Thoughts on the Chemical Engineering Entrance Exam
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This post was last edited by Pingdan Shi on 2014-10-18 at 08:02. I graduated with a master’s degree in 2006; at the end of that year I learned about an exam called the Registered Chemical Engineer exam. I started preparing for it at the beginning of 2007 and passed the basic courses: 101+106； In 2008, I was unable to take the exam due to age restrictions; I took the professional exam in 2009 and passed it on the first try with a score of 158+88, obtaining my first professional qualification certificate. Of course, in between I also took the exams for professional English and computer skills, and obtained an intermediate professional title. To be honest, I’ve never been afraid of exams since I was in school, and I have some insights regarding them. I also have some thoughts regarding the injection chemistry exam, which I’d like to share with everyone. First, let’s talk about the motivation for applying; this is a very important factor. Whether it is for the needs of design work itself or to work at other organizations in order to improve one’s economic prospects, the mindset behind applying determines the attitude one will adopt during the preparation process. Generally speaking, if one’s income is already low and the exam is directly linked to income, it has a direct impact, motivating candidates to try to pass the exam. For example, that’s exactly what I did: I set a goal for myself based on practical interests, aiming to pass the exam in as short a time as possible. Of course, I work in chemical process design as well, and obtaining this certificate is very beneficial for my work. Next is exam preparation, which is the most crucial element. With a goal, one naturally should strive. I have spent a considerable amount of time preparing for this exam, whether it’s the basic version or the specialized one. Starting with the basic exams, it took 8 to 9 months. I went through all the courses related to those over 10 subjects carefully, even twice, and didn’t miss a single *question in the books. Many test-takers might think it’s exaggerated now, but in those days it wasn’t at all exaggerated. When I took the basic exam in 2007, I learned that the exam in 2005 was quite difficult; the pass rate was said to be around 5%. The exam in 2006, on the other hand, was quite easy, with a pass rate reported to be over 60%. So, following this pattern or logical reasoning, one might assume that the exam in 2007 would also be difficult (who can really predict anything related to things in China?) —_—! ) Moreover, since I work in design, this opportunity to review the material allows me to catch up on all the knowledge I’ve forgotten or become rusty on (of course, if someone is preparing just to pass the exam, or thinks that since it’s mostly multiple-choice questions, they can guess their way through, then there’s no need for them to continue reading). It is officially for this purpose or idea, so I am well prepared. Regarding which courses to choose, aside from electronics, which I had never studied before and so decided to skip (the main reason being that I work in process design, and mastering it wouldn’t be very useful for me), I didn’t skip any of the other courses, including those related to technical economics. In my opinion, the key subjects for scoring in the morning are advanced mathematics and the three branches of mechanics, while chemical engineering principles, physical chemistry, and thermodynamics should be the focus areas for scoring in the afternoon. In mathematics, calculus and linear algebra are given emphasis; in mechanics, theory and materials are emphasized. Many concepts in fluid mechanics are also present in the principles of chemical engineering, though the methods of derivation differ. The reason why advanced mathematics and the two branches of mechanics are emphasized is that they are extremely useful in design; for example, those working in fields related to piping systems or pipe stress require a high level of knowledge in these areas. As for the chemical engineering courses in the afternoon, it goes without saying that not having an understanding of these concepts makes design work simply impossible. Next are the professional exams. Although there are many examination topics, if we exclude regulations, project management, as well as various engineering and systems-related subjects, only 4 courses need to be prepared: Principles of Chemical Engineering, Reaction Engineering, Chemical Thermodynamics, and possibly some physical chemistry (which is actually covered within thermodynamics). It may seem that there is a need to reduce the number of subjects*, but in reality the requirements are much higher than those for the basic exam; it is necessary to be familiar with certain standards, as well as to understand the classification and key design aspects of processes and systems. What’s more important is the case analysis with the calculation process on the second day; this truly tests one’s capabilities. Both problem-solving strategies and speed are essential, as is the speed at which one can write. Standardizing these requires time to build up, and whether one can access them during an exam also involves a certain element of luck; there is no need to discuss this here. Here, I will only share my own reflections on the above three courses. Undoubtedly, in theory, all three of these should be considered priorities. In fact, not much is covered on thermodynamics in the exams, and reaction engineering focuses on residence time as well as the design equations for several typical types of reactors. But as I’ve said before, I’m not preparing just to pass the exam (although the extra 500 per