Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
(OP)
Hey guys and gals - I am looking to find any and all information regarding the materials PE exam. I have found the TMS sutdy guides and the recommended books list on TMS. Has anyone found anything else that they are planning to use for the exam? I am looking to take the exam in 2015 but want to get a head start on gathering any and all materials that I can for the test.
It seems like there isn't quite as much out there for the exam - is that because there just aren't that many people taking the materials based exam (I assume this is the case). How is the new all multiple choice format?
Hope everyone is well.
BMK
It seems like there isn't quite as much out there for the exam - is that because there just aren't that many people taking the materials based exam (I assume this is the case). How is the new all multiple choice format?
Hope everyone is well.
BMK





RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
Second tip, you might want to visit the web site below as well. This is geared for PE exam folks in the same boat, like yourself.
http://engineerboards.com/index.php?act=idx
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
I will be moving forward with prep. for the metallurgy exam unless there are some ideas from the forum to explore other subject areas as possible fits.
Thanks again for any and all input.
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
also is 3 months enough time to prep?
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
50 people sat and 20 passed.
34 first timers w/16 pass & 16 repeaters w/4 passing.
4 passed in CA (including me :> ) so I guess 2-3 months is enough time to prep, but 6 months would be a less stressful and more complete study program.
As usual it has a very low pass rate, so study hard if your going to sit for it.
*Still annoyed that the TMS study guide has errors in it- AND I never got a response from them regarding such.
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
Everything from HT of steel to ore processing in a mine.
Granted you only need to know a portion of it, but that portion you must know very well.
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P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
From someone who participates on the exam committee, I think the candidate pool will be shrinking and the test will no longer be attractive to new materials/metals engineers.
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
Do I have to travel to CA physically to take the exam?
Having the license sounds pretty cool especially given that the passing rate was that low. However, if only 50 people took the exam per year, the attractivness is a bit doubtful. It would be more attractive to me if 1000 took exam with a passing rate of 10%.
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
The signficance of a Metallurgical/Materials PE is far less (basically, a credential) than it is for Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical engineers who have to sign off on designs involving life-or-death.
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
Search this forum for metallurgical PE threads. Lots of good responses.
No. The test is given in each State and is administered by NCEES. Look them up on their web site.
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
It also looks good on my business cards. I spell out that I am a licensed professional metallurgical engineer.
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P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
The requirements for engineering work experience are State specific.
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
In industry there is a blanket exemption. A company can call anyone and engineer (and they do) without a license.
Some companies that do a lot of civil work have internal requirements for specific positions that are more restrictive.
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P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
http://ncees.org/exams/pe-exam/
Technically I didn't 'need' to take the exam, as I don't do external consulting …yet :)
I do interface with several PE's (civil/mech/EE/Cr) and with a coworker who IS a met PE. So there was a bit of pride factor.
While a PE is only required at my company for senior technical management progress (e.g. principle technical director), the I.C. (worker bees) only have a minor variation of given title to conform to title standards. I.E. even though my degree is in Metallurgical Engineering my title was Materials engineer. Civil/Mechs/EE use associate or technologist if they don't have PE.
That aside, I can't say having a PE has direct benefit for me currently. Going forward in my career it may not be quantifiable what positions/opportunities are opened because I DO have it- but I felt 'can't hurt' right? it looks good on resumes PLUS the best part is you can use a rubber stamp on your reports!
I was also lucky enough my current employer fully supported (via study time off) me sitting for the PE. That is a big help, and I would recommend those thinking about sitting asking for support as part of their development.
The scope on the test is vast, which I think does keep the pass rate down. But the exam is the exam.
I did miss out on a lot of after work gossip at the watering hole to instead read the ASMhandbook or dieter or EngStats book. etc... :)
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
The pass rates on this exam in 2014 were a 47% pass rate for first timers and a 25% pass rate for second timers. These are very similar to the pass rates for the year before I took the metallurgy exam. This is a particularly tough one to study for because there are no review manuals available for it. So deciding what to study is a real shot in the dark. I took the Metallurgy PE exam in October 2004 and like you I was in a position where I didn't know exactly what to study. So I decided to put together a binder filled with what I felt was useful and pertinent data for the exam. Most of this data was not used directly, but filling this binder forced me to review the subjects that formed its contents. I actually studied for the exam for only two weeks. This was the first time that I sat for the PE exam, and I passed.
The critical aspects that I found on this exam were time management and having the necessary reference books at hand. I was wary of spending too much time answering questions that were outside of my area of expertise. I left these types of questions for last, and went through the exam and answered each question that I felt was within the limits of my ability. I didn't find very many that were easily answered. On my second run through the questions in the morning session, I eliminated answers that I believed could be proven wrong, and used my reference books a great deal to try and decide on the correct choice. For the third round through the first half of the test, I simply made an educated guess. For random choices, I expected to get 25% of the answers right, since there were only 4 choices for each question.
I brought in two cardboard boxes filled with reference books, and realized during the first part of the test that I didn't have enough material. There was one question that still stands out in my mind that I could have easily answered, but was not able to because the reference books that I had brought in did not have the appropriate diagram for selecting the answer. And it was something that could not be determined without the correct chart. So during the lunch break, I left the testing facility and drove to work and got three more reference books. It was a good thing that I did that, because one of those additional references was critical in answering a question or two on the second part of the exam. The second half of the test was in my opinion much more difficult than the morning session. When I walked out I honestly thought that I had failed it, but after some reflection I realized that I did stand a chance of passing.
My strategy worked. The best advice that I got from any of the contributors in this forum is this: don't panic. If you get too flustered, just sit back and breathe. Use your references, and manage your time wisely. During the last 10 or 15 minutes, go through the remaining questions and make an educated guess at what you believe the answer should be. For random selections you should get 25% of them right. This approach worked for me, and I hope that it helps you as well.
I would suggest including the following into your preparation strategy:
1.) Get a good night's sleep the two days before the exam.
2.) Do NOT cram the last few days before you sit for the exam. If you don't know it by now, you won't learn it the last two days.
3.) Bring in a lot of reference books. I brought in too few when I took the exam, and even though I knew exactly how to solve one of the problems, I got it wrong because I didn't have the appropriate reference table in any of the books that I brought with me. During the lunch break you will have the opportunity to leave the test site. If you need to, use this time to go get more reference books.
4.) Breathe. You will likely get very stressed when you read some of these questions and realize that you don't have a clue how to figure them out. Don't let that kill your strategy.
Good luck!
Maui
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
For the previous 3 years in CA, a total of 10 Met PE have been achieved. So the current trend for California applicants is 4+-1 stamps are awarded each year- with about 200 'active' CA Met PE's currently. Small number given size of state.
For perspective this puts California MetE in the <10 per yr awarded category along with Ag (1) ; nukes; Indies;Petros and Geos. While Civil gave out 4,250 stamps.
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
Ditto Maui.
There were two of us taking the Exam in Austin when I took it back in 1998. Both of us passed.
Good Luck!
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
Thanks guys for all the info.!
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
Still deciding on Met. or Mech. PE exam to take but this discussion certainly helps. If I come up with more questions, I know this board is a good resource and will search/post as they arise.
Thanks again.
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
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P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
RE: Metallurgy and Materials PE Exam
Go to this web site and review all of the information;
http://ncees.org/