What references did you take to the exam and which did you use?

[starquest]

I'm curious what books you took to the exam vs used?   Figure this would be good info for future test takers even though it is fairly well documented for previous exams.   

I saw people coming in which multiple crates, huge suitcases, even a large rolling wagon!   I had my one little bankers box that was 3/4 full and I thought I had too much.

Exam: Apr '16 ME MD

What I took, in order of importance:

• MERM - Heavily tabbed  (used of course)
  
• Lindeburg Unit Conversions - tabbed (used heavily!)
  
• Binder of notes/completed problems - Heavily tabbed and well organized (used extensively for the entire exam)
  
• Binder with MERM index - tabbed (used extensively for the entire exam)
  
• Shigley's Machine Design - Heavily tabbed (used periodically for PM session)
  
• Machinery's Handbook (used for one question on the AM session - definitely was needed for this question!)
  
• MERM Companion, Practice Problems (consulted for a few questions in the PM session...very helpful)
  
• 6MS for MD (consulted for a question in the PM session)
  
• NCEES 2011 Practice Test (consulted for one question)
  

•  
  
• Mechanical Vibrations Textbook, can't remember the author (never opened for the test but used in prep)
  
• Shaum's Outline for Mechanical Vibrations (never opened for the test but used in prep)
  
• FE Handbook that they gave us during the FE test (never opened for the test but used in prep)
  
• Roark's Stress and Strain (never opened for either prep or the test)
  

Other items in my box:

• HP 35s Calculator (used of course)
  
• 6" stainless steel ruler (used on Psych chart)
  
• Small clear triangle (used on Psych chart)
  
• Bottle of water (used)
  
• Granola bar (didn't need)
  
• Spare batteries for the calc (didn't need)
  
• Ear plugs (didn't need)
  

Only book that I wish I would have brought with me was my college textbook on 'Dynamics'...although I didn't use it during prep, so not sure it would have been a benefit or not. 

Regards,

Kevin

 

[Phenomenon083]

I took my references in a luggage. Items listed below are sequentially based on the usage frequency on the exam. I also took everything that I used fully or partially for study.

depth - TF

1. MERM - tabbed of course

2. Lindeburg unit conversion.

3. MERM appendix on a 3 ring binder

4. MERM index on a 3 ring binder

5. Steam tables by Keenan and Keyes

6. Fundamentals of thermodynamics by Borgnakke, Sonntag (Just my old undergrad thermodynamics book).

7. SMS HVAC

8. NCEES 2011 TF

9. Shigley's machine design

10. A psychrometric chart (didn't put my pencil on it but it was a larger one and well lineated).

Items I took but didn't use

1. NCEES 2001

2. SMS TF, MD

3. FERM

4. FE reference by NCEES

5. MERM Practice Problems book.

6. PPI practice test

-That's all I can think of. Hopefully I won't ever have to open these books for an exam again  

 

[Audi Driver P.E.]

I could assemble a list of references I took, but at this point I can't recall which ones I used and which ones I didn't.  I remember wishing I had brought my physics book because there were a couple of questions I know I could have found the answer to very easily in it.

 

[JHW 3d]

I use Roarks at work a lot. Great for calculating beam problems, especially indeterminate oddball cases. MERM has some sections on how to solve indeterminate beam problems. Skip that. Just learn how to look up the beam case in Roarks. Anything not in Roarks and you're probably doing FEA anyway.

 

[scatsob]

I just took the TF test.

I brought:

1. MERM - used

2. Lindeburg unit conversion -used a lot

3. Lindeburg practice problems and 6 minute solutions - didn't use either.

4. NCEES 2011 TF - used once, for a problem that was on both tests

And that was about it.  The only thing I could have brought that would have helped on a couple of problems was my Mechanics of Materials textbook from college because there were a couple questions in the afternoon along those lines.

Its funny though.. I was looking around while people were settling in and asked my neighbor that brought a similar amount of crap if we were doing it wrong.  One guy had enough stuff to barricade himself in the event of an active shooter.  It was crazy. 

 

[DETLTU]

Machine design depth.

Used

MERM

Testmasters Notes

NCEES 2011 sample test (very similar bolt loading problem on the test)

Lindberg unit conversion

Shigleys

May have looked for some things but  I don't think I ended up using:

Marks

Roarks

FE reference manual

Machinery's handbook

6MS

 

[JayhawkerME]

For the Thermal Fluids exam:

Items used:

MERM - I lightly tabbed it. By exam time, I had a pretty good idea of the topics covered by each of the relevant chapters / where to find stuff in the Appendices.
Lindeburg Unit Conversions - This was a big time saver, especially on metric problems or unit conversions involving multiple steps.
Random Notes Binder - The main item in this binder was the 2 page study sheet I put together. It listed all the equations needed to solve the afternoon portions of the two NCEES tests and Lindeburg's practice test, and where to find them in the MERM. I also put together a 2 page reference sheet for the various steam and air cycles (T-s diagrams, eqns, etc.). Lastly, I put in some quick reference materials that weren't in the MERM (speed of sound vs. temp of water, Fahrenheit to Celsius table, k-factors for additional valves and fittings, etc.)
Steam tables - I was fortunate enough to have a co-worker that lent me a steam table from one of his college courses in the 80's. It had saturation and superheated tables (over 5000psi) for both standard and metric units. I cannot stress how much time you will save with a nice, spiral bound steam table book. This book saved my bacon in the afternoon session.
11 x 17 Psychrometric chart - The MERM chart was inadequate, and having a separate chart printed off enables you to multitask with the MERM if need be. I heavily used the chart and a ruler in tandem. The ruler helps on interpolation-- especially on problems where you are mixing streams.
NCEES 2011 Practice Test - There were a few problems that were nearly identical on the test. I knew how to solve them, but having the solutions handy saved some QC time.
Lindeburg Practice Test - I used this twice, tangentially. This practice test was absurdly difficult the first time I went through it. Well, it turns out that ol' Linde knows what he's doing. There were a few key concepts that the NCEES exams don't touch or for which the MERM examples are inadequate (NTU method comes to mind). Having the Lindeburg practice test handy gave me the framework for attacking a few test problems.

