$200 Off Any 20-Week Review - “The bottom line upfront: Look no further!”

“If you don’t read my entire testimonial – here is the “bottom line upfront:” Look no further! I passed the exam and a great deal of credit goes to Dr. Tom and the course. If you work the program, watch the lectures, do the problems, prepare the personalized resource notebooks, and use the participant forum…..you will pass the exam. This structure, organization, and commitment are why this program is so successful, and I will be recommending this to my colleagues. Thank you Dr. Tom and your entire staff."
- Neil Martin, PE (LTC (Retired – US Army)), Veolia Water Technologies, Naperville, Illinois

Get $200 off
any 20-Week Review for the October 2019 Exam 
 June 25 - 30, 2019
Use discount code: 6DAYS-$200

Mechanical Engineers - Change Is Coming!

You Should Take the PE Exam Now.

Learn the Latest Here.

Dr. Tom's Classroom - Achieve the Extraordinary

$200 Off Any 20-Week Review - “Program is absolutely spot on.”

“Your program is absolutely spot on - even with the recent format changes to Thermal and Fluids section - you adapted the program to include compressible flow and combined cycles to perfection. Thank you for building my confidence and staying with us during the prep period. I will totally will recommend your program to my peers.”
- Michael Mastice, PE

Get $200 off
any 20-Week Review for the October 2019 Exam 
 June 25 - 30, 2019
Use discount code: 6DAYS-$200

Mechanical Engineers - Change Is Coming!

You Should Take the PE Exam Now.

Learn the Latest Here.

Dr. Tom's Classroom - Achieve the Extraordinary

$200 Off Any 20-Week Review - “Course really did make all the difference!”

“I PASSED!!!! Your step by step course really did make all the difference! This was my third attempt at taking this thing. I followed your advice and made sure not to get stuck. Your class was really great because I felt like in every video, you genuinely and sincerely wanted to help us pass this test. Like all great teachers and mentors you made me not want to disappoint you. The course is one of the most reasonably priced course I could find and discovering that it was also so amazing was really a pleasant surprise. Thank you so much. I will definitely recommend your course to others!”  
- Erica Kerr, PE, North Las Vegas, NV

Get $200 off
any 20-Week Review for the October 2019 Exam 
 June 25 - 30, 2019
Use discount code: 6DAYS-$200

Mechanical Engineers - Change Is Coming!

You Should Take the PE Exam Now.

Learn the Latest Here.

Dr. Tom's Classroom - Achieve the Extraordinary

$200 Off Any 20-Week Review - “KEY in passing the exam.”

“I can't even begin to explain how useful Dr. Tom’s course was in my preparation. Most importantly, the course helps with problem identification which is KEY in passing the exam. Being able to identify what the problem is asking, knowing where to find the right equation and having practice in solving problems is what Dr. Tom's course is all about. There were problems in the exam that I was only able to solve because of information I acquired from Dr. Tom's course. You will be ready to attack the exam after taking his course. Confidence and preparation are huge when going into the exam and Dr. Tom's course will give you that confidence and preparation. Thank you Dr. Tom!”
- Dan, PE, Farmington, Utah  

Get $200 off
any 20-Week Review for the October 2019 Exam 
 June 25 - 30, 2019
Use discount code: 6DAYS-$200

Mechanical Engineers - Change Is Coming!

You Should Take the PE Exam Now.

Learn the Latest Here.

Dr. Tom's Classroom - Achieve the Extraordinary

$200 Off Any 20-Week Review - “Exactly what I needed.”

“I passed the PE exam! DTC was instrumental in my success. Each week is very well organized and left me with virtually no questions. The pace was perfect and the material covered was exactly what I needed to work the majority of the problems on the exam. I found Dr. Tom's Exam Day Companion especially useful during the exam in quickly finding the equations I needed to work the problems. There is a lot time spent on organization of your Personalized Resource Notebooks, but believe me, the time spent is well worth it come exam day. I highly recommend Dr. Tom's Classroom to prepare you for the PE exam!”
- Robert Strong, PE, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Get $200 off
any 20-Week Review for the October 2019 Exam 
 June 25 - 30, 2019
Use discount code: 6DAYS-$200

Mechanical Engineers - Change Is Coming!

You Should Take the PE Exam Now.

Learn the Latest Here.

Dr. Tom's Classroom - Achieve the Extraordinary

$200 Off Any 20-Week Review - “The Doctor Tom Method works!”

“Dr. Tom, armed with the method you taught and the organizational tools from your course, I passed on my second try. I attribute the success to calming myself with the discipline and time management learned in your course and the personal reference manual composed and the indexed reference binder you supplied. THE DOCTOR TOM method works!! I just needed to apply it and keep a cool head. Your course was the best. I am extremely grateful. Your course was the reason I passed.”
- A. Hill, PE, Arkansa

Get $200 off
any 20-Week Review for the October 2019 Exam 
 June 25 - 30, 2019
Use discount code: 6DAYS-$200

Mechanical Engineers - Change Is Coming!

