I've been working in construction estimating for about 4 years and my boss gave me 6 weeks to prep before the company covers the exam fee. I'm planning 2 hours per day on weekdays and around 4 hours each weekend day. Scored 58% on a practice test yesterday and the passing threshold is around 70%, so I know I'm not ready yet.
From what I've read, the exam covers quantity takeoffs, bid preparation, project delivery methods, and ethics. I'm strongest on the technical side since I do takeoffs daily, but contract law and professional practice are where I feel shaky. Those sections probably account for close to 20% of the exam and I've barely touched them.
My current plan is 3 weeks of content review, then 3 weeks of practice questions and timed full-length tests. Does that seem reasonable, or should I front-load the practice questions to find my gaps earlier? I don't want to burn through my one free retake attempt going in blind.
Also wondering if the official ASPE study guide is worth the $85 or if free resources plus practice tests cover it adequately at this point in my prep.
Contract law is a real weak spot for most field estimators. I pulled in a lawyer friend to quiz me on AIA document structures and it clicked way faster than reading alone. Probably 3 hours of that conversation was worth 10 hours of self-study.
6 weeks is tight but doable if you're already in the field. I passed first try studying about 1.5 hours a day over 8 weeks, so you're putting in more time than I did. The professional practice and ethics section was worth roughly 20% and I almost underestimated it.
The ASPE guide is worth it — I tried skipping it and failed at 67%. Bought it for the retake and passed with 74%.
Move practice questions to week 2, not week 4. The CPE is much more application-heavy than a memorization test. Seeing where you're wrong early gives you 4 weeks to fix it instead of 2.
The bid preparation section caught me off guard — specifically subcontractor analysis and scope gap identification. I spent maybe 15% of my study time there and it felt underrepresented until the actual exam. Scored 72% overall so I passed, but it was closer than I wanted.
Your daily schedule sounds solid. Just don't skip weekends when you're feeling confident.