×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

ME vs General FE exam

ME vs General FE exam

ME vs General FE exam

(OP)
I am about a year out of school. Working as a energy efficiency engineer so a lot of the ME concepts are not used on my day to day. Would it be easier to study for the general FE exam or should I go for the ME version.

RE: ME vs General FE exam

General is easier. You have to review all those same topics for the morning sessions anyways.

RE: ME vs General FE exam

Exactly right HH -- for the general exam, you'll just go 10-20% further with each of the subjects from the AM test. With a specialty afternoon, you'll end up studying a number of new concepts entirely.

----
The name is a long story -- just call me Lo.

RE: ME vs General FE exam

I don't think I took the general exam in the afternoon, and it was quite easy. I've heard general is easier, but it would seem that you could only know if you took both tests right?

Overall though, I agree with the others that general is probably easier based on the fact that the topics are similar to the morning topics.

Good luck!

Jim Breunig P.E.
XCEED Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
FEA Consultants

RE: ME vs General FE exam

The OP is talking about the FE exam, right?

There is no morning and afternoon sessions in the FE exam - 6 hour duration with an optional scheduled break.

RE: ME vs General FE exam

Back when I took it, you got to choose which afternoon session you wanted to do the afternoon of the exam day. We were given exam books with all 7 versions of the afternoon exams on them. When the afternoon session began, I spent about 30 minutes reviewing both the general and mechanical exams. Based on that review, I definitely preferred mechanical and proceeded with that exam. The general had advanced circuits and other items I didn't remember at all. I did not study or review anything for the FE exam and passed. Of the other BSME students at my university that took it on the same day, all the rest took the general and all but one passed. I would do the mechanical exam and study for both the FE and PE. Then take the PE as soon as you can.

RE: ME vs General FE exam

If I was out of school for a year, I'd consider taking a prep course. The idea of failing a test like that and then re-taking is so unpalatable to me that I'd rather over prepare.

Not useful for the OP, but for anyone soon to be graduates - take the exam while you're still in school. End of Junior year is a good time. I, too, did not study (well, I did a little, but it turned out to not be relevant material) for the exam and passed.

RE: ME vs General FE exam

IMO, the FE (taken 8 years ago) really was that bad. The FE Forumula Book that NCEES provides you for the test is basically the entire test. If it's not in the reference its not in the test.

I remember I hadn't yet had reinforced concrete design but ended up doing fine on the test, just plugging and chugging equations. My advice is to get a copy of reference book and understand where sections are

Jeff
Pipe Stress Analysis Engineer
www.xceed-eng.com

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources