ChE Board study plan
ChE Board · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 8 hours per week
Chemical Engineering
Build a one-page formula sheet covering material balances, ideal-gas and phase-equilibrium relations, and unit conversions, then solve 20 mixed stoichiometry and recycle/purge problems without notes
Derive and apply the design equations for CSTR, PFR, and batch reactors to five reaction-kinetics problems, including one with non-elementary rate data fitted by regression
Set up and solve three staged-separation problems (distillation McCabe-Thiele, absorption, extraction) using graphical and algebraic methods
Establish a timed problem log that records topic, time spent, error type, and correction for every practice item
Your checkpoint
A 10-page personal formula sheet plus a completed 20-problem stoichiometry/kinetics set scored at 75% or better, with an error log entry for each miss
Chemical Engineering
Solve 15 fluid-mechanics problems covering Bernoulli/energy balance, friction-factor and minor-loss calculations, pump curves, and NPSH
Compute heat-transfer coefficients and overall U for conduction, convection, and radiation cases, and size a shell-and-tube exchanger using LMTD and effectiveness-NTU
Analyze 10 mass-transfer problems involving Fick's law, mass-transfer coefficients, and packed-column HTU/NTU
Reproduce the key dimensionless groups (Re, Pr, Nu, Sc, Sh, Bi, Fourier) from memory and state when each applies
Your checkpoint
A closed-book 25-question transport quiz (fluids, heat, mass) completed in 90 minutes at 70% or better, with worked corrections for every missed item
Chemical Engineering
Apply thermodynamic property relations, equations of state, and activity-coefficient models to 15 phase-equilibrium and VLE problems
Solve 10 problems on reaction equilibrium, Gibbs free energy, and adiabatic reactor energy balances
Construct and interpret enthalpy-concentration and T-xy diagrams for two binary systems
Compute compression/expansion work and cycle efficiencies for three power and refrigeration cycles
Your checkpoint
A one-page decision guide mapping problem cues to the correct thermodynamic model or equation of state, validated by a 15-problem set scored at 75% or better
Chemical Engineering
Solve 12 process-control problems on first- and second-order dynamics, PID tuning (Ziegler-Nichols and Cohen-Coon), and closed-loop stability
Draw and interpret Bode and Nyquist plots for three transfer functions and determine gain and phase margins
Solve 10 process-economics problems on capital cost estimation, depreciation, NPV, and payback
Complete a full timed 4-hour mixed mock exam under exam conditions
Your checkpoint
A scored 4-hour mock exam with a written gap analysis identifying the three weakest subtopics and a remediation plan for each
Chemical Engineering
Solve 15 reaction-engineering problems on multiple reactions, selectivity, yield, and non-isothermal reactor stability
Design a separation sequence for a four-component feed and justify the sequence using heuristics and cost ranking
Solve 10 safety and relief-system problems on relief-valve sizing, flammability limits, and hazard analysis (HAZOP logic)
Recompute every item missed on the week-4 mock exam without consulting solutions
Your checkpoint
A corrected mock-exam set with every missed problem reworked and a one-paragraph explanation of the underlying concept for each
Chemical Engineering
Solve 15 materials-engineering problems on corrosion mechanisms, material selection, and mechanical-property trade-offs
Complete 12 problems on process instrumentation, measurement error, and control-valve sizing
Practice 20 rapid-recall items spanning all subtopics to build speed on definitional questions
Build a personal list of the 25 most frequently missed concepts and write a one-line fix for each
Your checkpoint
A 25-item 'error catalog' with a one-line corrective rule per entry, plus a 20-item rapid-recall set completed at 85% or better
Chemical Engineering
Take two timed 4-hour full-length mock exams on separate days and record section-level timing
Analyze timing data to set a per-question budget and practice abandoning and returning to stuck items
Rework all items missed across both mocks and classify each error as conceptual, computational, or misread
Drill the 25-item error catalog to automatic recall
Your checkpoint
Two scored mock exams with a timing report showing average seconds per question and a final three-item priority list for week 8
Chemical Engineering
Review the formula sheet, error catalog, and decision guides daily in 45-minute spaced sessions
Take one final timed mock exam and target 80% or better
Rehearse exam-day logistics: reference materials allowed, calculator model, and section order strategy
Rest and taper: cap study at 90 minutes per day in the final three days
Your checkpoint
A final mock score of 80% or better and a one-page exam-day checklist covering timing budget, allowed references, and a stuck-question protocol
Milestones
Week 2: Score 70% or better on the closed-book transport quiz and confirm the formula sheet covers all transport correlations
Week 4: Complete the first full-length timed mock exam and produce a written gap analysis with three named weak subtopics
Week 6: Error catalog has 25 entries with corrective rules and the rapid-recall set is at 85% or better
Week 8: Final mock exam at 80% or better, with exam-day checklist complete and no unresolved items in the error catalog