Foundations
16-25%of exam
Mechanics
25-39%of exam
Materials + Design
15-24%of exam
Thermal + Fluids
25-37%of exam
Electrical + Controls
9-15%of exam
CircuitsSensorsControlsUncertainty
Quick Facts
- Exam
- FE Mechanical
- Owner
- NCEES
- Format
- CBT
- Questions
- 110
- Exam time
- 5 hr 20 min
- Appointment
- 6 hours
- Break
- 25 min
- Fee
- $225
- Reference
- Electronic handbook
- Units
- SI + USCS
- Score
- Pass/fail scaled
Exam Workflow
- Unknown formula→Search handbook(Use keywords)
- Unit mismatch→Convert first(Avoid traps)
- Property state→Table lookup(Saturated superheated)
- Beam deflection→Beam tables(Match supports)
- Circuit phasors→Complex mode(AC work)
- Ethics conflict→Public welfare(First duty)
- Cash flows→Timeline(Set time zero)
- No clear model→Flag early(Return later)
Exam + Handbook
- Appointment
- 6 hours total
- Exam clock
- 320 minutes
- Pace
- 2.9 min each
- NDA
- 2 minutes
- Tutorial
- 8 minutes
- Break
- 25 minutes
- Handbook
- Searchable electronic PDF
- Calculator
- NCEES approved only
Math + Stats
- Derivative
- Slope rate
- Integral
- Area accumulation
- ODE
- Equation with derivatives
- Matrix
- Linear system tool
- Newton method
- Iterative root
- Mean
- Average
- Std dev
- Spread measure
- Regression
- Best-fit relationship
Economics + Ethics
- PW
- Present worth
- FW
- Future worth
- AW
- Annual worth
- IRR
- Zero-NPW rate
- B/C
- Benefits over costs
- Sunk cost
- Ignore in decisions
- Public welfare
- First duty
- Conflict
- Disclose promptly
FBD First
Draw FBD before equations
ForcesMomentsSupports
Stress vs Strain
Stress
- Load intensity
- Force over area
- Units pressure
Strain
- Deformation ratio
- Dimensionless
- Length change
Load vs deformation
Model Picker
- Body at rest→Statics(Equilibrium)
- Acceleration present→Dynamics(F = ma)
- Beam stress→Mechanics materials(M c / I)
- Pipe pump→Energy equation(Head terms)
- Sealed piston→Closed system(No mass flow)
- Turbine compressor→Steady flow(Enthalpy change)
- Wall heat→Thermal resistance(Delta T path)
- Shaft bearing→Machine design(Failure mode)
Statics
- FBD
- Draw forces first
- Equilibrium
- Sum forces zero
- Moment
- Force times arm
- Couple
- Pure moment
- Centroid
- Area balance point
- Inertia
- Area shape property
- Truss
- Two-force members
- Friction
- mu times normal
Dynamics
- Kinematics
- Motion geometry
- Kinetics
- Forces cause motion
- Second law
- F = ma
- Work-energy
- Energy change
- Impulse
- Momentum change
- Rigid body
- Translate rotate
- Vibration
- Oscillatory motion
- Damping
- Energy dissipation
Mechanics Materials
- Normal stress
- F over A
- Shear stress
- V over A
- Strain
- Deformation over length
- Bending stress
- M c / I
- Torsion
- T r / J
- Mohr circle
- Stress transformation
- Deflection
- Elastic displacement
- Buckling
- Compression instability
Static vs Fatigue
Static
- Single load
- Yield check
- Ultimate check
Fatigue
- Cyclic load
- Endurance matters
- Stress range
Once vs repeated
Materials
- Yield
- Plastic begins
- Ultimate
- Peak stress
- Ductility
- Plastic strain capacity
- Hardness
- Indentation resistance
- Toughness
- Fracture energy
- Creep
- Time deformation
- Fatigue
- Cyclic failure
- Corrosion
- Material degradation
Design + Controls
- Bearing life
- L10 reliability
- Gear ratio
- Speed torque trade
- Spring rate
- Force per deflection
- Fastener preload
- Initial bolt tension
- Weld
- Joined load path
- Safety factor
- Strength over stress
- GD&T
- Drawing tolerance language
- Failure theory
- Yield criterion
Bernoulli Heads
Pressure, velocity, elevation, losses
PressureVelocityElevationLosses
Gauge vs Absolute
Gauge
- Relative pressure
- Zero at atmosphere
- Common instrument
Absolute
- True pressure
- Needed for gases
- Includes atmosphere
Reference matters
Fluids
- Density
- Mass per volume
- Viscosity
- Flow resistance
- Reynolds
- Inertia over viscosity
- Laminar
- Orderly flow
- Turbulent
- Mixed flow
- Bernoulli
- Streamline energy
- Head loss
- Friction loss
- NPSH
- Cavitation margin
Heat Modes
Heat moves: conduct, convect, radiate
ConductionConvectionRadiation
Laminar vs Turbulent
Laminar
- Orderly layers
- Lower Reynolds
- Predictable profile
Turbulent
- Mixed motion
- Higher Reynolds
- More losses
Order vs mixing
Thermodynamics
- System
- Chosen mass
- Control volume
- Mass crosses boundary
- First law
- Energy conserved
- Second law
- Entropy increases
- Enthalpy
- Flow energy property
- Quality
- Vapor mass fraction
- Rankine
- Steam power cycle
- COP
- Useful cooling/work
Closed vs Control Volume
Closed system
- Fixed mass
- No mass flow
- Boundary may move
Control volume
- Mass crosses
- Flow devices
- Use enthalpy
Mass fixed vs flowing
Heat Transfer
- Conduction
- Through solids
- Convection
- Fluid surface transfer
- Radiation
- Thermal emission
- Thermal resistance
- Delta T over q
- Fin
- Extended surface
- LMTD
- Heat exchanger average
- Effectiveness
- Actual over maximum
- Biot
- Internal resistance ratio
Conduction vs Convection
Conduction
- Through material
- k controls
- Area thickness
Convection
- Surface to fluid
- h controls
- Boundary layer
Solid path vs fluid
Electrical + Controls
- Ohm law
- V = I R
- KCL
- Currents sum zero
- KVL
- Voltages sum zero
- Power
- Voltage times current
- Impedance
- AC opposition
- Sensor
- Measures physical variable
- Feedback
- Output informs input
- Uncertainty
- Measurement doubt
Common Traps
Gauge Needs Conversion
Gas law uses ≠ Absolute pressure
Mass Is Not Weight
lbm differs ≠ lbf force
Radius Not Diameter
Area uses radius ≠ Inertia sensitive
Kelvin For Radiation
Absolute temperature ≠ Celsius wrong
Efficiency Direction Matters
Input vs output ≠ Check wording
Tables Need Region
Saturated mixture ≠ Superheated vapor
Last Minute
- 1.Use NCEES question ranges
- 2.Practice handbook search terms
- 3.Draw FBD before math
- 4.Convert units before solving
- 5.Use absolute gas pressure
- 6.Check system boundary first
- 7.Flag unclear models early
- 8.Answer every question
- 9.Public welfare comes first
- 10.Check magnitude and units
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