# Dr. Tom's Classroom Exam Preparation



## Philscrimp (Aug 7, 2017)

For those of you who took Dr. Tom's course, how prepared would you say that you were for the exam? Scale 1-10. 10 being extremely prepared.


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## engineerdude123 (Aug 11, 2017)

Probably a 9


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## ericjiangpsu (Aug 13, 2017)

Taking his course will boost your confidence and less panic when see problems you've never seem. His course objective is to make you pass the exam, not to make you an expert on the subjects. I give him an 9 out of 10 as well.


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## landolakes (Sep 16, 2017)

Great teacher and explanations for each subject.

for me the whole reference books were not helpful in exam... no time time flip through that stuff.

repitition of MERM, SMS, NCEES, etc problems will make u gain problem-muscle-memory which is how i finally passed on 4th attempt.


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## Philscrimp (Sep 19, 2017)

landolakes said:


> Great teacher and explanations for each subject.
> 
> for me the whole reference books were not helpful in exam... no time time flip through that stuff.
> 
> repitition of MERM, SMS, NCEES, etc problems will make u gain problem-muscle-memory which is how i finally passed on 4th attempt.


So, would you say that the exam changed drastically from one to the next? I'm going for round 2 and was hoping that the investment in a class would prove to be worth while.


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## landolakes (Sep 24, 2017)

It did not change dramatically... however it was better suited for the diacipline.

example inwas ME TFS... exam was well focused on the TFS subjects Throughout the tests. I hated on previous attempts a few dynamic/static problems I didnt fully focus on being on thr exam and i get sidetracked or panicked because i cant figure them out inshort time. This was especially discouraging when u skip like 4-5 in a row. 

I will say the "supplemental material" is on both mornig amd afternoon sessions. (Econ, hydraulics, valves, etc). Those should not be ignored.


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## SacMe24 (Oct 11, 2017)

Oct. '17 will be my 3rd attempt at taking the ME-MDM exam but this time, I decided to take Dr. Tom's course instead of enrolling with PPI again. On a scale from 1-10 I feel I'm at a 9, but I will spend the next 2 weeks doing a whole bunch of problems from SMS, Shigley's and some from Dr. Timothy Kennedy's book (Orange book). That should get me up to a 10...


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## SacMe24 (Oct 11, 2017)

landolakes said:


> Great teacher and explanations for each subject.
> 
> for me the whole reference books were not helpful in exam... no time time flip through that stuff.
> 
> repitition of MERM, SMS, NCEES, etc problems will make u gain problem-muscle-memory which is how i finally passed on 4th attempt.


Hello landolakes, I wonder about that myself, having time to flip through all those books vs. just one: MERM. I'll still practice using them more and more over the next 2 weeks, I feel like I know them well now but want to be very proficient with them. I'll still have MERM very handy though. The best prep. will be to have these memorized so well that you can tackle most problems without having to use the books so much...this is my 3rd attempt and I'm hoping and praying this is it for me.


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## Philscrimp (Oct 12, 2017)

jvanoye said:


> Oct. '17 will be my 3rd attempt at taking the ME-MDM exam but this time, I decided to take Dr. Tom's course instead of enrolling with PPI again. On a scale from 1-10 I feel I'm at a 9, but I will spend the next 2 weeks doing a whole bunch of problems from SMS, Shigley's and some from Dr. Timothy Kennedy's book (Orange book). That should get me up to a 10...


What do you think is better about Dr. Tom's class than the others and why do you feel more prepared? I feel like organization was my biggest fault in my first attempt. I knew how to work the problems, I just wasn't efficient enough looking up the conversions and formulas. My plan is to lay out three of the most important topics and go through the test answering questions in those topics. If a question is outside those, I will come back to it when i can open the other "PRN's" Do you feel that the previous test were drastically different?

Phillip


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## SacMe24 (Oct 12, 2017)

Philscrimp said:


> What do you think is better about Dr. Tom's class than the others and why do you feel more prepared? I feel like organization was my biggest fault in my first attempt. I knew how to work the problems, I just wasn't efficient enough looking up the conversions and formulas. My plan is to lay out three of the most important topics and go through the test answering questions in those topics. If a question is outside those, I will come back to it when i can open the other "PRN's" Do you feel that the previous test were drastically different?
> 
> Phillip


Hello Phillip,

Having been through both the PPI and Dr. Tom's courses now, I definitely feel that Dr. Tom's is more in line with exam-like questions. PPI spends too much time going over the "theory" of things, which is good don't get me wrong, but for the purposes of passing the exam, it can be too much.  Here's my strategy for the last 2 weeks prior to the exam, hope you find it useful:

1.[SIZE=7pt]   [/SIZE]Work on all 6mm problems recommended by Dr. Tom  (about 70% of a total of 80) 

2.[SIZE=7pt]   [/SIZE]Work on all Orange book problems (Dr. Timothy Kennedy's book)

3.[SIZE=7pt]   [/SIZE]Work on select NCEEs problems, I feel some of them I can no longer learn from so it’ll be about 50 (for sure the ones I had the most difficulty with the last time I took the exam which was about 2 weeks ago).

4.[SIZE=7pt]   [/SIZE]Work on the PPI-MEPP highlighted problems from the last time I took their course. 

5.[SIZE=7pt]   [/SIZE]Work on the new problems from the Dr. Tom course

I know it's a lot but I want to make sure that I improve my familiarity with the PRNs and of course MERM. I never really warmed up to the EDC (exam day companion) so I will not be using it. 

With respect to the difference in the last 2 exams,  keep in mind that the first time I took it was before they changed the format to discipline-specific subjects (meaning MDM, MFS, HVAC), so the first time was definitely more difficult. The 2nd time, I felt what hurt me was part organization and part speed. That's why I've been tackling that this 3rd time around and especially the final 2 weeks prior to the exam.... problems, practice, and time. I've been timing myself on every problem to make sure I stay on track.

Good luck to you!... and hope you find this useful.

Regards,

Jesus V.


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## landolakes (Oct 14, 2017)

jvanoye said:


> Hello landolakes, I wonder about that myself, having time to flip through all those books vs. just one: MERM. I'll still practice using them more and more over the next 2 weeks, I feel like I know them well now but want to be very proficient with them. I'll still have MERM very handy though. The best prep. will be to have these memorized so well that you can tackle most problems without having to use the books so much...this is my 3rd attempt and I'm hoping and praying this is it for me.


Plus if you gain that problem-memory you wont need the reference problems...

50 to 60 percent of exam are questions that require combinations of solutions . So be aware of those... NCEES will put the “half answer” as one of your choices for those who dont complete the solution. Just make sure you read and reread each question for what it is actually asking for.

best of luck!


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## SacMe24 (Oct 16, 2017)

landolakes said:


> Plus if you gain that problem-memory you wont need the reference problems...
> 
> 50 to 60 percent of exam are questions that require combinations of solutions (ie pump eqn followed by nusselt). So be aware of those... NCEES will put the “half answer” as one of your choices for those who dont complete the solution. Just make sure you read and reread each question for what it is actually asking for.
> 
> best of luck!


Thank you very much !!


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