PE Exam Materials - Codes & Standards 1

[Sloan Bayle]

I;m beginning my studies for the PE Mechanical - Machine Design and Materials - Exam, and finding that some industrial codes may be useful or necessary. I may need ASME Y14.5, OSHA CFR29 and maybe some other codes.

I am looking for suggestions here. Are the purchase and knowledge of these codes necessary? Please explain your experience or thoughts on this. I don't mind studying and knowing any more codes, so long as it is necessary, but I really don;t want to pay $1,000 for codes that I need only to take a test. Any employer would purchase if ever needed for work. and we may have some of these codes some where deep in the files at work. I suppose if it is needed for the exam, then I will try to locate at my work.

 

[MFJewell]

The only two reference books I used were the MERM and my Thermodynamics book (for TFS exam). Another guy a know only used MERM, Machinery Handbook, and a machine design book (for MM exam). We both passed first try. I don't think you will see many (if any) direct code related questions, and if you do, you either know it or you don't. I think you are more likely to be given part of a section of a code statement, and then you have to interpret it, so it is actually a reading comprehension problem.

 

[JStephen]

It's been long ago, and they've changed the tests up-
But when I took it, I was able to get NCEES's "Sample Questions" booklet, and that pretty much told the story.

 

[Sloan Bayle]

That’s what I expected. I have about 5 textbooks that I plan to restudy and bring, as well as my own notes and formula sheets. I’ll just familiarize myself with the contents of these codes.

Thank you all for your replies!

 

[chicopee]

Unless things have changed from the time I took the exams about 40 years ago, you will not need codes and standards. I personally brought ME and Chem eng. hdbks, a calculator, a slide rule as a back up and lots of pencils.

 

[zdas04]

MERM is absolutely crucial. My copy has stick-on tabs at the beginning of every chapter and the index. I nearly wore the tabs out studying. I did the same thing with Marks, Cameron, and Crane's TP-410 (I did fluids like MFJewell did). I was looking something up in Marks just yesterday and found the stick on tabs to still be useful 23 years later.

Work every single problem in MERM. Then work them again. Then take their practice exam. Don't purchase code and standards until you need them for paying work.

[bold]David Simpson, PE[/bold]
MuleShoe Engineering

In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist

 

[MFJewell]

I found the MERM problems to be much more in depth than the NCEES questions. I honestly didn't work a single problem from the MERM (I did have a practice exam from the same author and did a few of those, which are the same as the MERM format). I had three versions of NCEES TFS practice exams and used those as a test question bank. Each day I would do 10 or 20 problems. The weekend before the exam, I was averaging under 2 hours for 40 questions. When I took the actual exam, I finished the morning session in about 2:45 and afternoon in just under 2 hours. Texas is the only state that gives scores out, and I got a 92, so I think my method worked pretty well.

 

[SandCounter]

I agree with MFJewell's comment regarding code interpretation. According to this exam specification from 2017, codes and standards are only about 2.5% of the exam. With 80 problems, that's only 2 questions. They will have to be broad/top level.



I used to count sand. Now I don't count at all.

 

[drawoh]

Sloan Bayle,

ASME Y14.5 is Dimensioning and Tolerancing. If you intend to do mechanical design, this is an excellent book to have in your library. I don't know if it affects your PE exam.

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JHG