ME Power Plant Engineering Review (35%)
ME Power Plant Engineering Review (35%)
Power Plant Engineering is the Day 1 subject of the ME board, a six-hour paper (8 AM–2 PM) worth 35%. It's heavily computational: cycles, heat balances and equipment sizing.
Suggested practice split
PRC doesn't publish item counts per topic. This is our suggested share of your practice time, not an official breakdown:
| Topic block | Share of practice |
|---|---|
| Steam power plants | 20% |
| Internal combustion engines | 16% |
| Refrigeration | 16% |
| Air conditioning and HVAC | 16% |
| Pumps, compressors, fans | 12% |
| Heat transfer | 12% |
| Combustion and fuels | 8% |
Steam power plants
- Rankine cycle, with reheat and regeneration
- Boilers and efficiency; turbines; condensers; cooling towers
Internal combustion engines
- Otto, Diesel and dual cycles
- Engine performance: brake power, mechanical efficiency, specific fuel consumption
Refrigeration
- Vapor-compression cycle, COP, tons of refrigeration
- Refrigerants and cascade systems
Air conditioning and HVAC
- Psychrometric chart
- Cooling loads and duct design
Pumps, compressors, fans and heat transfer
- Pump and fan laws, pipe losses
- Conduction, convection, radiation; heat exchangers (LMTD, NTU)
Combustion
- Stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, excess air, heating values
A 6-week plan
| Week | Focus | Practice volume |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steam power plants | 80 problems |
| 2 | IC engines + combustion | 70 problems |
| 3 | Refrigeration | 70 problems |
| 4 | HVAC + psychrometrics | 70 problems |
| 5 | Pumps + heat transfer | 70 problems |
| 6 | Timed six-hour practice paper + remediation | 1 paper + 60 problems |
Where Super Tutor fits
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What to read next
The ME board pillar guide covers the full review.
Mechanical Engineering reviewer: coming soon to Super Tutor
Super Tutor doesn't have Mechanical Engineering content yet. Until it opens, this guide is here for information — and Super Tutor already covers 23 other Philippine exams.
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