Generic questions regarding SE exam 7

[AtlAC]

I happen to live in Georgia when for me to get a PE license I have to take and pass the 16-hour SE exam. I have just a few generic questions that I figured people on this board might be able to answer. I've looked through these boards many times for work, just never signed up to post before.

1. How many hours do people generally put in for studying? I realize everyone is different but I've been studying now for about 2-2.5 months which consists of 1.5-2 hours per night 4 days a week during the weekdays and then 4-6 hours each day on Saturday and Sunday.

2. Is the NCEES practice exam a fair representation of the actual exam? Easier? Harder?

3. Has anyone ever used the ppi2pass book "Structural Engineering Solved Problems, comprehensive practice for the SE and Civil PE exams" by C. Dale Buckner? The problems seem fairly difficult in comparison to NCEES practice problems, the ppi2pass practice exam, and questions in the SERM. I'm just curious if the problems in this book are indicative to those in the exam?

Thanks in advance to anyone who answers.

 

[weab]

I didn't realize that Georgia is like that. I've never heard that you could not merely take the PE in Georgia.

I've been studying since just after Christmas. I am putting in about 3-4 hrs per day, 3 days a week - about 10 hours total. I've made the decision that I started too late as I don't have $1000 of confidence about being ready for April. I will reschedule the test in October instead.

I am trying to find sample worked problems in timber & masonry. (The organization of TMS 402 makes little sense to me and giving me the most trouble.) I find sufficient free, accurate, and up-to-date code problems available in other areas. I have sufficient references but not sufficient problems which I think would help the most.

I have the NCEES and PPI2Pass book that you have. I did NCEES but I'm saving the PPI to use as a practice once I know the material better. I hope someone can offer an opinion on this.

Good luck and I hope that others can provide more opinion and guidance.

 

[JoelTXCive]

I'm here in Texas, but my understanding is that a common SE exam technique is as follows:

Break the 2 day SE exam into two smaller exams.

Study for the first day's sections ONLY, and then fail the second day sections.

Hopefully you pass the first day's sections. Then, sit for exam a second time and only study for the 2nd day.

I really have had several people tell me this a viable strategy.

 

[MrHershey]

Background: Took and passed both portions of exam in October 2013.

1. I studied about 10 hours a week for five months. 5 months x 4 weeks/month x 10 hours/week = 200 hours. Quality of studying is just as important as the hours. Maybe had music playing but no TV, no distractions. Family interruptions kept to bare minimum. Very purposeful and focused studying.
2. I thought it was a decent representation of actual difficulty. Same goes for PPI's practice exam. SERM problems are okay too, though thought they were maybe a tad easy.
3. I recall Buckner's Solved Problems book being comically difficult and in-depth. Makes it a good study though. If you can get 70% of the problems right in Buckner's book then you'll have very little issue doing the same on the real exam.

My study process was to read the SERM sections and do the SERM sample questions. Then go to Buckner's section for the same content and try and make my way through those problems. Also would go through a seismic solved problems book. I'm a building guy so bridge studying was mainly learning enough of the basics (mainly loading) so I could maybe knock a few questions off with simple calcs or even just looking the answer up. There's always one or two bridge questions that you can answer just by pulling answer from text or table in AASHTO. Don't forget to include AASHTO's index in your references, it's very detailed. But I wanted to focus on buildings enough that I could count on getting damn near 100% right on the multiple choice. Then any bridge question I could snipe off bought me a building question I could get wrong.

Saved the practice exams for the last month and did basically one day each weekend. NCEES gravity Weekend 1, NCEES lateral Weekend 2, PPI gravity Weekend 3, PPI lateral Weekend 4. Treated each weekend exam just like the real one. Timed, with my references, same calculator as I'll use during exams, no cellphone/music/TV, no checking answers during exam. Even included the lunch break between AM and PM sections. So shouldn't get tired or fatigued during an exam day, I've already done it four times in the last month. My last day studying was the Saturday before the first exam day, made a point to not study that last week to give myself time to rest and relax without cramming.

Everybody varies but never understood taking the exam days separately. If I'm going to kill myself studying for this thing while also working 40-50 hours/week, I only want to do it once.

 

[weab]

MrH,

Congratulations and great input! Your philosophy sounds similar enough to mine so I'll stick with my procedure. Regrettably, I needed to make a decision to apply to NCEES by tomorrow. I feel that if I had started studying one month earlier - 5 months total studying like you - that I would have been on track.

I have most of the references that you mention. I will buy Buckner's Solved Problems - harder is good. For seismic questions, I'd like to know of a good seismic solved problems book. Looking at the Seismic Design Manual, I see it has lots of worked problems, but I fear that these are overly complex for the test and a time waster. I'm concerned that the worked problems in the books listed above may cover you only for the issues addressed in the problems. Any book recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

 

[AtlAC]

Weab, I'm using the SEAOC Seismic Design Manual (which is all seismic design examples) and Williams seismic & wind forces book.

 

[Lomarandil]

All this studying you guys are getting in is making me nervous.

I've nearly finished my overview/tabbing of the SERM. That's it so far.

