April 2019 SE Results Thread

[thedaywa1ker]

While we wait for our results, just wanted to let you all know, if you are trying to get your continuuing ed satisfied - I just had mine waived for studying and taking both parts of this exam. I didnt take a class.

I was told I am the first person to ask this question. So just goes to show that it never hurts to ask!

Just tried this myself after reading your comment...was told they would only accept an actual class (which I did not take)

Glad you had better luck!

 

[ChaosMuppetPE]

Just tried this myself after reading your comment...was told they would only accept an actual class (which I did not take)

Glad you had better luck!

The good news is, if you don't already have a PE, passing will get your first licensing period without the CEU's...

 

[ChaosMuppetPE]

While we wait for our results, just wanted to let you all know, if you are trying to get your continuuing ed satisfied - I just had mine waived for studying and taking both parts of this exam. I didnt take a class.

I was told I am the first person to ask this question. So just goes to show that it never hurts to ask!

While I absolutely believe you amigo, as advice from someone who possibly has the worst luck in the universe, I would recommend getting this in writing in case of an audit.

 

[Nathan55]

No, she's playing for the Major league Bocciball Association

According to the website, this has origins in 5200BC. Who'd have thought. I'd like to throw this at the NCEES graders for an afternoon essay problem, just to show I'm a well-rounded engineer. "By inspection, the special concrete shear wall can also sustain the impulse imparted from 27 thrown bocci balls, a crucial component of a game invented by the egyptians, who were excellent structural engineers in their own right."

 

[Nathan55]

While I understand the joke and agree that it's oddly funny and somewhat true, I feel this downplays the significant amount of intellect and mathematical genius that goes into engineering theory and practice. If we were to take a relationship of physical accuracy of our models and graph it against the preciseness of material testing, I suspect you would see an asymptotic relationship between how close the calculations get with reality. Dealing with all materials, we have to use statistical averages due to manufacturing defects and inherent fluctuations of material strengths and stiffness, however, the industry balances around a profitable equilibrium in which engineers expect and design to a reasonably small material property standard deviation that manufacturers can consistently reproduce. Of course this all depends on the rigor of your analysis, while Bernoulli will get you close, Timoshenko will get you closer, and finite element analysis would be the gold standard. Maybe there will be a paper published studying FEM elements with material properties varying over expected statistical deviations throughout a system. I would guess the smaller you made your elements, the more accurately you would reflect reality (again, an asymptotic relationship).  Unfortunately, my explanation won't fit on a t-shirt and even if it did, I suppose you could expect comments from the layperson along the lines of the movie "Idiocracy."

I'm reminded of when my wife was in college getting her MBA. We were having a conversation with someone about her career, with a blank stare the individual looked back at us and said "Is an MBA a nurse or something?"

I do agree that structural engineering actually requires some cerebral acuity. It could be worse though, we could be dentists: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/05/the-trouble-with-dentistry/586039/

 

[Duke]

While I understand the joke and agree that it's oddly funny and somewhat true,

You nailed it at that. It's reading to much into it to take it further ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ )

 

[ChaosMuppetPE]

According to the website, this has origins in 5200BC. Who'd have thought. I'd like to throw this at the NCEES graders for an afternoon essay problem, just to show I'm a well-rounded engineer. "By inspection, the special concrete shear wall can also sustain the impulse imparted from 27 thrown bocci balls, a crucial component of a game invented by the egyptians, who were excellent structural engineers in their own right."

Under what organization are these projectile bocci balls regulated? Materials of a higher density would impart more force if thrown at equivalent velocity. Exactly how are these bocci balls thrown? Can we assume some sort of machinery that consistently throws bocci balls at a given force, or are these bocci balls being propelled by Guam level wind loads?

Granted, Egyptians did amazing things with what technology they had. Or maybe aliens. Either way, I wish my architect friends would let me space my columns as closely as the Egyptian engineers did. 

 

[ChaosMuppetPE]

You nailed it at that. It's reading to much into it to take it further ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ )

Jesus put me here to suck all of the fun out of life. I'm just trying to make Jesus happy.

 

[AlexPE]

While I absolutely believe you amigo, as advice from someone who possibly has the worst luck in the universe, I would recommend getting this in writing in case of an audit.

Agreed. The board legal council sent me this email to use:

I am approving you to use your 2 years of exam study, prep and taking both the components of the SE exam to meet your PDH requirement for the renewal cycle of 10/1/17 through 9/30/19. If necessary to submit proof for the 2017-2019 PDH, just submit this email.

Honestly I was hoping for (but not expecting) maybe 16 hours for the actual exam knocked off. But they waived the whole thing. Doesnt quite erase the sting of failing, but I'll take what I can get at this point.

Doubt I would be able to have it waived if I fail again... now THAT would be something - to never have to take another CEU class again, but be doomed to fail the SE exam every year for the rest of my career.

 

[Nathan55]

Jesus put me here to suck all of the fun out of life. I'm just trying to make Jesus happy.

