Anutka2
Member
Here's my quick and to the point summary on how to study: practice problems over and over, know the materials that you plan to bring to the exam, and develop a method to find the information you need quickly.
Now for a more extended version:
I started studying 16 weeks out - as soon as I found out that my application was approved. It's hard to say that I studying for 16 weeks though, I took 4 weekends off entirely and there was probably a total of 4 weeks during which I didn't get any studying done (this was for traveling, family visits, etc.). With that, I think that 3 months would provide sufficient time to study and pass, so long as the time spent studying is quality and focused. I'm glad I had the buffer though.
I came across a number of study strategies, all of which helped to form my own. I know there are plenty of them posted, but I wanted to contribute to this, with the realization that each person will develop their own. This is an approach that I used and passed on the first try, so it worked for me. That said, I know some people who studied for 40 hours and also passed.
Just to give you a little background: I took the Mechanical Systems and Materials (previously called Machine Design or MD) depth in Oct, 2012. I finished grad school several years ago with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and have been working in the industry. Even then, only a few topics really seemed easy. I wanted to do everything I could first time around and had the luxury to dedicate plenty of time. Here's what I did to study and what I would suggest doing (not necessarily the same).
1. Familiarize yourself:
To start out, I took the time to read what others had to say about the test, and contacted several recent PEs to ask general study/strategy questions. The following sites were very useful:
http://engineerboards.com/index.php?showforum=3 - most useful forum! Register here, participate in discussions, post your own questions, search for existing topics...
http://ppi2pass.com/advice/from-mechanical-pe-examinees - read advice to get a general idea about the test
2. Make a plan:
I followed the schedule outlined in the MERM intro section in Table 1. Just out of being slightly paranoid, I added the chapters that were skipped in the outline to my review (probably unnecessary). I gave myself 1 week for each set of chapters, starting on Sunday and ending on Saturday, that way if I didn't study at all during the week, I still had 2 days to make up for it. I started out by reading the chapters and underlining terms/definitions as I went along. I would not suggest doing this! There is way too much information and it's impossible to remember having read something particular. I ended up skimming a lot of the chapters towards the end. If you are vaguely familiar with a topic, your time is best spent working the example problems in each chapter and learning how to use the index to look up terms. During the test, I never had a moment where I thought "oh good, I had that underlined so it's easy to find". Everything came from the index.
Print the index (can be found here: http://ppi2pass.com/Docs/bookInfo/MERM/MERMindex.pdf), bind it, and study with it. I highlighted every term I looked up (and had to make some corrections because this index is for MERM 12, I had 11). I found the highlighted terms to be useful during the test.
3. Assemble all your study materials:
It's important to get all your study materials early on. This way you learn what references you'll have available during the test and highlight/tab important sections. Buy the materials you need, including an approved calculator, tabs, highlighters, etc.
This is what I studied with:
- MERM 11 - had the practice problems at the end of each chapter as part of the book, but these must be purchased separately for MERM 12
- Engineering Unit Conversions - very useful, I highlighted every one that I used and tabbed it. I think this helped me not have to study SI units at all.
- FE book - pdf of this can be printed from online. I used it initially to give myself a big scope idea of some topics. I could have probably made more use of it but didn't open it too often.
- NCEES Practice Test - single most important book aside from MERM. I initially took this about 1 month out as a simulated 8-hr test. I did this on a weekend day, no interruptions, brought my lunch, didn't take bathroom breaks - everything as I was planning for the real exam. I didn't do as well as I had hoped first time around but realized that I made a lot of dumb mistakes. I took it again after reviewing each problem in 2 separate 4 hour chunks... then again, and again. By the time it took me 1 hour to go through the morning section, I decided I wasn't gaining much anymore, and it was test time!
- 101 Solved Mechanical Engineering Problems - I found the problems to be too difficult and long, did not use this book much
- Mechanical PE Sample Examination - these problems were more manageable, but there was no chance I could take it as a sample exam. I think I referred to the solutions on every single problem in this book
- Mechanical Engineering Design by Shigley and others (2003 publication) - I only used this when I couldn't solve problems by equations in the MERM (i.e. gears, screws). Tab the sections you referenced but don't bother reading or even skimming the book. Use the index and table of contents.
- 6 Minutes Solutions - all 3 books, but only look at the morning questions in HVAC and T&F. I didn't want to buy these at first, mostly because the reviews say that there are too many errors. Yes, there are mistakes, but not so bad in the new editions, but having these problems to work though was very useful
- ASME Steam Tables - did not use at all
- Thermo textbook from college - used to look up one or two equations
- Statics textbook from college - used to identify equations for different types of cantilever connections (pinned, fixed)
- Probably had a number of other books floating around. Having random books (including old college textbooks) was more frustrating than useful. Most everything can be looked up online and printed, no need for an entire textbook.
