Hi everyone, I recently passed my Mechanical PE Exam for Machine Design and Materials, and I wanted to share my study and exam experience for what I had done.

For starters, this is what I did; I recommend finding the best process based on how much you know, how much time you have, and whatever you feel most conformable with. There’s a handful of other places for information (forums, social medias, etc.) which I recommend looking at if you need more information. You can also chat with friends or co-workers who passed their PE or took the exam for information; I had a few meetings with a few of mine and that helped a lot.

Study Course

For the most part, I used PPI’s self study course (3 months). I had previously used their practice problem book (PPI FE Mechanical Practice Problems – Comprehensive Practice for the FE Mechanical Exam (1591264421)) when I was studying for the FE Mechanical exam a little over 2 years ago and I felt comfortable with their stuff. With the self study course, I tried to do around 12-hrs per week, spending the first 4-6 weeks reviewing content/sections, and for the remaining 6 weeks or so until I took the exam, I did tons of practice problems. During the time, I went through the suggest sections to review and study, and I went through all of their practice problems. I also purchased the MERM (Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual) and practice problem book for reviewing stuff at work or while I was out, I also planned on using them outside the exam/at work. (I like physical books too)

I found the course useful however it was literally a page by page review of their reference manual and practice problem book. I felt the schedule tool was useful to see where I was, how much I reviewed and a good utility to see when I wanted to schedule the two PPI practice exams (I did one at like week 4 and another at week 7 or so) as well as the final NCEES practice exam. I planned on doing the first one mid-review, the second after reviewing the sections and the NCEES practice exam last.

I also found the diagnostic quizzes useful to see where I was but some questions were from later sections. Its a tiny bit hard to see how well I was doing when I hadn’t reviewed it.

One issue I did have with PPI was that the book is for 3 Mechanical exams; HVAC, Machine Design and Materials, and Thermal and Fluid Systems. The course outlined which sections would be on each exam however it didn’t filter the sections for the exam that you were taking (so you were given the full content regardless if you only needed 1 or 2 sections). In addition, the practice problems didn’t show the ones you needed to review for it or not so like the sections, you had 20 questions sometimes but only knew the information for 3. I also felt a few chapters should’ve been included within the schedule and course. I also disliked how it would give you a handful of 3-hr courses in a single week where those would more than likely take you a 2 or so days to complete.

• PPI also have the online and asynchronous class options but I didn’t want to wait or pay for the class and heard a lot of mixed feeling for the asynchronous course. I also was not a fan of asynchronous classes in university during COVID; for GEs it was ok, but not actual engineering classes. And I would also have to change my schedule a lot to accommodate it. It could be useful but I was ok with the self study stuff.

Additional Study Materials

I had previously made a post on Reddit, Resource Question Post , for others inputs and what people used to study and prepare for the exam. The items below are the items that I purchased outside the PPI self study course.

• Mechanical PE Exam Review: Machine Design and Materials: Mechanical Engineering PE Exam Prep (1545055890) – $30
  • I saw many good reviews for this book and it was a good tool to review and see everything.
• Shigley’s (Mechanical Engineering Design) (1260569993) – 11th – $150
  • I purchased Shigley’s during school a few years back and kept the book (obviously) and felt it was useful to review a few sections and get a better understanding on what the NCEES reference manual was calling out.
• Mechanics of Materials (0073398233) – 7th – $30
  • Like Shigley’s, I purchased this during school and used it for a tiny bit for review beam deflection, composite structures, etc..
• PPI’s Practice Problem and Reference Manual Physical Books (1591266653 and 1591266637 respectively) – 14th – $130
  • I wanted the physical copy of the books for review and to use outside of the exam. I have the 13th edition and wanted something more up-to-date. I also got this since it was discounted from the course and costed a lot less than if I got it on Amazon.
  • The practice problem book was useful to review answers before I marked the answer on the Kaplin site, and verify how to get the answers and if there was a faster way. The practice problems help get an idea on what will be on it but are not accurate to the exam or how the questions are formatted. Its helpful but take some practice problems like a grain of salt; some questions are useful and others may not. Unlike the FE practice problems, do not answer or review everything in the book; this covers three exams.
• Books I used from School
  • I had previously purchased the majority of books that I had in school (I like books) and a few were useful to help me review sections. Besides the ones above, I used Engineering Mechanics: Statics (0133918920) – 14th – $75, Engineering Mechanics: Dynamics (0136077919) – 12th – $22, and Visualization, Modeling, and Graphics for Engineering Design (1285172957) – 2nd – $25.
  • I was also suggested the Machinery’s Handbook, I wish I got it and used it for review but I didn’t. However, it is on my wish list still.
• I also found the posts below very helpful and useful and recommend everyone to read them.
  • itsryanhogan’s Post
  • mmottola12’s Post
  • TheLoneWanderer365’s Post
• I considered using Engineering Pro Guides as a tool but did not, if I needed more content to review, I would’ve purchased it.
  • Engineering Pro Guides MDM Tools
• Also, make sure review what you need to study on the NCEES site
  • NCEES PE Exam Information

