I have passed my professional exam this year, so I’d like to share my thoughts and some tips for taking the exam.

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I’m not from a chemical engineering background, but I ended up working in the chemical industry. My knowledge of basic chemistry is limited; I’ve never studied physical chemistry or reaction kinetics, so I basically gave up on those areas. I hadn’t taken the exam for 10 years; I focused on preparing for it over about 10 days in year 11. Having studied for those 10 years, I felt quite confident, but when the exam arrived I was completely stunned and could only do my best. Fortunately, I managed to pass by sheer luck. Experience: 1. If you have limited time and knowledge, focus on the topics in which you are strongest; if your foundation is weak, it’s better not to attempt those topics at all. After all, your actual time to answer questions is limited, so it’s sufficient to answer those questions that you can get right. Remember, you only need 60 points, not 90 or 100. 2. During the exam, be sure to skim through the questions first and tackle those you are most confident about; this not only increases efficiency but also boosts your confidence in answering the questions. The worst thing is to spend 20 minutes on a problem only to find that you can’t continue; it’s a dilemma – you feel reluctant to give up, but continuing might still be a waste of time. 3. After completing the questions you know how to solve, for those you don’t know or are unsure about, you can guess an answer and write down a few common formulas. If you guess correctly, the grader might show mercy and award points even if the solution process is incomplete. In short, those with a weak foundation can still have a chance to succeed through reasonable speculation. Of course, it’s better to succeed through strength. I’m posting this to give everyone some confidence – professionalism isn’t that difficult after all. Wish everyone success in passing!