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Submitted URL: http://engineerboards.com/topic/29651-fellow-engineers-who-have-passed-the-pe-exam-can-you-suggest-me-what-you-did-differe...
Effective URL: https://engineerboards.com/threads/fellow-engineers-who-have-passed-the-pe-exam-can-you-suggest-me-what-you-did-different-t...
Submission Tags: falconsandbox
Submission: On March 03 via api from US — Scanned from NL

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 * PE Exam Prep Forum
 * Mechanical Exam


FELLOW ENGINEERS, WHO HAVE PASSED THE PE EXAM, CAN YOU SUGGEST ME WHAT YOU DID
DIFFERENT TO PASS THE EXAM?

 * Thread starter Engineer_562
 * Start date Dec 4, 2017


HELP SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER & PE EXAM FORUM:


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ENGINEER_562

ACTIVE MEMBER

Joined Oct 31, 2017 Messages 42 Reaction score 2
 * Dec 4, 2017

 * 
 * #2

Hello all,

A little about me, I got 42% on the first attempt (April 2017), 49% on the
second (oct 2017) and will be taking it again in April 2018. By looking at the
average passing score, I think I need something like 75% to pass it (please
correct me if I am wrong). 

I have MERM, statics from hibbeler, solid mechanics from hibbeler, Shigley
mechanical design engineering and machinery handbook, for reference. (Can you
suggest more)

My main hurdle is my full time job and family. It's super hard to find time to
study. 

Please tell me if you have old exams for PE machine design and want to sell it.
I am in LA California. 

Please suggest me any other tips.


 
Reply


A

ANDY10889

ACTIVE MEMBER

Joined Jun 6, 2017 Messages 27 Reaction score 3
 * Dec 4, 2017

 * 
 * #3

I failed the MDM test twice getting a 49 out of 80 as the highest. I just passed
the HVAC test and found it MUCH easier. Even if you don't do HVAC it may be
easier for you to learn than the MDM. I would order the HVAC test and the TFS
test and work a few problems.


 
Reply



RAMNARES P.E.

WELL-KNOWN MEMBER

Joined Feb 6, 2013 Messages 9,212 Reaction score 1,303
 * Dec 4, 2017

 * 
 * #4

That's ^ one approach but I have a distaste for engineers taking the exam in
disciplines they don't practice because the perception is the exam is easier.


 
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N

NJB8547

NEW MEMBER

Joined Dec 4, 2017 Messages 1 Reaction score 0
 * Dec 4, 2017

 * 
 * #5

I failed my first two attempts. Took Dr. Tom's review course for MDM on this
third try and passed. I would recommend this course as I believe it helped to
get me over the top. I used the MERM, Shigley's Machine Design, and all the
reference notebooks you put together throughout the review course. 


 
Reply


J

J_MEC

WELL-KNOWN MEMBER

Joined Jul 12, 2012 Messages 140 Reaction score 13
 * Dec 4, 2017

 * 
 * #6

I went the self study route. I took Machine Design in April 2017 and passed on
the first attempt. I did over 700 practice problems from the MERM, practice
exams, six minute solutions, and a few random problems in Shigley's for good
measure leading up to the test.

For me, practice problems are the key. It was a waste of time for me to read the
MERM or textbooks. I found that I just needed to grind away on problems. 

Another tip is that the FE reference handbook is available for free and has lots
of handy equations for those pesky statics/dynamics/solids questions. I actually
did use the FE reference handbook during the PE exam because the equations are
just easier/quicker to find than the MERM.

If they are available, MIT OCW lecture videos aren't a bad way to get some free
lectures on subjects you need improvement in. There is no shame in paying for a
review class either.


 
Reply



E

ENGIN3RD

MEMBER

Joined Jul 10, 2017 Messages 6 Reaction score 1
 * Dec 4, 2017

 * 
 * #7

https://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Exam-Review-Materials-Engineering/dp/1545055890

Take a look at this one. It was very helpful for me, hopefully it will be to
you. Best of luck!


 
Reply


G

GOAST55

MEMBER

Joined Aug 13, 2017 Messages 20 Reaction score 3 Location Houston, TX
 * Dec 5, 2017

 * 
 * #8

I would say consolidate resources and just be comfortable answering problems. 
Know your appendix well, it can really help.  I went through the test and just
marked off the easy ones (labeled 1-easy  to 3-hard) and just attacked it that
way.  If I was spending too much time on a problem, I would mark it for later
and go on.  I think time management is the biggest time constraint on the test.


 
Reply




SACME24

WELL-KNOWN MEMBER

Joined Dec 16, 2016 Messages 657 Reaction score 184 Location CA
 * Dec 5, 2017

 * 
 * #9

> Engin3rd said:
> https://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Exam-Review-Materials-Engineering/dp/1545055890
> 
> Take a look at this one. It was very helpful for me, hopefully it will be to
> you. Best of luck!
> Click to expand...

I have the orange-cover version of this book which still has lots of
thermo-fluids stuff in it... is this new blue-cover version updated for the 2017
version of the exam? More practice problems perhaps?

Thanks!


 
Reply



S

SAYED

MEAH MEAH

Joined Apr 28, 2017 Messages 173 Reaction score 7
 * Dec 6, 2017

 * 
 * #10

> Ramnares P.E. said:
> That's ^ one approach but I have a distaste for engineers taking the exam in
> disciplines they don't practice because the perception is the exam is easier.
> Click to expand...

surprising that a moderator spews borderline insulting comments about an
engineer looking for HELP on obtaining his PE license rather than providing
actual helpful tips


> Engineer_562 said:
> Hello all,
> 
> A little about me, I got 42% on the first attempt (April 2017), 49% on the
> second (oct 2017) and will be taking it again in April 2018. By looking at the
> average passing score, I think I need something like 75% to pass it (please
> correct me if I am wrong). 
> 
> I have MERM, statics from hibbeler, solid mechanics from hibbeler, Shigley
> mechanical design engineering and machinery handbook, for reference. (Can you
> suggest more)
> 
> My main hurdle is my full time job and family. It's super hard to find time to
> study. 
> 
> Please tell me if you have old exams for PE machine design and want to sell
> it. I am in LA California. 
> 
> Please suggest me any other tips.
> Click to expand...

We are coming to a new year. What i suggest is take your 2 week vacation early
on to pound the material in your head (also recommend completing an ondemand
course) and get yourself ready months in advance.

After your 2 week vacation, spend either one full saturday or sunday every week
to review.

The week before your exam, i recommend taking time off and pounding through all
the practice exams and problems you can.

Doing it this way you won't have the excuse that your family is a hindrance in
being successful.

(p.s. i also recommend the HVAC test. it was so easy i thought i was doing the
problems wrong during the test, thinking i was having a brain fart and over
simplifying the problems)


 
Reply




RAMNARES P.E.

WELL-KNOWN MEMBER

Joined Feb 6, 2013 Messages 9,212 Reaction score 1,303
 * Dec 6, 2017

 * 
 * #11

@sayed as an engineer I would hope you see the ethical dilemma presented by
taking the PE exam in an area you are not practicing solely for the sake of
passing the exam.

Regarding your comment about providing help, see the stickied thread with my
write-up for mechanical TFS examinees.


 
Reply


A

ANDY10889

ACTIVE MEMBER

Joined Jun 6, 2017 Messages 27 Reaction score 3
 * Dec 6, 2017

 * 
 * #12

To add I practice in the consulting field and we do a little of everything. I do
maybe 45% HVAC and some machine design and some fluid design.  I honestly have a
little knowledge in all 3 subject fields. 

Jack of all trades I guess ( A little about everything and a lot about nothing)


 
Reply



S

SBROOKEF

MEMBER

Joined Jul 27, 2017 Messages 17 Reaction score 1
 * Dec 6, 2017

 * 
 * #13

> jvanoye said:
> I have the orange-cover version of this book which still has lots of
> thermo-fluids stuff in it... is this new blue-cover version updated for the
> 2017 version of the exam? More practice problems perhaps?
> 
> Thanks!
> Click to expand...

I have the blue version (never used the orange one) but there was not any
thermo-fluids in it. All the information was relevant to the new PE updated exam
2017. I can't compare the practice problems because I haven't used the orange
version! 


 
Reply



G

GAMECOCKENGINEER

PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER

Joined Dec 5, 2017 Messages 17 Reaction score 5
 * Dec 6, 2017

 * 
 * #14

I bought the NCEES practice exam and worked through it about 5 times until I had
a good understanding of all the concepts.  Honestly I thought it did a good job
of covering everything I ran into on the exam itself.  For exam references I
took in the MERM, Shigley's Mechanical Engineering Design, and a photocopy of my
worked out practice problems.  I tabbed the MERM and shigleys quite a bit.  I
think all in all I spent about 300 hours studying, spread out over 6 months.  I
studied a lot the week leading up to the exam.

