CA Surveying Exam - Spring 2017

Hey Guys

New here, slated to take California Seismic and Surveying in April. Have some questions for the knowledgeable people here about these exams..

I am using older versions of Surveying prep books that I got from a friend but their sections don't match the current Surveying test plan on BPELSG website.

Did the board de-list the subjects like Photogrammetry, Celestial Observations, California Coordinate System, etc?

Thanks...

SoCalBound said:

Hey Guys

New here, slated to take California Seismic and Surveying in April. Have some questions for the knowledgeable people here about these exams..

I am using older versions of Surveying prep books that I got from a friend but their sections don't match the current Surveying test plan on BPELSG website.

Did the board de-list the subjects like Photogrammetry, Celestial Observations, California Coordinate System, etc?

Thanks...

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Your old book will be fine.  But, yes, no need to study topics not found on the state's syllabus.  Good luck. 

SoCalBound said:

Hey Guys

New here, slated to take California Seismic and Surveying in April. Have some questions for the knowledgeable people here about these exams..

I am using older versions of Surveying prep books that I got from a friend but their sections don't match the current Surveying test plan on BPELSG website.

Did the board de-list the subjects like Photogrammetry, Celestial Observations, California Coordinate System, etc?

Thanks...

Click to expand...

As Ptatohed stated, check the Board's syllabus... some items have changed. The Board's Exec. Director had specifically stated that there will be no questions outside of the specified syllabus/test plan. 

Good luck.

Thank you guys, I can ignore some of the sections in Mansour's and Cuomo's books, then.

So far, the most challenging section for me is "Staking". I feel like it is a section suitable for practicing surveyors. I am a structural guy and one only surveying course I took in undergrad did not have Staking subject in the curriculum.

SoCalBound said:

Thank you guys, I can ignore some of the sections in Mansour's and Cuomo's books, then.

So far, the most challenging section for me is "Staking". I feel like it is a section suitable for practicing surveyors. I am a structural guy and one only surveying course I took in undergrad did not have Staking subject in the curriculum.

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The exam is very "principles" only.  Just understand the basic concept behind staking/layout, the main types of stakes, and generally how to read stakes, and you'll be good.  I think Caltrans has some staking info you can find online for free.  Good luck. 

Thank you ptatohed, yes I printed the Caltrans exam preparation material as well in addition to Mansour and Cuomo.

I like to get your opinion on something else as well: I am used to paper based exams where question and my own writing is on the same plane with no need to transfer information from one place to another. However, these Seismic and Surveying tests will be Computer based and I have not taken a computer based test before (except the reading type test where you don't need to use any pencil). I am thinking that most of the surveying questions will have a figure or diagram on the screen and I am forced to move all that date on to the paper first then work from there. It is not looking like helpful for a test-taker but I am sure it is better for the test-giver.

How was your experience? Any tips or tricks? Am I over-thinking it?

Thanks..

SoCalBound said:

Thank you ptatohed, yes I printed the Caltrans exam preparation material as well in addition to Mansour and Cuomo.

I like to get your opinion on something else as well: I am used to paper based exams where question and my own writing is on the same plane with no need to transfer information from one place to another. However, these Seismic and Surveying tests will be Computer based and I have not taken a computer based test before (except the reading type test where you don't need to use any pencil). I am thinking that most of the surveying questions will have a figure or diagram on the screen and I am forced to move all that date on to the paper first then work from there. It is not looking like helpful for a test-taker but I am sure it is better for the test-giver.

How was your experience? Any tips or tricks? Am I over-thinking it?

Thanks..

Click to expand...

SCB,

When I took the exam it was paper/pencil/scantron.  And yes I enjoyed the option of writing on my test booklet.  However, since then I have beta tested the exam for the state in CBT so, in essence, I have gone through the same scenario you will be (albeit without the stress or pressure of 'needing' to pass like you).  I honestly don't recall it being an issue.  It wasn't too big of a deal to read/understand the problem and diagram (if any), formulate a plan to solve the problem, and just start plugging away on the blank scratch paper.  90+% of the time, you won't need to recreate the entire diagram, only portions where you may need to visually see what you are solving.  If you want, you can basically nearly simulate the experience by taking a paper book practice exam and writing on blank scratch paper and not your book.

