【Recommendation】Experience in registering for the Foundation Exam for Chemical Engineers

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As long as the total score for the morning and afternoon sessions exceeds 140, you pass. In my company, there’s someone who scored exactly 140 – what luck! It’s been a while since I’ve taken this kind of exam, so I had to reassess some of the review methods and testing strategies, but it still worked fairly well. Initially, the schedule for review was determined based on the scores obtained in each subject; the key thing is to have a clear understanding of all the basic concepts mentioned in the syllabus, and the review process follows this principle as well. Given the large number of questions, there is an average of two minutes per question in the morning; as a result, there are many simple conceptual questions. Even the calculation-based questions are not too complex – they can be solved in just one or two steps. Last year I used the review materials from Tianjin University; after comparing them with other review materials, I still found those from Tianjin University to be better – they were explained clearly and in detail, much more detailed than those published by the Chemical Industry Press, which were rather brief. It seems that for those taking the basic exam, most of their problems arise in the morning; in the afternoon, since they are already more familiar with the basic professional concepts, it is relatively easier. This morning, my biggest challenge was in mechanics: theoretical mechanics and material mechanics ； Perhaps these two courses for those majoring in chemical engineering are not as reliant on fluid mechanics as much. Moreover, in many current programs in chemical engineering technology, courses on theoretical mechanics and material mechanics are not offered specifically; they are only mentioned briefly in other related courses, which makes things more difficult. Next is advanced mathematics; it seems that there are many questions on ordinary differential equations in this subject. In fact, as long as one adopts the right strategy and focuses on the basics, it shouldn’t be too difficult. The key is to score at least 60 points in the morning exam, and then rely on our specialized foundational courses to boost our scores. Since advanced mathematics accounts for a large portion of the total score – 24 points – we need to make an effort to do well in it. If we can score around 18 points in advanced mathematics, our overall score will be secure. Last year, it seemed that the advanced math exam didn’t cover much on simple differentiation and integration; there were hardly any questions related to linear algebra or spatial analytic geometry. I was really frustrated at that time, haha. General physics, general chemistry, and fluid mechanics are subjects we are familiar with; we must score as many points as possible on them – perhaps 8 to 9 points – so that we can have a minimum of 45 points in the morning session. For computer science, we can expect to score 6 points, as we haven’t studied Fortran and can only rely on our knowledge of Basic or C language to make guesses. The basic circuit theory covered in electrical engineering is something we find easy, so scoring over 6 points in that subject should not be a problem. Diodes, transistors, arithmetic units, gate circuits – these all mainly test conceptual understanding. Make sure you grasp the concepts clearly; if you’re unsure about the calculations, guess based on those concepts. Engineering economics is the most conceptual aspect; it’s important to understand what those terms mean and what their implications are. For this part, I mainly relied on eliminating incorrect answers, and I think it’s feasible to score 6–7 points. Based on this calculation, we can theoretically get at least 64 points. It seems like that isn’t enough to pass, but remember that since it’s all multiple-choice questions, we can guess. For those questions we don’t understand, we can guess based on the meaning of the concepts. How is it possible not to get any of the 24 questions in Theoretical Mechanics and Mechanics of Materials right by guessing? There must be a time when it’s possible, right? Besides, what we are most familiar with is the afternoon session – as long as you score 77 points or more in the afternoon, you can pass. Of course, those who are excellent at the basic courses are another matter; if they can score over 72 points in the morning, there’s no need for them to read this post, haha. Thermodynamics in the afternoon is my difficulty. Physical chemistry and principles of chemical engineering are our core subjects; if we can’t score high on the basic questions, it’s not the fault of the examiners – we need to look for answers within ourselves. These two subjects together account for 72 points, and with a 75% grading scale, we need to score at least 54 points. As for Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering Design, there’s no need to say more – material balance and heat balance are essential topics that will definitely be tested; scoring 10 points on them shouldn’t be a problem. Process control also presents a challenge for us; last year the exam involved questions about choosing between different types of valves, which were based on conceptual understanding and were relatively simple, so scoring 6 points should be possible. Thermodynamics is another area that gives us trouble; let’s aim for half of the possible points, which is 6 points. With that, we already have 76 points. But we can’t give up, as we still need to improve our scores in the afternoon. For pollution control and occupational regulations, anyone who has reviewed the relevant materials should be able to score half of the possible points, That is, 6 points. So it should be easy to score over 80 points in the afternoon. For anything else you don’t understand, guess based on the concepts. By ‘guessing’ I don’t mean making random guesses; rather, it involves using the concepts to rule out certain answer options. Last year, for many questions I didn’t understand, I used the elimination method to choose the right answer, and my success rate was quite high. That’s why I keep emphasizing the importance of understanding the concepts outlined in the syllabus! ! As long as one has browsed relevant materials and has an understanding of the concept of an outline, it is relatively easy to pass the basic exam. During the exam, one should quickly identify and solve the questions that are familiar and that can be answered easily first; the