- "Book of Knowledge" ("BOK") - this was a 3-ring binder that I created while studying. On the front cover I had a look up table for diameters and corresponding area and a very brief summary of equations and conversions that I used most often. Inside I had a collection of all my nicely worked out (by the 2nd or 3rd try) problems from the NCEES practice test and 6 Minutes Solutions and a fold-out psych chart. Also, I had a large amount of printed material that seemed useful at the time and was there more for safety.
And what I actually used on the test:
- MERM
- Shigley
- Units Conversions
- BOK
- 1 other book to sit on, the chair was really low for me (or desk too high?)
4. Follow your schedule:
Again, I would not read the chapters, unless you're looking for a specific topic. Scan through the information (look at the topic titles, charts, and tables) and work each example problem within the chapters. I mean, work it on paper, don't just confirm that the author did it correctly. Mostly, I would glance through the approach, see what equations/tables/appendices were used, and then work the problem. This isn't supposed to test you as much as teach you.
I worked some of the problems at the end of the chapters also. These drove me crazy - they were long, hard, and definitely didn't boost any confidence. If I had to do this over, I would only spend significant amount of time on MD relevant problems, not the other 2 depths.
Allow for a significant amount of time on practice problems. I started with 6 Minute Solutions, then took the NCEES practice test, then started (and quickly stopped) the 101 Solved Problems and Mechanical PE Sample Examination. Then I reworked problems from NCEES and 6 Minute Solutions.
5. Find a study buddy!
This was absolutely invaluable to me. I worked with a person I met through the Engineering Boards forum who was also taking the MD portion and lived in a different state. Our single mission was to help each other and ask/answer questions. We shared any good resources we found, worked through the details of certain practice problems, and motivated each other in sticking to our schedules. Having someone to talk with who is going through the exact same struggle was such a relief and your family will be glad that they don't have to listen to all the PE talk.
6. That's it, you did your best in studying and should be ready for the exam! I took the day before the test off, went to yoga, got a massage, and went to bed early. I may have checked to make sure I packed everything 3 or 4 times. Bring lunch and snacks. Bring something warm to wear. Best of luck!!!
Now for a more extended version:
I started studying 16 weeks out - as soon as I found out that my application was approved. It's hard to say that I studying for 16 weeks though, I took 4 weekends off entirely and there was probably a total of 4 weeks during which I didn't get any studying done (this was for traveling, family visits, etc.). With that, I think that 3 months would provide sufficient time to study and pass, so long as the time spent studying is quality and focused. I'm glad I had the buffer though.
I came across a number of study strategies, all of which helped to form my own. I know there are plenty of them posted, but I wanted to contribute to this, with the realization that each person will develop their own. This is an approach that I used and passed on the first try, so it worked for me. That said, I know some people who studied for 40 hours and also passed.
Just to give you a little background: I took the Mechanical Systems and Materials (previously called Machine Design or MD) depth in Oct, 2012. I finished grad school several years ago with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and have been working in the industry. Even then, only a few topics really seemed easy. I wanted to do everything I could first time around and had the luxury to dedicate plenty of time. Here's what I did to study and what I would suggest doing (not necessarily the same).
1. Familiarize yourself:
To start out, I took the time to read what others had to say about the test, and contacted several recent PEs to ask general study/strategy questions. The following sites were very useful:
http://engineerboards.com/index.php?showforum=3 - most useful forum! Register here, participate in discussions, post your own questions, search for existing topics...
http://ppi2pass.com/advice/from-mechanical-pe-examinees - read advice to get a general idea about the test
2. Make a plan:
I followed the schedule outlined in the MERM intro section in Table 1. Just out of being slightly paranoid, I added the chapters that were skipped in the outline to my review (probably unnecessary). I gave myself 1 week for each set of chapters, starting on Sunday and ending on Saturday, that way if I didn't study at all during the week, I still had 2 days to make up for it. I started out by reading the chapters and underlining terms/definitions as I went along. I would not suggest doing this! There is way too much information and it's impossible to remember having read something particular. I ended up skimming a lot of the chapters towards the end. If you are vaguely familiar with a topic, your time is best spent working the example problems in each chapter and learning how to use the index to look up terms. During the test, I never had a moment where I thought "oh good, I had that underlined so it's easy to find". Everything came from the index.
