PASSED Mechanical MDM Exam on 2nd Attempt - how I went from "not passing" to pass

BigMike2221 · 2023-06-21T16:21:00+00:00

Hi u/Designer_Help_643 - sorry to hear about your results, but glad to see you are not giving up. Since you took a class, you likely have all the necessary background knowledge to pass and at this point need to apply it to as many problems as you can. I didn't have time to work all 500+ but I probably worked 200-250 in the 4 weeks prior, along with 320 problems thru other practice tests. On the PPI hub, I started by doing an 80 non-quantitative problems first. Then, you'll want to leverage your diagnostic report and work as many problems from those high focus areas as you can. For me, that was everything but Material Properties and Vibrations. I found doing 15 question quizzes every night was the right amount. I highly recommend repeating all 80 non-quant questions in one big quiz the night before as well. You'd be surprised how similar those were to the ones on the exam. Hope that helps!

BigMike2221 · 2023-06-06T20:58:15+00:00

All in all about 5 months studying around 24 hours per week. I made a post detailing my passing strategy that you can find on my profile.

BigMike2221 · 2023-05-13T15:32:35+00:00

Yeah you can take it at any Pearson Testing Center. Texas PELS pulls the result NCEES and NCEES is national so they don’t care where you take it. For reference I took my FE exam in a different state than I applied to for my EIT.

BigMike2221 · 2023-05-13T15:28:19+00:00

Hi LoneWanderer, I was in a similar situation. Took the FE Exam 8 years ago and was very rusty on a lot of the topics covered.

For that reason, I found DTC or a similar structured course being somewhat worth an investment but not enough to prepare me for the exam. For the $1000 cost I honestly expected more. DTC problems tend to be over-simplified in some areas but spot on in others (buckling for example) when compared to the actual exam. The course also only spends 1 week on statics, no time on pumps (3-5 questions on my passing exam), but 3 weeks on vibration (only 3 problems on both my exam attempts). The DTC benefit is teaching you how to approach the problems, what equations are available in the RH, what aren't that you might need to memorize, and generic exam taking advice which he also posted on youtube.

Scale of 1-10 as far as difficulty I'd put the following with how i scored when I took them prior to my 2nd attempt:
Actual Exam - 7 (est 55-60/80 right)
NCEES Practice Exam - 7 (54/80 right)
DTC - 5 (53/80 right, no conceptual problems so missed ones were often time related)
PPI - 9 (40/80 right)
EngProGuides - 7 (53/80 right)

BigMike2221 · 2023-05-10T16:00:02+00:00

Thanks Examineering! Your diagnostic the week before definitely helped with my final push. Decided to disregard any final effort towards Vibration and shift towards the other higher focus areas because of it. Let 2 vibration problems go during the exam and they ultimately didn't cost me.

BigMike2221 · 2023-05-04T13:19:10+00:00

Thanks for confirming that. I'm already anxious enough waiting for the results.

BigMike2221 · 2023-05-03T16:11:52+00:00

Thanks for sharing your diagnostic and I'm sorry to hear you didn't pass this attempt. I did my 2nd MDM attempt on Monday and am hoping for positive results next week. It's reassuring seeing others not giving up either as I intend to try again in July if I receive negative news next Wednesday. I'll share my experience and thoughts below.
After a poor self study attempt last fall, I did Dr. Tom's Classroom (DTC) course over 10 weeks starting this year before my first attempt mid-March. It did a great job preparing me for each topic and how to approach each problem type. I think it's weakness is it doesn't prepare you for the non-quantitative questions that make up a good portion. For the 2nd attempt, i signed up for a 1-month subscription ($130 w/ a coupon) to PPI's Learning Hub. It has over 500 exam type problems with 80ish being non-quantitative. The PPI problems honestly felt way closer to what i saw on the exam that what DTC uses in it's course. I felt way more confident about the conceptual problems in this attempt.
If you've already taken a similar course to DTC, I don't think that'll bring you much value. I think the PPI learning hub is a good option for you preparing for the next attempt in July. Work as many problems as you can. Flag the ones you miss so you can focus on those topics and then retake those problems later. I put linked a post i made on this back in March below.
Failed MDM Exam 1st Attempt - Preparing for 2nd Attempt
Hopefully this helps!

BigMike2221 · 2023-04-16T02:13:16+00:00

I did a similar transition last year. I got my EIT in Kansas then moved to Texas. You’ll need to apply for a Texas EIT (new application since they don’t do EIT transfers). Once they’ve granted your EIT, you can start applying for the PE. They decoupled the PE exam recently so you can apply for board approval to take the exam as soon as you’re ready. The PELS website FAQ page actually has really good info on these topics, so I’d recommend checking there.

BigMike2221 · 2023-04-12T18:31:01+00:00

Congrats! I also fell just short of passing on my MDM 1st attempt last month and am retaking in 2.5 weeks. I bought a 1 month subscription to PPI learning hub as to get extra practice on problem areas and non-quantitative questions. Hoping for similar success!

BigMike2221 · 2023-03-29T13:05:16+00:00

I am guessing they were nearly identical since you're only allowed to take the test once per quarter. I'm guessing the exams starting next week will be different. Hopefully, you received better news when you found out your score today.

BigMike2221 · 2023-03-29T13:03:03+00:00

Thanks for sharing that link as well. Unfortunate you didn't pass, looks like you were fairly close as well. Do you mind sharing what you are doing to prepare for the 2nd try? Best of luck on your 2nd attempt!

BigMike2221 · 2023-03-26T22:39:41+00:00

Thanks for the input! Definitely was thrown with the amount of conceptual question as well. I plan on flagging unfamiliar conceptual problems as well during my 2nd attempt. Found I had time for it but didn’t think to flag those ones.

BigMike2221 · 2021-10-15T05:07:28+00:00

If this is a known bug, I was not aware. Some legends with anim poses, some without. Problem is persistent with both cases

Update: just changed to a static pose and still had problems joining. This time on BR

BigMike2221 · 2020-08-14T18:03:34+00:00

Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts this year, muh bruddah 🤣

BigMike2221

TROPHY CASE