The State was concerned about the same thing you are concerned about on the first cycle or two of the newly debuted CBT exams.  So, they gave you a booklet with the figures in it.  But examinees complained that it was too cumbersome (you had to jump around in your booklet to find your figure since the figures couldn't be in sequential order due to varying exam orders).  They dropped the figure booklet. 

In summary:  You'll be fine.   

OK, I had no idea about this history of the change from paper to CBT. Thanks for the tip to use blank sheets of paper during the sample tests. I bought the PPI 120 Survey questions, will see how it goes. Since I am out of state, I will be taking it in a Prometric lab.

SoCalBound said:

OK, I had no idea about this history of the change from paper to CBT. Thanks for the tip to use blank sheets of paper during the sample tests. I bought the PPI 120 Survey questions, will see how it goes. Since I am out of state, I will be taking it in a Prometric lab.

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Good luck.  Feel free to PM me with any questions, I'll try my best to help.  What's your plan for Seismic? 

Thanks, I will PM you if I have more questions.

For Seismic, I bought Hiner's latest workbook, PPI Seismic Exam Book by Baradar, EET Seismic Practice Exams, IBC 2015, SDPWS 2015, printed and bound ASCE 7-10, NDS 2012, AISC 341-10, AISC Steel Manual, and ACI 318-11.

Planning on using Hiner's book mostly and other references as needed. Last month or so, will do all sample exams (at least twice). There is 1 sample exam at the end of Hiner's book, 2 of them in Baradar's book and 2 (or 3) in EET Seismic exam book (have not received this one yet)

Do you see any shortcomings here? I like to get some opinions regarding the adequacy of these materials...

Thanks...

Hiner's book is pure GOLD for the Seismic exam! I highly, highly recommend it. Otherwise, I think you are well-covered in terms of what to bring to the exam. In all likelihood, you will not even need the material codes, besides maaaaybe NDS. But I would (and did, myself) bring them just in case.

I haven't seen the EET book, but have heard great things about their seismic course and am currently enrolled in their breadth and depth courses with exposure to those practice problems. I would imagine those are good problems to do, as well. I don't really know anything about Baradar.

SoCalBound said:

Thank you guys, I can ignore some of the sections in Mansour's and Cuomo's books, then.

So far, the most challenging section for me is "Staking". I feel like it is a section suitable for practicing surveyors. I am a structural guy and one only surveying course I took in undergrad did not have Staking subject in the curriculum.

Click to expand...

Definitely ignore the topics in Mansour's and Cuomo's books that are not on the Board's syllabus. They are not worth your time.

As for staking, I thought it was tricky, too! I don't recall Cuomo's book being a great resource for it, and don't remember really ever finding any really good resources for it period. I do, however, think that the chance of you getting lots of staking questions is not that high. I ended up learning the basic staking markings as best I could, and throwing anything more complicated to the wind in the hopes of not being asked it on the exam itself.

Thank you Leggo.

SoCalBound said:

Thanks, I will PM you if I have more questions.

For Seismic, I bought Hiner's latest workbook, PPI Seismic Exam Book by Baradar, EET Seismic Practice Exams, IBC 2015, SDPWS 2015, printed and bound ASCE 7-10, NDS 2012, AISC 341-10, AISC Steel Manual, and ACI 318-11.

Planning on using Hiner's book mostly and other references as needed. Last month or so, will do all sample exams (at least twice). There is 1 sample exam at the end of Hiner's book, 2 of them in Baradar's book and 2 (or 3) in EET Seismic exam book (have not received this one yet)

Do you see any shortcomings here? I like to get some opinions regarding the adequacy of these materials...

Thanks...

Click to expand...

Shortcoming?  I would say the opposite.  In all honesty, you are overdoing it.  Really all you need is a good workbook (EET, Hiner, Mansour), good practice problems (often those found in your workbook are enough but more practice problems can't hurt), and maybe the ASCE7 and the CBC/IBC.  And I say maybe because a good workbook (EET) will have most all of the necessary excerpts from the codes.  EET's CBT exams sound valuable too.  You will not need NDS, SDPWS, AISC, or ACI.  How much money did you spend on those?  For the money you spent, I would have recommended taking EET's class.  Spend your study time on your selected workbook and practice problems, no need to spend time studying the codes other than maybe be familiar with the sections of code you find your workbook referencing often.  Good luck.   

