I graduate in December and I'm already trying to plan my BSIE board exam prep. I did well in my coursework overall — 3.4 GPA — but the board exam coverage goes back to fundamentals I haven't touched since sophomore year. Thermodynamics and manufacturing processes especially feel rusty.
Operations research and IE methods are my strongest areas since they're most of what my degree focused on. I'm less worried about those. My concern is the engineering science foundations — physics, mechanics, materials — where I haven't stayed sharp.
How many months out would you recommend starting a serious review program?
Start 4-5 months out if you can. The board exam covers a genuinely wide range and the engineering science foundations take time to rebuild if you haven't used them in a while. Cramming the last month doesn't work well for this one.
Operations research being your strong suit is a real advantage. IE boards tend to weight those methods heavily. Just don't let that be an excuse to underinvest in the engineering science sections — you still need them.
I passed my boards 2 years ago starting review about 5 months out. One thing I'd add: get past exam questions if you can find them. Understanding the question format and level of detail the examiners expect was as valuable as any content review.
Your instinct about manufacturing processes is right — that section pulls from materials science, mechanics, and process design all at once. Brush up on your GD&T, tolerancing, and metal removal fundamentals earlier rather than later.