Pretty sure that NCEES beat you to achieving acceptable results on that goal.

 

[Nathan55]

Something I've wondered is this: the SE exam, and the Lateral one in particular addresses a wide variety of subjects. However, at times one subject will be ignored entirely. For example, hypothetically you might have an exam that does not touch on wood diaphragm detailing, or collector design, or steel special moment frames. Someone could achieve acceptable results without knowing those subjects or others that happened to not be covered on the exam they took. 

How is it then, that passing the exam shows a minimum level of competency if it eschews certain subjects entirely? You may know nothing about concrete shear walls, and by luck of the draw take a test that has nothing on detailing of shear walls. And you receive a license that purportedly certifies you as being competent in the design of structures to withstand high wind/seismic loads. But all with crucial, untested gaps in knowledge.

Wouldn't it be wiser--albeit more predictable--to have an exam that addresses a broader range of subjects (i.e. ordinary, intermediate AND special frames and walls)?

 

[ChaosMuppetPE]

Something I've wondered is this: the SE exam, and the Lateral one in particular addresses a wide variety of subjects. However, at times one subject will be ignored entirely. For example, hypothetically you might have an exam that does not touch on wood diaphragm detailing, or collector design, or steel special moment frames. Someone could achieve acceptable results without knowing those subjects or others that happened to not be covered on the exam they took. 

How is it then, that passing the exam shows a minimum level of competency if it eschews certain subjects entirely? You may know nothing about concrete shear walls, and by luck of the draw take a test that has nothing on detailing of shear walls. And you receive a license that purportedly certifies you as being competent in the design of structures to withstand high wind/seismic loads. But all with crucial, untested gaps in knowledge.

Wouldn't it be wiser--albeit more predictable--to have an exam that addresses a broader range of subjects (i.e. ordinary, intermediate AND special frames and walls)?

This exam certainly has a component of luck to it. I would argue that you are technically correct, however, the industry assumption would be that you cover all of the standard materials with this exam. If you show competence with those materials then you likely understand other methodologies. Again, while not always true, this is likely the norm. As far as claiming this test displays minimum competency. We've already determined that's incorrect. The SE is a mastery level exam and most PEs struggle with it. Especially the older ones. I find it interesting that civil engineering is basically the "2nd" oldest profession, has existed for thousands of years, and we are still finding silly ways to change the codebooks every 3 years. I should've just went into the oldest profession. Not much in the code books there.

 

[cal91]

Why not just do the oldest profession on the side? FutureSE seems like a good stage name.

 

[tj_PE]

Coworker comes up to me today and is like so results tomorrow huh? 

and i was like uh WHAT 

then laughed. we've got another month and a half, kid.

 

[cal91]

Coworker comes up to me today and is like so results tomorrow huh? 

and i was like uh WHAT 

then laughed. we've got another month and a half, kid.

Haha... No. Not even close. Nice try tho!

 

[Nathan55]

Coworker comes up to me today and is like so results tomorrow huh? 

and i was like uh WHAT 

then laughed. we've got another month and a half, kid.

Haha yes I can relate. "So did you pass?" That's the question I get. I just reply that my opinion of the test and how I did has no actual bearing on what the NCEES graders think.

The good news is that seeing Avengers this past weekend gave me hope that I can defeat NCEES if I am persistent and make use of (spoiler) to (spoiler) and then finally (spoiler) the (spoiler). It may require me to (spoiler) but it would be worth it.

 

[tj_PE]

yeah my general response is, I don't think I bombed it, but I ran out of time. So I'm not expecting to pass, but there's about a 3% chance I might have squeaked by.

 

[ChaosMuppetPE]

Haha yes I can relate. "So did you pass?" That's the question I get. I just reply that my opinion of the test and how I did has no actual bearing on what the NCEES graders think.

The good news is that seeing Avengers this past weekend gave me hope that I can defeat NCEES if I am persistent and make use of (spoiler) to (spoiler) and then finally (spoiler) the (spoiler). It may require me to (spoiler) but it would be worth it.

Who shall we sacrifice in this epic battle?

 

[onemanwolfpack]

The good news is that seeing Avengers this past weekend gave me hope that I can defeat NCEES if I am persistent and make use of (spoiler) to (spoiler) and then finally (spoiler) the (spoiler). It may require me to (spoiler) but it would be worth it.

I'm glad these boards are a spoiler-free area of the internet. You can never be too safe nowadays.

 

[Nathan55]

I'm glad these boards are a spoiler-free area of the internet. You can never be too safe nowadays.

Yeah I wanted to make sure I don't ruin the plot for someone. I pretty much went in to hibernation mode for the last week so I could go into it fresh. If you like superhero movies, you'll like it.

I also like to envision NCEES as a conglomeration of movie villains--a sort of Thanos/Bane/Joker hybrid. It provides a humorous outlet for the psyche-destroying angst.