PEP study plan

Build a one-page formula sheet covering the core discipline-specific equations for your declared technical depth area, deriving each from first principles rather than copying it

Solve 15 worked problems in your discipline area (mechanics of materials, thermodynamics, or your chosen depth topic) without consulting solutions, then re-solve every miss and log the error type

Sketch and label the free-body and system-boundary diagrams for 10 representative engineering-sciences problems to build diagram fluency before calculation

Set up a spaced-repetition deck seeded with 40 discipline-specific definitions, unit conversions, and material property values

Work through 20 mixed discipline-specific problems under a 3-minute-per-problem timer to build speed on routine calculations

Re-derive the five governing relations you most often misuse and explain in writing where each assumption breaks down

Compare two solution methods (closed-form vs. tabulated/numerical) for six engineering-sciences problems and note when each is faster and safer

Identify the three subtopics in your depth area where your error rate exceeds 30% and rank them by exam weight

Complete 25 discipline-specific problems spanning at least four distinct subtopics, tracking accuracy per subtopic

Apply a structured design-and-analysis workflow (define requirements, list assumptions, bound the answer, check units and magnitude) to 8 design-style problems

Perform dimensional and order-of-magnitude sanity checks on every answer in a 10-problem set and record which checks caught an error

Draft a decision table mapping common problem cues to the correct governing equation or design approach

Solve 12 full design-and-analysis scenarios end to end, including assumption statements, sensitivity to one changed input, and a written conclusion

Practice selecting among competing design alternatives using explicit criteria (safety factor, cost, efficiency) on 5 comparison problems

Review your error log to date and re-solve every previously missed problem cold, without notes

Write a 150-word self-assessment identifying which domain now limits your score

Drill 30 mathematics and basic-science problems covering calculus, linear algebra, statistics, and unit conversion, targeting 90% accuracy

Reconstruct from memory the 15 most exam-relevant engineering-science relations and verify each against a reference

Solve 10 problems that require translating a word problem into mathematics before computing, to separate modeling errors from arithmetic errors

Time-box a 25-question mixed math set to exam pace and record per-question seconds

Build a one-page reference of the codes, standards, and regulations most likely tested in your discipline, listing scope and the one number or clause each governs

Work 15 code-application problems that require choosing the correct standard and citing the governing limit

Analyze 8 professional-practice and ethics scenarios, writing the defensible course of action and the principle behind it

List the safety obligations (hazard identification, PPE, review gates) that attach to a typical design deliverable in your field

Complete a full-length timed practice exam under exam conditions, no notes, single sitting

Score the exam by domain and compute the percentage lost in each of the six domains

Re-solve every missed question and classify each error as knowledge, method, or execution

Target the two domains with the largest percentage loss and build a two-day remediation list for each

Execute the remediation plan from week 7, re-solving every missed problem plus 10 fresh problems per weak subtopic

Take a second timed half-length exam and compare per-domain scores against week 7 to confirm gains

Condense all notes into a single final review sheet of no more than two pages

Rehearse exam-day logistics: reference policy, calculator, timing checkpoints, and a skip-and-return rule