month upon passing is a significant incentive, it’s not the fundamental reason); rather, I’m actually planning for and preparing for my career in design, which is why I placed emphasis on thermodynamics and reaction engineering. If you just want to pass the exam, focus on the kinetics and reactor residence time sections; at least that was the case in 2009. Many friends hope to encounter the exact same questions in professional exams, or to find similar questions in books; and often, due to insufficient preparation, they have to look up formulas in their books during the exam. I think this idea or approach is questionable. During the professional case exams, I hardly ever referred to my books, especially on the first attempt. Being familiar with the formulas can save a lot of time; moreover, because of that familiarity, for many questions (especially those related to unit operations), I could immediately determine which formula to use as soon as I saw the relevant data. Exactly for this reason, I checked the case analysis for the next day at least once, or more times, in the morning and in the afternoon, to ensure that I would be able to pass it. Another very important chapter in the professional exams is Chapter 1, Heat and Mass Balance. This cannot be improved through repetition; no matter how well it’s explained in various materials or how many different calculation methods are outlined, when faced with a large amount of data and complex material processes in the exam, there is usually no time to figure out which method to use. All one can do is to accumulate knowledge over time, and then rely on luck during the exam – perhaps good luck will help one find the right approach and solve the problems easily. After talking about exam preparation, let’s discuss the mindset needed for exams. This is actually very important as well; no matter how well prepared you are, an unstable mindset can reduce your score from 80 to 60. I think it’s just three words: a normal mindset. Neither should one rush to pass it in one attempt for material gains, nor should one become overconfident just because they think they are well-prepared. My own attempt to take this professional exam is a typical example of this. Before the exam, I consulted some people from my workplace who had taken it before; they all said that no standards were actually tested, so I only brought with me the codes for building design, petrochemical engineering, and industrial metal piping design. I didn’t bring any books related to project management at all. The exam on the first morning went pretty well – I scored 89 ； I did terribly on the exam this afternoon, scoring only 69. I was completely lost when looking at the questions because I hadn’t brought any guidelines or materials related to that topic. So to all those taking professional exams, if you can think of anything relevant that you should bring, do so; don’t rely on what others say about whether certain guidelines were more or less frequently tested in previous exams. Carrying lots of books is a bit tiring, but it gives one a sense of confidence when taking the exam. And I was completely out of my element during the exam the next morning, because I had worked so hard and dedicated so much time to preparing that I really wanted to pass the exam on the first try. The first three questions seemed to have a format that didn’t suit me well; although I was able to answer them quickly, I had the feeling that something was off. Since I didn’t adjust my mindset in time, I got stuck on one question (it was a question related to thermodynamic calculations; the question itself along with the data table filled an entire page. I wonder if other candidates still remember it). I had no idea how to proceed at all, and my anxiety and frustration continued to affect my ability to analyze and solve the subsequent questions, making the process extremely difficult. As a result, it took two hours and a quarter to finish the remaining 24 questions, with another 45 minutes used for checking them. The morning exam was over, and while discussing it with others, I had just started to say, “There’s one question I couldn’t solve, it’s that one…” While describing the question, I suddenly came up with a way to solve it; by ignoring the complex relationships between the various components and calculating the entire system, I was able to arrive at the answer quickly. I was extremely frustrated; it was such a simple question, yet it ruined my mood for the exam that morning. Fortunately, I managed to adjust my mindset in time during lunch, which made the exam in the afternoon go smoothly. Of course, in my opinion, the questions themselves were quite simple; I finished them in less than an hour and a half, and I checked my answers twice. Of course, this speed is inseparable from the great effort I put in to reproduce it usually. Fortunately, the results were satisfying: 44+44. Although I was a bit upset emotionally, my regular hard work and solid foundation played a decisive role. Last, I’d like to talk about the issue of exam materials. Many people on the forum have different opinions on this – some support one institution, while others prefer another. In my personal opinion, once recovery is truly achieved, all types of reference materials serve the same purpose; I always start by reading textbooks or course materials, and after thoroughly understanding them, I then turn to recovery materials to study the typical question types presented there. Personally, I base my approach on Tianjin University’s materials; I feel that if you can solve the problems there smoothly and with a high accuracy rate, passing the basic level should be easy. Given my emphasis on professional exams (as I don’t want to have to redo them next