1.0 Gather your Resources

The best thing you can begin with is gathering the three most important resources that will guide you in your studying. By cross referencing these three materials, you can gain the advantage on how and what you should be studying.

NCEES Exam Specifications: Free (Instant Download)

The NCEES Exam Specifications gives you an outline of topics to be tested. You should use the exam specifications to focus your studying. Do not deviate from any of the topics listed in the outline, as this will be a waste of your time. This outline will also give you an idea of how many questions will be tested on each topic and therefore which topics you should study more. Make sure you navigate to the Mechanical FE outline and not any of the other outlines.

NCEES FE Reference Handbook: Free (Instant Download)

The NCEES FE Reference Handbook is the only reference you will have during the exam. Download a free pdf version from your MyNCEES account. I cannot provide a direct link, you need to create an account with NCEES and then navigate to the FE reference handbook under Dashboard -> Useful Documents -> Reference Handbooks.. The NCEES FE Reference Handbook is about 250 pages of references and equations. This is the only resource you will be allowed to use on the test. It is to your benefit to understand how this handbook is formatted, where important tables and graphs are located, and how to actually use the equations in the handbook. Since this is the only resource that will be given to you, the solutions to the questions will most likely be in this book. Looking at it another way, the concepts that will be tested can be identified in this book. Therefore, you can narrow down the questions that could be tested by cross referencing the exam specifications with the equations in the handbook.

NCEES Practice Exam: $59 (requires shipping)

The NCEES Practice Exam is a full length practice exam will give you the best idea of what the actual exam questions will be like.

This exam is written by the test maker and will therefore be the most similar of all the practice exams out there. Do this exam to understand the level of difficulty of a typical problem and the language of the questions. Cross reference this practice test with the exam specifications to determine which areas you are weak in, not only in being able to find the solutions, but also in speed. Finally, see how the NCEES FE Reference Handbook is used in solving the problems.

By becoming familiar with these three resources, you should have a much greater understanding of the types of questions that will be asked on the exam. With that knowledge you will be able to concentrate your studying in a way that will optimize your chances of passing and reduce the amount of time you need to study.

Textbook & Full Exam: $40 (Instant Download)

The Textbook & Full Exam has more than 110+ practice problems and another Full Exam to test your skills. It also doubles as a prep-course in a book. The book teaches you all the skills and concepts you need to know to pass the Mechanical FE exam. The book contains easy to understand diagrams to explain topics. The topics are explained in detail, so even if you have been out of school for a long time or never covered one of the topics, you will still be able to learn the topics.

2.0 What is the exam like?

The total exam period is 6 hours. The actual time you have to answer 110 questions is 5 hours 20 minutes, with an optional 25 minute break between the halfway point. The halfway mark is based on the number of questions and not the time. Once you submit the first half of the questions you are unable to go back to them. Based on the number of questions and the available time, each question should average you 2.9 minutes. This means the questions can’t be too difficult, maybe one or two step solutions. Additional information on the exam format, policies, permitted items, and more information about the exam are available on the NCEES Examinee Guide. More background information on the exam can be found in this article.

Computer Based Test (CBT)

The exam is computer based, the NCEES FE Reference Handbook will be provided as a searchable pdf, and you will be given writing tools to work out your problems. There are two sessions, each contains about one half of the total problems. As you work within each session, you will be able to flag questions that you would like to return to. There is a countdown timer on the corner of the screen that displays your remaining time. You may submit the first session at any time, but you are responsible for making sure you have enough time for the second session. Review this Pearson VUE demo posted on the NCEES website to get a feel of how the exam will be displayed.

Interactive Demo of Computer Based Test: https://pearsonvue.com/demo/

Question Types

Most of the questions will be multiple choice (A thru D), but based on the NCEES Examinee Guide, there are four other possible question formats: multiple answers, select by clicking on a figure, graph, etc, drag and drop, and fill in the blank. See the video below produced by NCEES for an example of these type of questions.

Video Demo of Computer Based Test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9XzZbFSK-o

3.0 How much should I study?
--Total 115 hours
--Roughly 15 Hours a Week for 8 Weeks

This will depend on how fresh the material is for you. The best way to gauge this is to do the NCEES practice exam. If you’ve done well in your engineering courses and you just graduated from college, 8–16 hours of studying may be enough for you. This has been the case for some, but again, even if you feel confident, make sure you are still familiar with the NCEES FE Reference Handbook. If you need a refresher of the exam topics, which most people do even right out of college, 40–80 hours may be a more reasonable time. Remember that the questions are answerable in less than 3 minutes. If you understand the concepts and know how to apply the equations, you are in good shape. If it’s been a while or you know you struggled in some of the Mechanical courses during school, you may want to take a couple months to go through the material. A good average study time is 100 hours. In general, if you can answer 70–75% correct on the practice exam, that is a comfortable score. The exam itself is scaled based on the difficulty of the exam and there is no published passing score, but the general consensus is around 50–55%.

