This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- How to solve first-order linear differential equations using the integrating factor method from the NCEES Handbook.

- The procedure for solving second-order homogeneous differential equations by finding the roots of the characteristic equation.

- The specific solution forms for the three cases of characteristic equation roots: real and distinct, real and repeated, and complex conjugate.

- A common exam trap involving the missing 'x' multiplier in the solution for repeated roots.

- When to apply Laplace transforms on the FE exam, particularly for problems with discontinuous inputs found in dynamics or circuits.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep