UPDA Mechanical study plan
UPDA Mechanical · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer
Apply the first and second laws to closed and open systems by working 30 control-volume problems with explicit sign conventions.
Calculate conduction, convection, and radiation heat rates in 20 mixed-mode problems, including composite walls and fins.
Compute LMTD and effectiveness-NTU values for 10 heat-exchanger cases and compare the two methods.
Condense steam-table relations, entropy changes, and unit conversions into a single one-page reference sheet you can rebuild from memory.
Your checkpoint
A timed 25-question thermodynamics and heat-transfer quiz scored at 75% or higher, with every missed item logged by cause.
Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer & Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics
Re-solve 15 Rankine, Brayton, and vapor-compression cycle problems, reporting thermal efficiency and COP.
Apply continuity, momentum, and Bernoulli/energy equations to 25 pipe and duct problems.
Calculate friction factors, minor losses, and required pump head for three branched systems.
Identify and correct the three weakest thermo topics from the Week 1 error log.
Your checkpoint
A worked portfolio of 10 full pipe-system problems, each with a head-loss table and a sketched system curve.
Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics & Mechanics of Materials and Structural Analysis
Solve 20 open-channel and flow-measurement problems using Manning's equation, weirs, and orifice meters.
Draw shear and bending-moment diagrams for 12 determinate and indeterminate beams without reference.
Compute principal stresses with Mohr's circle across 15 combined-loading cases.
Compute axial, bending, and torsional stresses and strains for 15 section shapes, including stress concentration.
Your checkpoint
A one-page beam-diagram and Mohr's-circle reference card, validated by scoring 85% or higher on a 20-question mixed quiz.
Mechanics of Materials and Structural Analysis & Machine Design and Mechanical Components
Evaluate Euler and Johnson buckling plus beam deflection for 20 columns and beams.
Apply fatigue criteria (S-N curves, Goodman and Gerber diagrams) to 12 fluctuating-load problems.
Size shafts, keys, bearings, and power screws for 13 design cases with stated factors of safety.
Analyze spur-gear trains and belt drives for ratio, torque, and efficiency.
Your checkpoint
A timed 30-question mock section covering Domains 3 and 4, scored at 70% or higher with a written correction for each error.
Machine Design and Mechanical Components & HVAC, Refrigeration and Building Mechanical Services
Select springs, fasteners, welds, clutches, and brakes for 20 static and fatigue design cases.
Estimate heating and cooling loads for a small building using a documented load procedure.
Size ducts by the equal-friction method and apply fan and pump affinity laws to three retrofits.
Compute refrigeration-cycle COP and component duties for 10 vapor-compression problems.
Your checkpoint
A complete cooling-load and duct-sizing worksheet for a small office, with assumptions, tables, and a final equipment selection.
HVAC, Refrigeration and Building Mechanical Services & Manufacturing Processes and Engineering Materials
Plot and read at least 15 psychrometric processes, calculating sensible heat ratio and coil loads.
Compare chiller, boiler, and air-distribution configurations against ASHRAE ventilation requirements.
Classify casting, welding, machining, and forming processes and their typical defects across 30 items.
Match heat treatments and alloy families to 15 service requirements, justifying each selection.
Your checkpoint
A 40-question mixed HVAC and manufacturing quiz scored at 75% or higher, plus a one-page material-selection decision table.
Manufacturing Processes and Engineering Materials & Control Systems, Instrumentation and Mechatronics
Estimate machining time, material cost, and tolerance cost for five representative parts.
Match sensors and transducers to 15 measurement applications, calculating accuracy and propagated error.
Tune a PID controller on paper for three process types, justifying proportional band, integral, and derivative settings.
Interpret ladder logic and block diagrams for four mechatronic systems.
Your checkpoint
A control-loop summary sheet (sensor, signal conditioning, controller, actuator) plus a 15-problem set scored at 80% or higher.
Engineering Ethics, Codes, Standards and Professional Practice & Project Management, Health, Safety and Quality
Resolve 12 ethics scenarios against the professional code, identifying conflicts of interest, sealing rules, and competent-practice limits.
Build and crash a CPM/PERT network, computing critical path, float, and schedule compression options.
Compute earned-value metrics (CPI, SPI, EAC) and apply OSHA hazard-control hierarchy to five site scenarios.
Re-run all previously missed questions across every domain and confirm each is now answered correctly.
Your checkpoint
A full-length timed mock exam across all nine domains, scored at 70% or higher, accompanied by a ranked list of remaining weak topics.
Milestones
Week 2: Thermodynamics error log closed out: every Week 1 miss re-solved correctly without notes, and 10 pipe-system problems completed end to end.
Week 4: Timed mock section on Domains 3 and 4 finished at 70% or higher within the target time, with a written correction for each miss.
Week 6: All five heavy domains (2, 3, 4, 5, 7) covered at least once; mixed quiz at 75% or higher; psychrometric chart usable without a reference.
Week 8: Full-length mock exam at 70% or higher, with no domain below 60% and a final 72-hour review list of no more than 10 topics.