# Studying for the October 2015 exam



## denver1000 PE (Jul 3, 2015)

Hello. Starting a general discussion about studying for the October 2015 exam - has everyone started yet? Which depth session are you planning on taking? Challenges? Support?


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## JHW 3d (Jul 4, 2015)

Yes I've started studying. I'm doing mechanical design. The FTS chapters in the beginning of the MERM and Practice problems are killers.


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## P-E (Jul 4, 2015)

I've heard mech design is the hardest. I did TFS and found it okay. Obviously if you work in HVAC you should take that. I studied for 5 months, but it was a long time since college. Skip the math chapters.


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## denver1000 PE (Jul 5, 2015)

Thanks! My work has me doing 50/50 thermo/fluids and machine design analysis but I am also taking the MD depth - I've always been more comfortable with those problems opposed to thermo/fluids - never worked in HVAC. I also found myself dragging through the fluids section, so I jumped ahead and started on the MD depth chapters - really felt it boosted my confidence as I worked through those at a decent pace - just a tip that seems to be working for me. Plan for me as I'm almost 10 years out of school - work through MERM, work on PM depth by going through school textbooks and notes, then revisit MERM for a once over, and exams - tabbing and highlighting and building a small binder for quick reference as I'm not planning to read the MERM chapters in detail again. I am working on the practice problems after I'm through the related MERM chapter.


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## Rinne (Jul 5, 2015)

Hello! First post as I just stumbled across this site. I've started studying, just barely, for the Oct. 2015 PE Exam. Planning on taking the TFS depth as I am more familiar with this content. It's been 11 years since I passed the FE and graduated college, so I think I'm in for a long hard road ahead.

Got the MERM, Eng Unit Conversion book, SMS, and NCEES practice exam. I feel a little rusty at this point, as it is taking me ~ 1+ hour per problem in the SMS book. But I will say that I'm arriving at the correct answers without looking at the solutions...just takes me forever. Hopefully the 2nd and 3rd times through get quicker.


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## JHW 3d (Jul 6, 2015)

I do ZIP ZERO NADA TFS or HVAC at my job. Mostly just machine design and analysis, which I feel very comfortable with. I'm taking a crack at doing the TFS/HVAC stuff first in my studying because I am extremely weak in that area, and those problems represent a small, but significant portion of the morning. (something like 13-15 problems will be on TFS/HVAC). By mid August, I will have to transition to full on Machine Design problems, but until... I'll be interpolating in superheated steam tables, and making lines on Mollier Charts.

I have heard some mention that it helps bringing a copy of the MERM index to the exam. Is there a source for this index, besides just photocopying every page?


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## Ramnares P.E. (Jul 6, 2015)

Here's a link to the Index JHW3. May be for the 12th edition though but should be ok:

https://ppi2pass.com/Docs/bookInfo/MERM/MERMindex.pdf


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## denver1000 PE (Jul 6, 2015)

I've read about people cautioning against using pencil in books... some of my old books have pencil marks and notes - will highlighting over be good enough or should I erase and rewrite in pen?

I also checked with NCEES about taking in solution books - like sample examples, Practice Problems etc. And I was told this is ok - has anyone had a problem taking these books in on exam day?


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## MechE_in_PA_PE (Jul 6, 2015)

Ramnares P.E. said:


> Here's a link to the Index JHW3. May be for the 12th edition though but should be ok:
> 
> https://ppi2pass.com/Docs/bookInfo/MERM/MERMindex.pdf


Ram that is the MERM13 index.
I know there is also a link out there for the MERM12 index, if anyone one needs it let me know and I'll dig it up


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## Monza (Jul 6, 2015)

I took the T&amp;F exam this past April and passed first time. I think the most helpful item for me was creating a note book (3-ring binder) that was categorized by topic (fluids, heat transfer, statics, etc.). Each topic contained very basic notes and the most common equations. The plan was that this would be my immediate go-to while taking the exam. The notebook also contained info about where to look for references in the MERM, such as "see table 14-2 for blah blah blah...". I used this notebook when working problems and taking practice exams. This helped me to decide what goes in and what stays out. There's no point in ultimately copying an 800-page reference manual. I tried to weed out items by the 80/20 rule.

