PE/SE Exam Advice 1

[lhpriest]

I will be taking the new 16 hr structural engineering exam in April and have a couple of specific questions. Also, any general advice is welcomed.

(1) I have an older version of the AASHTO code and would rather not purchase the new version as it is very expensive. I have selected "buildings" for the second portion of both exams, but would it be foolish to go into the multiple choice portion of the exam with an old version of AASHTO? That is, are the bridge questions more general or do they require a more extensive knowledge of the code?

(2) I have heard that the CERM is very helpful for the structural exam. Is it worth the cost to purchase this text?

(3) On the PPI website, there was a forum with advice from individuals who had taken the exam before. One person stressed that a test taker know how to calculate the "Modulus of Elasticity of a Building". I'm not sure what this would mean for a whole building system.

(4) Any advice on where to brush up on analysis methods for indeterminate structures would be helpful. It is a very broad topic and I could spend a LOT of time studying methods that may or may not be helpful in an exam scenario.

Thanks as always!

 

[msquared48]

Your best step would have been to sign up for the Structural Review course with your local chapter of the Structural Engineers' Association - known in Washington, where I am, as SEAW. Kinda late now as they are normally 8 to 10 weeks in duration. You might be lucky though. Give them a call.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto: KISS
Motivation: Don't ask

 

[ToadJones]

Modulus of elasticity of a building?

 

[Splitrings]

Some of the bridge questions I saw during the Structural I exam were far from general.

I am guessing they must have meant polar moment of inertia of a building.

 

[Lion06]

I just took the SE I in October, so take any advice here for what it's worth.

1) I didn't have the most recent version of AASTHO. I don't actually know how old the version was that I was using, I just borrowed it from someone in the office who had one. I put zero effort into studying AASHTO. What I did find to be true on the SE I is that all but one of the bridge questions were either the AASHTO equivalent of a regular question (e.g. calculating shear stud capacities by AASTHO instead of AISC) or something that could be easily looked up with the index (e.g. forces from water flow (or was it wave action?)). The AASHTO index was my best friend on exam day.

2) I bought the SERM about a week before the exam and spent some time on masonry and tabbing several pages in it. I got a few photocopies from someone in the office of the CERM and I was surprised how much structural stuff was in it that wasn't in the SERM (distribution of lateral loads comes to mind). In terms of what was on the test, however, I would say the SERM would be more helpful (though, truth be told, I only used it in the exam for a table that had k values for ASD masonry design)

3) I didn't read anything from the PPI website. I figured they are just testimonials trying to get you to buy more books. I have no idea what the modulus of elasticity of a building is.

4) As far as indeterminate analysis goes, I would pick one method and just know it very well. They won't care how you do it, just as long as you get the right answer. I prefer Castigliano's Theorem.


As I said above, I only took the SE I and I put in very little study time, so take my answers with a grain of salt. One other thing I would note - I took a ton of references (every material standard, Blodgett, an analysis text, IBC, ASCE 7, NCMA Tek Notes, etc.), I had to make two trips. The only books I used were AASHTO, NDS, ASCE 7, IBC, and AISC. If I had to do it again, I'd probably take the same number of references. It really isn't necessary, but I'd ather bring 5 extra references to get 2 extra problems right - that's just how I am.

 

[lhpriest]

Thank you all for your thoughtful input. I have taken a review course which really just helped me organize my studying. I guess I am just nervous about the quantity of material given that the new exam is essentially combining the Struc I and Struc II tests into one. I want to make sure to get the most out of my studying efforts.

@PAStructuralPE: Your advice has been the least scary of everything I've heard so far. Thank you for that!

 

[BAretired]

lhpriest,

I cannot offer any sage advice, but I do offer my best wishes in your coming exam.

BA

 

[bridgebuster]

PAStructuralPE - Congratulations. I assume you're the engineer formerly known as Structural EIT.

 

[Lion06]

bridgebuster- Thanks! And, yes, you are correct.

 

[lhpriest]

BAretired - Sincere thanks!

 

[SLTA]

lol - next thing you know, PAstructuralPE will just be known as a symbol...

lhpriest, good luck. I never want to do that again, but I tell you what, it was a good feeling to leave and know I had passed. Just be prepared and you'll do fine. I took a review class and it was one of the best things I did.

 

[dm3415]

I found the CERM to be vastly superior to the SERM book, the only exception being post-tension/prestress design, which only appears in the SERM. The CERM is worth having just in general engineering practice, it's an amazing collection of engineering knowledge and I'm not being compensated by PPI!

When I took the test a few years ago I ran into the same AASHTO problem, a friend and I split the cost on one of those ridiculous oversized and overpriced design manuals. There has been quite a bit of change in recent years like the LRFD switch, and simple things like determining the weight of a truck is different, so I would caution against using the older manual. You will need every correct answer you can get on SE1.

Good Luck!

I think the Mod of Elasticity comment may mean the stiffness or rigidity of a structure, i.e., something with multiple columns or shear walls of varying stiffness or height, which you should learn how to do for the test.

As far as indeterminates go, I agree with PAStructuralPE, pick a method that makes sense to you for simple indeterminate structures and learn it well.

 

[ToadJones]

I didn't take SE1 for my PE,...just took Civil-structural, so take this with a grain....
The CERM was really a great reference to have during the test even for the structural portion.
It is a great book in general....tons of stuff in there and the approach to problem solving is very basic and straight forward.

I also studied using some six-minute-solutions and the practice test by NCEES for Structural I.
The Structural I practice test was vastly superior to SMS.
The format of the problems was identical to the test and the difficulty was on par. The SMS practice problems were more like "45 minute solutions" and wildly confusing/misleading/tricky...but maybe thats how the SE test is, I dont know for sure.
From the people I know personally (maybe 5 or 6) that took and passed SEI and SEII on separate occasions, all have said that the NCEES practice test was great to have.

 

[lhpriest]

@ToadJones

Thank you for your response. I have both the SMS book and the NCEES practice test passed down from other co-workers who have passed the exam. (When it was an 8 hour test.) It seems like it may be better to focus more attention on NCEES.