Series begins. 

What is the PE Prep Series?
The MeyerFire PE Prep Series is a 20-week weekly series of timed 1-hour, 10-question simulated PE Exams. We simulate the types of questions and pace of the exam with instant graded solutions emailed immediately following each exam. 

The Leaderboard
One of the most fun and advantageous parts of being a part of the Prep Series is that you get to see each (1) your progress in getting better at exam-type questions, and (2) see how you compare against others taking the exam. Each Monday (after a week is up), the Leaderboard will be posted here on the Daily page. 

This year already has nearly twice the participants as last year - already over 1/5th of all of this year's examinees. If you want to be a part of the PE Prep Series, track your progress and see how you stack up, you can learn more information and join on here.

Starting tomorrow you'll now see sample PE Exam problems alongside the Daily questions you're used to seeing here. This will be at least the third year I've published daily exam questions during study season, and the response has been bigger and better each year. 

How it Works
Each weekday I'll post a sample Fire Protection PE Exam question that mimics the style and length of an exam question, and the following day I'll post the solution. As always, feel free to comment or guess your answer after the question is posted.

A control area exists within a fully-sprinklered paint manufacturing facility. Current storage of Class IB and IC liquids total 100 gallons. If these and new Class IB and IC liquids are moved into approved liquid storage cabinets, how much more volume is permitted to be stored above the current 100 gallons?
a. 20 gallons
b. 140 gallons
c. 380 gallons
d. 480 gallons

Solution | Posted 09/28/18

What is the foam friction loss (in head per 100 ft) and flow velocity for a 4:1 expansion foam flowing 130 gpm in a 2-1/2" schedule 40 pipe (with a c-factor of 100) most nearly?
a. 4.5 ft head/100 ft pipe and 4.75 ft/s
b. 8 ft head/100 ft pipe and 4.75 ft/s
c. 10 ft head/100 ft pipe and 4.5 ft/s
d. 30 ft head/100 ft pipe and 5.5 ft/s"

Solution | Posted 09/13/18

Historically, places of assembly have had major loss of life due to what unique building elements?
a. combustible loads that aid in rapid fire growth
b. inadequate exiting
c. overcrowding
d. all of the above

Solution | Posted 09/06/18

A Level 2 Aerosol is to be boxed and stored on pallets at 15 feet with a ceiling height of 26 feet. Which of the following sprinkler protection criteria is acceptable?
a. Standard Spray (K-factor at least 8.0) Sprinklers; 0.30 gpm/sqft over 2,500 sqft
b. ESFR upright K14.0, quick-response, 12 sprinklers at 50 psi
c. ESFR pendent K16.8, quick response, 12 sprinklers at 35 psi
d. ESFR pendent K22.4, standard response, 12 sprinklers at 25 psi

Solution | Posted 09/05/18

Determine the flow (in gpm) through an extended coverage pendent K16.8 sprinkler at 85 psi.
a. 52 gpm
b. 155 gpm
c. 348 gpm
d. 1428 gpm

Solution | Posted 09/03/18

Considering all potential components in a building, which of the following occupancies have the most restrictive requirements for material flame spread and smoke development?
a. new day-care centers
b. existing duplex home
c. existing Class B department store
d. new large warehouse

Solution | Posted 08/22/18

An oil production facility is concerned about spacing of hazards prone to detonation. What would be the distance from a 181 lb TNT equivalent vessel explosion that failure of concrete block walls would occur?
a. 154 ft.
b. 200 ft.
c. 244 ft.
d. 317 ft.

Solution | Posted 07/26/18

The temperature where the vapor pressure of a liquid is the same as the surrounding atmospheric pressure is which of the following?
a. boiling point
b. fire point
c. flash point
d. lower flammability limit

Solution | Posted 07/05/18

Solution | Posted 06/11/18

A kickoff typically implies something fun, like a football game or a concert event. Most people studying for the PE Exam don't exactly look forward to spending time learning and reading through the summer. I get it. 

My hope is to make the studying less painful and a little fun. Here's what is coming your way from this site in 2018:

A popular resource for examinees and experts alike returns June 1st - our Daily Problem series. This is a separate subscription from the Weekly Blog. If you're interested in updating your subscription preferences, signup here and check which series you would like to receive.
​

The 2018 PE Prep Guide is in, and now shipping worldwide. It's my most popular and best-selling resource for Fire Protection PE Exam Prep. If you're taking the SFPE PE Online Review Course, you'll see it regularly used throughout the curriculum.

