PE Civil Exam reference? 4

[ENGMEDINA]

Is there anyone that could help me find the NAVFAC Design Manual DM 7.1 and 7.2? This is a recommended reference for the PE Civil exam. I've searched in many diferent websites and done google searches and haven't find it. Do I really need it for the geotechnical morning or afternoon portion on PE if I'm taking the Structural Depth? Thanks for any help.
William

 

[SlideRuleEra]

I taught a PE Review course for Civil / Structural in both Spring 2004 and Fall 2003. In my opinion you do not need these NAVFAC manuals. Actually it looks like DM 7.1 has been cancelled:

http://www.wbdg.org/ccbref/pa_dod_nsc.php?category=pa

You can get 7.02 (a free .pdf download at this site if you want to).

Remember that geotechnical makes up only 20% of the morning session (10% of your total grade).

If you are planning on taking the exam on October 29, 2004 - time is very short - learn how to work a retaining wall problem using Coulomb-Rankine theory and don't worry about the rest of the geotech portion. However answer EVERY question (geotech & all other areas), even if it is a pure guess - no penalty for guessing. Spend the next two weeks going over everything in general - including fundamentals like statics, dynamics, stength of material - you have got to be able to "setup" the problems to get an answer.

If you are taking the exam next year or later, you will have time to do more prep on "basic" geotechnical issues - the "basics" are all you will need for the Civil/Structural.

Best Wishes - Let us know how you come out.

 

[HgTX]

I didn't even need it for the afternoon geotech. In addition to the big Lindemann book I had my soil mechanics textbook and my foundations textbook, and that was it for geotech. Your mileage may vary.

There's no way to use every single reference they recommend. Go through as many practice books, CDs, and tests as you can; if you didn't need a particular reference for any of those, chances are you won't need it for the exam.

Hg

 

[ENGMEDINA]

Good Morning!!
I want to thank SlideRuleEra and HgTX for advices given. I'm actually planning ahead and just started to prepare for the April/05 exam, also trying to get together important references and getting familiar with my new HP-33s since NCEES won't allow my HP-48GX. Now trying to blend full time job, family and PE.
Definitely I will let you know how I did next year.
Thanks

 

[LHA]

I am a Water Resources guy, but I believe my strategy would work for any Civil. Our field is too broad for any one genius to master all in. So...

I believe by the time you study for the PE, you are already far more of an expert than the test requires in your field (Water Resources, for me). You are also already probably proficient enough in your other major related fields (Env. for me), OR can get there with just a good general review reference (Transport and Geo for me). You probably also are darned near clueless in fields which you don't practice (the dreaded Structural for me).

To your question, don't buy ANY new references with which you will not have working experience...you will not have time to use them to any advantage. Take your old text books to the exam, although I really didn't use them either. Get intimately familiar with a good general civil ref...I am a Lindberg devotee. Lindberg has a Quick Ref which parallels teh Review Manual. THAT is all I used for most of the test, because I had studied and sketched notes in it.

Don't even bother toi study areas you don't work in. There is no time to falter around with textbook solutions, etc. You will do fine, if you master your areas of strength.

 

[HgTX]

Sorry, yes, Lindeburg. I had the name wrong. (Isn't Lindemann a Belgian lambic brewer?) Lindeburg book is vital.

Anyway, since the general exam in the morning now covers everything, you can no longer afford to be a complete specialist. You need at least a passing familiarity with all fields. I found that the CD-ROM from SmartPros did a good job of reminding me what I had forgotten since undergraduate days. It's pretty expensive but maybe your employer will buy it for you. I will say that their structural module is inadequate but it did a good review of everything else, well in line with the level of question appearing on the exam. I did that just the week before the exam and so I still remembered it all pretty well when I went in. (Not that I recommend that strategy for everyone.)

http://ppi2pass.com

has lots of decent study materials.

I went through the NCEES sample exam (which isn't quite realistic because it has questions in it that depend on answers to previous questions), looking at all 5 afternoon options, and it seemed to me that with a couple of undergraduate classes in the relevant field, one could easily pass the Geotech, Transportation, Hydraulics, and Environmental versions of the Civil exam. The structural afternoon questions, on the other hand, required a much deeper understanding, not to mention pretty good application of various codes, many of which you might not currently be working with. You need to know masonry, wood, steel for both buildings and bridges, and concrete for both buildings and bridges--again, there is no more picking and choosing of questions. For the afternoon structural component alone you'll have to get to know some unfamiliar references pretty well.

Continuing along the tangent, it seems to me that the people writing the structural afternoon questions just weren't on the same page as the other people. It's a completely different level of difficulty--and my educational background is all structural. The sad part is that the fact that one took that version of the test isn't reflected anywhere; if you want to be called a Structural Engineer you're still going to have to go take the Structural rather than Civil exam.

Hg

 

[SlideRuleEra]

ENGMEDINA - I knew that I had seen this on the web, good coverage of reataining walls that is at more or less the right level of detail for the morning session geotechnical exam (free .pdf download):

http://www.pdhengineer.com/Course Files/Completed Course PDF Files/RetainingWalls.pdf

HgTX - Excellent advice on the afternoon exam session for those who are "fluent" in other areas of Civil in addition to structural.

 

[HgTX]

Starting the slide into rant mode...

I don't so much mind the little bit of review I had to do for the general morning session (actually I thought it was good for me), but I think the change to the one-size-fits-all multiple choice format in the afternoon, not that I ever did the old way, is not a good one. Many of us specialize in one way or another. A bridge designer working for a highway department has little reason to know anything other than concrete and steel bridge design. Someone in residential has no reason to know bridges. Etc.

Never mind that there are engineers who aren't designers, which is completely unacknowledged by the whole PE system.

RRRrrrr....I'm starting to snarl and drool, so I better end this here.

Hg

 

[Cthornton]

I'm coming in a little late here but thought I would throw in my two cents. I took and passed the exam a few years back, and like pretty much everyone else in the room I took in a mountain of books. However I kept going back to my trusty old McGraw Hill "Standard Handbook for Civil Engineers". I probably used it 75% more than any other book on the exam.

Good luck

 

[A56]

I also plan to take the PE exam, but probably in October 2005 if not later. Anyhow, if you are still curious about those NAVFAC publications, all three (there is a third one) can be found at the following link:

http://www.bridgeautomation.com/freeresource_geotech.htm

Hope this helps!!!