October 2017 HVAC & Refrigeration

Professional Engineer & PE Exam Forum

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I will take the exam..I took the exam past April..but failed..but I think I was able to identify the weak areas..will focus on them and then practice problems..

 
I passed the exam this April. The biggest thing I can tell you is be very familiar with all four ASHRAE books. 

 
On the Ashrae books. I have a few older ones. How much difference are the ones now verse the older versions? Should I buy new ones?

Also, has anyone taken any of the review courses? I plan on signing up for one soon.

 
How old is old?  Not much has changed in the way of engineering physics,  thermodynamics, psychrometrics, and heat transfer, in the last few decades.

 
I brought 2010-2013 ASHRAE books to the test, I wouldn't go older than that. There were 1 or 2 questions I doubt the older books had. You can buy them for pretty cheap on ebay. 

 
2009 fundamentals

1996 hvac systems and equipment

1995 applications

1998 refrig.

Guess I will pickup the newer versions of the last 3.

 
For those who are taking HVAC exam, if you want to pass 

1-get familiar with Ashrae Books. read the index and have an idea where you can find things.

2-Do as many pschrometric chart problems as you can. 

3-Get familiar with Refrigeration Cycle Diagrams. Be able to read it. it will be piece of cake to solve questions from this area.

4-NCEES Practice exam-purchase it right away. Dont wait until finishing all  study topics. Do it while you are studying. I took Online Review course and there were a lot of stupid unreal questions took my brain power and time as well. NCEES Practice exam will help you to estiamte which questions you may see in the exam.

5- Six minutes Solution book-purchase one. Very tough questions but it will help you a lot.

6-Study at least 250 hours if you want to guarantee passing.

 
For those who are taking HVAC exam, if you want to pass 

1-get familiar with Ashrae Books. read the index and have an idea where you can find things.

2-Do as many pschrometric chart problems as you can. 

3-Get familiar with Refrigeration Cycle Diagrams. Be able to read it. it will be piece of cake to solve questions from this area.

4-NCEES Practice exam-purchase it right away. Dont wait until finishing all  study topics. Do it while you are studying. I took Online Review course and there were a lot of stupid unreal questions took my brain power and time as well. NCEES Practice exam will help you to estiamte which questions you may see in the exam.

5- Six minutes Solution book-purchase one. Very tough questions but it will help you a lot.

6-Study at least 250 hours if you want to guarantee passing.
I agree with all of this.  I would also add that the Trane Air Conditioning Manual is a great resource that explains psychrometrics very clearly with 30-40 examples per chapter.  It's an older blue colored book but can be found on Amazon and Ebay.

 
Also, I would recommend that the ASHRAE handbook years are sequential so that the newest book's index will list the correct pages for the other three books.  I got by just fine with 2009-2012.

 
Question for those more familiar with all the different practice exams out there: Is the current NCEES practice exam that you can purchase on the NCEES website what you guys call the "2011 NCEES practice exam" or is it an updated version? If so, is there a place I could find the older 2011 one? So I can get more practice problems. Thanks.

 
Question for those more familiar with all the different practice exams out there: Is the current NCEES practice exam that you can purchase on the NCEES website what you guys call the "2011 NCEES practice exam" or is it an updated version? If so, is there a place I could find the older 2011 one? So I can get more practice problems. Thanks.
It is not, it is the 2016 booklet.  You will have to search around if you want the older ones (like on Ebay, most likely).

 
Just remembered there are classifieds you can browse on this forum.  For example, even though it's an expired listing I think Sk82 still has this, and it's reasonably priced for the 2001 exam book.




 
Thanks didn't see there were classifieds here. I'll look around for the 2011 to go with the 2016 I ordered.

 
Another question as I get more into this process: Anyone got a link to a good printable psych chart? I've got a bunch of nice laminated ones here at work, but I'm not sure if they let you bring those since they're not bound? (Ohio test). I'd like to find a nice, readable 8.5x11 one just in case. From my quick search, a lot are hard to read, or don't have some useful information like vapor pressure or sensible heat ratio. Thanks!

 
Namod65

I took one to the exam in a 11X17 binder but I didnt use it.  I used the one that was supplied in the back of the exam for everything.  It was also 11X17 in size.  It was the ASHRAE green chart.  Maybe you should get comfortable using that chart...

Mike

 
Namod65

I took one to the exam in a 11X17 binder but I didnt use it.  I used the one that was supplied in the back of the exam for everything.  It was also 11X17 in size.  It was the ASHRAE green chart.  Maybe you should get comfortable using that chart...

Mike
Agreed.  There is also a link to a good one at the end of the TFS study thread pinned at the top of this forum.

 
What sections of the MERM should i spend my time on?

i know there are section that i should completely avoid as it'd be irrelevant.

I have the PPI thermal reference book. will this be any help or just shelve it?

 
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