# I need some guidance on the Machine design and Materials PE exam!



## Abogos (Feb 4, 2019)

Hello All,

I am new to this forum. I am registered to take the Machine design and Materials PE exam in April here in California, got exactly 2 months left. 

I am confused about something. Does the Machine design and Materials exam test you on Fluids and Thermo? The NCEES breakdown of 80 problems on their website does not mention fluids or thermo in the list of the topics for the machine design exam.

I also wanted to ask what resources I should use to get more practice on top of what I have been doing. I got the MERM, practice problems for the PE exam book (companion to the MERM), and the NCEES practice exam (the thin white/blue book). I have gone through all the problems in the practice problem book (only the topics that NCEES listed), and I have created my cheat sheet. I want to leave the ncees practice test to 1 week or 2 prior to my exam. What other practice book should I use? I read some comments about 6 minute problems/six minute solutions book and some people had bad reviwes on them. What is the difference between 6 minute problems vs 6 minute solutions? 

Thank you in advance!


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## Phenomenon083 (Feb 5, 2019)

No. You don't have to study fluids and thermo for Machine Design and Materials exam. 

It used to test all the discipline on AM section but it does not anymore.


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## ct27gt (Feb 6, 2019)

No, but they still throw curve balls at you that have nothing to do with materials and machine design. On the October test they had a question regarding fluids. Really ticked me off, but I think I still got it right. My recommendation is anytime you encounter something like those that you can't figure out quickly, just skip them and go back if you have time at the end. 

Definitely do A LOT of problems. I can't recommend any sources because I only took the NCEES practice exam , but I think I got lucky. You have the right idea in saving that test for last, as most have said it is closest in difficulty to the actual test.


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## ct27gt (Feb 6, 2019)

Tdoodledude said:


> @ct27gt, Dude/Dudette, you'd better take down that last post. That's a very specific exam problem statement, which NCEES could seriously f*** you over. Just lookin out for you, home-slice.


Yeah, I guess. I didn't mention any specifics regarding the question. Similar to saying study gears, or economics, or ethics. Doesn't really reveal the content of what was asked. I changed it to be more generic though, just to be safe.


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## Tdoodledude P.E. (Feb 6, 2019)

@ct27gt Fair enough, my friend. I'm going to delete these posts now. Good luck (if you haven't passed already), and congrats if you have! -Terry


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## SacMe24 (Feb 6, 2019)

Abogos said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I am new to this forum. I am registered to take the Machine design and Materials PE exam in April here in California, got exactly 2 months left.
> 
> ...


Hello my fellow Californian, read your post and thought you might benefit from my past experiences. 



Here you will see what resources I used for the Mechanical MDM PE exam as well as a recommended study plan. Good luck my friend, and feel free to ping me with questions if you get stuck.


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## Abogos (Feb 6, 2019)

ct27gt said:


> Yeah, I guess. I didn't mention any specifics regarding the question. Similar to saying study gears, or economics, or ethics. Doesn't really reveal the content of what was asked. I changed it to be more generic though, just to be safe.


I was late, I didn’t see what you wrote, so no worries. Thanks for your input.


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## Abogos (Feb 6, 2019)

SacMe24 said:


> Hello my fellow Californian, read your post and thought you might benefit from my past experiences.
> 
> 
> 
> Here you will see what resources I used for the Mechanical MDM PE exam as well as a recommended study plan. Good luck my friend, and feel free to ping me with questions if you get stuck.


Thanks a lot for your help. I will definitely review your post and follow what you did to pass the test. I have a friend who passed the PE exam for fluids and thermo on his first try without studying all that much, he got lucky I guess (I think in Apr 2018) 

I decided to take the test a bit late, I started studying early December for the April exam, so I am trying to do as much as I can. But I am sure your post will help me a lot.

the bad thing is that I probably have 2 shots for the PE before they make the mechanical PE all computer based in 2020 (Planned year) because that will change the method of studying for the exam.


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## cvanwy02 (Feb 6, 2019)

Abogos said:


> Thanks a lot for your help. I will definitely review your post and follow what you did to pass the test. I have a friend who passed the PE exam for fluids and thermo on his first try without studying all that much, he got lucky I guess (I think in Apr 2018)
> 
> I decided to take the test a bit late, I started studying early December for the April exam, so I am trying to do as much as I can. But I am sure your post will help me a lot.
> 
> the bad thing is that I probably have 2 shots for the PE before they make the mechanical PE all computer based in 2020 (Planned year) because that will change the method of studying for the exam.