Practice Exams

During my review, I took 3 practice exams; 2 from PPI and the NCEES practice exam. I found the PPI ones useful to improve my endurance (an 8-hr exam is very long and drains all your energy as we all know and it’s hard to pay attention for that period), help improve time management and get a rough idea on what may be given. The exams were helpful but it did include a lot of content that wasn’t on the exam. If you get a book or something, I recommend making sure it is up-to-date with current CBT standards and to read reviews from the site (and from other sites too). I also recommend using the calculator that you plan on using on the actual exam; know how to use it and where everything is. I used the same calculator as my FE and what I’ve used for a very long time…I trust it (it’s a TI-30XIIS).

• There are other practice exams out there like PE Study Exam: Mechanical Engineering: Machine Design and Materials (1798065916), etc. but I just used the ones from PPI and NCEES.

For myself in the first practice exam, I focused on completing the exam within the 8-hr period and answering all the questions to my best ability. (I didn’t finish reviewing all the sections and still had a lot to review). At the end, I got a 60% and personally, I was happy; it’s the longest test that I’ve taken and it was a while since I had an exam. There will be questions and content that you do not know and that’s perfectly fine; you can always review it, see what you did wrong, and how to do it.

• For the first exam, I did use google a few times just to verify definitions or that I plugged everything in correctly. There were also a few questions that were about codes or rules which I did not know or have used.

For the second practice exam, I aimed on getting a higher score, focusing looking at the content in more detail, don’t rush problems and making sure I understood everything that I was answering. I finish the exam around 45 minutes early and got a 65%. I felt better but I wish I got a higher score. I know I overlook important information so I wanted to make sure I was reading everything fully and knew what I was trying to solve.

For the third practice exam, I took the NCEES practice exam (I took the exam a little over a week before my exam and I recommend not taking it the weekend before). Obviously, this exam was the most accurate to the actual exam however, make sure to check the NCEES site for practice exam errors NCEES Exam Prep Errata; there is a document for the exam which covers any errors and I recommend checking that first since it will mess up your results and what you were answering. One example, a question’s answer were in rad/s (radians per second), the equation simplified to rad/s, but it asked for RPM (rotations per minute) (yes, you can convert to RPM from rad/s (x 2pi/60)) but the answers were set for the rad/s answer, not RPM.

Back for the practice exam, I felt the most comfortable with it and got a 75% on it. I think the target is to get a 70-75%+ on it where you should be good. Like the second practice exam, I got done 30 minutes early. This should hopefully be the last practice exam that you take and something you should try your hardest on.

Day Before Exam Day

Before the exam, plan out your trip, see how long it will take you to arrive and try to get there 30 minutes early. I wrote a document for it that outlined my itinerary, how I would get there, departure times (I took the train) and an alternative route too.

If you have PTO (paid time off), I was recommended taking the day before the exam off too just to only worry about the exam and relax.

In addition, make sure you are prepared; have your calculator ready, have a spare if possible, get sleep, etc. and make sure you read the Examinee Guide.