Print the index (can be found here: http://ppi2pass.com/Docs/bookInfo/MERM/MERMindex.pdf), bind it, and study with it. I highlighted every term I looked up (and had to make some corrections because this index is for MERM 12, I had 11). I found the highlighted terms to be useful during the test.
3. Assemble all your study materials:
It's important to get all your study materials early on. This way you learn what references you'll have available during the test and highlight/tab important sections. Buy the materials you need, including an approved calculator, tabs, highlighters, etc.
This is what I studied with:
- MERM 11 - had the practice problems at the end of each chapter as part of the book, but these must be purchased separately for MERM 12
- Engineering Unit Conversions - very useful, I highlighted every one that I used and tabbed it. I think this helped me not have to study SI units at all.
- FE book - pdf of this can be printed from online. I used it initially to give myself a big scope idea of some topics. I could have probably made more use of it but didn't open it too often.
- NCEES Practice Test - single most important book aside from MERM. I initially took this about 1 month out as a simulated 8-hr test. I did this on a weekend day, no interruptions, brought my lunch, didn't take bathroom breaks - everything as I was planning for the real exam. I didn't do as well as I had hoped first time around but realized that I made a lot of dumb mistakes. I took it again after reviewing each problem in 2 separate 4 hour chunks... then again, and again. By the time it took me 1 hour to go through the morning section, I decided I wasn't gaining much anymore, and it was test time!
- 101 Solved Mechanical Engineering Problems - I found the problems to be too difficult and long, did not use this book much
- Mechanical PE Sample Examination - these problems were more manageable, but there was no chance I could take it as a sample exam. I think I referred to the solutions on every single problem in this book
- Mechanical Engineering Design by Shigley and others (2003 publication) - I only used this when I couldn't solve problems by equations in the MERM (i.e. gears, screws). Tab the sections you referenced but don't bother reading or even skimming the book. Use the index and table of contents.
- 6 Minutes Solutions - all 3 books, but only look at the morning questions in HVAC and T&F. I didn't want to buy these at first, mostly because the reviews say that there are too many errors. Yes, there are mistakes, but not so bad in the new editions, but having these problems to work though was very useful
- ASME Steam Tables - did not use at all
- Thermo textbook from college - used to look up one or two equations
- Statics textbook from college - used to identify equations for different types of cantilever connections (pinned, fixed)
- Probably had a number of other books floating around. Having random books (including old college textbooks) was more frustrating than useful. Most everything can be looked up online and printed, no need for an entire textbook.
- "Book of Knowledge" ("BOK") - this was a 3-ring binder that I created while studying. On the front cover I had a look up table for diameters and corresponding area and a very brief summary of equations and conversions that I used most often. Inside I had a collection of all my nicely worked out (by the 2nd or 3rd try) problems from the NCEES practice test and 6 Minutes Solutions and a fold-out psych chart. Also, I had a large amount of printed material that seemed useful at the time and was there more for safety.
And what I actually used on the test:
- MERM
- Shigley
- Units Conversions
- BOK
- 1 other book to sit on, the chair was really low for me (or desk too high?)
4. Follow your schedule:
Again, I would not read the chapters, unless you're looking for a specific topic. Scan through the information (look at the topic titles, charts, and tables) and work each example problem within the chapters. I mean, work it on paper, don't just confirm that the author did it correctly. Mostly, I would glance through the approach, see what equations/tables/appendices were used, and then work the problem. This isn't supposed to test you as much as teach you.
I worked some of the problems at the end of the chapters also. These drove me crazy - they were long, hard, and definitely didn't boost any confidence. If I had to do this over, I would only spend significant amount of time on MD relevant problems, not the other 2 depths.
Allow for a significant amount of time on practice problems. I started with 6 Minute Solutions, then took the NCEES practice test, then started (and quickly stopped) the 101 Solved Problems and Mechanical PE Sample Examination. Then I reworked problems from NCEES and 6 Minute Solutions.
5. Find a study buddy!
This was absolutely invaluable to me. I worked with a person I met through the Engineering Boards forum who was also taking the MD portion and lived in a different state. Our single mission was to help each other and ask/answer questions. We shared any good resources we found, worked through the details of certain practice problems, and motivated each other in sticking to our schedules. Having someone to talk with who is going through the exact same struggle was such a relief and your family will be glad that they don't have to listen to all the PE talk.
6. That's it, you did your best in studying and should be ready for the exam! I took the day before the test off, went to yoga, got a massage, and went to bed early. I may have checked to make sure I packed everything 3 or 4 times. Bring lunch and snacks. Bring something warm to wear. Best of luck!!!