When studying, look at the topics and the number of problems that are tested on each topic. You should be able to breeze through some sections, like ethics, which only require some reading beforehand, and mathematics and economics, which will include basic problems. The first 6 sections can be reviewed fairly quickly. However, if you aren’t getting these types of problems or if the material in the handbook seems unfamiliar to you, make sure you figure out why. These are the easy questions that can bring your overall score up. The most focus you will likely need during your studying are the topics that have the greatest amount of questions and are also the more difficult sections: statics, dynamics, mechanics, material properties, fluids, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and mechanical design etc.

Part 1: Read Technical Study Guide & Complete Practice Problems (105 hours)

Feel free to adjust this schedule to match your specific needs. For example, if you are already confident in Thermodynamics, you could possibly just focus on completing the practice problems instead of reading the guide. This would cut your time down in that topic.

• 0.0 Introduction: Learn the basics of the Mechanical FE Exam, Develop a study plan, Gather resources. 1 hour
• 1.0 Mathematics (6 to 9 Questions): 3 hours
• 2.0 Probability & Statistics (4 to 6 Questions): 3 hours
• 3.0 Ethics & Professional Practice (4 to 6 Questions): 2 hours
• 4.0 Engineering Economics (4 to 6 Questions): 3 hours
• 5.0 Electricity & Magnetism (5 to 8 Questions): 3 hours
• 6.0 Statics: (9 to 14 Questions) 10 hours
• 7.0 Dynamics, Kinematics & Vibrations (10 to 15 Questions): 10 hours
• 8.0 Mechanics of Materials (9 to 14 Questions): 10 hours
• 9.0 Material Properties & Processing (8 to 12 Questions): 10 hours
• 10.0 Fluid Mechanics (7 to 11 Questions): 10 hours
• 11.0 Thermodynamics (10 to 15 Questions): 15 hours
• 12.0 Heat Transfer (7 to 11 Questions): 10 hours
• 13.0 Measurements, Instrumentation & Controls (5 to 8 Questions): 3 hours
• 14.0 Mechanical Design & Analysis (10 to 15 Questions): 10 hours

Part 2: Complete NCEES Practice Exam and Review (10 hours)

Once you have completed the technical study guide and all the practice problems, then you can test yourself with the NCEES practice exam. If you score in the 70%+ range then you should be ready to take the Mehcanical FE Exam. If not, please contact me and I can help you with your weak areas. Just respond in the comment section below or email me at contact@engproguides.com.

4.0 How can I increase my chances of passing?

Time is of the essence on the FE exam. You have an average of less than 3 minutes to solve each problem. Below are some useful tips.

Know how to use the NCEES Reference Handbook and where everything is located

The electronic, searchable function of the handbook will help you to find equations quickly on the test. See the video below for how the search function works during the actual exam.

The hardest part is knowing how to apply the equations, which is where your studying and understanding of concepts come into play. Because time is limited, being familiar with the handbook beforehand is essential.

Format: The first few sections cover topics that span all disciplines, beginning with common unit conversions and constants, ethics, mathematics, and statistics. The chapters then go into various subjects, such as chemistry, materials, statics, thermodynamics, etc. Finally, the last few chapters provide references specific to various engineering disciplines. It is important to know that some equations or tables may be located within other disciplines, such as civil, chemical, electrical, and industrial. Before studying, go through the entire handbook. Realize that the table of contents and the index will not be provided to you during the test, only the search function. Before taking the actual test, read through the entire ethics section. It will be more difficult to do a search for these types of questions and will be time consuming to read through this section during the test.

Equations: The equations are provided in a generic format, which excludes any units or conversion factors. This is not as much of a problem for questions given in metric units, which, based on the practice exam, a lot of the test will use. However, for English units, this can complicate things. To overcome this, be sure you write out all your units and that they cancel out to the unit of your final solution. You must also be aware of when different equations apply to different conditions or variables. For example, a standard deviation equation in probability and statistics is available for a population and for a sample. You must understand that population means all test subjects or objects are included in the standard deviation, while a sample is just a portion of the entire population.

Practice: When doing practice problems, be sure to only use the NCEES FE Reference Handbook. This is the best way to become more familiar with where everything is and understanding the variables in the equations. As you practice, learn what key words in the search function works best for the equations you are looking for.

Tricks to Answering Questions

Below are some tips on the exam questions to prevent you from getting tricked into the wrong answer.

Don't Fall for Unnecessary Information Trap

Unnecessary Information: The question maker may throw in irrelevant information to test how well you understand the concepts. Read the question carefully to prevent from being misled.

Don't Fall for Deceiving Answers

Deceiving Answers: The multiple choice options will many times include answers derived from possible common errors, like forgetting to convert inches to feet or missing a constant in an equation. Even though you get an answer that is listed as one of the choices, it is still a good idea to check your answers, time permitting. Again, always check your units.

Memorize Typical Conversions/Factors

Again, speed is of greatest importance, so the less you need to look things up, the better. Here are some key conversions you should know, either by memory or being able to use your calculator efficiently to perform.

Density of Water, 𝜌 = 1000 kg/cu³ = 62.4 lbf/cu.ft³ = 8.34 lbf/gal.

Specific Gravity of Water, 𝛾 = 1

R = F + 460

K = C + 273

1 psia = psig + 14.7

1 bar = 100,000 Pa

Gravity, g = 9.81 m/s² = 32.2 ft/s²

Force Unit Conversion Factor gc = 32.2 lbm-ft/lbf-s2 **Knowing how to use this conversion factor is very important in English units. Make sure you know how to convert lbm to lbf to slugs.**

Memorize Basic Equations

Some equations are so commonly used that you will automatically remember them. Below are a few equations that you should already be familiar with.

F = ma (Force)

F = k𝛥x (Spring Force)

M = r x F (Moment)

x(t) = xₒ + vₒt + ½aₒt² (Particle Position)

W = Fd (Work)

KE = ½ mv² (Kinetic Energy, Particle)

PE = mgh (Potential Energy, gravity)

𝜎 = P/A (Stress, Axial)

𝜀 = 𝛥L/Lₒ (Strain)

𝜏 = Tr/J (Torsion)

Re = 𝜌vD/𝜇 (Reynolds’ Number)

P=𝜌gh (Fluid Pressure, from height)

P₁/𝜌+z₁g+v₁²/2 = P₂/𝜌+z₂g+v₂²/2+hf (Bernoulli’s Equation)

Know Where to Find Important Tables and Graphs

You should know where the commonly used graphs and tables are in the NCEES FE Reference Handbook. You should also be aware of the format, including the units and variables that are used in these tables. For example, in the English units section of the water properties table, density is given in terms of lbf-sec²/ft⁴ and not lbm/ft³. Below is a list of important Mechanical tables you should be aware of and the section that they can be found in.

Trigonomic Identities and Geometric Areas and Volumes—Mathematics

Derivatives and Integrals—Mathematics

Distribution Tables—Probability & Statistics

Area Moment of Inertia & Centroid—Statics

Mass Moment of Inertia & Centroid—Dynamics

Properties of Metals—Material Science

Modulus of Elasticity—Material Properties

Metal Densities—Material Properties

Coefficient of Thermal Expansion—Material Properties

Beam Deflection—Mechanics of Materials

Steam Tables—Thermodynamics

Specific Heat Capacities (Cp and Cv)—Thermodynamics

Thermodynamic Cycles—Thermodynamics

Psychrometric Chart—Thermodynamics

Water Properties—Fluid Mechanics

Moody Diagram/Roughness Coefficients — Fluid Mechanics

Drag Coefficients—Fluid Mechanics

MACRS Factors—Economics

Interest Rate Tables—Economics

Hazen-Williams Coefficients—Civil Engineering

Beam Analysis (additional)—Civil Engineering

Buckling K Value—Civil Engineering

Flow Chart Definition—Electrical and Computer Engineering

Mechanical Cycles and other applications — Mechanical Engineering

Draw out the Problem

One method for minimizing careless errors is drawing out the problem.

Free Body Diagrams—Create free body diagrams to equate forces in various directions for statics and dynamics problems.

Draw out free body diagrams

Cash Flow Diagrams—For economics problems draw out the cash flow to visualize what year will encounter costs and gains.

Draw out cash flow diagrams

Dimensional Analysis— se dimensional analysis to ensure all factors are accounted for. Prevent careless unit errors by writing out all units and cancelling them out until your final units are reached.

Write out all your units

Be Faster with your Calculator

Even though higher tech graphing calculators are not allowed on the exam, the calculators that are accepted are still fairly powerful. Of the calculators that are listed on the NCEES website, the TI-36X Pro and the Casio FX-991EX ClassWiz are favored. The TI-36X Pro has a good interface and able to store previous equations when shut off and turned back on again. The Casio FX-991EX ClassWiz has a fast processor. Both calculators can do matrices, determinants, integrals, polar/rectangular calculations without conversions, unit conversions, and more. You should know how to use these functions to improve your speed and accuracy. These calculators will also serve you well when taking the PE exam.

A backup calculator can be left in your locker and if all else fails, there is a calculator available on the computer.