I think the biggest thing I remember about the exam that you should be able to
prepare for is to pay close attention to units.  Also understanding exactly what
the question is asking you to do.   


 
Reply




CTOD

WELL-KNOWN MEMBER

Joined Nov 21, 2017 Messages 130 Reaction score 22
 * Dec 6, 2017

 * 
 * #15

> GamecockEngineer said:
> I bought the NCEES practice exam and worked through it about 5 times until I
> had a good understanding of all the concepts.  Honestly I thought it did a
> good job of covering everything I ran into on the exam itself.  For exam
> references I took in the MERM, Shigley's Mechanical Engineering Design, and a
> photocopy of my worked out practice problems.  I tabbed the MERM and shigleys
> quite a bit.  I think all in all I spent about 300 hours studying, spread out
> over 6 months.  I studied a lot the week leading up to the exam.
> 
> I think the biggest thing I remember about the exam that you should be able to
> prepare for is to pay close attention to units.  Also understanding exactly
> what the question is asking you to do.   
> Click to expand...

That's very similar to my approach. I worked the NCEES practice exam around 5
times as well, in addition to doing all but the last two weeks of homework from
the PPI prep course ( I attended every lecture ). If I had to do it again, I
would have stretched my studying over 6 months. 

I waited for the PPI course to begin to start studying and it's about a 3 month
program that leads right up to the exam. I managed to squeeze somewhere around
250 hours of study time into those three months, and that was that hard and very
stressful. I wish the course ended two weeks before the exam, I regretted not
doing the last two homework assignments in the test, but I believe the extra
study on the NCEES practice exam saved me on the test. 

I also picked up some different study material that was really helpful in
breaking down the concepts to their basics, it was a book by Timothy Kennedy,
called Mechanical PE review, machine design and materials. I ended up using that
book during the exam a couple times and it saved me each time. 

Know your references very well. If you study enough with the MERM, you should
have a good feeling of the physical location of each subject in each chapter,
and you should even strive to be familiar enough with each chapter that you can
recall the images of the examples you are hoping to locate during the exam. This
way you can rapidly flip through a chapter instead of going to the index and
back if you know the example or formula is near by. 

Take time to breath if you get hung up on a problem. I skipped around ten
problems in the morning and afternoon, and once I answered everything I knew I
could handle, I went back and filled the gaps. I probably got 8 of 10 right out
of the ones I skipped earlier in the exam, just because my mind was less
stressed about time and sometimes, solving the other problems you know how to
solve can lead you to solving one you may have been stumped on earlier. 

I circled my answers as I went, and triple checked the scan-tron when I was done
to make sure it matched up. Yes, I did find a couple bubbles filled in wrong,
these things happen when your brain is melting. 

So work problems of all types as much as you can, study between 200 and 300
hours, work the NCEES practice exam multiple times (until you can ace it), take
a prep course and do all their homework, attend all their lectures, rework their
homework, then work the NCEES practice exam again. Tab your references, become
very familiar with them, and you should be good to go. 

Also, I took the week off work before the exam and reviewed and studied a ton. I
made sure to relax the day before the exam and only tabbed my references and
flipped through pages while watching a movie. I also stayed in a nearby hotel
the night before. 


 
Reply



A

AUDI DRIVER P.E.

WELL-KNOWN MEMBER

Joined Sep 21, 2015 Messages 4,851 Reaction score 1,675
 * Dec 7, 2017

 * 
 * #16

Just use the approach that you only have one opportunity to pass.  Everything
else should fall in line.


 
Reply


E

ENGINEERDUDE123

ACTIVE MEMBER

Joined Dec 8, 2016 Messages 29 Reaction score 5
 * Dec 8, 2017

 * 
 * #17

> njb8547 said:
> I failed my first two attempts. Took Dr. Tom's review course for MDM on this
> third try and passed. I would recommend this course as I believe it helped to
> get me over the top. I used the MERM, Shigley's Machine Design, and all the
> reference notebooks you put together throughout the review course. 
> Click to expand...

I can second Dr. Tom's class.  It was extremely helpful and I went into the test
much better-prepared than the first time I took it.

Surprisingly, I actually studied less for the exam the second time around since
the course helped me to hone in on the specific topics that would likely be on
the exam.

OP, I would highly recommend signing up for his class.