remaining questions can then be analyzed carefully to rule out incorrect answers. There is enough time in the morning session of the exam – although an average of 2 minutes is allocated to each question, the time spent on questions that cannot be answered is used for solving those that can be answered. Therefore, it’s important to try to identify the questions that can be solved and allocate appropriate time to address them. Hehe, I wish all those who are taking the basic exam this year success in it. Speaking of this exam, the only word that comes to mind is: tough! ! The suffering is unbearable, and the reason for this is simply the enormous volume of questions – it’s beyond anyone’s imagination. The two-day exam can be roughly divided into four and a half days of testing, namely 1A, 1P (the questions for the morning and afternoon of the first day) and 2A, 2P (the questions for the morning and afternoon of the second day). This makes it easier to explain, and it also fits better with engineering terminology, haha. All exam durations are 3 hours ； 1A: All of them are conceptual questions, with 40 questions in total. 80% of people can complete them within 2 hours; I finished them in about 1.5 hours. The difficulty isn’t high, but it’s not easy to get a high score – a small mistake can happen if you’re not careful. You need to read the questions very carefully. The questions are quite tricky. The materials that must be brought along for this section are HG 20519-92, the Unified Regulations on the Content and Depth of Construction Drawings for Chemical Process Design. I didn’t bring those materials, and it cost me a lot; at least 6 points could have been obtained from those regulations ； Overall overview: At least 24 points are needed, that is 40 x 0.6 = 24. As for why it’s 0.6, there’s no need to explain further – one has to pass the exam. 1P, calculation questions (no need to write out the steps). Note: All of them are calculation questions, totaling 40 questions. The difficulty level is not high, so they should all be solvable. However, the only issue is time – on average, it takes 4.5 minutes to complete each question. In reality, however, it’s impossible to solve any of these questions in just 4.5 minutes. Several of these 40 questions are actually taken from the 1983 edition of the textbook on chemical engineering principles published by Tianjin University. Some of those taking the exam were graduates from East China University of Science and Technology; they regretted not bringing along a copy of Tianjin University’s textbook on chemical engineering principles. Therefore, I urge everyone to try to find such a textbook if possible. The newer versions published by Tianjin University may not be as useful. It’s not clear whether the same people will be responsible for setting the questions this year, or whether the question-setting committee is still based in Beijing If so, then naturally, the textbooks used are mostly those from Tianjin University. Back then, the whole classroom was filled with the sound of people pressing calculators non-stop. I’d like to remind those who do simulations that no matter how proficient you are with software, if your computer isn’t allowed to be brought in, well, manual calculation skills become very useful here. As for the materials mentioned earlier, whether they’re from Tianjin University or from regulatory bodies, there are some available, but not many. Chemical engineering principles and chemical thermodynamics have the most materials available. What’s funny is that all the books people found were yellow and very old. Any version of reaction engineering will do; referring to the materials from regulatory bodies (the two books mentioned by the friend above) is also an option. It depends on what you’re used to. For chemical thermodynamics, it’s best to use the book by Zhu Ziqiang, as it contains the original questions. I used the 1990 version – it’s not new anyway, and not many people use the newer textbooks. Those who set the questions also study the older textbooks. There’s nothing you can do about it, haha. Exam statistics: In my exam room, only 2 people managed to answer more than 20 out of 40 questions. I answered 26 questions, but I still don’t know if they were correct or not. Two people answered 17 questions, and the rest answered fewer than 15. By “answered,” I mean actually solved the problems. Since it’s a standard answer sheet, it’s still possible to guess. Statistically, it’s possible to get 4 or 5 questions right by guessing. For questions 1A and 1P, you must answer all of them; even if you don’t have time, fill in the answer sheets anyway – don’t leave any blanks, as guessing can still help you get a few answers right. The average score for most people is around 15 points; those who manage to score 24 points, which is the passing score, are few and scarce. Books required: 2 books on regulatory agencies, Principles of Chemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, Reaction Engineering, Handbook of Chemical Process Design, Handbook of Chemical Piping; the Petroleum and Chemical Engineering Design Handbook is not recommended. Those who have used this book say that it’s not suitable for exams – ugh! ! ! Last time we talked about 1A and 1P; let’s talk about 2A and 2P now. The exams on the second day were all based on case studies. The test papers and answer sheets were the same as those for the first day, but the test papers required detailed steps for solving the problems, and the answers had to be marked on the standard optical scan cards using a 2B pencil (the same as for the first day’s exam). ) 2A: The morning exam consists entirely of questions related to university-level specialized subjects. There are 20 questions in total, with 2 points for each question, for a total of 40 points. The topics covered include principles of chemical engineering, chemical thermodynamics, chemical reaction engineering, and more. The time allocated is 3 hours, which means an average of 9 minutes per question. It’s practically impossible to complete all 20 questions; almost every question is a complex calculation problem that requires a lot of work. I completed 13 of them; the other 7 had gaps in them (I checked and I know how to solve them, but the calculation volume is too large). ), but on the machine-readable card, each question was still shaded in pencil – it wasn’t left unshaded or colored white, haha. 2P: In the afternoon exam, in addition to university-specific subjects, there are also topics related to engineering design and project