Exam Day

Take a deep breath, you got this. I woke up early, had a good breakfast and got to the testing center early. I recommend getting the first half done in ~3.5-hrs (210 minutes) leaving yourself more time for the second half which may consist of more complex questions that you were preparing for.

• One thing you have to remember for the exam itself is that you have 80 questions to answer in a 8 hour period bringing it to 6 minutes per question. Section 1 may have between 35-55 questions and section 2 will have 55-35 sections (depending how many the first half had). Account for that and take your time.
• Don’t rush either, aim to take less than 6 minutes per question on average but do not rush. Rushing will only make you overlook key information and decrease your chances on passing.

What I did was go through question by question and see what I knew and did not; if it had a lot of text or looked a bit complicated, I skipped it and moved onto the next one. If I tried it and didn’t feel good with the answer, I marked it so when I reviewed everything, I had questions that I were happy with (answered, not marked), questions I didn’t try (not marked, not answered) and questions that I attempted and wanted to check (answered and marked). Then I went through reviewing the ones that weren’t answered or were marked until I didn’t have any marked or unanswered questions. Also, before I submitted the first half, I did scroll through everything and double check my work; I gave myself 20-30 minutes to do that.

At lunch/after finishing the first half, they said if I had anything to review (notes, books, etc.), I could do that but I think that would only overwhelm myself because I would only be thinking of what I got wrong on the first half and not look at the second half.

• No offense, but if you do not know it by now, you will not be able to by the time you start the second half. For myself, I was in testing mode and that’s all I wanted to think of, I didn’t want to go on my phone, distract myself or do anything to make my self more stress.

For the second half, it was ok. There were a few questions which I felt having more experience would be useful and I felt the study guide (both NCEES and PPI) could go more in depth on. I finished the exam with 2 minutes left. And before anyone asks, yes a few questions haunted me and I had no clue where they came from.

• Since this and other PE exams are based on your work experience, there may be questions which are very direct to it. For example, I had a welding question and unless you have studied and used those welds before in a drawing, there wasn’t a clear way of knowing what it was (annotation). Some questions are very specific where the reference guide does not contain it.

After the exam while I was heading home, all I was thinking about was a few questions that lost me and I tried to keep it together (Hail Mary’s help a lot). But what’s done is done and that’s what made me happy and regardless what happened, my co-workers would be happy to hear it.

Results

NCEES says it you will get your results around 7-10 days after you take the exam. From my co-workers experience, my FE and PE results (the one I was waiting on), came the day after a week of the exam (I took the test on a Tuesday, results came the following Wednesday but it may be different for you and your exam).

• What I recommend doing is not what I did and that is constantly checking your NCEES dashboard and seeing if they are in; I overwhelmed myself and lost sleep on that. Take a deep breath and what’s done is done, you cannot change or go back on it and the moment you submit it, its done.

On the other hand, I got my results at like 5:39 in the morning and that was a sigh of relief. I was very happy and look forward to telling my co-workers next week. And yes, I passed.