year), I have the association’s review guides, exam manuals, practice questions, as well as a vast amount of materials related to professional exams. It feels like something as important as this should be more reliable. The association’s restoration guidelines are only valuable when they include relevant examples; as it is with those guidelines alone, it seems that some topics aren’t covered or aren’t discussed in sufficient depth. There’s no need for such detailed explanations on matters that don’t require them, yet many details are still provided. Air coolers in heat transfer are a typical example of this (I simply skipped to the next chapter when I encountered that section). As for what many friends say about not allowing items from Tian Da to be brought into the exam room, I have never encountered such a situation; moreover, the admission ticket only requires that the books come from legitimate publishers. Therefore, TianDa data should be able to be brought in. Speaking of reputable publishing houses, there’s one additional point to mention regarding various guidelines or manuals: many people think that they can bring whatever they want during open-book exams, so they copy or print out relevant materials in the hope of bringing them in, but this is very dangerous. At least that’s the case in the examination room where I took the Sichuan professional exam; all copied and printed materials had to be handed in, and anyone caught doing so was treated as having cheated. So I’d like to warn those who are preparing for the exam: if you encounter such an examiner, you won’t be able to argue even if you’re in the right. In short, buy what you need and bring what’s necessary; sacrifice a bit before the exam so that you stay calm during it. A lot was said in a rush; maybe some friends have different opinions and think that since they haven’t practiced for as long and haven’t watched that much, it’s okay even if their results are different? And the score is not low either. Of course, what I’m saying is to prepare for the exam by anticipating the worst. Because no one knows the difficulty level of the exam they will take. For example, it was around 5% in 2005, 60% in 2006; it was about 30% in both 2007 and 2008. The statistics for 2009 have not yet been released. I think that as the number of registered chemical workers increases and the registration system comes into effect, this exam will likely become increasingly difficult. Otherwise, if the pass rate remains at 30% every year, what value will this certificate have in the future? Isn’t it just like the CET-4 and CET-6 certificates these days, which are everywhere? Isn’t it the extremely low pass rate that makes first-class architecture and structure so valuable? Being well-prepared ensures that one remains calm during the exam. In 2005, everyone said the exam questions were insanely difficult, but didn’t some people still pass it? Doesn’t this illustrate the benefits of thorough preparation? Finally, I hope that all those taking the exams – whether they are involved in design work or work in factories, whether they specialize in chemistry or other fields, and whether they are taking basic exams or more specialized ones – will successfully pass the exams they have signed up for within 10 years. After all, I too have been asked by my workplace’s management to prepare for the certification as a consulting specialist; let’s work together to achieve this goal.
In 2005, everyone said the exam questions were insanely difficult, but didn’t some people still pass it? Doesn’t this illustrate the benefits of thorough preparation? I really like this sentence; it’s very helpful. I’ll study hard and take the professional exam
Could LZ introduce the exam books? We don’t sell such books here; they have to be bought online, but we don’t know how to order them. I’m going to buy the TianDa top and bottom right now. What else do I need to buy? Please advise!
The original poster is great; they spent a lot of time preparing for the exams and studying, which is why they got such high scores. I’ve learned from the original poster*. Although I’m not yet eligible to take the professional exams due to my short length of service, I need to start preparing now~~
If one has graduated with a degree in chemical engineering, they should be able to pass without much need to review the basics. It’s a professional field; since there are case analyses involved, which require describing the process, it might be a bit difficult. The main focus is to master the principles of chemical engineering and to do a good job with the balance of heat, mass, and energy. It’s enough to know the standard specifications and such; after all, they’re rarely tested. If you just don’t want to strive for high scores, then there’s no need to spend time reviewing. Overall, there’s not much to repeat*. It’s no problem to build a solid foundation through regular practice. For the professional exam, focus on reviewing ahead of time and get familiar with some basic formulas!
The original poster is right; I too plan to take the basic exams. As a newcomer to this field, I need to work harder, otherwise I’ll end up going gray before it’s too late. A guy upstairs mentioned reference materials, so I bought a set of the Tianjin University edition of basic texts. I think the textbooks from my previous school are sufficient; most of them are still classic works. I think if one can truly understand these materials thoroughly, then for professional exams it’s sufficient to focus on the relevant scope; there’s no need to buy other materials for those exams, haha (of course, some experience or ideas related to specific projects are necessary). The key is to concentrate on the knowledge rather than on the materials themselves.