 

[AtlAC]

Lomarandil, I'm an overstudier (I don't think that's a word) who worries, hence the reason for this thread.

 

[mike20793]

Based on my somewhat limited experience, the 200 hour rule is pretty spot on. The people I know that studied for less than that took multiple tries to pass and the people that did more than that passed both sections first try.

 

[msquared48]

When I took the exam in 81, I spent 40 hours attending the 10 week review course, and probably an additional 40 hours organizing my notes and reviewing material. Nothing more.

I had the added advantage though that I was working, doing what was going to be in the exam anyway. In other words, I was already doing a portion of the exam every day.

No worries and passed it the first time. May not work for everyone else though.

I tried not to over prepare to the point of being worried and psyched out. For the week before the exam, I never even cracked open a book, except at work.

I was still stressed, but not as bad.

Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)

 

[JLNJ]

When I took the SEII I studied for less than 8 hours total and passed on the first attempt.

 

[Rabbit12]

I don't know how many hours I studied but I do know it was nowhere near 200 hours.

The test is difficult. It's hands down the hardest test I've taken. I take tests fast and I really had to cook to finish. I'm not trying to intimidate anyone but want people to be prepared.

The biggest tip I can give is have your code books tabbed so you can quickly get to a relevant section. You will not have time to learn during the exam. That being said, don't be scared to try. You'll probably never feel like you're 100% ready for the exam.

Before I sat for the exam I worked for an AE firm and had experience in a wide range of structure types and construction materials. That experience was an excellent foundation. I can imagine the examinees with limited experience in one or more the big four building materials will have a much tougher time.

 

[BridgeEI]

I'm in the same boat as Lomarandil. I haven't put in much time other than tabbing refereneces and working a few problems. I'm starting with the lateral portion first and see how that goes.

 

[Nor Cal SE]

I took and passed the October 2011 test. I'm not sure whether there have been any format revisions (at that time Friday was vertical loading with multiple choice in morning and long answer in afternoon, and Saturday was lateral in similar breakdown).

Here are my thoughts:

1) The NCEES practice exam is one of the best study methods, and make sure to take this booklet with you to the test as some problems might be almost exact carbon copies.
2) If you can afford to do so in your schedule, I would recommend taking the Wednesday and Thursday off work, immediately prior to the test, with Wednesday being a day to study perhaps 5 - 6 hours and Thursday just take completely off, sleep in so you feel rested, and just the final double-check that you have all your materials in order. Otherwise, take Thursday off with little work done, and then you'll head to Friday feeling refreshed.

 

[MrHershey]

Agree with taking time off, though I took the Thursday before to relax and the Monday after to recover.

Seismic solved problems I used was Baradar's I think.

200 hours may seem excessive for some, but I like to practice a lot harder than I play. By that point you'll have your codes tabbed but won't need the tabs, you'll just open to the section you're looking for. By that time some of your look ups to the tables will be to just confirm what you already know is the answer. By that point the exam won't seem that difficult, 16 hours of exam is a cakewalk after 200 hours of purposeful study (not to mentioned working in the field full-time). By that point, if you're a quick tester you may find that not only do you not have a time crunch but that you have plenty of time to double- and triple-check your work and maybe even leave a little early.

 

[darthsoilsguy2]

mountain cabin for 10 days right before the test. just me and the wife and 12 hours a day. not sure what she did... maybe she read something or took walks.

 

[spieng89]

OP the 2012 IBC SEAOC Structral/Seismic Design Manual Volume 1 is by far the best resource I've studied from for lateral. I'm also taking the exam in April and I have went through this booklet which only took about a week, but doing that alone and I zoomed through most of the lateral questions in PPI practice exam. Trust me it's a great resource as it breaks down ASCE chapters 11, 12, 13, and 15 into simple problems you will see on the exam. Also, I agree PPI's practice problems book (not to be confused with the practice exam) is difficult and IMO you can use that study time in a more productive way by studying from different resources.

 

[AtlAC]

RASPIVEY,

Good thing I have that manual and plan on starting to go through it in a week or so.

 

[GTfitz2013]

Just wondering how the studying paid off for those who took the April exam. Any fresh tips for those of us taking the October exam? Taking it in GA as well.

 

[AtlAC]

GTfitz2013,

All the studying paid off as I passed both days on my first time taking the exam. My most important tip would be to make sure you first create a study schedule of some sort and stick to it, even when it gets difficult. Have an idea of when you want to start and finish studying a certain material or topic.

For instance I mapped out my study progression before I started studying. I started with basic structural analysis, then progressed thru vertical design for each different material (steel, concrete, wood, masonry), basic lateral analysis, Seismic loading, Wind Loading, steel seismic detailing (AISC 341), concrete seismic detail (ACI Ch 21), masonry seismic detailing, wood seismic wind/detailing, and lastly Bridges. I then left the last 3 weeks solely for practice exams and problems.

I put in over 300 hours over the course of 4+ months which wasn't always fun to do on top of my job and other things going on in my life. With that said, in the end it was all worth it as I don't have to take it again.