This really worked out well for me. During the exam, I just identified what kind of problem it was and then went to that section in my binder. Most of the time, what I needed was there. If not, I had notes that pointed me to specific sections in the MERM or sometimes one of my other references. During the exam, I basically only opened the MERM to look up tables and properties. I wasn't using it to find equations or decide how to solve a problem. I should also mention that I also included little hints such as, "don't forget to use absolute pressure in this equation" or "be sure to convert to Kelvin", etc.

I used both the Lindburg and the NCEES practice exams. I think the actual exam was very similar to the NCEES practice exam. Looking back, I wish I had taken the Lindburg exam a little earlier in my study (I think I did it about a month or 3 weeks out). Don't worry about time with the Lindburg exam, it is a little more difficult. Just work through and make sure you understand the problems. I would also recommend going through the exam a second time. Sure, you'll recognize some of the problems but it is still good practice to work them again. I figure between the two exams that is 160 problems so I wasn't worried about not being challenged during the second time.

I graduated university in 1997 so I've been out of school for a while. Don't let that hold you back. With some determination and effort, you will definitely be able to pass. Good luck!


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## denver1000 PE (Jul 6, 2015)

Thanks for the great tips everyone.

Is there any point in reviewing the nuclear or alternative power gen chapters? Same for the control systems? In tempted to leave these out but read through the control systems only as I'm taking the MD depth.


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## Ramnares P.E. (Jul 7, 2015)

Here's the EB thread with the MERM 12th edition Index link:

http://engineerboards.com/index.php?showtopic=20165


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## Ramnares P.E. (Jul 7, 2015)

denver1000 said:


> I've read about people cautioning against using pencil in books... some of my old books have pencil marks and notes - will highlighting over be good enough or should I erase and rewrite in pen?
> 
> I also checked with NCEES about taking in solution books - like sample examples, Practice Problems etc. And I was told this is ok - has anyone had a problem taking these books in on exam day?


Denver there was a highly spirited debate on this topic during the last exam cycle. While there is technically no need to highlight/write over in pen any of your pencil notes, many folks choose to do so to avoid any possible confusion.

For what it's worth, I highlighted over all the pencil marks in my reference books and I had no issues on exam day.

I also asked NCEES their policy regarding taking solution books into the exam and was told it was allowed (I took the exam in NYC). If you're seriously concerned you can also contact your state board.


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## denver1000 PE (Jul 7, 2015)

Thanks Ramnares. I am highlighting in the MERM as I work through it. My concern was my old school books which may have pencil marks in them, I'm probably being paranoid but have this fear of not noticing something and discover it on the day. I will try my best to go through all of the references I end up taking and ensure pencil notes etc are highlighted over.


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## lundy (Jul 7, 2015)

There's also erasable pens too. That way it's not permanent in your book and you could change something later down the road if you don't like what note you initially made....Just another possibility


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## matt267 PE (Jul 7, 2015)

The topic about pencil marks has been discussed here:http://engineerboards.com/index.php?showtopic=24880&amp;p=7263884


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## P-E (Jul 7, 2015)

denver1000 said:


> Thanks for the great tips everyone.
> 
> Is there any point in reviewing the nuclear or alternative power gen chapters? Same for the control systems? In tempted to leave these out but read through the control systems only as I'm taking the MD depth.


i skipped them and skimmed through the plant engineering chapters. I doubled back on the afternoon material in the last couple weeks.


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## denver1000 PE (Jul 8, 2015)

Thanks power-engineer.


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## JHW 3d (Jul 20, 2015)

I am doing Machine Design depth, which is my strength.