Its not planned anymore, NCEES has announced that the exam will be computer based in 2020.

I'm signed up to take the Mechanical TFS exam in April.

You should be fine.  Just study as if you're only taking the exam once.  That's what I am doing.  

I've had colleagues who have passed the exam tell me I'm studying too much but I'd rather do that then take the exam more than once.

Good luck in your studies!


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## Abogos (Feb 6, 2019)

cvanwy02 said:


> Its not planned anymore, NCEES has announced that the exam will be computer based in 2020.
> 
> I'm signed up to take the Mechanical TFS exam in April.
> 
> ...


Oh I see, last time I checked which was a month ago it said it is planned to be changed to CBT in 2020. 

I am studying as if I have one chance though. I just need to get more practice till the exam. 

Good luck to you as well.


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## Abogos (Feb 6, 2019)

cvanwy02 said:


> Its not planned anymore, NCEES has announced that the exam will be computer based in 2020.
> 
> I'm signed up to take the Mechanical TFS exam in April.
> 
> ...


Actually I just checked and it looks like that schedule is tentative and a formal notification should be sent out 1 year before. So if the April 2020 test will be CBT, they will notify everyone by this April. I have attached the picture from ncees website.


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## cvanwy02 (Feb 6, 2019)

Abogos said:


> Actually I just checked and it looks like that schedule is tentative and a formal notification should be sent out 1 year before. So if the April 2020 test will be CBT, they will notify everyone by this April. I have attached the picture from ncees website.
> 
> View attachment 12566


Interesting! Someone posted that recently but I missed the top part!


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## ct27gt (Feb 8, 2019)

Here is a link to my experience after passing on the first try in Oct 2018 and how I prepared. Not the best example of what you should do since I only took once practice test and only studied for 2 months, but the subjects I focused on and the others that I completely ignored or barely paid attention to really paid off and prevented me from wasting hours on studying things that I wasn't going to be asked, or if I was, it would only probably be one question that I most likely would have skipped anyway.


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## Kritesh Anand (Feb 8, 2019)

Mod edit to remove link and spam content

Ram


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## Ramnares P.E. (Feb 8, 2019)

@Kritesh Anand you are borderline spamming the board with links to this course.  This is your only warning before being banned.


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## 23and1 (Feb 8, 2019)

cvanwy02 said:


> Its not planned anymore, NCEES has announced that the exam will be computer based in 2020.
> 
> I'm signed up to take the Mechanical TFS exam in April.
> 
> ...


Having colleagues that past the exam tell you that you're working TOO hard must be the best feeling. Like a little reassurance that you are on the right path


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## cvanwy02 (Feb 8, 2019)

23and1 said:


> Having colleagues that past the exam tell you that you're working TOO hard must be the best feeling. Like a little reassurance that you are on the right path


It sure is, although most of them are Civil engineers who use their degree daily.  I work in Electrical and am taking the Mechanical exam so naturally have to study harder.


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## 23and1 (Feb 8, 2019)

Abogos said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I am new to this forum. I am registered to take the Machine design and Materials PE exam in April here in California, got exactly 2 months left.
> 
> ...


I'm also scheduled to take the exam this April. My previous supervisor passed on his first try. He said that if you do every problem in the practice problems book, I'd be fine...but he is some kind of super genius, so I took his advice with a grain of salt...

Along with the NCEES practice exam, I purchased the Lindbergh practice exam, EngProGuide practice exam and review handbook. That gives me a total of three practice exams to go through prior to the real deal.

I'm still working through the practice problems book (almost finished). Outside of that and the practice exams, I intend on solving problems from my FE review book, the EngProGuides review book, and Shigley's.


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## Abogos (Feb 9, 2019)

23and1 said:


> I'm also scheduled to take the exam this April. My previous supervisor passed on his first try. He said that if you do every problem in the practice problems book, I'd be fine...but he is some kind of super genius, so I took his advice with a grain of salt...
> 
> Along with the NCEES practice exam, I purchased the Lindbergh practice exam, EngProGuide practice exam and review handbook. That gives me a total of three practice exams to go through prior to the real deal.
> 
> I'm still working through the practice problems book (almost finished). Outside of that and the practice exams, I intend on solving problems from my FE review book, the EngProGuides review book, and Shigley's.


Are you in CA?

Yea it really depends. I have friends that passed it on their first try with minimal preparation and they were really average students in school just 4 years ago. On the other hand, I know some bright students who took it 3 times to pass. I think you just need to practice as much as you can and just know where to find all the information in your references. 

