ME PE Exam-What did you think?

[Matt-NM]

I just took the ME PE on Friday for the first time (machine design depth). I thought the test vas very tough, both morning and afternoon. The morning was difficult, but thankfully I was able to figure out some on my second pass that I had skipped the first time through. I remember telling myself a few times as I was reading through them "I can't believe they are asking this. I skipped this because I was certain it would not be asked". I guess skipping subjects is ultimate sin #1 on the PE exam.

The afternoon machine design section was also very difficult, more than I had expected it to be. I sort of blew off one subject that just seemed to keep reappearing. I felt reasonably prepared going into the exam. Probably hit the 300 hour mark easy. On the NCEES practice exam (with MD depth) I think I scored 85%. This test, both morning and afternoon, at least in my opinion, was definately on another level in comparison to the NCEES sample exam. Even the "low hanging" fruit took a slight "reach" in many cases. MERM was not as helpful for the afternoon session as I had hoped it would be.

Overall I am holding out hope but am not extremely confident. Pretty disappointing after 300 hours of studying. I think there were many questions on the test that I wouldn't have got right even after a year of study, unless I were to broaden what I was going over.

What did everybody else think? Any guess as to a cut score? Do you think the NCEES sample exam has a difficulty to where it's cut score and raw score would be equivalent at 70?

Either way, I guess the madness is temporarily over! Hope everybody did well.

 

[Firetoad]

For the morning, I think that my first pass through completed well over half of the problems. The second pass of the longer questions went well. My final pass of the "Engineers use this outside of the classroom?" questions consisted of 4 or 5 questions max.

The Thermal & Fluids afternoon depth exam was a different story, my first easy pass included about 15 questions. I was only able to tackle two of the first ten questions on the first pass and that was scary. The second pass included some very long, long solutions. The final pass included about 5 or 6 blindfolded and guess questions. I feel that I realistically made 80 to 85% plus on the morning but could have scored 50% or lower in the afternoon.

The morning, with the exception of a few questions, did not stray too far from what my current industrial process consulting job covers. The afternoon included some problems that I do frequently, but there were some rather obscure topics that I am not even sure I had even ever heard about or covered in school!

 

[Matt-NM]

Anybody else take the ME PE?

 

[BORICUAZO]

Anybody else take the ME PE?

For me, PM was easier than AM. I was very frustrated at lunch hour; but PM Thermal & Fluids module came to my rescue: Lots of easy problems and some others easy to get the answer just by observation.

My aprox. score expectations: AM = 24, PM = 34, good to PASS.

 

[Brentum]

I took the ME-Fluids/Thermo Exam.

Two things,

A. it wasn't has bad as I had it made up in my mind. I was totally psych'd out for it, but I knew more than I thought.

B. I don't think I passed. it wasn't so much that I didn't know the problems. It was that I totally ran out of time and had to guess on problems I am pretty sure I knew how to do, because I didn't want to leave any unanswered.

It was worse in the afternoon session, I got caught twice in a time crunch. In the morning, I had about 15 left with an hour to go. And in the afternoon I had about 15 left with 1/2 hour left to go.

Fortunately in the afternoon, there were about 5 non-quantitative right there at the end. I think I got 4 of them right.

If I'd had the time I needed, I think I would have only had maybe 5-6 unknown in the morning session and maybe around 8 I didn't know on the afternoon.

So, unless my guessing was very lucky, or the cut score if very low, I'm skeptical about my chances.

The good news (if it can be called that) is I certainly identified some weak spots that I think if I knew properly, would have really helped this time. Thermo turbine problems. I didn't know them as well as I should have, and there were a bunch. Having those down well would have really helped. And if I can manage my time better, that would have really helped to. I fully meant to pick the low hanging fruit, and go through the whole thing, but I kept hitting a problem that I -thought- I knew how to do...and then after dickering with it for 20 minutes, realized I couldn't figure it out, and just pissed away a lot of time.

In the afternoon session, the first 10 problems were like that. Spent like the first 2 hours on the first 10 problems, and didn't even get a good answer for all of them. (Sounds like the first 10 were hard for others too) Hit a bunch of fluids problems after that that I knew pretty good, but just take time to work out. Then was scrambling over some fairly easy problems that I just didn't have time to do.

Poor time management coupled with not knowing my turbines well enough really sunk my efforts I'm afraid.

I think if I don't pass and take it again, I'll work the problems starting with the last and working forward. Seemed to be some relatively easy ones hiding right at the end and that was was freakin' out about time when I hit them.

