# Why did I failed the April 07' ME PE Exam?



## BORICUAZO (Jul 24, 2007)

After failed the April 07' ME PE Exam, here are my conclusions:

1. I studied for eigth (8) months, [SIZE=12pt]for an exam that WAS NOT the one that I took last april.[/SIZE]

2. These are my study materials: MERM, MERM practice problems &amp; solutions, all six minutes series, MERM sample exam, NCEES sample exam, Cameron hydraulic data, Steam Tables, ASHRAE fundamentals.

3. This represent more than 400 practice problems, worked by myself.

So, it doesn't matter how much references or solved problems you take to the exam. [SIZE=12pt]You cannot be there as a "problem solver". You must be there to think as a Mechanical Engineer.[/SIZE]

All those references and practice problems are good to reach a score of 50%. The other 20% depends on your skills, habilities and VOCATION with the Mechanical Engineering discipline. Otherwise, we select the wrong career.

Real World!!! ld-025:


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## GVPATEL (Jul 25, 2007)

IndependencePR said:


> After failed the April 07' ME PE Exam, here are my conclusions:
> 1. I studied for eigth (8) months, [SIZE=12pt]for an exam that WAS NOT the one that I took last april.[/SIZE]
> 
> 2. These are my study materials: MERM, MERM practice problems &amp; solutions, all six minutes series, MERM sample exam, NCEES sample exam, Cameron hydraulic data, Steam Tables, ASHRAE fundamentals.
> ...



My dear Friend,

I am in same boat, i study same way and much much harder for long time, no relax on weekend even but result came with average 62%.

i am very depress nad sad when i open my result mail letter.

now i am think what else i can do ? whatever we study that never comes in PE Exam?

i do not understand where they get all questions from? that is totally depress to all exam candidates?

i do not know by asking stupid type questions what they want to prove it ?

with regards to all, good luck for October -07 exam.


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## VA_Env_Engr (Jul 25, 2007)

GV and Independence:

I realize you guys are feeling bummed out because of the results of April '07 exams. If you are planning on taking the exam again in Oct, I suggest you first relax and don't let the results bog you down. Remember the old cliche...study smarter not harder. Given that you have already studied hard, maybe you need to take another look at your strategy.

One of the things that worked for me (I passed on first try) was understanding the concepts. This can be done any number of ways, but I found that as I worked through the problems, I tried to clarify/understand the concepts. The PE exam is designed to test that as opposed to make you work through long number problems. Also, try to make your own reference sheets of important concepts/formulae/equations that you can refer to and get to the solution quickly.

Lastly, remember that other board members are here to help you. Post your questions and we'll try to provide answers the best we can.

Good luck.


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## GVPATEL (Jul 26, 2007)

VA_Env_Engr said:


> GV and Independence:
> I realize you guys are feeling bummed out because of the results of April '07 exams. If you are planning on taking the exam again in Oct, I suggest you first relax and don't let the results bog you down. Remember the old cliche...study smarter not harder. Given that you have already studied hard, maybe you need to take another look at your strategy.
> 
> One of the things that worked for me (I passed on first try) was understanding the concepts. This can be done any number of ways, but I found that as I worked through the problems, I tried to clarify/understand the concepts. The PE exam is designed to test that as opposed to make you work through long number problems. Also, try to make your own reference sheets of important concepts/formulae/equations that you can refer to and get to the solution quickly.
> ...




Which part did you answered in your PE Exam?

I have answered Fluid Mechanics and thermal.

please reply so i may be ask you few questions.

thanks

waiting for your reply.


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## VA_Env_Engr (Jul 26, 2007)

GV:

I am an Environmental Engineer and so is my PE. I was merely providing you general suggestions on preparation for PE exam and the strategy that worked for me. I am sure there are several MEs on this forum that would be glad to answer your subject specific questions.


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## deep (Jul 26, 2007)

(For people who took the exam in april)

Hi Guys,

I think I should post this question somewhere else. But since u guys have experienced the exam? Can we make a Hand written notes and bring to exam... How many pages are allowed, is there any limitation? Can i type them in word n get it for exam? Can i zerox the main pages from MERM and enlarge it to 11X17 and use it for exam? Do I need to create a seperate binder tht has all these pages?

Thank you in advance....

Good Luck to everyone for oct....

Thank you for sharing ur experience......