If you're interested, the 2018 Guide is on sale for one more day - get 15% off when you order on or by Friday, May 25th.

Looking for extra practice? The Weekly Exam Series is your ticket to regular practice that simulates actual exam conditions. It's a series of 20 mini exams that simulate the Fire Protection PE Exam in a weekly, 1-hour session. 

Track your progress like never before - new this year - not only will you see your results each week compared against peers, but you'll see your results compared to those who passed and did not pass last year's exam. Track your progress each week and see where your results project on the actual PE Exam.

This year I'm thrilled to also offer repeatable, unlimited on-demand practice. For no additional cost you'll be able to take unlimited 1-hour mini exams that pulls from the largest test bank of fire protection questions currently available. This new feature begins in July.

See more about the Weekly Exam Series here.

It happened again this year. In talking with a colleague about studying for the PE Exam this October this week, he expressed regret about just now getting materials in line to begin to tackle exam prep. I can completely sympathize as beginning the slow climb of the PE mountain can seem daunting, and I felt exactly the same way when I started preparing for the exam.

Perhaps the beginning of the SFPE Online Review Course this past week signals the official start of PE Prep season, or maybe it is because here we jumped the gun a little early this year and have a handful of practice problems already published.

But late start? Come on, it's the middle of July!

Over half of our surveyed examinees from last year didn't even begin to study until July & August.

Does it hurt to get started studying earlier in the year? No, of course not. But in no way does beginning exam prep in July and August doom someone to fail the exam.

One of the most common questions that we hear is simply "how much time or effort does it really take to pass the exam?"

And the answer is 182 hours.

No, no, just kidding. As we detail in the 2017 Prep Guide of course there's not a precise answer as it varies between each person's experience level, test taking ability, and the effort and quality of practice. While the amount of time studying is important, the quality of preparation and intentional practice can be far more important.

What we set to create this year was a way to check how your prep effort is comparing, in real time, to others who are taking the test this fall. Passing the exam is not a simple "the top 62% will pass" each year, but in retrospect if someone happens to land somewhere in that top range, it is probably a safe bet he or she will pass the exam.

The Weekly Exam Series helps to answer the need for additional practice, simulates the pace of the exam, and finally offers some indication of "am I preparing well enough?". If you are a new user and considering joining, do know that July is a perfect time to get started. We're offering a free, no-strings-attached 2 week trial for new users if you sign up this July. Just select the 2-Week Trial on our Weekly Exams page here.

Please do know that it is certainly not too late to get started preparing for the PE Exam. We are thrilled you're here.

Welcome to the 2017 PE Prep Season! While that's not actually a real term, we do get excited around here about it. If you're preparing for the Fire Protection PE Exam this fall, you have come to the right spot. If you're hanging around to quiz yourself or are just interested in the content, you are also most certainly welcome!

We plan to issue PE Exam Sample Problems daily throughout this summer to (1) offer more practice to test preppers and to (2) test new problems and problem concepts. We greatly appreciate the continued feedback we receive on problems as they debut.

Thanks for subscribing with us, we're glad you're here!

Back by popular demand, our daily PE Practice Problems are back this year! The free problems will be published daily and delivered via email ​starting Monday, June 19th to our practice problem subscribers. If you haven't already, subscribe today on the righthand side of our practice problem page to get the daily posts between June and October this year.

We are excited to be back for the 2016 prep season to gear up for the Fire Protection PE Exam this fall. Last year we debuted 80 new sample exam questions posted on the website and sent to those who subscribed daily, followed by worked examples. We plan to do the same now through October with a fresh set of problems.

Additionally, we are greatly looking forward to the release of the 2016 MeyerFire PE Prep Guide on June 27th. Within it contains a full-length peer-reviewed practice exam and over 150 of the most important formulas with references specific to the 2016 exam. It was designed and built to be page-for-page the best help and value for taking this exam. More information will follow about the guide here and on our Blog.

I would like to welcome you to this year's daily sample problem edition - please subscribe to the daily problems if you haven't already, and as always please feel more than welcome to post your solutions and discussion points in the comments section of the problem itself. Best of luck to you!