Ramnares P.E.
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Having just received the good news that I've passed the PE exam, it's only fair for me to pass along the knowledge, tips, advice that I've used that ultimately proved successful. I've been a lurker on the board for a few years now and gathered a lot of information before I decided to take the exam.
I'm not saying that my approach is correct for everyone. Others have passed using different approaches and methods. I started studying for the October exam in the spring and got burnt out. I started back seriously studying (every day) at the beginning of July.
Here's what worked for me:
1. Based on the work I've done daily, as well as the subjects I've studied in Grad school, I knew in advance that I would be taking the Thermal/Fluids. Decide what afternoon session you want to take and focus on that. Do not waste time trying to master all three major disciplines.
2. Once I applied and got my letter of approval, I purchased the MERM, Thermal/Fluids Six Minute Solutions, NCEES 2008 practice exam, and NCEES 2001 practice exam. The 2008 exam was updated in 2011. The actual content is the same. The 2008 exam contained all three disciplines. The 2011 book simply split them apart and sold them individually. The NCEES 2001 exam is very difficult to get hold of but well worth the effort and money.
3. I prepped for this exam with the attitude that it was a one-or-none deal. I was only going to take this exam once. At the time I started prepping for the exam I had a one-year old son to deal with AND I was pursuing a second MS degree. Why am I telling you this? You need buy-in from your spouse/significant other. My wife and parents spent countless hours while I studied late into the night and all day on weekends.
4. I did not read the MERM. I skimmed through the MERM to get a general idea where the sections were located and what information was in the Appendix.
5. Copy the MERM appendix and have it bound separately. It will save you a lot of time during the exam and make it much easier during practice. It will also save the life-time of your MERM binding. Print and bind the Index also.
6. I began by working the Six Minute Solutions book. Do not be afraid to look at the answers if you get stuck the first time through. As I was working the SMS, I would find the formulas in the MERM and highlight them AND record them in my notes. If I didn't have a clue how to work the question, I would read the solution, find all the equations, and work through it using the solution. Highlight your equations in the MERM and in your notes for easy reference.
I worked through the SMS 7 times before I got 100% correct under 8 hours. In fact, by the time I was at the end of my preparation, I was working through the SMS in about 4 hours and getting 100%. A lot of it at that point will seem like rote memorization, don't be scared of it. As you're working through the problems, read and understand the methodology. Work the problems over and over again.
7. Once I completed the SMS, I moved on to the NCEES 2008/2011 exam. Again, I worked this using the same methodology as above. I got 100% correct, under 8 hours after my 5th attempt or so. Use the same method of writing down the equations you did not know and reading the methodology.
8. Worked the NCEES 2001 exam using the same approach described in (6) and (7) above. You'll see a lot of posters saying keep an exam to test yourself the last week or so. I found that working as many problems as possible with as much time left to prep was the best strategy.
9. Now I moved on to the MERM. I worked all the main sections noted on the NCEES breakdown. Skip the math, project management, plant engineering, statics etc. I worked the Fluids, Heat Transfer, Thermo, HVAC, Machine Design sections. I did NOT work any of the 1-hour time limit problems. I was able to work all the problems in those sections twice. Do not be afraid if you get stuck and need to read through the solutions.
10. By this time, I had approximately 10 days left before the exam. I worked the SMS and each of the NCEES exams the first three days. I re-worked the MERM problems in the Fluid, Heat Transfer, and Thermo sections.
11. I went through the MERM, using the notes that I made as I studied (here's where the highlighting comes in handy) and tabbed what I felt was important. At this point I knew the MERM and the bound appendix intimately so I didn't feel the need to tab that much. I certainly tabbed the major sections of the MERM and a few diagrams. Follow the now famous Shaggy tabbing method on this site.
12. I took Thursday (the day before the exam) off. I was up early (normal time I leave for work 0500) and did one run through of the SMS, NCEES 2008, and NCEES 2011. I drove to the exam site and ensured I knew where the building was. Then I drove home and packed my bag. I took a back-pack. I took the MERM, the MERM appendix I bound, Steam Tables, Lindeburg conversion book, sample exams, 2 calculators, and ear-plugs. I put my money, approval letter, and ID cards in a zip lock bag. Then I did absolutely nothing exam related the rest of the day. I took my son to play-time, watched a few movies etc.
13. Exam day I was up early and went to the site. I finished both sections (AM and PM) with over an hour to spare. I did NOT go through and rate questions etc. I simply worked the questions in order. If I didn't feel satisfied with an answer, or if I had to guess, I put a mark next to it and moved on. At the end, I came back and re-worked the questions I had doubts on. I still left the exam room very early both sessions. I felt that leaving the AM session early and giving myself extra time for lunch allowed me to clear my head and prep for the PM session.
14. Went through the now well known process of self-doubt and anger at the lack of timely results.
15. Got my results today. Wrote this up as a thank you EB for your help and support. Thanked EB financially on getting the good news.