Item I wish I had:

Air tables - I think there were more opportunities to use air tables on the exam than on the published NCEES exams. Hey-- it was fair game. I'm kicking myself for not having a set of air tables for the exam.
Cheat sheet on strength of materials / beam bending problems - I emphasized the afternoon topics in the weeks preceding the exam, and was a bit rusty on these topics. Having a cheat sheet / going through these problems again would've been a quick way to pick up a few easy points.

Items I had, but didn't use:

NCEES 2001 Practice Test -- I'm pretty sure one or two of the problems I referenced in the 2011 version were also in the 2001 version.
Thermo Text Book from College
Fluids Text Book from College

Other items:

• Calc and back up calc
  
• Kitchen timer-- I used this heavily for pacing, especially in the afternoon section.
  
• Two bottles of water
  
• Granola bars / almonds / dried cranberries
  
• Red bull -- I needed this once I hit the 6 hour mark
  
• Ear plugs (didn't need)
  
• Advil (didn't need)
  
• Extra copy of NCEES confirmation sheet
  
• Extra forms of identification
  

 

[Audi Driver P.E.]

For the Thermal Fluids exam:

Item I wish I had:

Air tables - I think there were more opportunities to use air tables on the exam than on the published NCEES exams. Hey-- it was fair game. I'm kicking myself for not having a set of air tables for the exam.
Cheat sheet on strength of materials / beam bending problems - I emphasized the afternoon topics in the weeks preceding the exam, and was a bit rusty on these topics. Having a cheat sheet / going through these problems again would've been a quick way to pick up a few easy points.

Items I had, but didn't use:

NCEES 2001 Practice Test -- I'm pretty sure one or two of the problems I referenced in the 2011 version were also in the 2001 version.
Thermo Text Book from College
Fluids Text Book from College

Didn't your thermo book have adequate air tables?  Mine did.

 

[JayhawkerME]

Probably so, but I didn't study with it. I answered all the questions, but spent more time on them than I'd have liked. Hindsight's 20/20.

 

[SpecAg08]

Now that the results are in, and I know that I passed (TFS), I feel a little more confident sharing what worked for me.

• MERM - Heavily tabbed. Pretty well knew where to find everything from months of study. Only looked up a handful of items in the index.
  
• Lindeburg Unit Conversion - My most used reference. More than the MERM. A huge time saver.
  
• Keenan and Keys Steam Tables (US) - Used often. Definitely preferred over MERM steam tables.
  
• Personal Binder - With hand notes, beam equations, SI Steam tables, and MERM index. Used sparingly, but I would suggest having good SI steam tables.
  

It was a little intimidating at test time seeing people dragging in rolling suitcases and 3-4 milk crates worth of stuff when I just had a small backpack, but I used all of my references and did not feel that I was lacking anything. Add in a calculator and a straight edge for psych charts, and that's really it.

 

[HeterosexusOfRome]

Now that the results are in, and I know that I passed (TFS), I feel a little more confident sharing what worked for me.

• MERM - Heavily tabbed. Pretty well knew where to find everything from months of study. Only looked up a handful of items in the index.
  
• Lindeburg Unit Conversion - My most used reference. More than the MERM. A huge time saver.
  
• Keenan and Keys Steam Tables (US) - Used often. Definitely preferred over MERM steam tables.
  
• Personal Binder - With hand notes, beam equations, SI Steam tables, and MERM index. Used sparingly, but I would suggest having good SI steam tables.
  

It was a little intimidating at test time seeing people dragging in rolling suitcases and 3-4 milk crates worth of stuff when I just had a small backpack, but I used all of my references and did not feel that I was lacking anything. Add in a calculator and a straight edge for psych charts, and that's really it.

What are the benefits of the Keenan and Keys Steam Tables over the MERM?

 

[Audi Driver P.E.]

What are the benefits of the Keenan and Keys Steam Tables over the MERM?

The MERM tables are just a summary that I can almost guarantee you will not have all the points you will want for working problems on the exam.  To be sure, one can use the MERM tables and do some extrapolation calculations, but why perform several calculations when you can just do a table look up?  If you want a very complete and free set (you just have to print them out) go here:



and scroll down to my post on that page.

 

[SoftSloth]

What are the benefits of the Keenan and Keys Steam Tables over the MERM?

 There is a very good tutorial on https://www.youtube.com/

 

[Viper5]

Is the MERM practice problem book permitted during the exam? I am in Fl if it matters.  Per the website, it just says it has to be a bound book or be contained within a binder.

 

[Audi Driver P.E.]

Is the MERM practice problem book permitted during the exam? I am in Fl if it matters.  Per the website, it just says it has to be a bound book or be contained within a binder.

Yes.

 

[Audi Driver P.E.]

 There is a very good tutorial on https://www.youtube.com/

Kinda casting a big net there, aren't ya?