Advice from those who failed PE and then passed ?

[BORICUAZO]

Well, to throw my 2-cents in (having passed on the second try)...I think that the selection of study materials played a really big role for me this time around.
At least for the Mechanical Engineering exam, I found that the problems in the MERM were of only a little use. The *example* problems in there are great, but the end of chapter ones just were not representative of the exam. Part of nailing the exam down is being able to understand the texture of the problems a bit, and the MERM just didn't cut it for me.

The best problem resources that I found were the NCEES sample exam, and the Six Minute Solutions books. These problems were much more exam-like, and I worked them until I almost has some of the approaches down by rote. Also of use was the CD of problems that came with the NCEES book.

It really came down to what's been said many times already...if you want to pass the PE, do problems. Work problem after problem and get comfortable with just pounding through them. The clock ticks loudly during the exam, and there's no time to screw around with digging through books for example and hints. Pounding out as many problems as you can in the few months before the test is a recipe for success...and doing problems that are like the ones on the exam gets you into the right mindset to be able to understand what they want you to do.

All that said, thank God I passed...I don't think I could go through another round of studying after the way I prepared for this last exam...

Good luck to all my fellow repeat test takers -- whatever you do, don't let the passing rates for repeat takers get you down. If you put in the time up front, you'll pass.

Excellent Rocco! Your advice really great. I failed the ME PE April 07 exam. I will go for my second chance in october. I agree with you that the MERM end of chapter problems are NOT representative of the exam. In fact, I think that our April ME exam

was more difficult than the NCEES Sample Exam! Here are my numbers for those two:

1. NCEES Sample exam: 47 out of 80.

2. Real April 2007 ME Exam: 38 out of 80. :w00t:

:hung-037:

 

[gatormech_e]

looks like there are a few mech e's in here. i get to take the oct 07 exam also...april was not my time.

thanks for the tips, that example problem with the equation format notebook sounds like a good idea...

 

[Rocco]

You know, this afternoon I thought of a couple of other things that I did differently this time around that I want to mention...they turned out to be *big* time savers for me, and time was really a factor (YMMV).

1. I downloaded a .pdf of the MERM index and had it spiral bound. Having that thing saved me from having to close my MERM and dig around in there. The thin, spiral book was much more manageable.

2. A friend photocopied all of the Appendices in the MERM and he gave me a copy. I had these also spiral bound. I tabbed them and never once used the Appendices in the MERM book itself.

3. I got a good, comprehensive list of unit conversion info...many pages of sometime extraneous info, but every unit I could ever want. Again -- spiral bound and tabbed. I got to be greasy fast with that book...units are critical.

I used these resources exclusively when I was studying (the 6-Minute books are great), and I went into PE Exam #2 being much, much faster with the information than I was the first time. I used the MERM as a topical reference and had its index and Appendices all open at the same time.

Again, good luck to everyone who has to deal with failing and trying again. It's a total drag, but you've got a lot of company.

Just pound the stuff out and get it done. Stay positive.

 

[vmi2000]

And to those who were not as fortunate, keep you chin up and keep plugging along. I have taken this exam more times than I care to mention, however as I have stated in previous posts, I had to put the time in :whipping: and as soon as I made that decision, in my mind, I PASSED. Not to be preachy :holyness: . I know that it can be a very overwhelming task to try and tackle. If anyone would like information regarding my self study program :reading: , please feel free to contact me. This is not a sales solicitation!

Good Luck

 

[maryannette]

I passed PE on my 4th try. I agree with most of the posts, but it is also about disciplining your entire life. You have to give up almost everything that is not essential. Make sure you eat right and sleep enough. When I was studying late nights, I would go to my car at lunchtime and sleep for 50 minutes. Use every minute for something that NEEDS to be done. By the way, sometimes a dinner out or a TV show can be considered essential. Family needs have to be compromised, but there has to be a tolerable balance.

 

[Fordman101]

First attempt:

I skipped MD totally because my background is mostly T&F and HVAC. (BIG MISTAKE!!!)

Second attempt:

I did a lot of MD problems as if this would be my Depth.

I still chose T&F but the MD problems within the T&F Depth weren't that challenging.

For a couple of a problems, NCEES had me shaking my head and saying "You MFs, You Want WHAT?" :angry:

Now that I PASSED, I retract / appologize for the MF comment but the latter stays!! arty-smiley-048: