Ran Chen, EA, CFP®

Engineering Exam Prep

Education EN ↓ 182 episodes

Engineering Exam Prep is a free, daily podcast by OpenExamPrep covering the most in-demand engineering licensure exams — including FE Fundamentals of Engineering, FE Surveying, and the full PE catalog (Civil, Civil Geotechnical, Civil Construction, Civil Transportation, Civil Water Resources & Environmental, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Architectural, Agricultural & Biological, Control Systems, and more). Each 5-minute episode breaks down one exam topic with worked-style examples, NCEES Reference Handbook callouts, common exam traps, unit-conversion gotchas, and memory tricks to help you...

Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: open-exam-prep.com

Author

Ran Chen, EA, CFP®

Episodes

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 71, Rankine Brayton and Otto Power Cycles 10.10.2026 3:45

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The critical first step for any power cycle problem: mapping s...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 70, Second Law Entropy and Isentropic Efficiency 09.10.2026 3:17

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Why the Second Law of Thermodynamics is essential for measurin...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 69, First Law for Steady Flow Devices 08.10.2026 3:31

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to simplify the full steady-state, steady-flow energy equa...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 68, First Law for Closed Systems 07.10.2026 3:22

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The NCEES sign convention: Heat added to the system is positiv...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 67, Ideal Gases and Nonreacting Mixtures 06.10.2026 4:03

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to correctly select and use the specific gas constant (R)...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 66, Thermodynamic Properties and Property Tables 05.10.2026 3:32

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The state postulate dictates that two independent, intensive p...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 65, Dimensional Analysis Similitude and Affinity Laws 04.10.2026 3:22

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How Buckingham Pi theorem simplifies complex fluid problems in...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 64, Pumps Fans Compressors and Performance Curves 03.10.2026 3:57

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to calculate pump, fan, and compressor power, accounting f...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 63, Compressible Flow Mach Number and Nozzles 02.10.2026 3:19

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The speed of sound in an ideal gas depends only on its absolut...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 62, External Flow Drag Lift and Boundary Layers 01.10.2026 3:24

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to use the Reynolds number to determine if flow is laminar...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 61, Momentum Equation Jets and Fluid Forces 30.09.2026 4:17

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to apply the linear momentum equation (ΣF = ṁΔv) to solve...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 60, Pipe Networks Series Parallel and Minor Losses 29.09.2026 3:20

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - In series pipe networks, the flow rate (Q) is constant, and th...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 59, Laminar Turbulent and Internal Pipe Flow 28.09.2026 3:09

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to use the Reynolds number to classify flow as laminar or...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 58, Energy Equation Head Loss and Pump Power 27.09.2026 4:27

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to apply the extended energy (Bernoulli's) equation to sol...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 57, Continuity Bernoulli and Flow Measurement 26.09.2026 3:45

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to apply the continuity equation (A₁V₁ = A₂V₂) for incompr...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 56, Manometers Buoyancy and Fluid Statics 25.09.2026 3:35

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to solve differential manometer problems by systematically...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 55, Fluid Properties Pressure and Hydrostatics 24.09.2026 3:31

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The correct application of absolute versus gauge pressure for...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 54, Material Selection Quality and Reliability 23.09.2026 3:34

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to interpret material selection (Ashby) charts to balance...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 53, Corrosion Fatigue Fracture and Creep 22.09.2026 3:39

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - To identify the four required components for electrochemical c...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 52, Manufacturing Processes and Joining Methods 21.09.2026 4:00

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - To differentiate manufacturing processes: casting (complex sha...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 51, Phase Diagrams and Heat Treatment 20.09.2026 3:24

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to apply the lever rule to an iron-carbon phase diagram to...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 50, Polymers Ceramics and Composite Materials 19.09.2026 3:05

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - To distinguish thermoplastics, which can be remelted and recyc...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 49, Ferrous and Nonferrous Engineering Metals 18.09.2026 2:05

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The key difference between steel and cast iron is carbon conte...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 48, Material Properties and Stress Strain Curves 17.09.2026 3:22

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to identify elastic modulus, yield strength, and ultimate...

FE Mechanical Exam Prep 47, Column Buckling and Stability 16.09.2026 3:37

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to determine the correct Area Moment of Inertia (I_min) fo...