The plans used for the exam might not be what you are accustomed to. All the information you need to answer those questions is in those plans; perhaps, presented in a format you are not used to. Techs (some with barely a year of field tech experience) who work for firms I know, seem to have no problems with the plans- but then again, they were trained by someone in the firm.
Several people have posed similar questions; some in the concrete engineering or concrete testing forum. Do a search and you might get some valuable information.
Good luck.