Structural PE (CA) 1

[cal91]

I graduated with my Masters Dec '15 and have been working under a licensed PE in CA since then. I've got a couple questions about the CA PE test. If you answer any of these I'd appreciate it!

1. Will the earliest I can take the PE be October '17? The application deadline for the Apr '17 test is Nov '16 - I'll only have 11 months experience by then(12 months required)

2. For the AM session I have the CERM 14. Do I need to get the CERM 15, and will that cover me?

3. For the PM session, I currently have the CERM, ASCE 7, ACI 318, IBC, and NDS. I'll probably get the SERM. I realize I'll be missing AASHTO, OSHA, PCI, and ACI 530. Is this a red flag?

4. For the Seismic, I'm thinking of getting PPI's seismic design of building structures. For surveying, I've got the first edition of Surveying Principles. Any suggestions, or should that cover me?

5. Does anyone have good sources for practice problems/tests? I already have the one from NCEES, and hope to find some other free or cheap practice exams.

Any other tips are welcome. Thanks!

 

[mike20793]

1. Not sure of exact CA requirements, but I'd say that is probably short on experience if 12 months is required, but they may not have a problem letting you sit for it. It doesn't hurt to apply anyways!
2. I always recommend the latest version of the CERM.
3. Yes, you need OSHA and ACI 530 at the least (I used both during my PE exam). I also had both AASHTO and PCI when I took my PE and I didn't open either one. I always recommend every reference because they will often ask a basic question that can be found just by flipping to the right section or commentary.
4. From what I've read/heard those should cover you, but then again I'm not licensed in CA, so take my advice with a grain of salt.
5. The NCEES practice test is pretty spot on. The PPI problems are good problems in general, but are more time consuming than what will be on the test. I bought them and used them very rarely.

 

[fel3]

When I took the California PE exam in 1983, I was two days shy of the experience requirement because I graduated college on December 23 and I needed a December 21 graduation date to strictly satisfy the experience requirement. When I sent in my application to sit for the exam, I included a letter explaining this and requested permission to sit for the exam anyway. My explanation was accepted and I sat for and passed the exam on the first try.

==========
"Is it the only lesson of history that mankind is unteachable?"
--Winston S. Churchill

 

[IRstuff]

Did you already take your EIT exam? Based on that, I would think you're at least 6 yrs away from taking the PE exam.

[link California PE Act 2016]6751. Qualifications
(a) The applicant for certification as an engineer-in-training shall comply with all of the following:
(1) Not have committed acts or crimes constituting grounds for denial of registration under Section 480.
(2) Successfully pass the first division of the examination. The applicant shall be eligible to sit for the first division of the examination after satisfactory completion of three years or more of postsecondary engineering education, three years or more of engineering experience, or a combination of postsecondary education and experience in engineering totaling three years.
The board need not verify the applicant’s eligibility other than to require the applicant to sign a statement of eligibility on the application form.
(b) The applicant for registration as a professional engineer shall comply with all of the following:
(1) Not have committed acts or crimes constituting grounds for denial of registration under Section 480.
(2) Furnish evidence of six years or more of qualifying experience in engineering work satisfactory to the board evidencing that the applicant is competent to practice the character of engineering in the branch for which he or she is applying for registration, and successfully pass the second division of the examination.
(3) The applicant for the second division of the examination shall successfully pass the first division examination or shall be exempt therefrom.[/url]

TTFN
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
faq731-376 forum1529

 

[cnorvell]

In California, a BS and an MS degree can count for up to 5 years of the experience required in (b)(2).

 

[cal91]

Thanks for the answers Mike. And fel3, good advice I'll give that a shot. It'd be nice to have my PE 6 months earlier!

IRstuff - yeah, I passed the FE test and recieved my EIT certification. As cnorvell said - becuase I have a BS and MS in Civil Engineering, I need only 1 year of experience.

6753 Equivalents for experience; education; teaching
With respect to applicants for licensure as professional engineers, the board:

(d) May at its discretion give credit as qualifying experience not in excess of five years,
for a postgraduate degree in a school of engineering with a board-approved undergraduate or
postgraduate curriculum.

 

[Lomarandil]

#1 has been addressed pretty well, so I'll leave that alone

#2 I don't think a year old CERM will be any issue. Certainly not if you're aware of the big changes between code editions. The basics (what I used CERM to reference) haven't changed.

#3 It's possible to pass the exam without these codes (I did). Know that you may be forfeiting a few easy questions as mike mentions (although you may be able to intuit/guess them). A large part of this decision is how comfortable you are with the general material. If you design bridges every day OR if you wouldn't know a bridge when you drive across it, it may make sense to go without AASHTO. In the middle, might make sense to bring it.

#4 A lot of people find value in review classes specifically for seismic and survey principles. This might be worth looking into.

#5 PPIs practice questions were useful, but I thought more difficult than those actually on the exam (great for studying, not for gauging time management).

 

[wannabeSE]

I did not see the Steel Construction Manual on your list; I think it is vital. I passed with out AASHTO; maybe I am a good guesser. I borrowed a copy of PCI and opened once during the test. If you know how to solve masonry problems without ACI 530, you might be able to get by without it. Make sure you have read California surveying laws and what a civil engineer can legally do. Also, remember the approximate license date before which a civil engineer could legally survey anything.

 

[cal91]

Yes, forgot to put that on my list. I'll have that as well as the Seismic Design Manual.

Thanks for the advice wannabe and Lomarandil.

 

[delagina]

in California there is no such thing as PE Structural

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS may design any building of any type.
CIVIL ENGINEERS may design any building of any type EXCEPT public schools and hospitals.
ARCHITECTS may design any building of any type EXCEPT the structural portion of a hospital.
UNLICENSED INDIVIDUALS may design only the following types of buildings:
Single-family dwellings of not more than two stories and basement in height.
Multiple dwellings containing not more than four dwelling units of woodframe construction of not more than two stories and basement in height and no more than four dwelling units per lot.
Garages or other structures appurtenant to the dwellings described above of woodframe construction not more than two stores and basement in height.

 

[cvg]

actually, all engineers licensed in California are considered PE's. This is defined by the California Professional Engineers Act. In addition, all structural engineers must be licensed civil engineers first and then must pass additional structural requirements before they have the authority to call themselves structural engineers.

6736. Title of structural engineer
No person shall use the title, “structural engineer,” or any combination of these words or
abbreviations thereof, unless he or she is a licensed civil engineer in this state and unless he or she has been found qualified as a structural engineer according to the rules and regulations
established for structural engineers by the board.

As used in this section, “license” includes certificate of registration or license as a professional engineer, licensure as a professional land surveyor, and certificates of authority to use the titles “structural engineer,” “geotechnical engineer,” “soil engineer,” “soils engineer,” or “consulting engineer.”