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Rating: 
Summary: Review of Yarbrough's EE Reference Manual
Review: I have a Ph.D. in EE and several years of work experience and recently took the Profession Engineer examination in EE. I purchased this book to (a) review areas of electrical engineering with which I am familiar (e.g., circuits, devices), (b) learn enough about new areas (e.g., power transmission, motors, control systems) to pass in these areas on the Professional Engineer examination, and (c) work sample problems. I found that the book did a fair job of reviewing areas in which one already had knowledge, but was poor at introducing new subjects. There was no way I could learn much new (this varied with the topic). There are sample problems at the end of each chapter (with solutions available in a separate manual). After working real problems from a past test (available from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying in Clemson, SC), I found that Yarbrough's examples were not representative and much harder than the real test. I would give this book a worse rating, but during the exam I was able to look up critical bits of information that added many points to my score.
Rating: 
Summary: Yarbrough helps the broadly educated BSEE pass the PE
Review: I have owned Edition #4 of this book since 1988, and found it to be fully adequate when I sat for the PE in May 1994. It was the only book I actually used for the test. I have also found it to be an excellent concise electrical engineering reference. Some context: I never met a test I didn't like. I graduated with BSEE from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 1982 and found the P.E. to be sophomore-to-junior level with low-to-moderate difficulty and depth with no significant time pressure - one hour average per problem. With respect to the PhD-EE who commented below, I suspect that the narrow focus necessary for graduate study is not useful for a broad test like the PE. I passed the test cold twelve years after leaving school, and probably benefited from the broad treatment of EE topics and the accelerated pace at Rose which tended to cram a semester's work into 10 weeks (effectively three semesters per year). Unlike the Doctor, I found Yarbrough's treatment of Electrical Engineering closely resembled the test which included: Power, Digital logic, Communications, Integration, Filters, Op amp applications, Control systems/application of feedback, and
National Electrical Code (my 1994 test had a grounding problem). I agree that Yarbrough's problems were more difficult than those on the PE. I strenuously disagree that it "did a fair job of reviewing areas in which one already had knowledge." It is accurate, however, to say that the book is not good at introducing new subjects. It is a *reference* and not a substitute for a semester or more of grinding through the applicable EE class. I remember doing the following problems:
1) A freshman-level problem relating power and energy (first page of the test and shockingly rudimentary).
2) An integration problem - find the RMS value of a sine-wave 10V peak-to-peak, chopped at 65% - another freshman level problem.
3) An op amp problem - find the rise time, calculate the value of feedback resistors, draw bode plot showing frequency response.
4) A grounding problem using NEC. I DIDN'T HAVE MY NEC! But worked the problem anyway because at the time I'd been doing a lot of commercial design.
5) A Control Systems problem - classic transfer function with feedback problem.
6) A Sallen and Key low-pass filter problem.
7) A power problem - transformer regulation with non-purely-resistive load.
8) ? A word of encouragement for prospective P.E.'s: Don't sweat the fact that you may not have prepared adequately - take it anyway. I delayed sitting for it because of this non-reason, and cost myself tens-of-thousands of dollars. Apply for it, don't tell anyone you're taking it, and go in with no pressure. If you get a 69, you'll get to take the test again. I took the test with no preparation, walked out of the afternoon session (multiple choice) with one-and-one-half hours to spare, and got a 76 (laughing when I got the notice). Real-world consulting and my classes at Rose were far, far, more difficult.
Rating:
Summary: #1 Reference Book for the Exam
Review: I took the Electrical PE Exam (Power Option) yesterday Oct 29, 2004 for the first time, and I felt very well prepared and expect to pass the exam easily. To study and for reference during the exam, I purchased this Reference Manual and three additional books by the same author: the Quick Reference, Practice Problems, and Six-Minute Solutions. I also purchased the NCEES Sample Questions & Solutions, and I already had a copy of the NEC. I used no other materials for studying or taking the exam.
This Reference Manual is excellent, and was my number one guide while studying and during the exam itself. My studying consisted of working the NCEES Sample Questions & Solutions and the Six-Minute Solutions books twice each, using only this Reference Manual and the NEC. Out of the 80 problems on the exam, there was only 1 not covered by this Reference Manual and NEC. I don't see how you can take the PE exam without this book! The organization and format of this book are excellent and very polished. The content is concise but also comprehensive... the perfect balance. It's the details that make it exceptional: how each section is "tabbed" by a black mark on the side and starts with a list of abbreviations and constants, top quality illustrations and tables, etc. The index is comprehensive, which is also very important during the exam.
I would strongly recommend this Reference Manual, Six-Minute Solutions, and the NCEES Sample Exam. There is now a Sample Exam by this same author, which I did not use, but would if I was doing it over again. The NEC is necessary for anyone doing the Power option. The Quick Reference and the Practice Problems are not good books, and I would not recommend them. I used neither of them during the exam, and only minimally when studying. See my reviews on those items for more details.
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Summary: Best Review Book for EE PE
Review: The Electrical Engineering Reference Manual (EERM) for the Electrical and Computer PE Exam is an excellent resource. The information contained in the handbook is very broad, yet is distilled to the most important elements of each subject area. When I took the exam, the majority of test-takers used the same reference manual written for their respective disciplines. The EERM is designed for quick and easy location of subject matter, which is important during the fast-paced PE exam. I used it for about 90% of the exam questions. The companion sample test and review questions by the same author are good review material and are more representative of the exam problems than other references I purchased. The exercise problems focus on concepts without getting bogged down in minutia. Hints for studying and taking the exam are very useful. The errata are bigger than it probably should be, but can be easily downloaded from the publisher website. I plan on keeping my copy of the EERM as a reference manual. My other study materials are for sale. I wish I would've had the EERM during college; it would have been a big help. By the way, I passed the PE on the first try and it's been over 20 years since I got my degree.
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