ICC Reinforced Concrete Exam

[gwhit67]

HAS ANYONE TAKEN THE NEW EXAM FOR REINFORCED CONCRETE? IF SO, IS IT ANY EASIER OR HARDER THAN THE PREVIOUS? HAVE THEY MADE ANY CHANGES TO THE PLANS? I WAS TOLD THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE STATE OF THE ART PLANS.

 

[msucog]

I only took it once about 2 or 3 years ago and passed. I certainly hope they improve the plans since they looked like copies of copies of faxes of copies. I will check around with my collegues to see if any of them have recently taken the exam and will post if I run across any useful information. Good luck!

Ryan Coggins, P.E., S.I.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryancoggins

 

[boffintech]

I certainly hope that they have NOT improved the plans. The plans provided for the exam appear just like what we get in the field sometimes. It's my opinion that the plans on the exam should replicate worst case scenario in the real world, out there in the field, you know at the job.... I mean if a guy can't figure out the answers to a few simple questions just because the plans are a little wrinkled or goofed up what kind of inspector will he make anyway!? Every time I hear some guy complaining about the plans I want to say HEY! Get out of that skirt, quit your whining, and find the answer!

 

[msucog]

boffintech has a point but I would disagree based on the plans I saw. They weren't simply wrinkled a bit or "not the best in the world"...you couldn't even tell whether the number 5 was a 6 or A. The specifications page was blurred to the point that it was 80% illegible. It wasn't simply bad plans, it was terrible examples of someone's copied fax of bad plans. If they were on a jobsite, I would refuse to perform the inspection until someone obtained legible copies. I was certainly glad I passed the test the first time simply to avoid having to give myself a migraine trying to read those plans.

 

[boffintech]

msucog, i think you proved my point: the plans aren't so bad that they cause failure. On the contrary, they provide an obstacle that is easily overcome by an experienced inspector. When was the last time you visited a job-site and didn't get a least one curve-ball thrown at you?

 

[gwhit67]

When you are in the field you are not on a time clock and you didnt pay $200 to look at the plans.

 

[msucog]

I am/was on jobsites regularly. I maintain the plans I saw on the test were unfair (and I think unintended to be that poor quality). The plans looked like it was a testing location problem and not intended to be part of the test. Again, I'd reject performing the inspection with the plans I saw.

 

[henri2]

The plans are supposed to be legible. If they are not legible, you have the right to lodge a complaint. And if you do not pass the plan reading section because the plans were not legible, the ICC will not record the result as a failure. They will allow you to re-take the exam at no cost. The important thing though, is to make the challenge right after you take the exam (there are forms for this), and make a note of the set of plans you used for the exam.

In real life if the plans are very ineligble, then the risks for making construction errors increases due to guessing what's on the plans. msucog's suggestion that the plans be rejected is the right thing to do. But then, will the special inspector be backed up by his/her firm, RDP, and other major players...or be left to twist in the wind?