My Advise

• Take your time and find what works best for you.
  • What I did worked for me but from what I read/was suggested on reddit and on other forums, I did not feel conformable with. Go read forums, other posts, ask your co-workers and see what they did and weigh in your options; heck see if your job will help pay for a course (good for your PA or for career advancement).
• Schedule your exam early (~3 months in advance) and use that date as your study target.
  • If possible, schedule your exam early. It will help allow you to choose the preferred testing center and give you a target on when you should be ready to take it. I scheduled mines around 3 months early and that gave me enough time to review and study everything. I also found it useful where I know I needed to be ready by that time.
  • Also, while studying, make sure you know your capabilities. If you take too long to study (a year for example), it may be hard to remember content where something you learned is forgotten. By the end of the 3 months, I was a bit burned out and did not want to do it any longer.
• Keep studying and trying
  • I studied for ~8-12 hours per week for a little under 3 months. I tried my hardest to review content and spent around 120+ hours reviewing. Do not rush yourself or force it on yourself that you have to do it.
  • I did tons of practice problems and got a handful of 1/5 or 4/10s etc. and I saw what I did wrong and tried them again on a later date and got more correct.
  • Also, don’t worry about wasting paper. Use as many notebooks for notes, practice, etc.. For the PE, I used over 2 notebooks for notes and review, and another 2 full notebooks for practice problems.
• Practice using the stuff you use during the exam
  • Use the NCEES reference manual and the approved calculator. Make sure everything you are doing is per their stuff so you know where to find it more easily and not waste time. (I didn’t do this) but one of my co-workers bought the pen and notebook that they use on the exam itself so she can train herself with it.
  • It’s important to use only what you need and not more so you can know how to properly overcome a problem and answer it with the stuff that you have; if you give yourself extra resources (books, internet, etc.) you may rely on it too much. However, if its a practice problem, see what you can do first without extra help, then use it.
• If you have to delay it (the exam), then delay it
  • It’s important that you are ready for the exam. I understand that many exams are offered once per year and you should aim to prepare yourself for it. On the other hand, your time is important and you shouldn’t waste your time or money doing this again and again. You can be ready in 1 week or in 1 year.
• Review
  • If you get something wrong, review and see how to do it correctly, this also goes for problems that you got right, see what you did is correct or if you were lucky.
• Talk to people
  • Ask for help, see what others have to say and ask others what they did. I hope (like myself), people would be more than happy to share their experience as they would like to see you succeed.
  • I had a few meetings with some of my co-workers and asked them what they used/did and if they had any recommendations, things they wish they did or did not do, etc..

Final Remarks

I, myself, took the exam since I had the time to do it and it was a highly recommended by colleagues and professors while I was in school, and when I first learned about it, I wanted to pass it. Outside of work, I didn’t really have anything else to do so I was able to dedicate a lot of time studying for the PE. I am still waiting to finish up the experience requirement for the license (In my state, I can take the exam whenever as long as I passed my FE) so if I failed, I would’ve planned on taking it again in the spring.

Talk to your friends, family, co-workers and collogues. I found having their support helped a lot. Whether it was having questions about it, their experience, time off, etc.. Having people say “You got this” made me smile and by the end, I was burned out and that made all the worthwhile.

You got this.

Ever since I started my journey in engineering, my dedication to work and motivation to learn have led me to exceptional projects and experiences. I am currently a junior studying for a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a Minor in Manufacturing at California State University, Chico. I have a strong passion for 3D modeling, designing, building, and anything with mechanical systems, and I would like to get involved in the manufacturing, prototyping, and mechanical design of structures and system components.

Automated Gas Pressure Controller Test Stand

During my senior year as a Mechanical Engineering student, we test our knowledge and ability to solve an engineering problem form a sponsor in a form of a Capstone project. For my senior project, I was placed in a team of mechanical and mechatronic engineers to design, build and document a automated test stand for the Gas Pressure Controller, a component of the National Ignition Facility located at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

For the project, a range of requirements were created to verify the testing ability of the Test Stand and what operations of the Gas Chassis unit need to be verified. The Test Stand needs to inspect the GPC’s internal relays, pressure components and the operations from them. At the same time, the Test Stand should be portable and withstand the pressure levels from the facility. A National Instruments compact-DAQ was used to both read and write data to control the GPC and to simulate a shot, replicating operating conditions.
My role of the capstone project was the Project Manager and lead designer. As the group’s project manager, I was in charge of tracking project progress and creating dates and deadlines. In the fall semester, I designed the project using SolidWorks and selected components for the NI c-DAQ system. The design feature a movable arm for the HMI to allow for easy adjustment and a pop-up side table which allows for an expanded work surface. The Gas Chassis can be inserted into the Test Stand and be secured with a pair of toggle clamps.

To control the Gas Chassis, I designed the GUI using LabVIEW to create a user friendly control system which allows the operator to test the Gas Pressure Controller and to perform manual and automated testing procedures. At the end of the spring semester, the project was presented at the campus and the project was presented with the MMEM’s Outstanding Capstone Award for being the best project for the semester. By the end of the Capstone program, I put around 1000 hours into the project.