Feel free to ask any questions and best of luck prepping for April 2015.
I'm not saying that my approach is correct for everyone. Others have passed using different approaches and methods. I started studying for the October exam in the spring and got burnt out. I started back seriously studying (every day) at the beginning of July.
Here's what worked for me:
1. Based on the work I've done daily, as well as the subjects I've studied in Grad school, I knew in advance that I would be taking the Thermal/Fluids. Decide what afternoon session you want to take and focus on that. Do not waste time trying to master all three major disciplines.
2. Once I applied and got my letter of approval, I purchased the MERM, Thermal/Fluids Six Minute Solutions, NCEES 2008 practice exam, and NCEES 2001 practice exam. The 2008 exam was updated in 2011. The actual content is the same. The 2008 exam contained all three disciplines. The 2011 book simply split them apart and sold them individually. The NCEES 2001 exam is very difficult to get hold of but well worth the effort and money.
3. I prepped for this exam with the attitude that it was a one-or-none deal. I was only going to take this exam once. At the time I started prepping for the exam I had a one-year old son to deal with AND I was pursuing a second MS degree. Why am I telling you this? You need buy-in from your spouse/significant other. My wife and parents spent countless hours while I studied late into the night and all day on weekends.
4. I did not read the MERM. I skimmed through the MERM to get a general idea where the sections were located and what information was in the Appendix.
5. Copy the MERM appendix and have it bound separately. It will save you a lot of time during the exam and make it much easier during practice. It will also save the life-time of your MERM binding. Print and bind the Index also.
6. I began by working the Six Minute Solutions book. Do not be afraid to look at the answers if you get stuck the first time through. As I was working the SMS, I would find the formulas in the MERM and highlight them AND record them in my notes. If I didn't have a clue how to work the question, I would read the solution, find all the equations, and work through it using the solution. Highlight your equations in the MERM and in your notes for easy reference.
I worked through the SMS 7 times before I got 100% correct under 8 hours. In fact, by the time I was at the end of my preparation, I was working through the SMS in about 4 hours and getting 100%. A lot of it at that point will seem like rote memorization, don't be scared of it. As you're working through the problems, read and understand the methodology. Work the problems over and over again.
7. Once I completed the SMS, I moved on to the NCEES 2008/2011 exam. Again, I worked this using the same methodology as above. I got 100% correct, under 8 hours after my 5th attempt or so. Use the same method of writing down the equations you did not know and reading the methodology.
8. Worked the NCEES 2001 exam using the same approach described in (6) and (7) above. You'll see a lot of posters saying keep an exam to test yourself the last week or so. I found that working as many problems as possible with as much time left to prep was the best strategy.
9. Now I moved on to the MERM. I worked all the main sections noted on the NCEES breakdown. Skip the math, project management, plant engineering, statics etc. I worked the Fluids, Heat Transfer, Thermo, HVAC, Machine Design sections. I did NOT work any of the 1-hour time limit problems. I was able to work all the problems in those sections twice. Do not be afraid if you get stuck and need to read through the solutions.
10. By this time, I had approximately 10 days left before the exam. I worked the SMS and each of the NCEES exams the first three days. I re-worked the MERM problems in the Fluid, Heat Transfer, and Thermo sections.
11. I went through the MERM, using the notes that I made as I studied (here's where the highlighting comes in handy) and tabbed what I felt was important. At this point I knew the MERM and the bound appendix intimately so I didn't feel the need to tab that much. I certainly tabbed the major sections of the MERM and a few diagrams. Follow the now famous Shaggy tabbing method on this site.
12. I took Thursday (the day before the exam) off. I was up early (normal time I leave for work 0500) and did one run through of the SMS, NCEES 2008, and NCEES 2011. I drove to the exam site and ensured I knew where the building was. Then I drove home and packed my bag. I took a back-pack. I took the MERM, the MERM appendix I bound, Steam Tables, Lindeburg conversion book, sample exams, 2 calculators, and ear-plugs. I put my money, approval letter, and ID cards in a zip lock bag. Then I did absolutely nothing exam related the rest of the day. I took my son to play-time, watched a few movies etc.
13. Exam day I was up early and went to the site. I finished both sections (AM and PM) with over an hour to spare. I did NOT go through and rate questions etc. I simply worked the questions in order. If I didn't feel satisfied with an answer, or if I had to guess, I put a mark next to it and moved on. At the end, I came back and re-worked the questions I had doubts on. I still left the exam room very early both sessions. I felt that leaving the AM session early and giving myself extra time for lunch allowed me to clear my head and prep for the PM session.
14. Went through the now well known process of self-doubt and anger at the lack of timely results.
15. Got my results today. Wrote this up as a thank you EB for your help and support. Thanked EB financially on getting the good news.
Feel free to ask any questions and best of luck prepping for April 2015.
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