NCEES Practice Exam Score

I spent the day mocking the actual test with the NCEES practice test. I had been feeling really confident about it, but after grading the exam, I got 57/80. And one of those points was basically a guess.

How are you guys (and gals) coming along? Did you take the practice exam, and if so, what did you get on it?

I heard the actual exam is harder than the practice, and a 70% cut would be around 56/80. That's a little too close to my score for comfort. I figure I can spend some time the next few days on the areas I did badly on.

My results:

Morning: 31/40

Afternoon: 26/40

Total: 57/80

(Mechanical Systems and Materials depth)

What topics in the afternoon gave you trouble? Maybe brush up on those. I took the HVAC and refrigeration section and passed the second time so I might not be able to give you really specific tips.

I am a very strong supporter of taking the last two or three days off to relax your mind. You don't want to go into this thing any more stressed than you have to be.

ikesdsu said:

What topics in the afternoon gave you trouble? Maybe brush up on those. I took the HVAC and refrigeration section and passed the second time so I might not be able to give you really specific tips. I am a very strong supporter of taking the last two or three days off to relax your mind. You don't want to go into this thing any more stressed than you have to be.

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ikesdsu and past PE exam takers,

Did any question(s) or more specifically topic(s) throw you off or caught you off guard on the actual test as compared to the NCEES HVAC practice exam and 6 Min Solution problems?

Thanks

You know, I went through the whole Lindeberg practice problem book. Then I did the Lindeberg practice exam. I felt really good about it - but the NCEES exam had a lot of stuff the Lindeberg exams and problems didn't have.

I was able to tackle the Lindeberg exam with pretty much MERM. But I was digging through a few references for the NCEES exam. Shigley's was a big one that I hadn't had to use before the NCEES exam.

"But I was digging through a few references for the NCEES exam. Shigley's was a big one that I hadn't had to use before the NCEES exam."

Ditto for me. I actually tabbed Shigley's as I reviewed the NCEES practice exam. I didn't do too well on it either...mostly because I ran out of time. I'm definitely not too confident going into this exam. I'm starting to get in the mindset of 'It'll be what it'll be" and I will just do my best and not stress about it.

Honestly, guys, don't stress. It'll do you no good. By this point, the best thing you can do to prepare is get a good night's sleep up until the exam.

saloms said:

ikesdsu said:

What topics in the afternoon gave you trouble? Maybe brush up on those. I took the HVAC and refrigeration section and passed the second time so I might not be able to give you really specific tips. I am a very strong supporter of taking the last two or three days off to relax your mind. You don't want to go into this thing any more stressed than you have to be.

Click to expand...

ikesdsu and past PE exam takers,

Did any question(s) or more specifically topic(s) throw you off or caught you off guard on the actual test as compared to the NCEES HVAC practice exam and 6 Min Solution problems?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Funny as it is, the money sections are the parts that caught me the most off guard. They turned out to be much harder than I thought.

Also when I took the test there were more manufacturing questions than I expected but since I had a three year internship while in school in a factory that did both machining and welding I was fine but if I hadn't gotten that experience before the test I could see how it would have been a problem.

sycamore PE said:

Honestly, guys, don't stress. It'll do you no good. By this point, the best thing you can do to prepare is get a good night's sleep up until the exam.

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I second this! If you don't know it now only two days before the test you are not going to know it Friday. Get some good sleep, clear your mind, do something you enjoy since you probably haven't done it for month because of studying. You will do fine on the test.

I have heard that the NCEES MD portion is based quite alot on Shigley. A few acquaintances told me that you would need MERM and Shigley for MD and MERM alone for TFS. I found that Lindeburg one TFS wasnt pretty tough ( time wise) but the questions were good practice nonetheless.

ikesdsu, you mean the eco questions? was it something that could be solved with MERM or even harder? The MERMs eco sections is pretty indepth and covers more than I did in college . I woudl study/review stuff a little today and take tomorrow off.

lindeburg sample WAS pretty tough.. Geez, I cant believe I actually typo'd it as wasnt

SMott, I think I'm with you on that. It is what it is. Worst case? Take it again. It ain't the end of the world. But I don't plan on taking it again

I have Shigley tabbed from when I was in college, but I'm going to add some new tabs today. I actually have the 5th edition (Shigley and Mischke) and I think it's better than my 8th edition by Budynas and Nisbett. So I'll probably be going to that one first. It's less theory/derivation, and more "here is the equation".

Yeah, the manufacturing stuff caught me off guard. And MERM doesn't really cover that in depth.

Yes, I meant economic questions. Must have had a brain fart moment

They seemed harder than what was in the MERM. We never really had any of the economics other than a quick passing mention in school so it was hard for me.