Welcome to Week 6 of the From Panic to PE series. If you’ve been with me over the past 5 weeks, I truly hope you have been able to see that failing the PE was never only about the material. You may have started out thinking that you just need to study harder, but there is so much more that you can do to help you (and your nervous system) know that feeling of opening the results of your exam and seeing “PASS.”

Last week, I introduced you to the formula of test taking: Content + Mindset + Strategy = Success

It is a test, and there is content that you need to know. Studying is essential, but how you study is just as important. Hours and hours of reviewing or watching videos or working through problems will help. What will help with making the studying stick, though, is making sure you are also giving your body and mind the necessary downtime in order for what you are studying to encode into your memory. Creating a plan for what (Mel’s concept of “things I suck at”) and when to study can help, but make sure you keep it realistic and schedule what you can do during your study breaks: time in nature, art, music, things that feed your soul. 

Mindset takes a big hit when you fail. For a lot of engineers, intelligence and being a good student is part of their identity, and failing a test doesn’t happen often (if ever!). You are not your test result. Actively working on what and how you say things to yourself is one of the things that can help strengthen your mindset.  Performing under pressure is difficult, even for the professionals! I’m going to use a Michael Jordan quote because I grew up in Chicago in the 1990s: “I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” 

Problem solving and strategy go hand-in-hand, so it shouldn’t be surprising that strategies are necessary to pass the PE. How do you use the tools that you have (your handbook)? What about when you are stuck on a problem? It is a long test day. What are your plans for pacing? What are you going to do during your break? Thinking through and visualizing test day from beginning to end can help you figure out what strategies you are already using without realizing it and maybe some areas that you can use some support!

The hard truth

Knowing what is wrong is not the same as fixing it. Learning about the physiological sigh and trying it out is not the same as being able to use it the moment you need it during the test. Maybe you saw something over the past 5 weeks that felt like I was talking directly to you and it helped you feel seen. Maybe you felt better for a day or two, but it is really easy to go back to old thought patterns of studying harder and alone.

From Panic to Passing

I am here to help you!

I called the program From Panic to Passing because that is exactly what I want you to feel - going from panic to ready to dominate! This is the program that takes everything we have talked about over the past six weeks and actually makes it stick.

It is the difference between knowing about the breath and having it ready the second you need it. Between reading about pacing and walking in with a plan you have already practiced. You have seen the pieces. From Panic to Passing puts them together into one system, and it puts someone in your corner who has helped a lot of people through this exact thing.

Here is what is inside From Panic to Passing:

Short, self-paced videos that walk you through the mindset and strategy tools, so you learn what you need without adding hundreds more hours to your plate.

A workbook with 15 exercises that turn those tools into habits. The kind that actually show up for you on test day instead of staying stuck in a blog post.

And if you want me right there with you, you can add coaching. In private sessions with me, we can build a performance plan around YOUR exam and any gaps YOU have.

You can do it on your own, or you can do it with me. Either way, you are not doing it alone anymore.

You have already seen this work

You have met Mel, an inspiration to me and others. Her determination to pass, after failing nine times, brought us together. She learned to stop studying harder and changed her approach and mindset.

She is not the only one. Jack, a licensed PE in Indiana, finished the program in December and passed that January. He said the mindset piece was his favorite, and that he still uses the breathing techniques, catching the negative spirals, and quieting the inner critic.

Another person who went through it put it simply. "I have never felt so good at the end of an exam as I did with this one."

That is what this is really about. Yes, passing. But also walking out of that test center feeling like yourself.

The Comeback Guarantee

I am so confident that this will help you that I’ve created The Comeback Guarantee: complete From Panic to Passing, stay engaged with it, and if you still do not pass your PE, I will pay for your retake. You can read exactly how it works on the program page.

Offering this guarantee is how sure I am that you will pass!

So here is what to do next

If any of these past six weeks felt like I was describing your exact experience, consider this your invitation. Go look at the program, and pick the option that fits you. Your exam date is coming either way. The only question is whether you walk in with a plan, or just hope this time feels different.

Take a look at From Panic to Passing 

You can do this. Mel did it after nine tries. You are not broken, you are not behind, and you do not have to figure this out by yourself.

You will pass.

About the author

Tina Wiles is a former engineer, a 20+ year educator, and a Brian Kane certified Mental Performance coach. She helps engineers and professionals stop losing high-stakes exams to panic, and start performing like they actually know the material. She is the founder of My2tor and the creator of From Panic to Passing.

Not sure what is getting in your way on exam day? Take the free 2-minute Test-Taking Mindset Quiz and find out.