I am also doing just problems right now and when I get tired of it I work on my cheat sheet and tabbing important areas. Trying to stay calm and not stress over it too much.


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## Abogos (Feb 9, 2019)

ct27gt said:


> Here is a link to my experience after passing on the first try in Oct 2018 and how I prepared. Not the best example of what you should do since I only took once practice test and only studied for 2 months, but the subjects I focused on and the others that I completely ignored or barely paid attention to really paid off and prevented me from wasting hours on studying things that I wasn't going to be asked, or if I was, it would only probably be one question that I most likely would have skipped anyway.


Thanks for sharing this, it is very helpful and I guess the way you prepared worked for you. I think if one can identify what method of studying works for them is the key. Even if you solve 1000 problems, there will be a problem that will make you scratch your head. I have also noticed that one or 2 options in the answer choices can be eliminated just by logic and using your engineering brain, in some cases at least. However, the more problems you see and try to solve will definitely help.

is there a cut off passing score or is it graded in some specific way? I have heard 70%, 56/80? Does the score also depend on which section you do better on, am or pm?


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## 23and1 (Feb 11, 2019)

cvanwy02 said:


> It sure is, although most of them are Civil engineers who use their degree daily.  I work in Electrical and am taking the Mechanical exam so naturally have to study harder.


That's crazy! I've been imagining what its like to take a test in a different field. I work in a firm with both structural and mechanical engineers. I'm taking the MDM exam, but have been contemplating doing civil/structural after I get my structural experience in.


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## 23and1 (Feb 11, 2019)

Abogos said:


> Thanks for sharing this, it is very helpful and I guess the way you prepared worked for you. I think if one can identify what method of studying works for them is the key. Even if you solve 1000 problems, there will be a problem that will make you scratch your head. I have also noticed that one or 2 options in the answer choices can be eliminated just by logic and using your engineering brain, in some cases at least. However, the more problems you see and try to solve will definitely help.
> 
> is there a cut off passing score or is it graded in some specific way? I have heard 70%, 56/80? Does the score also depend on which section you do better on, am or pm?


@Abogos the cut-off score changes with every test. I had once believed that NCEES took a sample of "average" licensed engineers in the field, have them take the exam, then whatever they average is that specific exam's cutoff score. But after minimally fact-checking myself, I may be wrong. Either way, here is the quote from the NCEES website:

NCEES Exam Scoring Process - https://ncees.org/exams/scores/

"When an exam is introduced or when its specifications change, a committee of subject-matter experts works with experienced psychometricians (testing experts with a background in statistics) to determine the level of performance that corresponds with minimal competence in that discipline. This becomes the passing score. NCEES does not publish passing scores because they change with each administration. NCEES scores each exam with no predetermined percentage of examinees that should pass or fail. All exams are scored the same way. First-time takers and repeat takers are graded to the same standard."


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## cvanwy02 (Feb 11, 2019)

23and1 said:


> @Abogos the cut-off score changes with every test. I had once believed that NCEES took a sample of "average" licensed engineers in the field, have them take the exam, then whatever they average is that specific exam's cutoff score. But after minimally fact-checking myself, I may be wrong. Either way, here is the quote from the NCEES website:
> 
> NCEES Exam Scoring Process - https://ncees.org/exams/scores/
> 
> "When an exam is introduced or when its specifications change, a committee of subject-matter experts works with experienced psychometricians (testing experts with a background in statistics) to determine the level of performance that corresponds with minimal competence in that discipline. This becomes the passing score. NCEES does not publish passing scores because they change with each administration. NCEES scores each exam with no predetermined percentage of examinees that should pass or fail. All exams are scored the same way. First-time takers and repeat takers are graded to the same standard."


This is correct from what i've seen too.  Generally, the rule of thumb is to aim for 70% (56/80).


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## Abogos (Feb 12, 2019)

23and1 said:


> @Abogos the cut-off score changes with every test. I had once believed that NCEES took a sample of "average" licensed engineers in the field, have them take the exam, then whatever they average is that specific exam's cutoff score. But after minimally fact-checking myself, I may be wrong. Either way, here is the quote from the NCEES website:
> 
> NCEES Exam Scoring Process - https://ncees.org/exams/scores/
> 
> "When an exam is introduced or when its specifications change, a committee of subject-matter experts works with experienced psychometricians (testing experts with a background in statistics) to determine the level of performance that corresponds with minimal competence in that discipline. This becomes the passing score. NCEES does not publish passing scores because they change with each administration. NCEES scores each exam with no predetermined percentage of examinees that should pass or fail. All exams are scored the same way. First-time takers and repeat takers are graded to the same standard."


