Rethinking Study Approach

[DynaMechEng]

I dunno about replicating the 'exam experience' ... It was traumatic enough once... I felt like a zombie after the FE exam last year. After the finishing the questions from the morning session I diligently went over my calculations, checked my bubbling skills (which apparently were up to par) and then filed out with everyone else, went into a corner, ate my lunch, called my wife to complain how awful it all was, and then mustered up the courage to go back in... In the PM I watched the clock tick down, anticipated the 'you may not leave the room now' announcement and promptly fled the scene 30 mins before the end without checking anything and feeling like I was 50/50 on most of the problems. I just simply could not stay in that seat any longer. I passed thank goodness...
I am yet to begin my PE journey (anticipating Oct 2011), but am planning it out. Right now I am thinking I will skim the MERM, take the 2001 test in two 4-hour sessions (on separate days) to see how I fare in the AM and PM T&F and to gain insight into my strengths & weaknesses. After that I shall work through the MERM chapters and the companion problems, throw in the 2001 & 2008 PM problems once I'm done with the subject. I'll save the 2008 exam until a few weeks before, and I think I will split it into two days again. Then touch up my tabbing & polish any subject areas needing it.

But I am interested in the above debate, did anyone find that they gained some measure of endurance from emulating the actual event with the practice tests? I feel like I couldn't go through the ordeal more than once a year, let alone a few weeks apart.. And I can't imagine treating it like it was the actual thing, especially not over an entire day. Because it clearly isn't...

The FE is child's play compared to the PE. Here's the way I look at it...You can put in the time, work hundreds of problems (over and over), take practice exams to try to simulate the real exam as best as possible, and pass the exam on the first try (as I did in Oct 2010). Alternatively, you can put in a half effort and risk taking it multiple times as many of this board have. I prefer being as prepared as possible the first time and doing it once. The choice is yours, but to me, the endurance part of this exam is every bit as important as problem solving skills.

 

[HerrKaLeun]

The FE is child's play compared to the PE. Here's the way I look at it...You can put in the time, work hundreds of problems (over and over), take practice exams to try to simulate the real exam as best as possible, and pass the exam on the first try (as I did in Oct 2010). Alternatively, you can put in a half effort and risk taking it multiple times as many of this board have. I prefer being as prepared as possible the first time and doing it once. The choice is yours, but to me, the endurance part of this exam is every bit as important as problem solving skills.

Many people, including myself, think the PE test is easier for the fact that is has more to do with practical problems. Not really easy, but you can answer quite some questions based on your daily experience as an engineer. I also didn't mind studying for the PE so much since it helped me become more familiar with the reference material and some basics. Unlike the FE, some of the PE knowledge actually is useful in real life

Anyway, the test will be a challenge and I agree that you should study as much as you can. there are 3 ways to study:

1. too little- which obviously is bad and for the 2nd try you will study much more spending even more time

2. study exactly enough to pass: since you don't know the test, the grading and how well you will do under stress, this certainly is risky

3. too much, which I chose. for both FE and PE I studied a lot and passed at first try. since it is pass/fail only, I don't know how close I was. But even if I had 20% more correct than needed to pass, I wouldn't regret spending the extra time studying.

 

[navyasw02]

The FE is child's play compared to the PE. Here's the way I look at it...You can put in the time, work hundreds of problems (over and over), take practice exams to try to simulate the real exam as best as possible, and pass the exam on the first try (as I did in Oct 2010). Alternatively, you can put in a half effort and risk taking it multiple times as many of this board have. I prefer being as prepared as possible the first time and doing it once. The choice is yours, but to me, the endurance part of this exam is every bit as important as problem solving skills.

I really didnt think either test was hard. I took the FE at the end of college and only studied the night before. The PE I took towards the end of my Masters and definitely over studied at about 200 hours. Personally, I think the questions on the PE exam were about the equivalent difficulty of easy exam questions in my Master's classes. If the questions were really challenging, you wouldn't be able to do them in 6 minutes each. I'm not trying to toot my own horn here, but I definitely think that a majority of the perceived difficulty of the PE and FE exams is due to falling for the "mystique" that surrounds the exams. NCEES is very good about creating some magical aura around the test, mostly because of their insufficient guidance and practice material. This leads other companies to create practice materials that are way more complex just to over prepare people.

 

[HerrKaLeun]

I really didnt think either test was hard. I took the FE at the end of college and only studied the night before. The PE I took towards the end of my Masters and definitely over studied at about 200 hours. Personally, I think the questions on the PE exam were about the equivalent difficulty of easy exam questions in my Master's classes. If the questions were really challenging, you wouldn't be able to do them in 6 minutes each. I'm not trying to toot my own horn here, but I definitely think that a majority of the perceived difficulty of the PE and FE exams is due to falling for the "mystique" that surrounds the exams. NCEES is very good about creating some magical aura around the test, mostly because of their insufficient guidance and practice material. This leads other companies to create practice materials that are way more complex just to over prepare people.

The problems in itself are not hard for the most part and definitely not on graduate level. However, you need to be able to do the basic calculations in time and you need to know the references. They basically test if you know the basics and know industry-typical references thoroughly.

At graduate school and at work you do many things electronically (with Engineering Equation Solver, MATLAB or specific software). so it is quite a change to have to read values from charts etc.

The fact that I passed both tests, shows it can't be too hard but you really need to study to be fluent in the things they ask. They don't have complex problems. You have only 6 minutes. Actually you have less since you also need to transfer (and verify) the solution to the multiple choice sheet. You also need to review your answers to see if you missed units etc. In the morning I was done after 2 hours, but the afternoon took me the full 4 hours.

 

[avd]

I don't like the word "study'. Review is a better word. You study something new.

While I'm certain I could take an individual off the street and teach and have him study every day for a month and pass, a practicing engineer with any experience should only be reviewing and practicing for this test.

 

[HerrKaLeun]

I don't like the word "study'. Review is a better word. You study something new.
While I'm certain I could take an individual off the street and teach and have him study every day for a month and pass, a practicing engineer with any experience should only be reviewing and practicing for this test.

This would be true if a practicing engineer would do the same things as in the test. I don't know about you, but I do a lot of project management, commissioning, trouble-shooting and design calculations are done by PC. So I had to "study" to do much simpler things by hand.

 

[Trev... P.E.]

I don't like the word "study'. Review is a better word. You study something new.
While I'm certain I could take an individual off the street and teach and have him study every day for a month and pass, a practicing engineer with any experience should only be reviewing and practicing for this test.

?? You really believe that? There are countless specialties and sub-specialties that an engineering career can weave its way into. The PE exams are necessarily broad as they could never write an exam to cover the tiny piece of the spectrum that one actually applies in their job... There are a lot more disciplines of mechanical engineers than just three for instance! I doubt anyone deals with more than half the subjects that come up in the exam in their day-to-day work. Of course you'll feel more comfortable with those topics that you do work with daily, and maybe a cursory review of those is all that's necessary, but for the other 80% of the MERM, you better be studying!

 

[DynaMechEng]

I don't like the word "study'. Review is a better word. You study something new.
While I'm certain I could take an individual off the street and teach and have him study every day for a month and pass, a practicing engineer with any experience should only be reviewing and practicing for this test.

I think your post was a complete waste of time, much like my retort.

 

[Shaggy]

^ lol

I hardly studied (or reviewed) for the FE... I took it near the end of college. For me it wasn't particularly difficult... just tedious... and fatigue was an issue. Towards the end of the exam, I was slumped down in the chair working problems. For the PE I studied a tremendous amount... I was definitely prepared. Though as mentioned above, I never simulated the test environment. After taking the PE, I didn't feel the fatigue I felt after the FE. I think the FE was more draining because the questions were all across the board (General)... and I was less prepared.

 

[Clydeman]

I should weigh in as I was the one that started this thread.

I am not sure how much professional work experience actually helps toward the test. I have 14 years of experience, most of my recent experience dealing with electronic packaging. As such the only subjects which apply at all to what I do on a regular basis at work are heat transfer, some fluids and basic statics and strengths of materials.

Most of the time I am dealing with engineering challenges completely unrelated to anything on the PE, such as how to die cast or injection mold some feature (manufacturing related issues).

What I am saying is that I (for one) do not feel that my work experience is helping me solve "practical problems". In other engineering disciplines such as HVAC, I am sure what they do on a day to day basis helps to a much greater degree.

Maybe I am the exception as far as ME's go (but I doubt it). I applied to take the PE as industry exempt. I have worked at 6 companies and have only had one boss in my entire career that had his PE (which is why I had to apply industry exempt).