management. There are 20 questions in total, with 2 points for each question, for a total of 40 points. These questions can generally be found in the two books titled \"Review Guide for the Chinese Certified Chemical Engineer Qualification Examination\" and \"Guidebook for the Chinese Certified Chemical Engineer Qualification Examination\". Some of them are original questions that can be copied verbatim; however, unfortunately, even if one were to copy from the books, it would already be quite fast to complete one question in 9 minutes. Some of the original questions are simply those from the books, with only the numbers changed, and in such cases one has to perform the calculations themselves based on the information provided in the books – calculations are thus inevitable. I completed 12 questions, leaving the other 8 blank. There are 40 questions in total, and I managed to answer 25 of them. A perfect score would be 50 points; my score was 46 points. I estimated my score to be 40 points, so I have no idea where those extra 6 points came from. Only heaven knows. Test-taking and review skills: 1. Almost every problem in these case studies requires a lot of calculation work; don’t expect to be able to finish them all. No one can complete a complex calculation problem in just 9 minutes. In my opinion, reducing the number of questions by half would be a good idea. In the exam room where I was, 25 people took the test, and out of the 40 questions available over the morning and afternoon, less than 3 people were able to finish half of them. And that’s assuming they even managed to finish the questions – it’s not clear whether their answers were correct or not. Therefore, it is essential to maintain a relaxed attitude when taking case-based exams. Everyone has taken various exams such as the college entrance exam, as well as undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral exams; in other words, they have extensive experience in taking tests, and most of them have achieved excellent results. But don’t expect to score high on this exam – it’s almost impossible. Goal: Solve 60% of the total 40 questions, which means 24 questions. Score: 40 points for getting 20 questions right; with a minimum score of 40 points, you won’t end up in the lower ranks, haha. 2. Once you receive your exam paper, please make sure to recall how you took the college entrance examination back then. As the most important exam in one’s life, it’s likely that the memories are still fresh in your mind. What was the first thing you did as soon as you got your exam paper (other than writing down your admission ticket number, etc.)? First, read through the entire test paper. Since it’s impossible to complete all the questions, the purpose of reading it through once is clear: it’s like picking the easiest fruits first to squeeze – start with the questions that are easier, working from simple to difficult. Without reading through the paper once, how can you know which questions are easy and which ones are difficult? During the morning exam, I finished 5 questions before I remembered this rule; so I stopped working on the questions and focused on looking at the test paper first. The afternoon exam was much better. For the first 5 questions in the afternoon exam, I left them blank – haha, I just took a quick look at them and then moved on to the questions I knew how to answer, or those that were easier for me and wouldn’t take much time. When taking exams, don’t hesitate; give up on what must be given up, but make sure to score points on the questions that you know how to answer – you must not get them wrong. 3. Strive to complete a question in about 15 minutes; there’s no need for me to explain where this time limit comes from, haha. Put a clock on the table; don’t look at it too often – check it every half hour. Hehe, looking at it too much can cause anxiety. Do 2 questions per half hour. Taking this exam is also a great way to train one’s mindset; it’s important to stay calm and not get panicked when encountering a few questions one can’t answer. Think, \"If I can’t do it, then no one else can either.\" Having such an unyielding attitude is the right approach, haha. 4. The time spent in the exam comes from the effort put in during practice. There are no special tricks for practice; basically, the most important thing is to be proficient in using a calculator. The computer skills and experience with simulation software acquired at work are of no use here; instead, those with strong manual calculation abilities have a significant advantage. 5. The following topics require focused attention during calculations: material balance (pay close attention to problems related to gas fuel combustion, as there are several similar questions), fluid flow (calculations related to pipelines), heat transfer, distillation (for two-component systems), absorption (for two-component systems). I think it’s unnecessary to tackle the complex calculation problems in chemical engineering thermodynamics and reaction engineering. The calculation problems in fundamental chemical engineering are easier to work on; of course, one can decide based on their own situation. Those who are familiar with reaction engineering and thermodynamics should definitely not skip the problems they know well. In short, the key is to make full use of one’s strengths and be flexible. Hehe, there’s a lot of improvisation involved here. Personally, I think attending supplementary classes is hardly useful; just bring some books and do the exercises at the end of the textbook by yourself. Practicing 10 such exercises per day will suffice after about a month. These are all for those who already have a foundation – it’s basically just reviewing what they already know. The most important thing is proficiency! 6. Personally, I feel that the review process is one in which the textbook content is reviewed thoroughly once again. The concepts related to material balance and heat balance are actually quite simple, yet they account for a large proportion of the exam questions. Even in the exams on the first day, many of the questions dealt with these balance concepts, and the unit operations involved were diverse – including crystallization, filtration, etc. One needs to be careful when reading the questions; many of them are tricky and involve a lot of circumlocution, but in the end it turns out that they are testing knowledge of material balance. Therefore, it’s important to be proficient in these balance-related questions – they aren’t difficult and should be key areas for scoring points.