Chunking for the FE Exam

Just this week, I randomly came across an article about our brain’s working memory. The gist of this research is this: our brains are wired to learn efficiently by holding onto only a few pieces of information at a time. If we try to hold onto too much information at once, our brains get confused and can’t use the information properly.

Read the article here.

The crucial takeaway from this research is that our brains are not limited by their capacity to store information. Rather, they’re limited by how efficiently they apply the “chunking mechanism” to store information for later retrieval. In simple words, your brain may have plenty of storage space, but that space is useless if you’re not learning efficiently in the first place. It’s about learning the right way, not just trying to cram everything in.

What is chunking?

Chunking is a natural technique our brains use to group related information together, rather than treating each fact in isolation. This makes recall much more efficient because we’re relying on relationships between concepts instead of memorizing individual facts.

How does this apply to your FE exam prep?

The FE exam covers a lot of topics, so it’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to learn everything in a short span of time. This can quickly lead to feeling confused, overwhelmed, and eventually burning out. To avoid this, we need to hack our brain’s learning process by “chunking” specific topics and grouping relevant concepts/formulas together for long-term recall.
Here are some practical tips to help you do this:

Start small and study one topic at a time. Study in small, focused time blocks. Aim for a 45 minute session followed by a short break. Over time, you’ll develop a study routine that works best for you.
Don’t jump randomly from topic to topic. Try to understand the fundamental concepts behind the problems you’re solving before moving on. At the same time, don’t set an unrealistic expectation of “mastering everything.” Instead, focus on the core concepts that are most likely to appear on the real FE exam.
Group related topics together. For example, master Statics before moving on to Mechanics of Materials and Dynamics. Or study Analytic Geometry before diving into Calculus. You should be in good shape if you follow the order of topics listed in the FE exam specifications. This will help you stay organized.
Study in focused chunks. Don’t try to do too much in one day. Instead, shift your mindset to solving and deeply understanding a small set of 5 to 10 high-quality practice problems under exam-like conditions. Your goal should be to understand the concepts behind the problems, not just rush through them.
Don’t memorize formulas in isolation. Look for relationships between concepts. For example, when studying the Bernoulli Equation in Fluid Mechanics, you can connect it to the Continuity Equation, Darcy’s Equation, and Reynolds Number. Relationships are always there!
Create summary cheat sheets. Keep them simple! Summarize important formulas, unit conversions, and core concepts for each topic. Your one-page cheat sheet should serve as a review guide in the final week before your exam. When building your equation sheet, ask yourself: What are the critical formulas and concepts I really need to know?
Take breaks and reward yourself. After a quality study session, make sure you get proper rest and sleep to give your brain the time it needs to consolidate everything you’re learning. And when you finally get a tough practice problem right, celebrate it! Recognizing your progress helps keep you motivated and reinforces what you’ve learned.