THE DR. TOM METHOD
Mechanical PE Exam Prep That Works
“I needed a prep course that told me how, what, and when to study. DTC was perfect in that regard. I walked into my study sessions daily not having to worry about what needed to be accomplished. I am 100% confident saying that without your course, I wouldn’t have succeeded with a first-time go.
Thank you so much! ”
– CPT Chandler Alford, PE, United States Army, Seattle, WA
Designed to Unlock Your Superpowers
Welcome! If you are a Mechanical Engineer looking for the best preparation for the PE Exam, then you’ve come to the right place. We can help you unlock you superpowers!
Every year, hundreds of Mechanical Engineers choose our comprehensive, online PE Exam Review courses because they offer preparation that actually works and because they’ve heard about our commitment to your success.
Our courses can work for you too because they are based on the proven “Dr. Tom Method” that will give you the BEST CHANCE OF PASSING THE EXAM with:
- COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW: A complete review for the PE Exam with video lessons teach you the fundamentals and a selected method of solving problems that can be applied quickly across classes of problems.
- REFERENCE HANDBOOK GUIDE: Lots of practice accessing information in the Reference Handbook to become intimately familiar with what’s in it and what’s not.
- PRACTICE PROBLEMS: An extensive combination of problems designed to build your confidence, plus practice exams in an exam-type setting.
- STRUCTURE AND FOCUS: Weekly study plans with targeted day-by-day assignments focus your review on the topics and problems needed to pass the exam. No wasting time studying things you don’t really need.
- FLEXIBILITY: Your course is easy to access online anytime and can be done on your schedule.
- THE TIME YOU NEED FOR YOUR REVIEW: We offer each review for a full year, so you can review at a pace that works for you.
We’re glad you’ve found us, and you can learn more about us below.
1) UNDERSTANDING FUNDAMENTALS: Dr. Tom and the other DTC Mechanical instructors start each topic with a review of the essential fundamental concepts you will need to understand to be able solve problems on the exam. Short video lessons teach you the fundamentals, then give you examples of how to solve related exam problems.
The courses are comprehensive, and while topics are aligned with the exam specifications, they are taught in a logical, instructional order to improve your comprehension. Your instructors are also available to answer your questions about course content via our Participant Forums.
“The beauty of Dr. Tom’s Classroom is they do not assume pre-requisite knowledge; every topic is stripped to bedrock and then built back up utilizing his method. Using his course, I was able to pass the PE on the first try amid Covid-19, working a full-time engineering position, raising two children under three, while also enrolled in an engineering masters curriculum.”
– Aldo Leon II, PE, Entergy Nuclear, New Orleans, Louisiana
2) PROBLEM RECOGNITION & LOTS OF PRACTICE: To be successful on the exam, you need to be familiar with the right problems, learn how to recognize them, and have a method to quickly solve them on exam day. The Dr. Tom Method teaches the fundamentals of topics presented in a way to build your knowledge base and help you learn to identify problem types quickly. And the course material is targeted specifically to material that will be seen on the exam. If it’s not going to be on the exam, you’re not going to waste time learning it.
“I had taken the PE twice before, and my biggest concern was problem identification and time management. I knew that these two strategies are critical to passing. It was apparent early on in Dr. Tom’s 20-Week Review course that problem identification was one of the main focuses. I was able to identify problem types significantly faster than before. I believe this was the main reason I passed.”
– William Allred, PE, LEED AP BD+C, RS&H, Merritt Island, Florida
The Dr. Tom Method provides you with numerous practice problems for you to solve throughout the course including: practice problems for every lesson, assigned NCEES Practice Exam problems, more complex challenge problems, weekly assessment problems, and multiple, timed practice exams. This combination of problems is designed to teach you an efficient way to solve problems, and then build your confidence in using that method in an exam-type setting. So lots of doing. By the end of the course, you will be ready for the exam.
“I found the practice tests to be excellent preparation for the exam and my review was focused in exactly the right areas. Since this course prepared me so well, I found the actual test to be easier than expected and I had ample time to complete it.”
– Kate Patterson, Piedmont Service Group, Raleigh NC
3) CONSISTENT SOLUTIONS – ONE WAY TO SOLVE A PROBLEM: The Dr. Tom Method teaches a selected method of solving problems that can be applied across classes of problems. By following Dr. Tom’s approach to a problem, you will have fewer equations to become familiar with and you will have less decision making to do during the exam.
“After completing the 20-Week Course, I felt extremely confident and prepared walking in to the exam. Using the methods taught by DTC, exam questions never felt overwhelming and I had all the tools required to quickly solve them.”
– Thomas Gresko, P.E., Valdes Engineering Company, Griffith, Indiana
4) REFERENCE MANAGEMENT: FAMILIARITY WITH REFERENCE HANDBOOK: The Dr. Tom Method also provides you with a system to become intimately familiar with onscreen NCEES Reference Handbook you will have available as your only resource during the exam, and to help compensate for the rather substantial gaps it has.
“On exam day, I felt prepared because I was confident in my ability to employ the DTC method as well as being able to quickly find items in the Reference Handbook.”
– Nick Bernal, Fontana, California
5) EXAM DAY STRATEGY: The Dr. Tom Method gives you a problem-solving strategy that involves identifying “low hanging fruit,” or problems that are familiar and can be solved quickly, to work first, and leaving overly complex or completely unfamiliar problems to attempt only after all others have been answered.
“On exam day, I felt prepared because I was confident in my ability to employ the DTC Method. The exam was tough, and there were a number of problems that caught me off guard, but I stuck to my plan and made sure to skip the tough problems in favor of solving familiar problems first. With this method, I was able to provide an answer for every problem in the exam and I even had some time to spare so I could check my work.”
– Nick Bernal, Fontana, California
The bottom line – you are unlikely to be able to quickly solve a problem that is completely unfamiliar to you, but after taking a DTC review, you will have a wealth of carefully chosen problems that are likely to be on the exam, and those problems will be very familiar to you. You will know how to solve them, and you will have the ability to quickly access the information you need in the NCEES Handbook to solve them. And you will have a strategy to make the best use of your time by focusing on familiar problems first. Those are your superpowers!
“I had taken the preparation course, but I changed jobs and I took the exam shortly after moving and let myself get in a panic. However, armed with the method you taught, I passed on my second try. If I had not taken your course though, I may have given up with the first try. I was completely calm in the second exam and passed. I attribute the success to calming myself with the discipline and time management learned in your course. THE DOCTOR TOM METHOD WORKS!! I just needed to apply it and keep a cool head. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you. Your course was the best. I am extremely grateful. Your course was the reason I passed when I did. And, not completely adhering to the method and staying calm was the reason I failed the first time.”
– A. Hill, PE, Arkansas