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 quickly calculate 2x2 and 3x3 determinants using cofactor expansion as found in the NCEES Handbook.

- The critical role of the determinant in finding a matrix inverse and why a determinant of zero means no inverse exists.

- The setup and solution of the characteristic equation, det(A − λI) = 0, to find a matrix's eigenvalues.

- Why matrix multiplication is not commutative (AB ≠ BA) and how this can be a trick on the exam.

- How to efficiently solve systems of linear equations (Ax = b) using your calculator and the concept of the matrix inverse.

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