Does anyone actually read the entire MERM and do every single practice problem (in the MERM companion)? Or is it more common to do the problems in your depth area, and just read through the solutions in the non-depth area?

I am trying the former, but it's slow going, especially with the FTS portion (which I am weak in0. There's still time for me to re-tool my studying approach, and just trying to get a sense of what successful people have used in the past. Would really like to pass the first try on this thing...

Thanks!


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## Ramnares P.E. (Jul 21, 2015)

Reading the entire MERM is a waste of precious preparation time. You can skip most of the first 14 chapters. There is no reason for any engineer to review basic Math etc. I would recommend looking at the NCEES breakdown and focus on those topics. You should certainly focus on your depth sections as well as any topics, such as Fluid/Thermal, that you are weak in.

During my prep I worked all the relevant MERM companion problems and skipped the 1-hour questions. The 1-hour questions, while in depth and thorough, simply aren't going to prepare you for an exam where you have, on average, 6 mins per problem.


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## IlliniWood (Jul 22, 2015)

I would glance over the math sections just to familiarize yourself with some of the concepts you may have forgotten. For example, the Law of Cosines that can help you navigate through linkage problems.

As far as the alternative power sections, I would look over them, so you know where certain formulas might be. I wouldn't be surprised if almost each exam offering had a single question regarding that material.


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## denver1000 PE (Jul 28, 2015)

How's the studying going everyone?


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## slickjohannes (Jul 28, 2015)

Slow. Still in fluids. Using Lindeberg's 12th ed. practice Problems with my 13th ed MERM.

Cant believe all the assumptions made to solve a couple sewage problems- i mean they are valid assumptions, but these should not be Fermi questions!


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## JHW 3d (Aug 2, 2015)

Finishing up thermo cycles this week, hopefully. Need to transition over to MD for the remainder of August and September then if I have time come back and do HVAC and heat transfer in early October.


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## denver1000 PE (Aug 4, 2015)

I'm finishing up hvac this week. I'm debating on leaving out studying the fans and ductwork section of the MERM altogether but will probably review it. I will focus on the MD depth this month bUT I will likely skim over the thermo/fluids/hvac stuff I've reviewed already every weekend or there about to avoid forgetting it!


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## TXtoCA (Aug 7, 2015)

Monza said:


> I took the T&amp;F exam this past April and passed first time. I think the most helpful item for me was creating a note book (3-ring binder) that was categorized by topic (fluids, heat transfer, statics, etc.). Each topic contained very basic notes and the most common equations. The plan was that this would be my immediate go-to while taking the exam. The notebook also contained info about where to look for references in the MERM, such as "see table 14-2 for blah blah blah...". I used this notebook when working problems and taking practice exams. This helped me to decide what goes in and what stays out. There's no point in ultimately copying an 800-page reference manual. I tried to weed out items by the 80/20 rule.
> 
> This really worked out well for me. During the exam, I just identified what kind of problem it was and then went to that section in my binder. Most of the time, what I needed was there. If not, I had notes that pointed me to specific sections in the MERM or sometimes one of my other references. During the exam, I basically only opened the MERM to look up tables and properties. I wasn't using it to find equations or decide how to solve a problem. I should also mention that I also included little hints such as, "don't forget to use absolute pressure in this equation" or "be sure to convert to Kelvin", etc.
> 
> ...


Monza,

How many weeks or months did you study for. I am taking the T&amp;F exam in October


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## denver1000 PE (Aug 7, 2015)

Is the MERM sufficient for the MD depth vibrations, kinematics, dynamics sections?


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## loudog (Aug 24, 2015)

Ramnares P.E. said:


> Reading the entire MERM is a waste of precious preparation time. You can skip most of the first 14 chapters. There is no reason for any engineer to review basic Math etc. I would recommend looking at the NCEES breakdown and focus on those topics. You should certainly focus on your depth sections as well as any topics, such as Fluid/Thermal, that you are weak in.
> 
> During my prep I worked all the relevant MERM companion problems and skipped the 1-hour questions. The 1-hour questions, while in depth and thorough, simply aren't going to prepare you for an exam where you have, on average, 6 mins per problem.