Thanks for the information. It is graded completely different than the FE exam.


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## ct27gt (Feb 12, 2019)

Abogos said:


> Thanks for sharing this, it is very helpful and I guess the way you prepared worked for you. I think if one can identify what method of studying works for them is the key. Even if you solve 1000 problems, there will be a problem that will make you scratch your head. I have also noticed that one or 2 options in the answer choices can be eliminated just by logic and using your engineering brain, in some cases at least. However, the more problems you see and try to solve will definitely help.
> 
> is there a cut off passing score or is it graded in some specific way? I have heard 70%, 56/80? Does the score also depend on which section you do better on, am or pm?


Shooting for 70% score will almost be a guaranteed pass. I think there are only 1 or 2 reported fail scores of 56 across all different disciplines over a few years.

Problems, problems, problems. Don't go really deep into subjects. They test on breadth rather than specifics. Knowing the basics of each area is more beneficial than being very proficient in only a few.


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## Abogos (Feb 14, 2019)

ct27gt said:


> Shooting for 70% score will almost be a guaranteed pass. I think there are only 1 or 2 reported fail scores of 56 across all different disciplines over a few years.
> 
> Problems, problems, problems. Don't go really deep into subjects. They test on breadth rather than specifics. Knowing the basics of each area is more beneficial than being very proficient in only a few.


Oh interesting, do you know what has been the lowest score that has passed the mechanical PE?


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## monty01 (Feb 14, 2019)

Abogos said:


> Oh interesting, do you know what has been the lowest score that has passed the mechanical PE?


I don't know what my score was, but I tend to think the lowest passing score was mine back in October  :winko:


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## Abogos (Feb 15, 2019)

monty01 said:


> I don't know what my score was, but I tend to think the lowest passing score was mine back in October  :winko:


Haha you never know, you may have the highest score! It must be an awesome feeling!


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## Audi Driver P.E. (Feb 15, 2019)

Abogos said:


> Oh interesting, do you know what has been the lowest score that has passed the mechanical PE?


Assume it is 100% and study like it is.  Because it is.


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## ct27gt (Feb 16, 2019)

monty01 said:


> I don't know what my score was, but I tend to think the lowest passing score was mine back in October  :winko:


No, I had the lowest passing score...

Haha. I think most all of us that passed feel this way.


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## Abogos (Feb 16, 2019)

ct27gt said:


> No, I had the lowest passing score...
> 
> Haha. I think most all of us that passed feel this way.


So you mean after the test was over you didn’t think you would pass? Haha


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## Abogos (Feb 16, 2019)

Audi driver said:


> Assume it is 100% and study like it is.  Because it is.


I agree, gotta set the bar high when studying.


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## monty01 (Feb 16, 2019)

Abogos said:


> So you mean after the test was over you didn’t think you would pass? Haha


I don't know about ct, but it is just a long day.  I had no clue if I had passed when I walked out.  Some questions are gonna come at you and seem like a little out of left field.  I guess when I left and the many days afterward, I just tended to focus on those problems instead of the ones I nailed. 

Doubt creeps in, and the wait starts to grind on you.  Then you say to yourself, "man I really don't know if i passed".

I believe that if you know the fundamentals and are sharp from practice problems in the key areas, you'll be fine.


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## Abogos (Feb 17, 2019)

monty01 said:


> I don't know about ct, but it is just a long day.  I had no clue if I had passed when I walked out.  Some questions are gonna come at you and seem like a little out of left field.  I guess when I left and the many days afterward, I just tended to focus on those problems instead of the ones I nailed.
> 
> Doubt creeps in, and the wait starts to grind on you.  Then you say to yourself, "man I really don't know if i passed".
> 
> I believe that if you know the fundamentals and are sharp from practice problems in the key areas, you'll be fine.


Yes I understand, You always tend to think about the problems that gave you a little hard time more so you get a feeling you didn’t do well overall. This was true for the FE exam too, although that one I think is curved but a lot of people I talked to thought they failed it.


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## Abogos (Feb 17, 2019)

Is the dr. Timothy Kennedy’s review book the blue book with some explanation for each topic and an example or two? 

Before buying it, I thought it will be more of bunch of practice problems and solutions type of book like 6 minute solutions. 

People who used this book, is this the correct one? What’s the best way to study from this book?


