How to study for the ECE Board Exam

READING


If in college you failed to develop the habit of reading books, then you better
start reading now. The following list enumerates the basic reasons why it is
important to read books:


1. Reading allows you to understand all the principles and concepts -
from the most basic to the most complicated topics.


2. Finishing a book boosts up your self-confidence.


3. Even if you did not memorize all the objective type of information such
as dates, definitions, enumerations, you have a better chance of
recalling it just in case it is asked in the board exam.


Usually, instructors based the principles they teach from the books they have
read. In just a matter of years, who knows, you could be one of them; so
what hinders you from being able to learn by just reading on your own, as
those instructors were able to do.


What to read.


The following are my suggestions on how you can maximize your 4 months
of review and learn as much as possible. It worked for me, but I don't think it
will work for everybody; at least, you have an idea on how and where to
start.


For MATH, you don't need to read books. But if there's some formula that
you feel you need to know the concepts behind, and if you have more than 4
months before the board, then reading won't hurt you. What you must do is
practice solving problems.


For ELECTRONICS, finishing first Grob's Basic Electronics gives you a good
start. For the second book, choose one from Floyd, Boylestad or Malvino.
Then read a book about vacuum tubes - Mehta is a good one. You must also
read a very good reference that discusses motors, and it can be found at
neets_dload page. . Finally, read some references about synchros, servos,
and gyros; it can also be found in NEETs Module 15. These
books/references covers 90% of what you must understand about
electronics. The remaining 10% includes miscellaneous topics which the
review center will provide you during discussions.


For COMMUNICATIONS, books written by William Blake, Frenzel, Wayne
Tomasi, Miller, and Kennedy are just a few. I suggest that you start with the
book by William Blake because it is relatively easy to read and new (2002);
you should finish reading it. Frenzel can help you understand basic AM, FM
and PM especially if you answer its end of chapter questions. It also provides
a good discussion about modems, microwave tubes (magnetron, klystron,
etc.) and microwave semiconductors (Gunn diode, tunnel diode, etc). I
suggest that you read topics in Frenzel which you did not find in Blake.
Tomasi is very difficult to finish for a limited amount of time. I suggest that
you skip chapters about AM, FM, Noise, Transmission Lines, Antenna and
proceed to the chapters about Digital and Data Communications, Satellite
and Mobile Communications. For this chapters, avoid wasting your time on
different formulas because they can be found in most communication
reviewers which you will soon use in your review. You must otherwise focus
on important information such as dates, numbers, enumeration, definition,
etc. Finally, read a reliable communications reviewer that summarizes most
of the important formulas in communications.


Allotted Time.
You should read the suggested materials for 5-7 hours daily for the first 2
months. Expect that you will need to reduce this allotted time to 1-2 hours
daily once you reached the 60 days review period.




LISTENING


If you plan to attend only one review center for the Review Course, you must
attend every meeting, avoid coming late and do your best to listen
attentively. There are times that you will feel sleepy and you can't control it,
well, it's ok. As long as you understand the lesson for the day either by
reading the modules on your own or by making an extra effort to read the
specific topic from your books, you are on the right track. However, if you
always feel sleepy, you have to do something about it. Take at least 8 hours
of sleep the night before each review session.


If you plan to attend two review centers, avoid intentionally missing sessions
from either review centers. Even if you think you know the lesson for those
sessions, you could still possibly miss some important concepts that the
instructor may include in the discussion.


Allotted Time.
You will be listening to the discussion in you review center for an average of
12-20 hours per week for each review center.




PRACTICE


In the board exam, Mathematics and GEAS will be and should be the easiest
subjects. And for Electronics and Communications, the questions that
require computations will be the easiest part of these exams.


There are 2 requirements to be able to solve problems that require
computation: (1) you should know the correct formula to use, and (2) you
should know how to use the formula. And the only way to memorize and
learn how to use those formulas in Math and GEAS, Electronics and
Communications is to let them become a part of your daily activities. Practice
solving problems especially in Math and Communications, for about 2-3
hours daily. You must answer about 20-30 problems daily for the first 2
weeks then increasing it to about 50 problems. You must also plan where to
get these problems so that you can cover all major topics. For Mathematics.


For Electronics, basic computations taught in the review center is more than
enough. By doing this for the first 2 months of your review, you will be able to
answer at least 2,500 questions. Remember, practice makes perfect.


Allotted Time. You should allot 2-4 hours daily solving different types of
problems for the first 2 months. Allotted time for familiarizing in different
types of problems for the last 2 months should be reduced to 1-2 hours daily;
however, this will become a part of the activity - Self-assessed Exams.