SE Exam October 2023 4

[SteamedHams]

Alright everyone, how was it?

I just took the bridge exams (vertical and lateral). Both morning sessions were absolute disasters. The afternoons were glorious though.

 

[Worlds Okayest Engineer]

I'm from Utica, and I've never heard anyone use the phrase "steamed hams".

 

[Just Some Nerd]

I'm from Utica, and I've never heard anyone use the phrase "steamed hams".

It's a reference to an episode of the Simpsons

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Why yes, I do in fact have no idea what I'm talking about

 

[SteamedHams]

Their comment was also a reference to the same scene!

Also, am I the only one here who took the SE in October this year?

 

[Worlds Okayest Engineer]

Super Nintendo Chalmers gets it. Anyway, yes I took lateral building in October for the first time. Feel decent about it. I better for the $150,000 I spent on the AEI class (worth it) plus neglecting my family for 3.5 months (not necessarily worth it).

 

[SE2607]

About a year ago, I submitted plans to a local building department for plan check. The engineer receiving the plans noted my (low) SE number. He said he was planning to take the exam and asked me if I had any advice. Of course, I said "yes". I told him to put that time he had planned on studying and devote it to something else, like learning to play the piano or learn another language. He was surprised by my response. I really feel that way. Have you seen what folks are getting paid to build websites with simple HTML and CSS coding? What is the worst thing that can happen if they make a mistake? A website crashes. Big deal.

Regardless, good luck to those who took the exam. I know what you have put into it.

 

[TehMightyEngineer]

I still remember the dread of opening up the emails with my results in them. So glad I did it though. Really curious how the new computer-based version will go.

Ian Riley, PE, SE
Professional Engineer (ME, NH, VT, MA, CO, FL) Structural Engineer (IL, HI)

 

[JoshPlumSE]

I'm from Utica, and I've never heard anyone use the phrase "steamed hams".

Well, it's more of an Albany expression.

 

[Worlds Okayest Engineer]

Aurora borealis at this time of year at this time of day in this part of the country localized entirely within your kitchen?!

 

[ChorasDen]

Can I see it?

 

[Worlds Okayest Engineer]

This thread has made me so happy. Thank you all for making my day.

 

[ChorasDen]

Back on topic, did you actually spend 150k on a class, or was that a typo? If so, what did the course entail?

 

[phamENG]

If they did, looks like they got ripped off. AEI website shows $1400 for the combined lateral and $1400 for the combined vertical, so it shouldn't have been more than $2,800...

 

[Worlds Okayest Engineer]

I guess hyperbole doesn't come through in writing. No, of course I didn't pay $150,000 for an SE prep class. But it was still expensive, like $1200. It was very comprehensive and beneficial particularly if you're an east coast engineer like myself always using R=3 for seismic and never once cracking the Seismic Design Manual. Super time consuming, it's a lot more hours than the 72 or whatever they say it is. With all the homework, mini-exams, practice exams, classes, it's probably closer to 150 hours.

 

[Worlds Okayest Engineer]

Has anyone received a meaningful response from NCEES or their state boards about when results should be expected? I just keep getting generic "within the next 2 weeks". But the grading seminar ended on 12/1, and for the April exams they released results starting 11 days after the grading seminar ended. So I would expect to start getting results tomorrow 12/12.

 

[MikeB8993]

Results are out. Unfortunately, did not pass the bridge lateral exam. :/

 

[SteamedHams]

Just got my results and I passed both components of the bridge exam on the first attempt!

There is no sense of joy though. It was an agonizing wait for the results and the studying was hardly a walk in the park either. All I have is a sense of relief. Frodo lying on the slopes of Mt. Doom would be an apt comparison.

Results are out. Unfortunately, did not pass the bridge lateral exam. :/

I'm sorry to read that. It was a challenging exam and I swear I guessed a quarter of the morning session. Didn't help that it was also cold AF in Puyallup where I took it.

 

[MikeB8993]

Congratulations! Out of curiosity what resources did you use to study for the lateral portion?

 

[TOLstryk]

I passed building lateral on the third attempt. I had passed building gravity on the first attempt last year. I am extremely relieved, to say the least (as is my wife). I used the AEI course for studying preparation and I found it extremely helpful.

 

[SteamedHams]

Congratulations! Out of curiosity what resources did you use to study for the lateral portion?

Thanks Mike! All of my stuff is in boxes right now, but here is what I had used (in additional to the design codes):

- Official NCEES practice exam. Obviously very helpful for knowing where you stand and for timed practice. This is a must-have.
- PPI PE Structural 16 Hour Practice Exam for Buildings (10th Edition). Same level of usefulness as the NCEES practice exam. Another must-have.
- PPI SE Reference Manual (9th edition). Incredibly helpful for learning about buildings. Useless for bridge lateral, but great for everything related to buildings. A must-have.
- Structural Engineering SE All-in-One Exam Guide: Breadth and Depth, 1st Edition by Dave K. Adams which is free on the McGraw Hill website. I printed out all of the practice problems to help. Running out of time before the exam, I never actually got to go through the problems. They are available for free, so there's no excuse for anyone to not have this with them. As far as I know, it is the ONLY place you are going to find FREE afternoon bridge problems. They have morning problems as well. Another must-have.
- Stever T. Hiner's Seismic Design Review. I bought this last minute and it was super helpful. It explained concepts for buildings very clearly. Note that it is geared towards the California seismic exam, so it doesn't have any information on bridges. I actually used it for a lateral question or two that I didn't know the answer to. I had barely got a chance to open the book before the exam, but I found some answers in this book. Would recommend buying.
- Paul W. Richard's Seismic Principles study guide. Good for some basic concepts but I didn't lean on this one as heavily as some of the other references. I used this to learn about calculating diaphragm forces.
- SEAOC Seismic Design Manual Volume 1 was helpful for anything that involved ASCE seismic loading. I used it as a reference during the exam, but never went through the problems myself beforehand.
- My calcs from work that I printed out (sorry, I can't give those out). I thought I would use these heavily, but it turned that I didn't need them because I knew the material well enough. I had very few worries about the afternoon, but it was nice to have these calcs for peace of mind.
- I bought copies of the two David Connor SE Bridge morning practice problems, but I never actually used them. I think they'd certainly be more helpful for people who design buildings but bridge designers should know most of it anyway. I did buy it for peace of mind.
- ADDED 12/13 - PPI PE Structural Breadth Six-Minute Problems with Solutions (7th Edition; by Christine Subasic). I had this book and tried a few of the problems. These problems were unbelievably difficult. If you can do these well and in six-minutes, the exam should be a walk in the park. Unfortunately, I barely got through any of these problems. I took the book into the exam with me in case there would be anything on the exam with a similar question in the book.

I don't recall what else I had with me, apart from up-to-date design codes. When I was at university, I took courses in seismic steel design and another on cold-formed steel design. Both were very helpful for me.