You Should Take the PE Exam Now.

Learn the Latest Here.

Dr. Tom's Classroom - Achieve the Extraordinary

Insulation Inspired by Polar Bear Fur

Looking to nature for innovative ways to improve our lives is not a new idea. However, it is always fascinating at what we can discover.

Research faculty at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) are developing a lightweight material designed around the properties of polar bear fur. Apparently polar bear hair is hollow, unlike the hair of humans and other mammals.  This gives the polar bear not only its white appearance, but more importantly the ability to withstand the extreme conditions they face, especially in the winter. They are not able to hibernate like other species of bears, so they must roam the ice and continually be in and out of the water in search for food.

This new technology will provide materials with significant thermal insulation properties, flexibility, and resistance to very humid conditions, the desired properties for a wide variety of applications. The new material consists of millions of hollow carbon tubes like polar bear hair, wound like spaghetti into shapes that are very "stretchy", another advantage of this new technology.

The USTC researchers see applications in the construction and aerospace industry.  I see a potential in the winter clothing market for a coat that protects you in those "polar bear" winters. - Dr. Tom

Mechanical Engineers - Change Is Coming!

You Should Take the PE Exam Now.

Learn the Latest Here.

Dr. Tom's Classroom - Achieve the Extraordinary

Take Aim for the PE with DTC’s Targeted Review

At Dr. Tom’s Classroom, we have one goal, and one goal only - to help you pass the PE Exam. To do that, we have created reviews that are razor-focused on the knowledge, skills and strategies you need to pass. Start your targeted review today, and you’ll be achieving the extraordinary as a PE before you know it!



“The most valuable aspect of the course for me was that Dr. Tom provides a finite range of material to study, so that I did not have to guess about what might be on the exam. That alone was worth the price of the course. It also helped me to have the structure of the course to follow. I am a teacher myself, and I recognize that Dr. Tom is personally invested in the success of his students. He puts a lot of thought and work into providing good instruction. Dr. Tom and staff, thank you so much for all of your help.”
- John Gravitt, PE   

Mechanical Engineers - Change Is Coming!

You Should Take the PE Exam Now.

Learn the Latest Here.

Dr. Tom's Classroom - Achieve the Extraordinary

FEATURED FREE VIDEO - Slider Crank - Statics (What the MERM Doesn’t Tell You)

In one of our most popular FREE videos, I cover one of the most famous of all 2D mechanisms, the slider-crank. My goal is to help you understand this important topic. The MERM has some major gaps and problematic approaches to Rigid-body Kinematics and Kinetics. To address this shortcoming, I have recorded this video as an instructional companion to the MERM. I hope this video helps you understand these topics better. - Dr. Tom

Mechanical Engineers - Change Is Coming!

You Should Take the PE Exam Now.

Learn the Latest Here.

Dr. Tom's Classroom - Achieve the Extraordinary

Back to Nature Swimming Pool

I recently saw a story about a natural swimming pool in Minneapolis. Having grown up on the Outer Banks of NC, I rarely swam in a pool, but almost daily in the summer took a dip in the ocean or the sound. Living far from the coast now, my kids and I spend plenty of time in swimming pools (all year – they are competitive swimmers), and sometimes the sweet smell of chlorine gets a little overwhelming. The pool in Minneapolis was once a freshwater swimming hole, but pollution eventually led to the use of a chemically treated pool. After that pool closed in 2010, park planners and residents put a focus on eco-friendly design and innovation, including development of a natural swimming pool.



Here’s how it works:

1. Gravity carries water from the pool’s overflow gutters to an underground filtration tank that catches small particles of debris. Water drains from the tank into the regeneration basin.
2. In the regeneration basin, ultraviolet sun rays, zooplankton, and biofilm covering the basin’s gravel bed all help reduce bacteria.
3. Thousands of aquatic vegetation planted into the gravel bed feed on excess nutrients to help limit algae growth and keep water clear.
4. A network of drain tile disperses water throughout the basin, and two pumps send clean water back into the pool.
5. Pool staff cleans the biological filters daily, and during off-hours three small robotic vacuums remove algae from the pool’s liner

All 500,000 gallons of pool water complete a cycle from the pool to the regeneration basin and back to the pool every 12 hours. Daily care keeps plants healthy and prevents debris from accumulating, and when fresh water is added to offset plant uptake and evaporation, it first passes through a phosphate filter to minimize algae growth. I would love to visit a pool like this one day! - Beth Sciaudone, DTC Civil Water Resources & Environmental Instructor

Mechanical Engineers - Change Is Coming!