 
Reply



M

MTH180

NEW MEMBER

Joined Dec 11, 2017 Messages 1 Reaction score 0
 * Dec 12, 2017

 * 
 * #18

I passed the October 2017 exam and only spent the two days prior to the exam
studying. I was in the same boat having a family and a full time job that is
very hard to get away from. My only references were the MERM and a piping design
book (covered welding and drawing standards).

My biggest suggestions would be to take your time reading the questions. They
are often filled with erroneous information that can lead you to calculating one
of the listed wrong answers. I think one other pitfall is having too many
references. You only need two or three reference books and make sure you know
where to find the information you need.

Good luck!


 
Reply




SACME24

WELL-KNOWN MEMBER

Joined Dec 16, 2016 Messages 657 Reaction score 184 Location CA
 * Dec 15, 2017

 * 
 * #19

> sbrookef said:
> I have the blue version (never used the orange one) but there was not any
> thermo-fluids in it. All the information was relevant to the new PE updated
> exam 2017. I can't compare the practice problems because I haven't used the
> orange version! 
> Click to expand...

Thank you very much !.. I just bought the book....


 
Reply


E

EREISCH

MEMBER

Joined Dec 17, 2017 Messages 6 Reaction score 1
 * Dec 19, 2017

 * 
 * #20

MERM was reasonably useful, also Marks' (whatever edition you choose).  The
biggest help for me was going through the various practice exams/problems/etc.,
and then creating a list of equations that I found myself using frequently.  I
put those equations into a Word table (using equation editor), along with a
reference to where I found that equation (in case I needed more information on
the subject while taking the exam).  I then printed out that list of equations
(mine ended up being ~3-4 pages long).  I also classified all of the practice
problems (from NCEES) into another table, which referenced them back to the
practice exam question number.  Example: let's say problem 184 was "cantilevered
bracket stress analysis" or problem 192 was "minimum weld thickness"
(hypothetical, non-real-world examples).  I then alphabetized that list and
printed it out as well.  That way if I encountered a problem that was slowing me
up a bit, I could see the solution technique used by someone else to check my
work or help me along.

The whole goal is to save your time on the problems that you know how to solve,
but still need reference equations.  If you can get to the reference equation
quicker, then that allows you to spend more time working on the problems which
you need to do more research on, etc.  Hence, the printed list of equations;
it's easier to scan through a 3-page document you're familiar with than a 1,000
page reference manual which is very poorly organized (e.g., MERM).

But (IMO) the most important skill you need to have to pass the machine design
&amp; materials exam is problem recognition -- the ability to read a problem
statement and know immediately what category into which you should mentally bin
it.  To use the earlier example of a cantilevered bracket, if you aren't
immediately breaking the figure down in your head into a free-body diagram and
recognizing the line of action of each of the forces, then frankly you need to
go back to basics.  If you are breaking it down, but just applying the wrong
equations, you need to be able to better recognize how the forces are
propagating through the system and what they are asking you to find.  If they're
interested in the factor-of-safety of the highest-stress bolt, you need to be
able to mentally recognize which is going to be the highest-stress bolt, and
then just do the analysis for that one.  If you do all N bolts, you'll take too
long on what was intended to be a 4-5 minute problem, and may not finish the
exam on-time.

If you've failed it multiple times, you also need to know how you failed --
e.g., if you finished on-time and felt pretty good about it, then you likely
just need to read the questions more carefully; a frequently-used
test-administering technique is to have the correct answer available, and then
populate the remaining choices with the most commonly-encountered wrong
answers.  Did you forget to convert units?  That's incorrect answer 1.  Forget a
factor-of-safety?  That's incorrect answer 2.  And so on.  On the other hand, if
you found many of the problems difficult to answer, did not finish all problems
in time, or did not know what equations to apply, then that's a lack-of-studying
or lack-of-comprehension issue which will require more classes, studying, etc. 
For my part, I think I finished the morning session with about 10 minutes to
spare, and the afternoon session with about 1 hour to spare; I spent the
remainder of my time double-checking my answers.  I also flagged some questions
in the problem book for "further analysis"; if I felt it was taking too much
time to solve a problem, or came up with an answer that I wasn't too sure about,
I would leave it blank (or provisionally answer it and mark it for self-review)
and skip to the next one, and use the extra time after I finished the remainder
of the exam to deep-dive into the questions which were harder for me.  The last
thing you want to do is spend 20 minutes working on a problem which, if you end
up guessing in the end, you only have a 20-25% chance of getting right, and then
leave the last 3-4 problems of the session blank because you didn't get to them
in time, especially if those 3-4 problems were easily solved.


 
Reply



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