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Study Recommendations ?
- Thread starter jd_chi02
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FusionWhite
Epee ~)----- Fencer
I hate to plug "the other board" products here but pick up the FE Review Manual by Lindeburg. It covers a vast majority of the material in the depth you need to complete the test and past. Notice I said MOST because it does not cover all.
I totally bombed the prob and stats part of the test. If I had to go back and study that again I would probably just dust off my old text book for studying because P&S is one of the areas I found the FE Review Manual lacking.
My biggest problem with the fluids portion was how poorly the equations in the reference book is. The equations are written in a way that requires some manipulation to use them (specifically the venturi and orifice equations). Lindeburg covers this fairly well but if you've never had a class on fluids you may need more.
The FERM covered materials in the morning session PERFECTLY. If you study and know the FERM you will nail the morning session. However the afternoon (assuming you take the general) session was vastly different. Still to this day I have yet to find a study resource for the FE which covers the materials subject for the afternoon.
Heres the resource which I found most useful:
www.eitexam.com
Its a giant repository of FE style exam problems. Thousands and thousands of problems. You get 3 months access for $10. You get WAY more problems then any book can cram in and its a fraction of the price. Plus you get solutions which can help show you little tricks for working problems.
If your taking a discipline specific afternoon session I highly recommend picking up those books ASAP. I was planning on taking the Chemical afternoon session but didnt buy the books till about 1.5 months before the test. Just a quick glance of the Das and Lindeburg ChE afternoon session made me realize that there was no way I could get that much prep time in to pass the chemical test. Dont assume because its in your degree field that you dont have to dedicate as much time to it as the stuff you dont know.
Also dont assume that the general afternoon session is just "harder" versions of the morning problems. They were structured very differently and covered vastly different material. I cant really be more specific then that but none of the review books I used even hinted at some of the stuff on the afternoon session.
I hope some of that was helpful. Start with the FERM and see where you need more help and then look for more specific books to fill in the gaps.
I totally bombed the prob and stats part of the test. If I had to go back and study that again I would probably just dust off my old text book for studying because P&S is one of the areas I found the FE Review Manual lacking.
My biggest problem with the fluids portion was how poorly the equations in the reference book is. The equations are written in a way that requires some manipulation to use them (specifically the venturi and orifice equations). Lindeburg covers this fairly well but if you've never had a class on fluids you may need more.
The FERM covered materials in the morning session PERFECTLY. If you study and know the FERM you will nail the morning session. However the afternoon (assuming you take the general) session was vastly different. Still to this day I have yet to find a study resource for the FE which covers the materials subject for the afternoon.
Heres the resource which I found most useful:
www.eitexam.com
Its a giant repository of FE style exam problems. Thousands and thousands of problems. You get 3 months access for $10. You get WAY more problems then any book can cram in and its a fraction of the price. Plus you get solutions which can help show you little tricks for working problems.
If your taking a discipline specific afternoon session I highly recommend picking up those books ASAP. I was planning on taking the Chemical afternoon session but didnt buy the books till about 1.5 months before the test. Just a quick glance of the Das and Lindeburg ChE afternoon session made me realize that there was no way I could get that much prep time in to pass the chemical test. Dont assume because its in your degree field that you dont have to dedicate as much time to it as the stuff you dont know.
Also dont assume that the general afternoon session is just "harder" versions of the morning problems. They were structured very differently and covered vastly different material. I cant really be more specific then that but none of the review books I used even hinted at some of the stuff on the afternoon session.
I hope some of that was helpful. Start with the FERM and see where you need more help and then look for more specific books to fill in the gaps.
singlespeed
Tormented
I agree with Fusion and wishing I would have known of the link mentioned. :+1:
Two additional thoughts:
As Fusion mentioned, the FERM equations are sometimes a little funky, perhaps not in the way form you have seen them in other references. When you run across these oddities, spend a few minutes deriving the "normal" form of the equation that you're accustomed to seeing. The FERM is the only thing you get for the exam, so be sure you know how to use the equation as shown, or know how to derive the form you need.
Although Lindberg may not adequately prepare you for the PM General, the info you need is in the FERM! I saw 10 - 15 problems in the PM General that I had never seen anything close to in my preparations - but I found the info in the FERM to at least allow me to narrow the choices down to 2. The info may not be where you think it should be, so become familar with it. e.g. For a column in compression (buckling - Euler's Formula), the boundary condition factors are not in the mechanics of materials section with the formula, they're in the Civil section in a table.