You Should Take the PE Exam Now.

Learn the Latest Here.

Dr. Tom's Classroom - Achieve the Extraordinary

FEATURED TESTIMONIAL - Achieve a Lifetime Goal

“If you have been out of school for so long, with Dr. Tom's review course you can't go wrong. I've been out of school for 24 years and I got a pass in the PE Mechanical Thermal & Fluids System exam!!!!! I worked hard for almost a year to get up to speed on the math and solving the correct problems needed to pass the exam and it finally paid off. It is very important that you use Dr.Tom's recipe so you can be successful on the exam. I'm a happier person today, thanks to Dr. Tom and his team, this was a lifetime goal I have just achieved.”
- Jose A Rodriguez, PE, Johnson and Johnson, Raynham, Massachusetts

Mechanical Engineers - Change Is Coming!

You Should Take the PE Exam Now.

Learn the Latest Here.

Dr. Tom's Classroom - Achieve the Extraordinary

Backwards Bicycle - Could You Ride It?

The brain is an amazing machine. In this video from Smarter Every Day, a "backwards" bicycle shows us how knowledge and understanding interplay. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "like riding a bike.” - Daniel Findley, DTC Civil Transportation Instructor

Mechanical Engineers - Change Is Coming!

You Should Take the PE Exam Now.

Learn the Latest Here.

Dr. Tom's Classroom - Achieve the Extraordinary

Mechanical Engineers! Change Is Coming! Take the PE Exam Now!

The October 2019 Mechanical PE Exam is the very last chance you have to take the pencil-and-paper PE Exam. The three Mechanical PE Exams will covert to the year-round Computer-Based Testing (CBT) format starting in April 2020 (https://ncees.org/exams/cbt/). This change in the testing method for the PE Exam has huge consequences for anyone taking the exam.

Please read our Change Is Coming article in which Dr. Tom has outlined the implications of the CBT exam. Here’s the bottom line up front – take the Pencil-and-Paper exam in October 2019, before it’s too late.

Mechanical Engineers - Change Is Coming!

You Should Take the PE Exam Now.

Learn the Latest Here.

Dr. Tom's Classroom - Achieve the Extraordinary

PE Exam Tip - Have One Way to Solve a Problem

As you prepare for the PE Exam, you will find many sources of exam-type problems (MERM, CERM, NCEES Practice Exams, etc). This wealth of information has a great many benefits. However, having a number of references has a troublesome downside. For a class of problems, you will see several solution approaches. You may have even thought of additional, and quite valid, approaches on your own. All you need is one right way to work a problem, but which one to use? You don’t want to make this decision during the exam; that can use up valuable time. You need to make that decision now while you are preparing, and use that same solution consistently throughout your review.

You are free to choose any solution you like, but I would like to make a strong argument for using a solution approach that follows a logical order and is applicable across multiple problems. Easier to remember and less to learn that way. In my review courses, that’s what I’ve done – I have worked to select the most direct and teachable solution approach for a class of problems, using an approach for each class of problems that is consistent and repeatable, and from the feedback I have received from past participants is that it really does pay off for them on the exam.
- Dr. Tom

"Dr. Tom's PE Review Course was incredibly helpful in my test preparation. The course helped me to prepare for the test by not only providing lessons in a variety of exam topics, but also by providing tips and practice on how to solve exam problems. In the weekly lessons, Dr. Tom provided multiple example problems in a number of exam topics, as well as instructions and suggestions on how to approach different types of problems. The weekly lessons, challenge problems, and  assessment problems, combined with Dr. Tom's suggestions, tips, and step-by-step instructions on how to solve test problems, helped to give me the tools that I needed to pass the PE Exam."
- Krystyn Wagner, PE, Wake Forest, NC

Mechanical Engineers - Change Is Coming!

You Should Take the PE Exam Now.

Learn the Latest Here.

Dr. Tom's Classroom - Achieve the Extraordinary

Save $25 with discount code: achieve25B

Using Infrastructure to Create Energy

I recently learned about an innovative project that combines water supply with green energy. The city of Portland, Oregon, has replaced a section of its distribution network with pipes from Lucid Energy that use gravity flows to power turbines that feed the grid. Unlike the hydropower systems that are installed in dams across the country, Portland’s system uses existing infrastructure, which allows it to avoid killing fish and other marine life, or otherwise significantly altering aquatic habitats.   This sounds like a win-win situation for cities as we move forward in exploring ways to increase reliance on renewable energy. I hope we see more of it soon! - Beth Sciaudone, DTC Civil Water Resources & Environmental Instructor

Mechanical Engineers - Change Is Coming!

You Should Take the PE Exam Now.

Learn the Latest Here.

Dr. Tom's Classroom - Achieve the Extraordinary

Save $25 with discount code: achieve25B