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## VA_Env_Engr (Jul 26, 2007)

deep said:


> (For people who took the exam in april)Hi Guys,
> 
> I think I should post this question somewhere else. But since u guys have experienced the exam? Can we make a Hand written notes and bring to exam... How many pages are allowed, is there any limitation? Can i type them in word n get it for exam? Can i zerox the main pages from MERM and enlarge it to 11X17 and use it for exam? Do I need to create a seperate binder tht has all these pages?
> 
> ...


The regs may vary by state, but in VA, you are allowed to bring your notes as long as they are in a 3 ring binder. There is no limit on the amount of material you can bring. However, they may have an issue if it was written in pencil, so just to be careful, I'd either type and print it or have it written in pen.


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## deep (Jul 26, 2007)

thank you..... that was of help... I m from CA state... hopefully even they allow the same.... n thnx for writing in pen advice, coz it would have been tough to put formulae in doc file.


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## cement (Jul 26, 2007)

deep, I think that the key here is that they don't want loose papers flying around the exam room. you can look at your board's website to see the specifics, I remember CA people in the past sayng that they brought in bound notes.

I think that IndependencePR is right on that you need to be an engineer, not a student looking up similar questions. VA EnE took this thought further that you need to understnd the principals. I felt like I was wasting my time reading the CERM since doing problems was so much more gratifying, but there were think type problems that I solved instantly from the background gained. This applies across disiplines.


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## GVPATEL (Jul 26, 2007)

VA_Env_Engr said:


> GV:
> I am an Environmental Engineer and so is my PE. I was merely providing you general suggestions on preparation for PE exam and the strategy that worked for me. I am sure there are several MEs on this forum that would be glad to answer your subject specific questions.





Thanks for your advice, you did PE in Environment, if any other friend of yours took and passed in Mechanical PE please let me know. In my circle no one passed in Mechanical PE recently?

thanks


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## Shaggy (Jul 26, 2007)

deep said:


> thank you..... that was of help... I m from CA state... hopefully even they allow the same.... n thnx for writing in pen advice, coz it would have been tough to put formulae in doc file.


deep,

the information you were given above is accurate for california. All of the material you bring in must be bound. I had multiple formula sheets that contained info from school and other sources. I simply put these into a 3-ring binder. The suggestion about pen is valid. If the test proctors notice that you have pencil marks on anything (even charts or data tables) they will allegedly confiscate your test. You are only allowed to write on your test booklet. If they see writing elsewhere, they will not know if you brought it in that way or wrote it there. It is best to have all of you notes in ink.

-Shaggy


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## deep (Jul 27, 2007)

Shaggy said:


> deep,the information you were given above is accurate for california. All of the material you bring in must be bound. I had multiple formula sheets that contained info from school and other sources. I simply put these into a 3-ring binder. The suggestion about pen is valid. If the test proctors notice that you have pencil marks on anything (even charts or data tables) they will allegedly confiscate your test. You are only allowed to write on your test booklet. If they see writing elsewhere, they will not know if you brought it in that way or wrote it there. It is best to have all of you notes in ink.
> 
> -Shaggy



Thank you Shaggy &amp; Cement.., thnx for you valuable advice..... I am about to start studying I hope I have enough time to study properly &amp; efficiently. How much time you guys devote daily after work and on weekend.... ?? I m little confused on where to start studying.... from MERM 2nd chapter or from Ashrae Fundamentals... Ne quick suggestion on how to began?


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## Fordman101 (Jul 31, 2007)

I studied for months using MERM11 and failed on my first attempt.

I changed my strategy by using mainly Potter 3rd Edition and MERM 11 to cross reference Potter for my second attempt in April '07.

Potter has a lot of typos in the solutions but there were enough problems which helped a lot to understand the main focus areas. I used Cameron, ASHRAE, Lindburg's Book of Unit Conversions while doing practice problems.

Finally, I solved ALL the problems (Breadth, Thermal &amp; Fluids, HVAC, and Machine Design) in the NCEES sample test book the last two weeks before the exam. I figured the NCEES proctures the exam so I better get used to their format for additional exam preparation.

On the NCEES sample test, I scored a (95% - Breadth, 62% - Thermal &amp; Fluids, 60% HVAC and 62% Machine Design).

I did the Thermal and Fluids in the afternoon and I PASSED the April 07 exam.

What I learned was to do ALL the sections in NCEES regardless of the DEPTH chosen because all of them are in the BREADTH in some form anyway. The final result takes an average of the morning and afternoon scores.

If I had skipped out Machine Design like I did during my first attempt, I would not have passed the second time around.


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