PM Geotech

[GTScott]

I recently read a post from someone on "the other board" which basically scared me to death about the PM Geotech. I have a MS in Geotech so that is the test I had been planning to take. However, the individual posting states that all of the sample exams, 6 minute books, etc. are MUCH easier than the actual exam. Has anyone else found this to be true? Any insight on areas to focus on when studying, aside from those shown in 6-minutes?

I am a bit rusty on my seismic so I plan to start there.

Also, a general PM question....all of the samples I have looked at had 40 Geotech problems in the afternoon. Am I likely to see a straight Structural/ENV/TRANS problem in the afternoon? If so, are these typically of increased difficulty over those from the AM?

Thanks!

GT

 

[Road Guy]

well I took Transpo, but the other questions that were not Transportation (GEO & WR) seemed to not be too abstract compared to the PM Session that I took

& personally the PM Transportation questions IMO were easier than those presented in the 6 min. solutions for transportation, but i have no clue on your exam.

I bombed the AM and did well in the afternoon, thats where I spent most of my time studying, I am trying to spread it out a lot more this go round...

 

[GTScott]

What you said made sense and was inline with what I thought....I might see some transpo aspects tied into a Geo problem and so on but would be unlikely to see a problem without any Geotech aspects.

As for the difficulty, I hear that the 6-mins problems are generally harder than the actual test for most sections. The guy stating the opposite for the Geotech section has be worried.

 

[EL Nica PE]

I believe that the six min sol. book is fair to what they ask in the real test.

Now CERM is harder then the actual test.

:watch:

 

[Blu1913]

Road Guy, off topic but would you say the reason you didnt pass was because you focused too much on Transpo and not enough on the other material?

 

[Road Guy]

probably, I totally bombed the AM Environmental, actually got 0/8 but I got 8/8 of the AM Structural(I doubt that will happen again).

I still havenot found anything environmental wise that resembles anything I saw on the test, but I did pick up a civil/environmental dictionary (about half the seize of the CERM) so hopefully there will be something useful in there this go round.

 

[Blu1913]

Nothing in the CERM resembles what was on the test for enviro!?!!?

 

[Blu1913]

WHat si the name of the civil/enviro dictionary you got? And where did you fin dit?

 

[Road Guy]

here is the one I ordred (it actually hasnt arrived yet)

First of all the CERM is very weak on the ENV Sections (& Geotech) there the shortest sections. But you know that NCEES goes through that thing with a fine tooth comb to make sure there are not plug and chug answers readily available for you to find.

I found sections dealing with what the questions asked, but none of it answered the question.

One thing I would do is make sure you take a peak at all the afternoon sections in the NCEES Sample Exam book.

 

[Blu1913]

So let me ask, what did they ask? Need some perspective considering i did every enviro problem in the CERM and it took me 2 weeks!!

 

[Road Guy]

well I dont want to get myself in trouble, we have NCEES spies here.

pi mole:

I am sure the questions were easier than whats in the CERM, I am sure I put more thought into the "problems" I just didnt have a clue on the "word problems"

I would look at the CIVIL BREADTH(AM) EXAMINATION (the sheet that gives the aprox % of the exam breakdown) provided by NCEES, the one that lists out all the subject thats "might" be on the exam, and make sure I had a good text to cover every single subject that is listed.

:true: (I didnt do that the first time)

 

[Blu1913]

OIC.........

So lemme get this straight...NCEES is spying on us!!

So you cant give specifics to the test or they will: make you disappear?

No seriously, is it illegal or something to share that information... :kick:

 

[Road Guy]

As a reminder, when you took the NCEES examination you signed an agreement that included the statement that you agreed you ?will not reveal in whole or part any exam questions, answers, problems, or solutions to anyone during or after the exam, whether orally, in writing, or any internet chat rooms , or otherwise.? This agreement also stated that failure to comply with this could invalidate your exam results.

^-- That was posted in the very first days of the board (see "Forum Rules" top left) by someone from NCEES. So I am sure they monitor the site, not sure who it is, but I am pretty sure they have an employee here, I am to lazy to check all the IP #s and email addresses for all the members. ( If I knew I would ban them:banhim: )

I think we can still share enough info to help without crossing the line.

but serioulsy look at that breakdown sheet from ncees, theres lots of "good info" there cough,cough,choke, cough again, etc

 

[Blu1913]

Oh wow...nice statement. Way to cover their butt....

Thanks for the "info".

 

[diltayeba]

Dear Friends,

There is no good module in Geotechnical Engineering here . Please post all the questions and answer here.

 

[IlPadrino]

here is the one I ordred (it actually hasnt arrived yet)

First of all the CERM is very weak on the ENV Sections (& Geotech) there the shortest sections. But you know that NCEES goes through that thing with a fine tooth comb to make sure there are not plug and chug answers readily available for you to find.

I found sections dealing with what the questions asked, but none of it answered the question.

One thing I would do is make sure you take a peak at all the afternoon sections in the NCEES Sample Exam book.

What did you think of this dictionary? I spent a lot of time tracking one down in a library (so it didn't cost me anything), but I don't think I found any definition useful in answering a problem on the last exam.

 

[Road Guy]

you know it was one of the few books that I never used during the exam, sold it on ebay a few weeks after the passing score came out.

 

[Anthony]

Does anybody know from previous experience taking the exam if the 6 minute solutions are harder or easier than the actual exam. Quite a few of those problems seem to go well over 6 minutes for me!

 

[Guest]

^^^ The Six Minute Problem series is more of a way to get a feel for the way problems will be formed and presented on the exam. Additionally, it gives you a sense of the types of distractors you may see and common mistakes made in solutions.

Do not take those problems as ... these are the kinds of problems I would have and I am not getting it!

The exam is a mixed bag - some problems may be a simple as a one-line solution while others may take a few steps. Some problems may give you all of the information in the problem statement while others may require you to look information up or infer design criteria/values based on best engineering judgement. Also keep in mind that there are a number of QUALITATIVE problems that typically don't take very long - if you know the answer.

So, in terms of big picture - Six Minute Problems are a good way to get comfortable with a range of problems, review old material, and getting to know your references. Do not use them as a way to gauge your performance either by timing or # correct.

I hope this description helps. Best of luck in your continued preparations.

JR

 

[GTScott]

While it is not what you want to hear this close to the exam, I found the 6-minute solutions to be fairly unrelated topic-wise to what I saw on the exam. When reading through the 6m problems for the first time my level of confusion was much less than that of reading through the actual exam problems. I was familiar with 95% of the topics presented in the 6M and probably only 50-55% familiar with those on the exam.

That being said, I was fairly positive I had bombed it when I left and what do you know...I passed.

My advice, bring the older reference text books and not just the standard modern texts. I found that I relied heavily on some of the more basic books to get a feel for some problems.