Marks' Mechanical Engineers Handbook...Which Edition?

[SNAPE/SMOTT PE]

I'm wanting to get this book for the April exam. Is current edition necessary, or , like Shigley's, is an older edition just as good?

 

[Golden Eagle PE]

I got the 19th edition of Mark's. Not sure if it is the latest but I figured it would not matter much as long as it was a fairly recent edition. There is a wealth of information in that thing! I cannot imagine a lot of that information would change from year to year.

 

[nsgoldberg]

I was thinking about getting this book, since I hear a lot about it. What is different between it and MERM? Is it really worth getting?

 

[SNAPE/SMOTT PE]

From my understanding it goes into more depth than MERM, and cites books that you can dig deeper for more info on a particular topic. Hear it's an all around great reference for the ME profession.

 

[CRNewsom]

I would agree that it is an excellent professional reference book. I do not think it is necessary for the Mechanical PE Exam. When I passed the test, I did it with the MERM, Shigley's, and the Machinery's Handbook. I didn't use the Machinery's Handbook. Mark's is great when you don't have sufficient information to solve the problem, but the MERM covers most of this material pretty well in the appendices with regards to what questions are going to be asked on the exam.

 

[SNAPE/SMOTT PE]

So you did't use the Machinery Handbook either. I had thought about picking it up for the exam as an additional reference, just in case it would come in handy on a problem or two.

Thanks for the honest assessment if these books.

 

[rockyroad]

I feel that MERM book is very well organized for the exam and as a professional reference in general. I took Therm/Fluids so can definitely say that MERM is all you need for ThermFLuid plus the NCEES sample test. To get more practice, try MERM practice problem book, Lindeberg's sample test, 6 mins solutions. I took it in Oct13 and hoping for positive results

Need I repeat that MERM book is the way to go?

 

[SNAPE/SMOTT PE]

I have MERM, 12th edition, and I agree that it's a must for the exam. I do feel like Shigley's is also a must for MD depth. I took the exam this past Oct. too, but just didn't get the time put in that I wanted to study MERM. I actually only got a handful of chapters reviewed and worked before the exam. I basically winged a lot of the exam...could solve some problems, but I stand a snowballs chance in hell at passing.

 

[rockyroad]

You sound a lot like my first try in April 2013.

Taking it again is not as bad, you can actually avoid lot of mistakes you made the first time.

Tab the book very very well. I solved lot of practice problems, wrote stuff in the MERM in pen such as be sure to multiply by 144 for ft2, or see Problem 14 of 6 minutes etc.

Did two practice exams. All this I had not done in April 2013 try. Felt good this time, hoping for positive outcome.

 

[maryannette]

MERM is THE book. I also used Machinery's Handbook (23rd Ed), Marks' (9th Ed), and a technical dictionary. I used all of them.

 

[nsgoldberg]

Also grab the Engineering Unit Conversions book by Lindeberg. It saves a ton of time with conversions (and avoids mistakes).

I had Machinery's Handbook and I think I opened it a couple times for machine design questions. But I think I could have done the exam without it.