FE Review Manual: Rapid Preparation for the General Fundamentals of Engineering Exam

Sure, 5 stars like everyone else says: it does the job. But its a pain to use, like studying from a phone book. If you're really going to spend the hours needed with this book, make your life easier: Take it to Kinkos, have them shear off the binding, and comb bind it into smaller sections. Seven smaller sections worked for me; mark the spots at chapter boundaries so Kinkos knows where to split it up. Now you've got nice lay-flat, easy-to-carry sections that are 100% easier to work from. It'll cost about $30, but well worth it. You'll be the envy of your study group. 30 years out of school I thought that maybe the geezers should get a handicap, but the test went much better than I'd anticipated; no prayer required.

This book is a great resource for preparing for the general portion of the FE exam. It reviews all of the different topics in depth, and provides many practice problems with complete, detailed solutions. Use this manual to brush up on subjects you haven't studied in a while, and to gain speed and accuracy in solving FE-style problems. The sample exam is representative of the morning section of the FE in terms of problem type, scope and difficulty. If you are taking the Mechanical discipline-specific exam in the afternoon, I do not recommend the companion review manual by Saad, Tabrizi, and Lindeburg. Rather, buy "FE/EIT Mechanical: Discipline-Specific Review for the FE/EIT Exam" by Merle C. Potter (see my review there). I cannot speak from experience for any other discipline-specific exams. Also, it is essential that you buy "Fundamentals of Engineering Supplied-Reference Handbook" by NCEES. Use this as your only reference when trying to work problems, as it will be all you have during the actual exam.

After talking to some of my fellow classmates about the FE exam and its difficulty, I decided to prepare. I looked through many books but this manual was by far the most thorough. This book covers everything from units to ethics. At the beginning of every chapter the author provides adequate explanations of relevant engineering concepts. He then provides examples with worked out solutions to make the concepts easier to understand. The book also contains a practice test for the morning and afternoon general exams. I personally chose to take the discipline specific afternoon exam. The reason being is because I'm an electrical engineer. The majority of the general exam is civil/mechanical engineering. I felt it would increase my chances of passing. Let me tell you, I chose wisely. I passed the exam the first time around because of this book (and my decision). I highly recommend it for any engineer planning to prepare for the exam.

I purchased a lot of books to study for the FE (I was out of school 13 years, so the stuff wasn't exactly fresh in my mind), but I finally ended up using this book exclusively. It is really all you need. The review is excellent. I wish there were more practice problems, but the problems provided are sufficient to test your grasp of the material. One of the truly useful things about this book is the fact that it follows the sequence of the NCEES reference book handed out on exam day (absolutely make sure you get a copy of this). Knowing where to find things QUICKLY is one of the true keys to passing the exam. If you follow Lindeburg's "recipe", you will be familiar with the exam reference book, and you will pass the exam. I passed, and I thought my chances were hopeless. I was out of school a while, so I put in about 4-5 hours per chapter, but I suspect many could do the review in much less time. I think the book suggests an hour per chapter, which, in my case, was unrealistic. The point is, some books don't give you enough in the way of review, so you end up staring at the page and reverse-working the problems in order to try to grasp the concepts. This book provides the review material you need, and assumes little in the way of background knowledge. I recommend it without hesitation or reservation.

Having been out of school for over ten years at the time I registered for the FE exam, I knew I needed a Preparation Manual that would help me "re-learn" all of those long forgotten formulas and methods. My current lifestyle also dictated that my study be done quickly and with a minimun investment of my personal time (while still ensuring that I pass). This manual did it! This was all I needed to take the test. It is highly recommended.