Build Antioch Internship 2022

During the summer of 2022, I was employed with the City of Antioch with the Build Antioch Internship. For the summer’s design project, we were assigned to redesign and think of ideas to remake the Rivertown Resource Center on 10^th street. The current state of the structure at the time was a dilapidated building which used to be an old police station and jail. Afterwards, it was used for a few city departments but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, not much have been done with it. My role for the internship was to be part of the space planning team to remake and improve the floorplan of the structure to where it can be used and accessed by the community.

Some of the design criteria for the project were workspaces and offices for a few of the city’s resource departments including conference areas for both private and public use. Additional spaces were needed to allow younger individuals to either hangout, have computer or book access for schoolwork, or to watch children from families who are using the resource center. The floorplan I made incorporated a multipurpose room which can be divided into a few sections so people can use it for sporting events, get-togethers or other community activities. To make the building more environmentally friendly, parts of the inside included large window access for more natural light and green walls to cool the building and be more visually appealing. On the second story of the structure, a patio can be added to wrap around the building and to have benches, gardens or other greenery. Lastly, the building design was split into two sections, the first story would be used for public and private use for children and adults while all business-related content such as offices or other resources would be located on the second story. During the internship, I used SolidWorks and Miro.

Build Antioch Internship 2021

Over the summer of 2021, I took part in an internship with the city of Antioch and Architectural Foundation San Francisco. There we worked together as a studio to learn skills such as architectural design, project planning, and time management as well as make ideas and plans on how we could redesign the downtown of our city. For the internship, there were four groups—residential, historical, commercial, and recreational. I was involved with the recreational group and my task was to help plan for the addition or renovation of the parks and other recreational areas downtown. The area I chose to renovate was the memorial for the birthplace of the town, a spot to commemorate the founding of Antioch and the city’s importance to the Bay Area. Where it sits right now, it is a plaque at the end of the street and nothing more. My idea to accentuate the memorial was to utilize the surrounding lots to transform it into a park where people can visit, relax and learn more about the city’s history. Such an expansion could bring awareness to this memorial and inform people on Antioch’s historical significance, including its involvement in the Gold Rush.

For my design, I went with a 2-level floor plan, since the road and the neighboring plot were at different levels. The upper area could be used for parking with an adjoined field with trees where people can walk around, relax, or do other activities. There will also be other plants and trees on it.  For the lower area, there could be a pergola with a table and bench for people to sit. For other parts of the design, there will be an ADA ramp and a staircase to connect the 2 levels as well as paths connecting them to the parking lots. Lastly, the road does not get cut off on the bottom due to there being a gate to a store, and changing it would not allow them to use or access it anymore. The plan is to add an accessible spot where the community can visit without affecting any neighboring stores and companies. The design seen above was made on SolidWorks.

Coffee Grinder – Machine Design

In my junior year of college, I took a mechanical engineering design course where we were taught on how to do calculations for stress, shafts, bearings, gears and other mechanical-based components. During the end of the semester, we were tasked to build a coffee grinder which utilized a pair of bevel gears. Preliminary analysis was done to the shafts to determine the shaft diameter in order to get the best life expectancy and not fail during everyday use.

I designed the grinder with a few design aspects in mind. One of which was to allow the grinder to be adjustable so the user can choose a grain size which tasted the best. However, an unconventional method of adjustment was used compared to ones which you can purchase; such that the grinder adjusted in the frame, not the burr on the shaft. This allowed the shaft to be easier to manufacture and be less likely to fail.

Along this, the other parts had to be designed and built. Most of the parts were done by hand with an exception to a few which were done on the CNC; since it was a lot cleaner and had the proper tooling to archive it. Unlike the other groups, we added a small scoop which can be used to insert the coffee and not have it overfill when grinding. Since this is a food related item, all metal components which were machined were made out of aluminum to prevent corrosion or rust. The wood used for the project are maple and walnut. In addition to the few parts which were done on the CNC, decals were laser engraved onto it.

