A 30-Day Plan to Prepare for the
Mechanical Engineering Thermal & Fluid Systems PE Exam
Click HERE for more Mechanical Engineering Thermal PE Crunch Time Resources
Checklist:
- Graduated from an ABET accredited engineering program … check
- Passed the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam … check
- Worked under the supervision of a licensed professional engineer for at least 4 years … check
- Applied for and received approval from your state’s engineering board to sit for the examination … check
- Registered with NCEES to take the Mechanical Engineering PE Exam … check
- Studied and prepared diligently for the past 2 to 3 months … oops!
Items 1 thru 5 were relatively easy.
You went to college, got your engineering degree, and passed the FE Exam in your senior year.
You then took an engineer-in-training position and put in your 4 years learning to be a practicing engineer.
Your supervisors and co-workers then began encouraging you to pursue professional licensing.
So you filled out the paperwork, contacted to your local board, and got approved for the exam.
You applied to NCEES, paid the fees, and have a reserved spot on exam day.
But then something happened.
Life. Work. Stuff.
No matter how hard you tried; no matter how dedicated you meant to be; you just haven’t been able to prepare.
And the exam is in little over a month.
Panic.
But there’s still time if you’re willing to put in the effort and commit to giving it your best effort.
- This plan is aggressive.
- You won’t have much of a life outside of work for the next month but that’s a small price to pay to prepare for the exam.
- You will have to work hard.
If this is your situation and you’re ready to make this happen, let’s get started …
Each day is listed below with specific topic(s) to study.
Each topic will require:
- Research
- Resource gathering
- Problem solving
- Organization into your Test-Prep Resource Library©
Some of the topics are hot-links to:
- useful information (i.e. Research and Resource gathering)
- sample or practice problems (i.e. Problem solving)
I highly encourage you to print what you find (information, examples, charts, sample problems, etc.) and organize into binders for easy retrieval on exam-day.
It’s Mechanical Engineering Thermal PE Crunch Time
I. PRINCIPLES
Basic Engineering Practice
Day 1
Day 2
Fluid Mechanics
Day 3
Day 4
- Compressible Flow
- Mach Number
- Nozzles
- Diffusers
- Incompressible Flow
- Friction Factor
- Reynold’s Number
- Lift
- Drag
Heat Transfer Principles
Days 5 & 6
- Heat Transfer Principles
- Convection
- Conduction
- Radiation
Mass Balance Principles
Day 7 & 8
- Mass Balance Principles
- Evaporation
- Dehumidification
- Mixing
Thermodynamics
Day 9
- Thermodynamic Properties
- Enthalpy
- Entropy
- Thermodynamic Cycles
- Combined
- Brayton
- Rankine
Day 10
- Energy Balances
- 1st and 2nd Laws
- Combustion
- Stoichiometrics
- Efficiency
Supportive Knowledge
Day 11
- Pipe System Analysis
- Pipe Stress
- Pipe Supports
- Hoop Stress
- Joints
- Welded
- Bolted
- Threaded
Day 12
- Psychrometrics
- Dew Point
- Relative Humidity
- Codes and Standards
II. HYDRAULIC AND FLUID APPLICATIONS
Hydraulic and Fluid Equipment
Day 13
Day 14
- Compressors
- Dynamic Head
- Power
- Efficiency
Day 15
- Pressure Vessels
- Design Factors
- Materials
- Pressure Relief
Day 16
- Control Valves
- Flow Characteristics
- Sizing
Day 17
- Actuators
- Hydraulic
- Pneumatic
Day 18
- Connections
- Fittings
- Tubing
Distribution Systems
Days 19, 20, & 21
- Distribution Systems
- Pipe Flow
- Fluid Distribution
III. ENERGY/POWER SYSTEM APPLICATIONS
Energy/Power Equipment
Day 22
Day 23
Cooling/Heating
Days 25 & 26
- Cooling/Heating
- Capacity
- Loads
- Cycles
- Refrigeration System
Energy Recovery
Days 27 & 28
- Energy Recovery
- Waste Heat
- Storage
Combined Cycles
Days 29 & 30
- Combined Cycles
- Components
- Efficiency
Click HERE for more Mechanical Engineering Thermal PE Crunch Time Resources