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## 23and1 (Feb 18, 2019)

Abogos said:


> Are you in CA?
> 
> Yea it really depends. I have friends that passed it on their first try with minimal preparation and they were really average students in school just 4 years ago. On the other hand, I know some bright students who took it 3 times to pass. I think you just need to practice as much as you can and just know where to find all the information in your references.
> 
> I am also doing just problems right now and when I get tired of it I work on my cheat sheet and tabbing important areas. Trying to stay calm and not stress over it too much.


Nah, I'm on the east coast (GA) but a majority of my company's projects are out in CA. I agree on the stress part, but I just took my first practice exam after finishing my first pass through all the exam material this weekend. I forgot the kind of endurance that you need to build up to take an 8-hour exam. It's hard to not feel like you're losing your mind  :screwloose:

But like you said, problems, problems, problems 'til the hands cramp up!


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## SacMe24 (Feb 19, 2019)

Abogos said:


> Is the dr. Timothy Kennedy’s review book the blue book with some explanation for each topic and an example or two?
> 
> Before buying it, I thought it will be more of bunch of practice problems and solutions type of book like 6 minute solutions.
> 
> People who used this book, is this the correct one? What’s the best way to study from this book?


That's the correct one (https://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Exam-Review-Materials-Engineering/dp/1545055890/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=dr+timothy+kennedy&amp;amp;qid=1550596449&amp;amp;s=gateway&amp;amp;sr=8-1-fkmrnull) . It is not a collection of practice problems like the 6-min. solution, BUT, for each section it covers they do provide additional samples which you CAN use as practice problems. That's how I used the book, once I reviewed all the material in MERM, I tried to solve the problems in Dr. Kennedy's book without looking at the answers. 

Good luck with studying !


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## Abogos (Feb 19, 2019)

SacMe24 said:


> That's the correct one (https://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Exam-Review-Materials-Engineering/dp/1545055890/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=dr+timothy+kennedy&amp;amp;qid=1550596449&amp;amp;s=gateway&amp;amp;sr=8-1-fkmrnull) . It is not a collection of practice problems like the 6-min. solution, BUT, for each section it covers they do provide additional samples which you CAN use as practice problems. That's how I used the book, once I reviewed all the material in MERM, I tried to solve the problems in Dr. Kennedy's book without looking at the answers.
> 
> Good luck with studying !


Thanks for your input, really helpful. I try to do the same thing as you did.


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## ct27gt (Feb 19, 2019)

monty01 said:


> I don't know about ct, but it is just a long day.  I had no clue if I had passed when I walked out.  Some questions are gonna come at you and seem like a little out of left field.  I guess when I left and the many days afterward, I just tended to focus on those problems instead of the ones I nailed.
> 
> Doubt creeps in, and the wait starts to grind on you.  Then you say to yourself, "man I really don't know if i passed".
> 
> I believe that if you know the fundamentals and are sharp from practice problems in the key areas, you'll be fine.


^^^+1. Right after I felt I did ok, Friday night major doubt creeped in as I thought about all the problems I know I got wrong, and by Saturday morning I was positive I failed. Stayed that way until I got the results on Dec. 6th and frankly I was shocked that I passed. I am so scarred, it is too early for me to try and even help people that post practice problems. Haha. I get stressed just reliving the memory of all the stress.


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## Abogos (Mar 2, 2019)

Does anyone know from that list of topics that NCEES provides for the MDM exam, which topics are in depth section and which ones are in breadth section? The list shows two sections: principles and applications, and total of 40 questions per section, i have been kind of going through everything but which ones are exactly in the depth section? The obvious ones are of course all those bolts, springs, shafts, etc.(machine design stuff) and I assume strength of materials is also in the depth section, does anyone know exactly which ones are in the depth section from that list?


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## Dr. Barber (Mar 2, 2019)

Abogos said:


> Does anyone know from that list of topics that NCEES provides for the MDM exam, which topics are in depth section and which ones are in breadth section? The list shows two sections: principles and applications, and total of 40 questions per section, i have been kind of going through everything but which ones are exactly in the depth section? The obvious ones are of course all those bolts, springs, shafts, etc.(machine design stuff) and I assume strength of materials is also in the depth section, does anyone know exactly which ones are in the depth section from that list?


Like you said, there are only "principles" and "applications" sections. There is no "breadth" or "depth" sections specified anywhere. Strength of materials is in "Principles" and design of machine elements is in "applications", so I don't understand your question.


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## Abogos (Mar 2, 2019)

PEinIllinois said:


> Like you said, there are only "principles" and "applications" sections. There is no "breadth" or "depth" sections specified anywhere. Strength of materials is in "Principles" and design of machine elements is in "applications", so I don't understand your question.