In SolidWorks, a simulation was how the grinder would react when it jammed while in use. With overestimated values, this was tested and compared to the hand calculations during the shaft design phase of the project to see how close the deflections and stresses were. After the project was completed and assembled, FEA was used to confirm the stresses and values which were done in the original calculations. A wide range of power tools and machinery were used to construct and build this device, and it took over 50 hours to construct.

Coffee Grinder

Manual Transmission – Graphic Design II

During the spring 2020 semester, I took a graphics design course where we continued using SolidWorks, and expanded our knowledge on GD&T and mechanical design. During this class, I was able to take the CSWP for the professional certification for mechanical design on SolidWorks. The final project was to design a moving mechanism and create a short animation on SolidWorks. For my project, I chose to make a working 3-speed manual transmission. In the minute-long animation, I showed the transmission shifting though each gear. Furthermore, there were other working subassemblies including the clutch. The transmission was designed such that it can be recreated and assembled in real life. The animation required trial and error to correctly time the retro-style shifting mechanism to lock everything together unlike modern manual transmissions. In the animation, the input remains at a constant speed while shifting, cycling from 1^st to 3^rd gear and back. The project took around four weeks to complete.

Mech 200 Final Project

SRBX Shed Competition

In high school, I took a Woodshop class, where we learned tool safety and project design, as well earn our OSHA 10 Certification. During my senior year, my school participated in the Sacramento Regional Builders Exchange (SRBX) shed building competition in which we were given two days to construct a shed; however, a lot more work was required prior to the build days. My roles for the project were the designer and the project leader.

First we designed the shed and had our plans approved by the host. I designed the shed on Autodesk Inventor and submitted preliminary drafts in January 2019. I then revised and resubmitted the plans in March. Meanwhile, I assigned my teammates their duties and timelines for their respective parts and subassemblies. On the first build day, we constructed the base and walls, as well as installed the door, window and siding. This allowed us to safely store tools and supplies for the following day. On the second build day, we only had to build the roof to finish the project. This was the first time my school participated in the competition.

SRBX Shed Building Compeition

Information

Education

California State University, Chico, Chico, CA
Bachelors of Science Mechanical Engineering
Minor in Manufacturing in Material Processing

• Graduated: May 2023
• Current GPA: 3.44

Skills

• Design and Manufacturing: Autodesk Inventor, Drafting, Machining, SolidWorks, TinkerCAD, Welding, Woodworking
• Programming Languages: LabVIEW, MATLAB, MS Excel, Python

Certifications

• Sigma Six White Belt – 2023
• Engineer in Training (Mechanical) – 2022
• Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional in Mechanical Design – 2020
• OSHA 10 Training – 2019

Relevant Coursework

• Completed: Applied Advanced Manufacturing, Control Systems, Differential Equations, Dynamics, Energy Systems, Finite Element Analysis, Fluid Mechanics, Graphics Design, Heat Transfer, Measurements and Instruments, Mechanical Engineering Design, Multivariable Calculus, Statics, Strengths of Materials, Sustainable Plastics and Composites, Thermodynamics

Work Experience:

• Build Antioch Internship | July 2022 – August 2022 | City of Antioch

For the internship, we were tasked to help bring up ideas and redesign the Rivertown Resource center. My role for the project was to be part of the space planning team where I made floorplans and other building revisions to make space for departments, conference rooms and other recreational activities or events. My idea included separating the work-related rooms and the recreational spaces with an addition of a second story with green roof.

• Build Antioch Internship | July 2021 – August 2021 | City of Antioch

My role in this internship was to help redesign the downtown for the city of Antioch. I worked with the recreational team on the Birthplace of Antioch. Our idea was for the city to expand the memorial by adding more parking, tables, benches, and more greenery. Which will allow the area to be more accessible and encourage more visitors learn more about the city’s history. I used SolidWorks to design the project and my group used Miro to communicate without ideas.

• 3D Printer Technician | June 2017 – June 2019 | Antioch High School

I maintained the 3D printers at my high school by troubleshooting technical issues and problems with them. In addition, I used the 3D printers and CAD software to design and print projects for students and teachers. Notably, I designed awards for students at the end of the school year and gifts for teachers for the holidays.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-frise/