Study Materials for ME PE Exam 1

[BigEGT]

I'm set to take the Mechanical PE in about a month. I've found two different study material resources: the NCEES study book and the series by Michael Lindeburg. I've gotten mixed reviews as to which is helpful and which is more helpful. To the point,

a) any comments on either of these materials?

b) any tips for studying or taking the exam?

Thanks, all.

 

[zdas04]

You might want to do a search. This is at least the 4th time this exact topic has been started and the lists of prefered reference materials has been discussed at length.

David

 

[bradpa77]

I suggest looking into taking a prep class. Chances are, there will be one somewhere in your area. It's priceless to have a structured plan laid out in front of you and a scheduled class each week to keep you on track. I went that route and it was well worth the cost. My company also reimbursed me the cost of the class after I passed. So, really it was free for me in the long run. Still, in retrospect, I would have definitely paid for the class myself if my company wouldn't have reimbursed me. It's worth it. We used the Lindeburg books for the class and they worked really good for me. Good luck.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Study both of them??

 

[MisterDonut]

Study the Lindeburg text for preparation, use the Lindeburg practice problems to guage how well you understand the material.
Use the NCEES sample test to guage your readiness - it is closer to the actual test.

 

[BigEGT]

David,

The search yields a few topics with only one specific to Mechanical. It's somewhat overspecific in the PM session as I'm not taking the HVAC exam. From what I have been able to find, it seems the consensus is that each material has it's own area of usefulness. These materials are costly so I'm not inclined to "just buy them all." However, I'm willing to do so if there is a tangible benefit. It looks like I'd be purchasing the NCEES study book, the Lindeburg reference manual and the Lindeburg practice text for the most effective use of my resources.

 

[zdas04]

Take a look at thread731-129725 thread731-211858 thread731-143838 thread731-191851.

There is more, but I got bored. My approach was to get Lindburg and build a 6 month schedule to work every problem in it. I kept up with the schedule. 3 weeks before the test I took the Lindberg sample test and spent the next week working on weak areas. Then I took the NCEES sample and did the same.

If you are just starting now for the April exam, you study schedule will have to be a bit shorter than mine was. The key piece of advice that helped me was in the Lindburg MERM introduction, start out be focusing on your strengths. His point was that if you're a Fluids guy then you are not going to become an expert in Machine Design in 6 months so start out by becoming the best fluids guy you can be.

For me the difference between passing and failing was time management both before and during the test. During each test session I checked progress every hour, if I was behind I skipped right then to where I was supposed to be (with clear marks in the book for the skipped questions). If I got to a milestone before the end of the hour I went back to skipped questions. I passed.

David

 

[ShaggyPE]

I would recommend going to this site:

http://www.engineerboards.com

Now to answer your question. The Lindburg MERM will be your primary reference. As far as sample questions, the NCEES sample test is more representative, but I recommend doing both the Lindburg sample problems as well as the NCEES sample probs. I would also recommend getting the 6 minute solutions for the specific afternoon section you are doing.

Like zdas04 mentioned, time management is critical. You will need to be able to quickly find necessary data in your references as well as not waste too much time on problems that you are unsure about. For the reference situation I recommend being very familiar with your books as well as using some sort of tabbing method as described here:

http://engineerboards.com/index.php?showtopic=3714

Good Luck.

-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional
Certified COSMOSWorks Designer Specialist
Certified SolidWorks Advanced Sheet Metal Specialist

 

[cry22]

For me, there was one more trick.
Read books from a third author for topics you have a hard time solving problems. The Kaplan books illuminated me in two topics that I was struggling with.
If you read a topic from various authors, one of them will put it into words that you will understand.