It is just me playing a little safe. I would be devastated if I cannot pass both of them at first shot. I already had all the structural codes, so I did not have to spend a lot on them. Timeframe wise, I dont have another chance, I have to pass both and move to my beloved SoCal asap.

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SoCalBound said:

It is just me playing a little safe. I would be devastated if I cannot pass both of them at first shot. I already had all the structural codes, so I did not have to spend a lot on them. Timeframe wise, I dont have another chance, I have to pass both and move to my beloved SoCal asap.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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You sound like... trying to play safe.

Just a couple of pointers... if money is not a big issue, then enroll for the EET seismic course. Most of the stuff will be known to you because of your background, but the CBTs will provide some great practice. For surveying, I recommend the CSPER course for their CBTs. I had a strong background in roadway design and surveying, but the CBTs provided that extra that one needs to pass an exam. They will cost you around $1000 but if you are willing to put in about 200 hours combined studying those two courses, your should able to clear the exams.

Good luck.

SoCalBound said:

It is just me playing a little safe. I would be devastated if I cannot pass both of them at first shot. I already had all the structural codes, so I did not have to spend a lot on them. Timeframe wise, I dont have another chance, I have to pass both and move to my beloved SoCal asap.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Understood but I am suggesting that more isn't always better.  You could very well hinder yourself if you get bogged down trying to read/study/learn from all these multiple codes.  Spend your study hours wisely and efficiently.  As Maji suggested, you might consider taking EET's Seismic class.  They also now offer a Survey class.   

I see your point. I won't rely on remembering everything from these references. I will tab the relevant sections for easy search. I will use Hiner's book as the main book for studying and during the test. There were a few weird questions in the PE exam which required that I have the code with me and find the relevant paragraph. I was over-prepared for the 8-hr PE exam and only guessed 1 question which was from AASHTO.

Being on the east coast with 3hr difference and other commitments, taking classes was not an option for me.

SoCalBound said:

I see your point. I won't rely on remembering everything from these references. I will tab the relevant sections for easy search. I will use Hiner's book as the main book for studying and during the test. There were a few weird questions in the PE exam which required that I have the code with me and find the relevant paragraph. I was over-prepared for the 8-hr PE exam and only guessed 1 question which was from AASHTO.

Being on the east coast with 3hr difference and other commitments, taking classes was not an option for me.

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It sounds like you'll be fine.  You got this.   Best of luck.  Let us know if we can help. 

P.S.  I think EET has recorded on-demand webinars, if interested. 

ptatohed said:

The State was concerned about the same thing you are concerned about on the first cycle or two of the newly debuted CBT exams.  So, they gave you a booklet with the figures in it.  But examinees complained that it was too cumbersome (you had to jump around in your booklet to find your figure since the figures couldn't be in sequential order due to varying exam orders).  They dropped the figure booklet. 

In summary:  You'll be fine.   

Click to expand...

Hello guys. Regarding the Seismic/Survey exams being computer based, I have some serious concerns. Due to some vision difficulties (I'd rather not go into details here), I am not able to see "black" color on the screens; yes that is right - I see light gray. I really HOPE to be able to take the two state exams on paper, at least I see the black color as dark gray on paper. Currently I am using a 22 inch screen for my computer, and I had to significantly lower the resolution (to 1366 * 768), which means that everything (including fonts) are much larger on my screen, so that I can at least barely read the light gray fronts. I dont think I can get the same screen on the exams (I am not and dont want to be considered a disabled person). Even if I get a large screen and am able to "customize" the resolution, font size, etc, which I doubt is possible easily, the issue still remains: I CANNOT SEE BLACK FONTS. Sometimes, on my large screen, I have to read the materials more than once, so that my eyes can focus better on that is being read, and often times I lose track of where I was looking at on the screen simply because everything is FUZZY, LIGHT GRAY and NOT SHARP. Anyways, I DO NEED / HOPE to take the exams on paper, and I am afraid of failing, although I am spending lots of time and EFFORTS to prep for the exams. Please advise, thanks...