I have the tenth edition, which does not cover the Appendices in its index. The eleventh edition does. I've taken and passed the exam, but I use MERM as a primary reference. An index of the appendix would be useful in my day-to-day work but invaluable for the exam. The cover of my copy is held on by tape; I may use that as an excuse to buy the eleventh edition.
The main disadvantage of MERM is that information is not where you might expect it. Fatigue, for example, is in the materials testing section rather than the failure theory section. Most useful tables are in the index, but some are in the main text. The index is invaluable, and the more complete the better. On a couple of problems, I looked up an unfamiliar term and it led me right to a solution technique.
Use MERM as your primary study and practice problem-solving reference so you'll know it inside and out when you take the test. Bookmark important sections and tables.
I didn't study everything in MERM, but I studied more than I thought I would need to know. I was surprised that some of that material, such as a suspension cable problem, was needed.
I took the machine design version of the exam and thought there were a disproportionate number of HVAC and thermo-fluid problems. If you ask someone who took the HVAC or therm-fluids version, they might say there were a disproportionate number of machine design problems.
Good luck,
Rob
Rob Campbell, PE
Finite Monkeys -