The original poster really provided thorough preparation material. I hardly studied before the exam; it was only after watching the 2008 Olympics that, with 10 days left until the exam, I started to intensify my preparation. I would study until around 1 a.m. every day, using the bus on the way to the exam site to go through the remaining material. With a box full of books, I would finish answering the last question right when the bell signaling the end of the exam rang. I scored 131 + 68; I think I was quite lucky. Key experiences ； Bring more books on the first day so you can flip through them faster. The next day, I brought in some answers to the practice questions, and there were many similar questions
After reading the replies from everyone above, as well as the ideas and experiences of other forum users, I have many thoughts. I can list the reference books I used at that time, but this is only for your reference; after all, everyone has a different foundation, different goals for preparing for the exams, different levels of mental resilience, and also different amounts of time available for review. For the basic parts, aside from the electronic materials, all the other textbooks were those used in my previous school (I graduated from Sichuan University). As for the materials specifically designed for the exams, I mentioned in my notes that those from Tianjin University were used. Personally, I think this book is really good; I haven’t used any materials from associations or other versions, so it’s difficult for me to give a comment on those. Regarding the professional exam textbook on Principles of Chemical Engineering, I used a combination of the new version published by Sichuan University and the version from Tianjin University. There’s no need to comment on the Principles of Chemical Engineering textbook from Tianjin University – everyone who has used it has given it high praise. I can recommend the new edition published by Sichuan University (not because I graduated from Sichuan University that I recommend it). This book is likely the first in China to systematically introduce the theories of mass transfer phenomena and processes at the beginning of it; the main theme of the book, which deals with the three types of mass transfer, is very clear, with the formulas for various unit operations being derived based on these theories and their conclusions. It was difficult to understand at first, but once you get used to it, it becomes much easier, and it also helps a lot in understanding and deriving the operations in subsequent units. However, this book has one flaw: some aspects are not explained in detail, such as the NPSH of pumps. For this very reason, I used the older version of the original work from Tianjin University as a supplement. Thermodynamics, Zhu Ziqiang’s Second Edition of Thermodynamics, and Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics from Zhejiang University. The Zhejiang University version is relatively easy to understand for reaction engineering. As for the reaction engineering textbooks from Sichuan University and those by Chen Gantang, apart from Sichuan University’s own textbooks, I also used those recommended by others in the past, and they turned out to be quite good. Regarding the exam materials provided by the association and Tianjin University, my thoughts on this are clearly explained in my notes. I prefer Tianjin University. Another issue is that there are many errors in the solutions to the problems provided by the association, especially when it comes to calculating the NPSH of pumps. The most standard version of this formula can be found in the textbooks published by Tianjin University. Additionally, in order to increase the number of questions and train problem-solving speed, I also found a review guide for Principles of Chemical Engineering compiled by Seiisei Chai from Tianjin University; it includes several sets of master’s examination questions from that university as well. As for whether it’s helpful, I can only say that no original questions or similar ones were found, but it is very beneficial for integrating knowledge points and improving proficiency with formulas. As for the chemical process design manual and other various manuals, I didn’t bring them to the exam. The reason is simple: they are just too heavy and have too many pages; I was too lazy to go through them. These are the books I brought for the professional exam (aside from the regulations, everything fit in a school backpack at that time; unlike many people who brought suitcases). I hope this can be helpful to those preparing for exams. Once again, I wish everyone taking various exams this year success in passing them
If the original poster were to memorize all the books, they could go into the exam room with nothing but their knowledge and score 100 points effortlessly. But most of those who take these exams have to work for 12 months or more each year, so they don’t have that much time – they spend 8–9 months on it. I went through all the courses related to those over 10 subjects carefully, even twice. To obtain the certificate, 60 points are sufficient; 80 points aren’t required. Many of my colleagues who took the professional exam in 2008 passed it within less than a month, but there were also those who took a long time to pass. Effort is needed for the exam, as well as attention to certain techniques. After all, we all need to do our daily work well, and the experience gained from that work is the most important in the long run. A certificate alone doesn’t prove much; it’s the combination of theoretical knowledge and practical application that matters most.
