So here’s the deal…
I just found out I passed the FE Exam. In the beginning, when I started looking for material to study, checking forums, book reviews, asking coworkers, I got a mixture of different recommendations. So I promised myself, I’d write about my study habits, and what worked for me during the study process, in hopes it would help someone out there in the near future looking to wrap their head around this test.
Here’s what my process looked like:
1. I graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, so rightly so, I thought I should take the Mechanical FE Exam. After much research, I found that the general consensus was, the “Other Disciplines” was easier if you knew a little bit about each section of engineering. So, I took the “Other Disciplines” FE Exam instead. (This was a little sketchy for me shying away from a purely mechanical test).
2. I decided to put all my eggs in one basket and use only one book to study out of, which can be viewed here: Michael R. Lindeburg and I chose to purchase the NCEES Reference Guide, to get familiar with where the equations were in the book. Knowing where and how to use the equations are just as important than what material you study in my opinion.
3. The Lindeburg FE study book can be a bit, well overwhelming? It’s like 872ish pages long, packed with hundreds of sample questions and their solutions. This comes down to knowing yourself and what study style is beneficial to you.
There’s a section that tells you what to expect the day of the exam, what to bring, typical Q&A, which is definitely helpful. Past that, there’s a section that breaks down each test by discipline. I flipped to the “Other Disciplines” test and started studying discipline by discipline (statics, heat transfer, economics, etc.). But within each section, there are pretest problems with solutions, samples problems with solutions and FE Style problems and solutions. I heard a rumor that Lindeburg’s main sample problems were a bit lengthy and irrelevant for such a quick test (If you can’t solve the question in 1-3 lines of equations, then you’re probably doing it wrong). So I stuck to the FE Style questions, which are toward the very back of each section.
There are multiple sections in each chapter discipline. For example, statics will have smaller sections like trusses, reactions, bending moments, etc. Each of those sub sections has it’s own set of sample questions and FE style questions, so you can imagine this process might get a bit lengthy if you’re trying to take your test in a few months.
4. I studied for 4 months, had a set date in place to push me towards that goal. I studied on BART, at work during lunch breaks, about 8-10 hours a week, and then occasionally on weekends (honestly could have studied more).
5. I used the NCEES reference manual to help me solve the problems. Lindeburg actually has great material in each section that teaches you about the subject, but I found that his variables and equations were slightly different than the NCEES, and I wasn’t about to study something that confuses me even further. Stick to the NCEES handbook, tab it, underline it, scan it as much as possible.
6. The week before my test, I took the mock up test in the back of Lindeburg’s book (yes it even has a test with all of the solutions worked out for you and a provided scantron). The mock up test is 120 questions long and is pretty helpful. It took me a LONG time to finish, like literally 12 hours on a Sunday. But I was done, I graded it, it was bad, about 60%. I went through all the ones I missed and made sure I either understood what I did wrong, or I just accepted that I had no clue what they were talking about and moved on.
7. Day of the test. Bring a jacket (recommend zip up for easy take off during the test). They search all your pockets, your legs, belt area, and have a camera in each testing cubical, so don’t even think about cheating, it’s not worth it. Bring a couple snacks, I brought a salad for lunch to keep it light and not make me tired about the 25 minute break they give you. You can’t bring any water, coffee, chapstick, literally anything into the test room. You can get up whenever you want, but the time keeps rolling. You have 5.5 hours for both sections.
8. The morning section for me was rough. It was 54 questions long, and it seemed like I didn’t know a single question. My plan was to split the total time in half (2.25 hours first half, 2.25 hours second half of the test). I powered through the test, flagging the ones I could solve right away and coming back to guess on them later. I hit my timing goal right on the mark and submitted my morning session grades. Once you submit your morning section, you cant go back to it. I took about 15 minutes to eat a salad, get some water and hit the head. I felt like I needed to redeem myself for the first half, so I got back in there ASAP.
9. The second section was easier, more math, but more stuff I knew (56 problems). Statics, dynamics, thermo, econ, etc. Again, I flagged the ones I didn’t know and came back to them later. This allowed me to get on a streak of confidence, only solving problems I DID know. I finished with 3 minutes left….phew I was done. I forgot to mention, they give you a laminated flipbook and a dry erase pen to do your calculations with. You can’t erase anything in the book that you write, and you’re allowed two of these booklets (It was plenty, I only used one).
10. I walked out, not feeling very confident, but glad it was over. Took the test on a Saturday, found out Wednesday morning I had passed. You can check your MyNcees account to get quicker results (they don’t send out the email until 10am Wednesday Mornings) but it was posted to the site by 8am. If you pass, all you get is this little notification:
It’s a little anticlimactic, but as I checked it on my phone driving in morning traffic, I almost pulled the car over, ripped my pants off and ran down I-280. I was stoked, relieved that I had enough knowledge to pass a standardized test, and now on to the next chapter of life.
If you’re questioning taking the FE, definitely prepare. You may remember a ton from school, you may not (I was 4 months out of school), but it’s not really how much you know, it’s about how fast you can answer the questions correctly, and how you can manage your time with the ones you don’t know. 3 minutes a question is actually a decent amount of time, I did’t feel rushed at all, but I also didn’t stop to think too deeply about any one problem until I narrowed down which ones I would guess on. When making guesses, make an educated guess. If all else fails, rule out two answers you know won’t be the answer, now you have a 50/50 chance.
Prep, Prep, Prep and Good Luck!
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