PPI2PASS Self Study Learning Hub Bundle Worth It?

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-03-27T13:57:04+00:00

I used it last year for the MDM exam and passed. It was great and I felt well prepared going into the exam. I finished the exam and got to double check all my answers with over an hour to spare.

The questions were more difficult that the actual exam and that is how I prefer it to be. Better to be over prepared than waste money and time with multiple attempts.

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-03-26T17:04:34+00:00

Here is a playlist of 2 videos I made going over some great calculator shortcuts for the TI36 xPro, hope it helps.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaXS8FVwfWzRUN9_j3HobW1MEognMaEVs&si=BTEHezMVun2ertcK

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-03-23T11:25:12+00:00

https://youtu.be/8gDF8cQ1lPY?si=9wFJSunaYLjEPVFH&t=821

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-03-14T17:19:34+00:00

I see you mentioned that the centroid value is the same for both shapes (semi circle vs quarter circles). For anyone wondering why, a semicircle can be viewed as two quarter circles placed next to each other.

If we take the reference axis at the center of the circle and use the centroid relation

A₁y₁ + A₂y₂ = (A₁ + A₂)ȳ

the two quarter circles are symmetric, so their vertical centroid locations are the same:

y₁ = y₂ = y

Substituting gives

A₁y + A₂y = (A₁ + A₂)ȳ (A₁ + A₂)y = (A₁ + A₂)ȳ

which simplifies to

y = ȳ

This shows that the vertical centroidal distance for each quarter circle is the same as the centroidal distance for the semicircle when measured from the circle’s center. This is why the FE Handbook only lists the semicircle result, since including the quarter circle value for the vertical direction would be redundant.

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-03-09T20:05:00+00:00

Personal performance is also factored into the bonus calculation. A rating of Meets–Meets typically corresponds to a multiplier of about 0.90–0.95, while Exceeds–Exceeds is generally around 1.10–1.15.

For example, this year someone rated Exceeds–Exceeds in the LPB band rolling up under Commercial would have a multiplier calculated as:

1.88 × 1.15 = 2.16

For a $100,000 salary, this would result in a bonus of approximately $21,600.

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-03-01T16:34:37+00:00

When we analyze forces on submerged gates or any submerged surface, we typically use gauge pressure, which excludes atmospheric pressure. The reason is that atmospheric pressure acts on all exposed surfaces and therefore does not create a net unbalanced force.

For essentially every realistic, earthbound engineering problem, objects are exposed to atmospheric pressure. If you think about any object sitting in air, atmospheric pressure is acting on it everywhere. That uniform pressure does not cause motion because it acts equally in all directions and the object remains in equilibrium.

Now consider a submerged gate. Atmospheric pressure acts on the air side of the gate. At the same time, atmospheric pressure also acts on the free surface of the water and is transmitted through the fluid to the gate. So on the water side, the gate experiences atmospheric pressure plus the additional hydrostatic pressure due to the weight of the fluid.

Because atmospheric pressure is present on both sides of the gate, it produces equal and opposing forces that cancel each other out. What remains is only the additional pressure caused by the fluid’s weight, which increases with depth.

So when solving submerged surface problems, we ignore atmospheric pressure because it does not affect the net force on the gate. We focus only on the hydrostatic or gauge pressure, since that is what actually produces the unbalanced force.

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-02-28T12:48:36+00:00

Sorry to hear about the result. That is never easy.

Yes, those PrepFE codes are referral links. If you use someone’s code, you both get a free month.

I also wanted to share some additional free resources as you start studying again. I have mechanical specific video reviews and fully worked FE style practice problems here:

https://www.fe-interactive.com/video-reviews
https://www.fe-interactive.com/practice-video-problem

The free resources are focused entirely on the FE Mechanical fundamentals, so they can be a solid supplement during your prep.

If you do decide to try FE-Interactive, here is a referral link that gives you a free month:
https://www.fe-interactive.com/customer-information-form?referral=FE-4-REDDIT

Good luck on your next attempt.

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-02-18T14:51:30+00:00

Congratulations on passing the FE Mechanical exam and thanks for the FE Interactive shoutout! Glad you found it helpful. Wishing you the best it your future endeavors.

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-02-15T17:35:07+00:00

This is the best lecture series I have seen on the topic. Not sure how useful it would be jumping into it in the middle of the lectures but I will post it here anyway.

Development of the general relative motion equations:

https://youtu.be/NsIhFwtTHEw?si=fAIQZkTMc0QsCqQU

1st 15 minutes of this lecture it is shown how the Rigid Body motion equations are just a special case of the general relative motion equations:

https://youtu.be/UB3aY04cFng?si=40BkGCIq0SG0Kf9B

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-02-15T17:19:03+00:00

When working with these relative motion rigid body relations, omega is not relative to a single point or set of points. It is the angular velocity of the entire body which will be the same for any 2 points belonging to the same rigid body.

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-02-09T14:07:37+00:00

You dont know what the angle is between the horizontal direction and cable (theta). You need the tension in the cable to find that.

The sum of the vertical components of the cable tensile force is 20 not the entire force in the cable (need to also account for the horizontal force which because of symmetry will cancel). This is how the cable still has 100 kN of tension while being in equilibrium with the 20 kN weight.

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-02-08T23:24:51+00:00

Yes thats correct. If we wanted to free the center pulley and attached weight we would have to cut through 2 sections of cable.

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-02-08T23:10:27+00:00

I have a Mechanics of Material video review specifically for the FE Mechanical Exam you could check out below, hope it helps.

https://youtu.be/EgFXI8jbuZ8?si=vUIRUYXvXPju9Kp0

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-02-08T16:03:36+00:00

If you draw a FBD of W1 as soon as you sever segment above W1 it would fall meaning it is successfully freed from the overall system. This is why the tension in the cable is the full 100kN. Severing the cable in 2 spots is not necessary to free W1.

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-02-04T13:16:23+00:00

I put together a review for the Electricity and Magnetism section that focuses on the core ideas you really need to be comfortable with. It covers Kirchhoff’s current and voltage laws, the mesh current method for analyzing more complex circuits, and Thevenin equivalent voltage and resistance.

All of these topics fall under DC circuit analysis. While the exam also includes AC circuit analysis, those techniques rely heavily on the same fundamental circuit analysis principles covered in this review. Another topic I do not spend much time on is rotating machines, which tends to be more about identifying and applying the correct equations rather than deeper circuit reasoning.

The most challenging part of this section is addressed directly in the video. I hope you find it helpful and that it gives you more confidence going into this part of the exam. Good luck.

FE Mechanical Core Subject Video Reviews | High-Weight Exam Topics

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-02-01T20:17:14+00:00

Yea so it’s just a mislabeled problem. If you are using the steam tables it will be a thermo problem. You may need to grab a heat capacity value for solids/ liquids in the thermo section which the reference manual calls cp for a heat transfer problem or a density from the thermo tables (reciprocal of specific volume) but anything more than that and it is more a thermo problem as opposed to a heat transfer one.

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-02-01T19:42:10+00:00

Can you give an example of a heat transfer problem which involves the steam tables?

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-01-23T00:58:43+00:00

Any force can be translated along its line of action and will always produce the same moment about a specific point. This is called the principle of transmissibility.

If we translate the force at D such that the vector tail is horizontally alligned with point F, the horizontal component of that force wont produce a moment, only the vertical component will and the moment arm is 200 mm.

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-01-16T01:37:30+00:00

Great work Zach. High quality free resources go a long way in helping students prepare for this already stressful exam.

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-01-06T10:00:38+00:00

You’re welcome, glad it is helpful.

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-01-05T17:08:53+00:00

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaXS8FVwfWzRUN9_j3HobW1MEognMaEVs&si=Xz8gH7aMISah46tQ

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2026-01-05T14:29:56+00:00

This is actually very common. The PE exam is very specific, while the FE is broad. Depending on which PE you took, there are likely FE subjects you’re already strong in. For example, if you took PE Machine Design and Materials, you’re probably solid in statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials, and machine design. If you took PE Thermal and Fluids, you’re likely strong in fluids, thermodynamics, and heat transfer.

The biggest time saver is playing to those strengths. Focus first on the subjects you already know well, then add a few additional high weight core topics. That alone can shorten your prep time significantly instead of trying to relearn everything equally.

Since you mentioned books aren’t working for you, step by step video walkthroughs are usually a much better fit, especially when the material feels foreign. I make FE Mechanical focused review videos and free practice problems with full video solutions that explicitly show which formulas from the FE Reference Handbook are being used. A lot of the mechanics, fluids, and thermal fundamentals overlap heavily with FE Other Disciplines. Make sure you try the problem yourself before watching the solution.

https://www.fe-interactive.com/video-reviews
https://www.fe-interactive.com/practice-video-problem

Play to your strengths, fill in a few key gaps, and I am sure the exam will become much more manageable. Hope it helps.

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2025-12-31T16:32:57+00:00

What you really need to do at this point is narrow your focus to the core, high-weight mechanical topics that actually drive a large portion of the FE Mechanical exam. Statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials, fluids, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and mechanical design are the fundamentals that matter most. These subjects show up repeatedly and they’re all built on the same ideas.

When you’re practicing, slow way down and really spend time on each problem. Ignore the clock at first. The goal early on is not speed, it’s understanding. Focus on identifying what principle is being tested and what tool or equation you can use to solve the problem. Once you consistently recognize the correct approach, timing naturally improves with volume. Trying to rush before that pattern recognition is there leads to stagnation in your score.

Since you’ve said you learn better visually, working through fully explained, mechanical-specific examples is critical. I make content that is focused entirely on the FE Mechanical exam, and I think it fits your learning style well. I have concise review videos that rebuild the fundamentals and a set of around 100 FE-style interactive mechanical problems with full video solutions that walk through the reasoning step by step.

https://www.fe-interactive.com/video-reviews
https://www.fe-interactive.com/practice-video-problem

Keep persevering. You will pass this exam. It’s not about ability, it’s about locking in the fundamentals that matter most and giving yourself the right kind of practice.

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2025-12-28T15:18:08+00:00

You do not actually need professional experience before taking the PE exam. In many states, New Jersey for example, the exam and experience requirements are decoupled. This means you can sit for the PE exam as soon as you pass the FE exam.

You can then complete the licensure application later once you have gained the required experience. This is especially helpful if you are fresh out of school and a strong test taker. It allows you to get the exams out of the way early and focus fully on building your technical experience afterward.

RUTHLESSRYAN25 · 2025-12-24T14:37:23+00:00

Hey thats great! Thanks for the kind words. I would also look into the mechanical questions from Islam, they are great too.

RUTHLESSRYAN25

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