Two additional thoughts:
As Fusion mentioned, the FERM equations are sometimes a little funky, perhaps not in the way form you have seen them in other references. When you run across these oddities, spend a few minutes deriving the "normal" form of the equation that you're accustomed to seeing. The FERM is the only thing you get for the exam, so be sure you know how to use the equation as shown, or know how to derive the form you need.
Although Lindberg may not adequately prepare you for the PM General, the info you need is in the FERM! I saw 10 - 15 problems in the PM General that I had never seen anything close to in my preparations - but I found the info in the FERM to at least allow me to narrow the choices down to 2. The info may not be where you think it should be, so become familar with it. e.g. For a column in compression (buckling - Euler's Formula), the boundary condition factors are not in the mechanics of materials section with the formula, they're in the Civil section in a table.
FusionWhite
Epee ~)----- Fencer
Your right actually I ment to say Review Manual (the Lindeburg book) and said FERM instead. Yes, much of the materials stuff on the afternoon session is not in the Lindeburg book but is in the discipline specific portion of the Reference Manual provided during the test.
One thing I cannot stress enough is to use Google. Anytime I hit a subject the review books didnt 100% explain to me I typed it into Google and would find hundreds of hits for that subject. Having never had statics I had to learn it from the ground up and I found a website hosted by the University of Wisconson that covered statics in such great depth I need to cut UW a tuition check for how much I learned. Google is your BEST FRIEND when it comes to exam preperation.
One thing I cannot stress enough is to use Google. Anytime I hit a subject the review books didnt 100% explain to me I typed it into Google and would find hundreds of hits for that subject. Having never had statics I had to learn it from the ground up and I found a website hosted by the University of Wisconson that covered statics in such great depth I need to cut UW a tuition check for how much I learned. Google is your BEST FRIEND when it comes to exam preperation.
Thanks Guys ... I will take your advice and keep you two in mind during my studies.
Is there an area that stuck out in your minds that you wish you would have covered more before the exam? Or if you go back and look at your study materials a chapter that you could have read more?
Is there an area that stuck out in your minds that you wish you would have covered more before the exam? Or if you go back and look at your study materials a chapter that you could have read more?
FusionWhite
Epee ~)----- Fencer
Economics and Prob&Stats. I did very well in both these classes but failed to study properly for them. The only economics problems I knew how to do were basic compounding and interest rate problems. The rest was way beyond what I was prepared for. As for Prob&Stats the class was an easy A but by the time I took the FE it was all long gone and I didnt study enough. Again these were failures on my part for not prepping enough, the actual problems in these two areas would probably be very easy if you know what your doing.Thanks Guys ... I will take your advice and keep you two in mind during my studies.
Is there an area that stuck out in your minds that you wish you would have covered more before the exam? Or if you go back and look at your study materials a chapter that you could have read more?
The areas which I thought were actually "tricky" were in the general afternoon; mechanics and materials. The mechanics was way more complex then anything I studied and the materials was tricky because it wasnt covered in any review books. The mechanics I just guessed on but the materials stuff I managed to get out of the reference book with some digging.
Math/Calculus on the morning and afternoon sessions were freebies. Some of the problems were tough but there was nothing that you cant get very very fast. I wouldnt be surprised if I got all the math section right. I really think the math section in the afternoon is what saved me.
D
dksitecivil
Excellent info guys! Thanks! :claps:
D
dksitecivil
I don't know if this is what you got on e-Bay, but I know it is being sold on e-Bay when you can actually download it for free!
Link to both the FE and the PE taped reviews (with notes) can be found here:
http://engineeringregistration.tamu.edu/
http://engineeringregistration.tamu.edu/downloads/index.htm
http://engineeringregistration.tamu.edu/ta...views/index.htm
I have just started using them myself. They seem like a decent tool when used in conjuction with the review manual and the reference book.
Good Luck to ALL of us!
Link to both the FE and the PE taped reviews (with notes) can be found here:
http://engineeringregistration.tamu.edu/
http://engineeringregistration.tamu.edu/downloads/index.htm
http://engineeringregistration.tamu.edu/ta...views/index.htm
I have just started using them myself. They seem like a decent tool when used in conjuction with the review manual and the reference book.
Good Luck to ALL of us!
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