Sample Exams

[MetroRAFB]

I've been studying the "the other board" course religiously since July, working all of the end of chapter problems in MERM except the 1hr problems, as well as working all of the "the other board" Problems of the Week. I've also worked through the HVAC afternoon problems in the "the other board" sample exam. I plan to work the NCEES Mechanical Engineering Sample Questions this Saturday as a trial run for the real exam. I'll give myself 4hrs for the morning session's 40 questions, take an hour for lunch and then work the 40 HVAC depth questions in 4hrs.

My thinking is that I'll have a decent idea how prepared I am for the real exam after grading my trial run. I plan to spend the next three weeks working on the areas I scored the weakest on, and becoming intimately familiar with all of the solutions.

I was going to do the exact same thing using the "the other board" sample exam as the trial run instead of the NCEES Mechanical Engineering Sample Questions, but I decided the NCEES material might resemble the real exam questions more closely. Any thoughts? Have any of you done anything similar?

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

I did something very similar. I used the PPI practice exams to build up speed, familiarity, and repetition with the questions after I was done studying all the covered topics.

I did the NCEES sample exam for real 2 weeks before the real exam as a trial run, then cooled down my studying.

The format, diagrams, and style are all different than PPI's. It seems silly, but it threw me off a little. I also thought the NCEES sample was harder than PPI, and I didn't do that well on it.

Scared the hell outta me, but also kept me from getting cocky. The real exam seemed easier than the sample. And I passed, so I'm not complaining. orly

 

[EdinNO]

I worked through all (except 1 hr q's) the questions in the MERM in the chapters I studied. I did skip a few chapters, but maybe covered 75% to 80% of them. I worked through all the NCEES sample problems as well. I think I did the NCEES problems at least twice. I also worked the "in chapter" problems in the MERM.

Most times I had to at least look partially at the solutions.

I never worked a mock test, timing myself and all that. I know I'm slow and I didn't want to freak myself out even more. Also, I don't think I ever had an 8 hour block in which to do it- kids and all. Many people mentioned they did do the mock test. Sounds like it works well for most.

Ed

 

[MetroRAFB]

Thanks for the reply. I wouldn't say that I'm burned out on studying yet but I am ready mentally to take the damn thing and get it over with. I'm more than a little curious to see how I score on the sample this weekend.

Hopefully I won't bomb it and get freaked out, or ace it and get complacent for the next three weeks. A nice solid 75 would be just enough to keep me motivated while giving me some validation that my studying to date has done some good.

What did you do for the last two weeks after "not doing well" on the practice exam?

 

[MetroRAFB]

EdinNO,

I find myself identifying with your experience quite a bit. I'm able to get the solutions to more than half of the practice problems I've worked but it usually takes me much more time to get there than I'll have during the exam. On a large number of them though I also find myself peeking at the solutions about halfway through the problem. It hasn't done much for my confidence level but that's the reality of it. The time element is my biggest worry.

 

[EdinNO]

Somehow it worked out for me. I really think having a strategy helped out.

Guessing:

-Of course eliminate the most obvious; sometimes,

-When the question asks for feet you will see two answers, one being 12 times the other. Could be that they are trying to get you to mess up and answer in inches and the number that is 1/12th the other is the correct answer.

I'm sure there are more. I will post more if I think of them. I got many from the "the other board" board- I think from running a search. Since they changed the board, I don't know if all the old threads are still there.

Timing:

- I used the rate each question for level of difficulty and then come back and work them scenario. I hadn't really decided to definitely do that, but I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the guy next to me was doing it and I decided to do so. IT seemed to have worked. Fill in your dots as you go, but be careful to get them in the right place since you'll be skipping around.

In both am and pm, when one hour was left I looked at all my dots and thought I had a lot done. I counted them and it turned out I barely had over half the dots filled in both times.

Again, I'm not sure how I made it, but I ain't arguing!

What PM are you doing? I did machine design. But I looked at it, got scared, actually started working HVAC problems, got more scared and settled on machine design.

Ed

 

[MetroRAFB]

Ed,

I'm doing HVAC, period. My work doesn't pertain to any of the three PM modules but I've always liked and did well in Thermo and related topics in school. I've got a good friend from school that's a PE in HVAC, he's given me some pointers on the "real world" aspect of it but basically HVAC just makes sense to me. I've been spending so much time on it preparing for that afternoon module I don't think I'll even read the other two. Machine Design has always seemed about half Voo-Doo magic to me anyway, which is blasphemous for an ME to say out loud I'm sure. :banhim:

I've always been a good standardized test taker, I'm usually able to elimate at least one or two answers as improbable, which hopefully will help out in the guessing department. I plan to read all problems and rate them as you suggest, seems like the only way to be sure you're working the easy ones first.

 

[EdinNO]

I think I'm the only person in the world who took machine design in April. Most I talked to did HVAC or thermal.

One thing that I think helped me was I worked the am and all three pm sections of NCEES without regard for whether I would take that pm or not. I honestly think that some of the "pm" questions in the NCEES sample questions helped me on the am section. There was no way I would do thermal on the pm, but I worked those problems anyway.

Ed

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

What did you do for the last two weeks after "not doing well" on the practice exam?

Not much. I just skimmed over everything one last time and went in knowing I was prepared as could be. If I didn't know it after 4 months, I wasn't gonna learn it overnight.

If I failed, it woulda sucked, but I would have known I at least did my best. It woulda been worse if I failed because I screwed off studying.

 

[MetroRAFB]

Thanks again to you both for your replies. I'm comfortable in the knowledge that I've done about as much as I could have up to this point, I'm just preparing for the push through the final three weeks of studying. I want to use the time I have left as smartly as possible. By the sounds of some of the posts on "the other board"'s Exam forum there are some folks that have done a whole lot less studying than I have so far.

I hope to join the ranks of wise old farts with a PE behind their name and a Seal in their hand giving advice to future exam candidates on this board. "oldtimer"

 

[EdinNO]

You will. Wait 'till around the end of December and you'll get the official letter!

Ed

 

[MetroRAFB]

Ed,

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I've never been this motivated professionally, passing this test means a lot to me. It's going to be party time like I was back in college when I get the good news! :beerchug :drunk:

Then it'll be salary negotiation time!

A lot of work ahead though, then two months of worrying.

 

[EdinNO]

Hey,

What line of work are you in?

Right now I'm in HVAC (kind of odd cinsidering I say I'm weak at HVAC, huh?), but have mainly worked in HVAC manufacturing or control systems or both. I started doing HVAC system consulting and, frankly, am bored out of my mind. I just don't have the passion for this.

I am going into the oil and gas industry- still consulting, but more project management, purchasing, etc...

Ed

 

[MetroRAFB]

Ed,

Trusses. Relatively small company but set up and managed very well. Owner is a PE, he's looking for some relief and "freedom of movement" from the office. We design and manufacture metal plate connected wood roof and floor trusses, as well as steel trusses, for both commercial and residential applications. I really enjoy the work, but as I mentioned earlier, doesn't really pertain to any of the afternoon sessions and has quite a bit of Structural overlap. I'm planning to do some more in depth Structural study once I get my PE.

I've gotta run, I'll check back early in the morning.