Effective UNTIL July 1st, 2020, these are the categories and subcategories specified by the NCEES that this discipline will cover. It includes an estimate of the number of questions you will see on the official exam for each category. PrepFE provides hundreds of questions in proportional amounts to the official exam.
For the upcoming categories that are effective as of July 1st, 2020, please see the categories here.
Mechanical FE exam categories
Analytic geometry
Calculus
Linear algebra
Vector analysis
Differential equations
Numerical methods
Probability distributions
Regression and curve fitting
Spreadsheets
Flow charts
Codes of ethics
Agreements and contracts
Ethical and legal considerations
Professional liability
Public health, safety, and welfare
Time value of money
Cost, including incremental, average, sunk, and estimating
Economic analyses
Depreciation
Charge, current, voltage, power, and energy
Current and voltage laws (Kirchhoff, Ohm)
Equivalent circuits (series, parallel)
AC circuits
Motors and generators
Resultants of force systems
Concurrent force systems
Equilibrium of rigid bodies
Frames and trusses
Centroids
Moments of inertia
Static friction
Kinematics of particles
Kinetic friction
Newton’s second law for particles
Work-energy of particles
Impulse-momentum of particles
Kinematics of rigid bodies
Kinematics of mechanisms
Newton’s second law for rigid bodies
Work-energy of rigid bodies
Impulse-momentum of rigid bodies
Free and forced vibrations
Shear and moment diagrams
Stress types (axial, bending, torsion, shear)
Stress transformations
Mohr’s circle
Stress and strain caused by axial loads
Stress and strain caused by bending loads
Stress and strain caused by torsion
Stress and strain caused by shear
Combined loading
Deformations
Columns
Properties, including chemical, electrical, mechanical, physical, and thermal
Stress-strain diagrams
Engineered materials
Ferrous metals
Nonferrous metals
Manufacturing processes
Phase diagrams
Phase transformation, equilibrium, and heat treating
Materials selection
Surface conditions
Corrosion mechanisms and control
Thermal failure
Ductile or brittle behavior
Fatigue
Crack propagation
Fluid properties
Fluid statics
Energy, impulse, and momentum
Internal flow
External flow
Incompressible flow
Compressible flow
Power and efficiency
Performance curves
Scaling laws for fans, pumps, and compressors
Properties of ideal gases and pure substances
Energy transfers
Laws of thermodynamics
Processes
Performance of components
Power cycles, thermal efficiency, and enhancements
Refrigeration and heat pump cycles and coefficients of performance
Nonreacting mixtures of gases
Psychrometrics
Heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) processes
Combustion and combustion products
Conduction
Convection
Radiation
Thermal resistance
Transient processes
Heat exchangers
Boiling and condensation
Sensors
Block diagrams
System response
Measurement uncertainty
Stress analysis of machine elements
Failure theories and analysis
Deformation and stiffness
Springs
Pressure vessels
Beams
Piping
Bearings
Power screws
Power transmission
Joining methods
Manufacturability
Quality and reliability
Hydraulic components
Pneumatic components
Electromechanical components