Yes, I think you misunderstood my question. I am talking about the actual test. The Breadth section in the morning and the depth section in the afternoon. The NCEES list of topics tells you what the topics for principles are and what the topics for applications are, but doesn’t necessarily tell you which topics are covered in the morning or in the afternoon section. Is my question more clear now? Now, there are topics that obviously are in the depth section like machine design stuff and materials and I know about those but what about the rest. I may be totally confused, Is the test separated by principles and applications in the morning and afternoon just like the list? Couldn’t the morning or afternoon section be a mix of principles and applications?


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## Abogos (Mar 10, 2019)

Regarding the references that can be taken into the exam, I read the examinee guide for this but it was not too detailed, I know it is an open book exam but can I also take in practice problems books or it just has to be reference manual, notes, standards, etc. can practice problems with solutions be used on the exam as long as they are bound?


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## SacMe24 (Mar 11, 2019)

Abogos said:


> Regarding the references that can be taken into the exam, I read the examinee guide for this but it was not too detailed, I know it is an open book exam but can I also take in practice problems books or it just has to be reference manual, notes, standards, etc. can practice problems with solutions be used on the exam as long as they are bound?


You can most definitely bring in practice problems with solutions as long as they are bound. I had no problems with that in California, also make sure your board is ok with hand-written notes, if not, just photo-copy them and put them in a binder (they're worried about hand written notes in pencil because they can't tell if a person could be copying exam material on to them).

Good luck in a few weeks!


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## Abogos (Mar 11, 2019)

SacMe24 said:


> You can most definitely bring in practice problems with solutions as long as they are bound. I had no problems with that in California, also make sure your board is ok with hand-written notes, if not, just photo-copy them and put them in a binder (they're worried about hand written notes in pencil because they can't tell if a person could be copying exam material on to them).
> 
> Good luck in a few weeks!


Awesome. I am in California and I have lots of hand written notes and cheat sheets, I was planning to put them in a 3 hole binder as suggested in the guidelines. Is this fine in CA based on your experience? Or I have to photocopy them?


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## ct27gt (Mar 13, 2019)

I took the test in CA and my notes were hand written in pencil in a spiral bound book. Probably better to photo copy them but I did not encounter any issues with them in pencil.


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## SacMe24 (Mar 13, 2019)

Abogos said:


> Awesome. I am in California and I have lots of hand written notes and cheat sheets, I was planning to put them in a 3 hole binder as suggested in the guidelines. Is this fine in CA based on your experience? Or I have to photocopy them?


I did the same thing you did, put all my hand-written notes in a binder and had no problems when I brought them to the exam room.


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## YW55 (Mar 13, 2019)

Abogos said:


> Is the dr. Timothy Kennedy’s review book the blue book with some explanation for each topic and an example or two?
> 
> Before buying it, I thought it will be more of bunch of practice problems and solutions type of book like 6 minute solutions.
> 
> People who used this book, is this the correct one? What’s the best way to study from this book?


Kennedy book is a slimmed down book for PE exam review. It has the minimum necessity to cover the test material. I was able to read through the book and have a passing score on the NCEES practice exam. This would be something you would read if you only have a month to prepare for the test.

MERM covers a lot more and judging from the 2020 PE Reference Manual it's covering a lot more than the Kennedy book so it won't be enough alone.


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## Abogos (May 25, 2019)

Has anyone taken Dr. Tom’s MDM 20 week review course other than my friend @SacMe24? Did you find it useful to pass the exam? How much better is it compared to self studying with Engineering Pro’s study guide which is considerably cheaper?


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## Edgy Cheesy Graphite PE (May 28, 2019)

Abogos said:


> Has anyone taken Dr. Tom’s MDM 20 week review course other than my friend @SacMe24? Did you find it useful to pass the exam? How much better is it compared to self studying with Engineering Pro’s study guide which is considerably cheaper?


I took Dr. Tom's MDM 20 week course. I thought it did a great job of preparing me, and I passed. But I don't have a frame of reference to compare it to any other course or method of preparing. I definitely felt prepared and I felt confident that I passed after finishing the exam. Although I don't think the "Dr. Tom Method" worked exactly as advertised (but that might be a separate conversation).

Regarding cost, my company reimburses for any prep materials (courses, books, supplies, etc.) up to $1,500. Part of the reason I chose Dr. Tom's class it because it was the cheapest, allowing me to purchase more books and stay within budget.


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