Sounds like great advice.

So far, I've read through all relevant portions of the MERM (while doing some practice problems)..which took me way too long, and am now working practice problems via the NCEES 2001 and current practice tests, SMS, and Lindeburg practice test (major grind). If I get though all of those materials, I'll probably do the MERM practice problems too.

If I was fresh out of college, I'd probably just skim the MERM super fast and then head straight to practice problems, but I've been out of college for about 10 years. So, I felt I had to re-acquaint myself with some of the concepts so I didn't get discouraged come practice time.

I've been working practice problems for a couple weeks now and like how things are looking. With 66 days to the test (and 15 hours 45 minutes and about 30 seconds, not that I'm counting)...I think I'll be strong by test time. Practice, practice, practice from here on out. I'm hoping for 1-2 hrs per day. I want to walk into the test feeling confident, that's my main goal.

LP


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## denver1000 PE (Aug 25, 2015)

Is it acceptable to take in hand written notes on writing tablet paper placed in a 3 ring binder? I see writing tablets and legal pads are specifically not allowed, so just wondering if there will be issues with the paper from these bound... thanks!


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## Ramnares P.E. (Aug 25, 2015)

denver1000 said:


> Is it acceptable to take in hand written notes on writing tablet paper placed in a 3 ring binder? I see writing tablets and legal pads are specifically not allowed, so just wondering if there will be issues with the paper from these bound... thanks!




This can be state specific. Contact your State board, or visit your State exam page and see what they recommend.


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## denver1000 PE (Aug 25, 2015)

Thanks have done and my board directed me to NCEES - contacted them and it's acceptable.


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## Ramnares P.E. (Aug 25, 2015)

For the benefit of the board, you should post what state you're testing in and what the NCEES advice was.


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## denver1000 PE (Aug 25, 2015)

Oh yes sorry - I thought I had mentioned I am taking the exam in WA previously!

Question to NCEES was "is it acceptable to take in hand-written notes/questions/solutions/equations on writing tablet paper which is filed in a 3 ring binder"

NCEES "as long as all papers are in the rings in the binder they are acceptable. If you have pencil notes you will need to make a photocopy of them or mark them with a highlighter".

Hope this helps!


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## Monza (Aug 27, 2015)

TXtoCA said:


> Monza said:
> 
> 
> > I took the T&amp;F exam this past April and passed first time. I think the most helpful item for me was creating a note book (3-ring binder) that was categorized by topic (fluids, heat transfer, statics, etc.). Each topic contained very basic notes and the most common equations. The plan was that this would be my immediate go-to while taking the exam. The notebook also contained info about where to look for references in the MERM, such as "see table 14-2 for blah blah blah...". I used this notebook when working problems and taking practice exams. This helped me to decide what goes in and what stays out. There's no point in ultimately copying an 800-page reference manual. I tried to weed out items by the 80/20 rule.
> ...




I ordered my MERM in October, but I didn't really start studying seriously until after the first of the year... so sometime in January. I made myself a schedule (actually I used the recommended schedule in the MEMR and one I found on Dr. Tom's website) and stuck to it. I was getting up at 5am every morning to study before work. Sometimes I would do some additional problems at night if i really felt motivated. By late Feb I was dong more over the weekend just to try and stay on schedule. By mid March I was getting burnt out. I took some time off and cleared my head. Don't take too much time off, but I do think it did me some good.

The last two weeks were basically taking the practice exams and then studying the ones I got wrong in more detail. By the day of the exam I felt pretty confident. I finished both sessions with a little time to spare, but I used that time to review any uncertain answers. I left that day feeling pretty good.

Keep studying and good luck!