What was said upstairs is correct, but the original poster only shared his personal thoughts. For those of us who work while recovering, to be honest, I think most people still have quite a bit of time available. Assuming work starts at 8:30 in the morning and ends at 5:30 in the afternoon, there are very few people who work overtime until late every day; we work 6 days a week. So after work every day, after eating (some people go home) and taking a shower, they go to bed at 11 o’clock. There isn’t much time left; even if there are 2 hours for reading. Think about when we were in school: if we went to study by 7 p.m., and were a bit lazy, we’d return to the dormitory at 9:30 p.m., which is 2.5 hours. Actually, they are more or less the same. It’s just a rough thought; actually, we still have plenty of time. Sometimes it’s simply because we’re lazy or want to have fun, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. After all, once we start working, interpersonal relationships become very important. As the person above said, the experience gained from work is crucial in the long run. Certificates alone don’t prove much; it’s the combination of theoretical knowledge and practical application that matters most. The most important thing in life is to live happily. Take the exams if you can; if you’re too tired, put it aside for now – it’s no big deal.
The comments from friends on floors 10 and 11 are very reasonable and interesting. I wrote these insights and discussed the teaching materials in response to a friend’s PM as well as the requests made in the post; let me clarify a few points here: 1. Since it’s an exchange of experiences, it’s of course better to share more positive things. Instead of you saying it was only recovered for two months, I’d dare to say it was only recovered for a month or even two weeks. You say you brought three books for the exam, and I’d dare to say I took it without any books at all. I think as exams become more standardized, they should become increasingly formal; this is just a reminder for everyone to pay attention ； 2. Regarding the repeated period of “8–9 months,” this obviously refers to the time after work as well as holidays. I work on process design in a design firm. Those who have done design know that when a project comes in, things get extremely busy; working overtime or even all night long is common. It’s because I’m tired from work, so I still have to find time to read after work; as a result, the whole process seems extremely difficult. If I really spent some time reading and doing exercises every day, then there wouldn’t be much to complain about ； 3. As for preparation before the exam, I’ve already made it clear that it’s not just for the exam itself, but also for planning my career in design. During the 3 years I was engaged in design. I’ve met many people who are afraid of doing calculations; they have no understanding from the very beginning, ranging from the thermodynamic calculations related to the entire process to the process design and selection calculations for the individual units used in the process. Many of them simply choose something arbitrarily based on guesswork, or they rely on previous projects without carrying out any optimization efforts. In my opinion, as a designer, one should strive to improve oneself. Plus, I used to do research in reaction kinetics at school; after starting work, I switched to process design. It certainly took some effort to read books and manuals, but looking back, it was worth it. Not only have I passed the exam, but I now also have a solid understanding of process analysis and design, as well as various types of calculations ； 4. It’s true that you can pass this exam with 60 points; getting more points doesn’t make any difference. I’ve always thought that having a score that’s sufficient is enough, but I’m not aware of the difficulty level of the exam I’m about to take. And who can guarantee that they will just manage to pass the exam with 60 points? I guess there aren’t people that amazing, right? As I mentioned in my thoughts, many friends didn’t prepare that much, but they still passed with fairly high scores – that’s what I mean. The reason I spend so much of my free time practicing is because the exams in 2005 were promoted in an extremely exaggerated manner. There are people in our department who took the exam in 2005; due to insufficient preparation, they couldn’t even complete 60% of the questions within the allotted time, so passing the exam was nothing but a dream for them. It is precisely because of the hard work at work and extreme fatigue after work that I mentioned in point two, that I hope to pass it all at once, even if it means being more tired. 5. That’s indeed how I prepared for my exams, so I’m sharing my experience in this way. But I didn’t make everyone act like me, including regarding the use of supplementary materials and such. As mentioned in the notes, it doesn’t matter what others say; what’s most important is to create a recovery plan that suits one’s own situation. However, thorough preparation before the exam and staying calm during the exam are definitely essential. I originally wrote these things in response to PMs from other forum members or requests in posts, and there’s absolutely no intention of showing off by listing scores. It seems some friends may have a misunderstanding; if this has indeed caused you dissatisfaction or displeasure, please forgive me. This is likely my last reply to this post in the first half of this year. I’m already quite busy with design projects, and I also need to prepare for the registration counseling exam. I guess the next time I come to this section to speak will be when it’s time to inquire about the results. Friends, work hard for your exams – may everyone pass.