I didn't take the NCEES practice exam. I took the Lindeburg one, and it was WAY harder than the actual test. However, the test was still sufficiently hard to kick my arse!

 

[NotAnEngineer]

I took the "Mechine Design" in the afternoon...

I dont think the AM portion was that bad, but the PM was very difficult. I did manage to come up with a lot of the answers provided, but that doesnt mean it was the corret answer. I feel like I was well prepared for the test, but some of that stuff I would have never gotten. Did anyone else feel like there were a lot of fatigue problems on there?? Which wasnt good for me considering I didnt touch on that much during my studing, and for several questons I dont think the MERM was very helpful (Im not saying anything bad about the MERM tho, it still the best book I ever spent money on). I feel pretty confident that I answered half of the questions correctly so it depends on how my educated guess and blind guess went for the other half that will determine my fate.

 

[Matt-NM]

NotAnEngineer

I feel very similar to you on both sections. The morning was difficult, but I definately feel better about it than the machine design depth. The subject you mentioned in the afternoon section (i'm a little chicken about mentioning anything specific) definately killed me. That was one of two sections that I went into the test knowing that I was weak on. I remember working on a problem based on that "subject" and seeing two problems on the next page out of the corner of my eye on the same subject. I could not believe it. I would not go as far as to say that the afternoon section (machine design) was well rounded.

I also found my use of MERM to be somewhat seldom in the afternoon section (I also heard this from other exam takers). I wonder if NCEES uses MERM when writing the exam to make sure they all can't be answered with this single reference?

Time wise, I was ok on both sections at least half way through. I answered easier questions upfront, which put me ahead of schedule. As the questions progressed, I got to the point where I was on schedule, and then at the end to the point where I had to guess because of time. Most of my guesses, however, were on problems that I had previously attemped and could not do.

Overall, I am still holding out hope but give myself a 50/50 chance at passing. I honestly thought I would have done better. There were many difficult problems. Any guess as to a cut score? If the NCEES sample exam could be given a cut score of exactly 56/80 for a 70%, then I think this should be significantly lower. I thought it was much more difficult.

 

[MEPE2B]

I took thermal/fluids afternoon. I knew going in that I was vastly underprepared, so I was not that dissappointed to find my self struggling during the morning part. When I read through the afternoon section, I started to get my hopes up because I saw a good portion of problems that I felt good about. But in the end, time was the enemy. I got bogged down on a couple of problems, wasting too much time trying to get an answer to match one of the choices. So I had to start guessing on problems I know I could have solved. Unless I was a very lucky guesser, I think I'll be back in October. And this time I will study up on engineering economics, which was represented to a far greater degree than I was led to expect.

 

[ME_FPE]

I took the Thermo and Fluids session in the PM.

I found the AM session to be easier than I expected. The PM session was a bit harder than I expected.

The really frustrating thing about the PM session was that there were several problems I was almost 100% sure I was approaching correctly but could not obtain a listed answer for. This caused me to stick on these problems longer than I should have. I ran out of time during the PM session and had to hail mary guess on about 4-5 problems (I still had time to read every problem but not enough to make an educated guess on those 4-5 problems).

In pondering why the PM session seemed more difficult, I'm not sure if it's because it was or because of the endurance factor. Six hours into the test, I found myself making stupid mistakes because I was getting so tired.

In the PM session, I found myself skipping problems I sort of knew how to do but knew would take me longer to do. I had to do this because I wasted some time on the "personal vendetta problems." I remember one particular problem, one which I knew how to do, that I probably wasted over 20 minutes on...Unfortunately, at the end of the test, I did not have time to go back and really work these problems. :brickwall:

I think the exam tested a very wide array of knowledge.

What do you all think the cut score is? Everyone seems to think it's around 70%...

 

[mackintosh]

I spent 250+ hours studyding since New Years. On the NCEES online sample exam, I missed 2/20 in the morning (both thermo) and 3/20 in the MD afternoon (including the code question you had to have an earlier Shigley for), so I was confident going in. Boy, was I surprised; I felt like the exam kicked my ass. The depressing questions were thosed that looked like they should've been real simple (and probably were), but I couldn't get one of the answer choices. I didn't have any problem with the time; there were some questions I just wasn't getting. I won't be too surprised whichever way it goes, but I'm dreading having to spend another two-three months of weekends studying. At least I've got a little better idea of some of the things I would study (or not) if I have to take it again.

Twelve weeks would be right around July 4th.

 

[djshortsleeve]

Reading these opinions of the exam is entertaining. I have many of the same opinions. I looked around at the few other mechanical people and saw some gloomy expressions.

I think my method of studying overall worked well, but I underestimated some things. I crammed the last week, thinking I would see alot of what I studied, but there was actually more of some other topics than I thought.

I had some of the weirdest thoughts during and after this exam. At some points I felt despair and other times I thought I was on point. I used the entire 4 hours for the AM session, guessing on about 6 problems. The PM session (HVAC Ref.) I cruised through in about 2:45. I went back and did the 5 or so problems I skipped.

Overall, I also feel I have a 50/50 shot. I feel like I could have done really well or failed.

A guy I work with, who passed, said he felt he did bad in the AM but did well in PM. Hopefully, I have similar results.

 

[johnsmith]

I have the same feeling, AM exam is more difficult than the PM one.

Time is a problem, also the questions are quite concentrated on several topics.

I hope the cut mark is not 70%, since this exam is much more difficult than anyone expected.

I can say at least you read a lot of reference and work a lot of problems, you cannot pass it.

If you read only MERM, sorry this is not enough.

I don't understand the purpose of this exam, if anyone can solve engineering problem within few mins, is that mean he is a good engineer? That is not the point.

Time should be not be the constraint for the exam.

The purpose of the PE exam is to test someone ability to solve the engineering problems by considering all the assumptions and boundary conditions!!!

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Count your blessings that it is in the format it is. How would you like a test that had three very complex questions and you chose two. That's the way it used to be.

 

[djshortsleeve]

Count your blessings that it is in the format it is. How would you like a test that had three very complex questions and you chose two. That's the way it used to be.

How long ago was this? Were the question choices in the AM, PM, or both?

 

[Capt Worley PE]

I *think* it changed in the late nineties. It is one of the reasons I never pursued getting my PE. It was that way when my dad took it back in the 70s.

 

[benbo]

How long ago was this? Were the question choices in the AM, PM, or both?

For a while it was both AM and PM, then it became multiple choice in the AM and essay in the PM, but they were still extremely hard multiple choice.

Believe me, you do not want to go back to those exams. They were not multiple choice and they were nearly impossible. I never took one, but I got a copy of one exam that they later released. I was glad to have the new format which I could pass.

 

[Mike in Gastonia]

Back in the day ld-025: when I took the exam, they were all essay problems. We had ten problems in the morning and had to pick 4 to work. Same thing in the afternoon. I started off in the morning, read all the problems and checked off the ones I knew I could work and then went back to pick which ones I would work - I had only checked off 2........

Needless to say, I almost didn't return in the afternoon. But I did, and found 5 or 6 from the afternoon that I knew I could work and picked 4 from them.

Of course they were all graded by hand and you had to deal with the vagaries of hand scoring, but apparently I BSed my way to get enough points to pass.......

 

[A Smith]

I just took the ME PE on Friday for the first time (machine design depth). I thought the test vas very tough, both morning and afternoon. The morning was difficult, but thankfully I was able to figure out some on my second pass that I had skipped the first time through. I remember telling myself a few times as I was reading through them "I can't believe they are asking this. I skipped this because I was certain it would not be asked". I guess skipping subjects is ultimate sin #1 on the PE exam.

Did pretty good in the morning, did the first 20 in the afternoon skipping the second Machine design question. I was waiting for the hard stuff & things start going downhill. I thought I could do the subject I did not study much on & it jumped out 2-3 times! Tried to work the ones I knew well taking 10 -15 min, but messed up 4 I spent some time on & should have gotten.

I figure to get 53 no matter what & should get enough to pass if I made no major errors on the ones I thought I was working correctly.

I fell bad for anyone that misses by one or 2 after they screwed the morning instructions up, set off the fire alarm & listened to the fan run 20m min. Not sure if they messed the time up in the afternoon, think they gave the 15min warning late, but hard to tell time when I am double checking a screw up, trying to figure what the last worked problem should be.

 

[A Smith]

OH anyone check the new ME test specs out!!!! More SI units & some other stuff.

 

[Sschell]

WOW!

The difficulty of the exam must very pretty widely year to year. I took (and passed) the MEPE test (machine desgn) depth in April '07 and came out of it with basically the opposite feelings expressed so far on this thread.

I felt MERM alone was sufficient, haveing opened Shigley once and the Crane Tech. paper once (only because I knew how to find a particular eqn quicker in crane than MERM, it is in both).

Also, I felt that the difficulty of the test was right on par with the NCEES practice test...

Hopefully this means that the the test was acutally harder, which would be felt by all testees, and therefore the cutscore will be lower!

Good Luck!