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## denver1000 PE (Aug 30, 2015)

2 months to go... How are things progressing everyone??


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## Jader PE PMP (Aug 31, 2015)

denver1000 said:


> 2 months to go... How are things progressing everyone??


Studying for the thermal fluids. Hard to get through all this material. Wish I could link up with some group via Skype to review key topics and study materials


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## loudog (Sep 1, 2015)

Just finished working through the NCEES 2001 sample problems, and am now compiling a cheat sheet that I can use for the rest of my practice problems (and hone throughout).

The more practice I do, the more I realize speed is a HUGE component of the test. It seems if you can tip the time tables in your favor, that's a really big advantage. Hence, a solid (but not overly crowded) cheat sheet.

LP


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## Monza (Sep 4, 2015)

loudog said:


> Just finished working through the NCEES 2001 sample problems, and am now compiling a cheat sheet that I can use for the rest of my practice problems (and hone throughout).
> 
> The more practice I do, the more I realize speed is a HUGE component of the test. It seems if you can tip the time tables in your favor, that's a really big advantage. Hence, a solid (but not overly crowded) cheat sheet.
> 
> LP




Spot on, loudog! I would suggest to think more about organization than speed. I didn't feel any time pressure when I took the test last April. But I had my cheat sheet binder which was a huge help. In your cheat sheet be sure to include reference to your other books; for example you can put "see table 3.1 on page 45" or something similar. It helps you to go right to where you need to be and spend less time thumbing through page after page.

Keep at it, you're on the right track.


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## loudog (Sep 5, 2015)

Monza said:


> loudog said:
> 
> 
> > Just finished working through the NCEES 2001 sample problems, and am now compiling a cheat sheet that I can use for the rest of my practice problems (and hone throughout).
> ...




Thanks Monza! Also, thanks for the thought regarding the cheat sheet referencing...funny, as I started putting together my cheat sheet, I found, for me, there were very few equations worth putting on there at this point (maybe something like 20). Most other things, are references...like, projectile motion, 57-5 MERM, Fatigue Life, Shigley 373, etc.

I'm sure my approach will continue to evolve, but at this point, that will be the approximate combo of my cheat sheet, some equations and some references. If I can find what I need, and know what I'm doing when I get to that info...I figured I'll be good to go.

Working SMS mechanical right now. Finished up breadth and working into depth. From there, I think I'll hit some NCEES 2001 thermo-fluids depth samples problems, then maybe some MERM Practice Problems...then back through everything for reinforcement. Then, I'll take the Sample 2008 NCEES test for real and see where I stand.

That's the plan. Where you guys all at, and what's the plan?


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## denver1000 PE (Sep 7, 2015)

Anyone decided on the reference material you're bringing along on exam day? I'm taking in the MERM, shigley, another design book by juvinall, mechanics of materials book, machinery's handbook, marks and maybe the practice exam and problem books although not sure if those will be useful on exam day. Im also working on a binder with notes for the various topics.


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## denver1000 PE (Sep 7, 2015)

And a conversion book by Lindeburg!


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## loudog (Sep 7, 2015)

denver1000 said:


> And a conversion book by Lindeburg!




I've heard that's a good one...do you agree? I haven't bought it as of yet.

So far, I'm planning on:

MERM

Shigley

Mark's

Practice Books (NCEES 2001, 2008, SMS)

Cheat Sheet

Individually bound MERM index with alphabetic tab dividers for quick navigating

LP


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## denver1000 PE (Sep 7, 2015)

It's a must have loudog! It shaves minutes off questions that are simply made difficult because of converting units to get to the required solution.


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## Ramnares P.E. (Sep 7, 2015)

Take it from someone who passed on the first try, the Lindeburg conversion manual is a must have.


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## loudog (Sep 7, 2015)

Nice, thanks guys.

I just put it in my cart. It's this guy, yeah?

LP


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## denver1000 PE (Sep 7, 2015)

That's the one


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