SE building lateral exam

Dear all the building lateral test takers:

I have some questions about the exam preparation material :

1. About the book SEAOC: If I have 2012 SEAOC Vol 1 should I upgrade to 2015?

2. For anyone who's taken the lateral, is SEAOC Vol 2 to Vol 4 very necessary to help pass the exam?

I know these books are a bit too involving so I would focus on other material if these books are not very helpful for the afternoon lateral exam problems.

3. What's your opinion about the book: Seismic and Wind Forces: Structural Design Examples from Alan Willams ? The current version is 4th edition (based on IBC 2012 AND ACI318 11)but the next version will come out in next year. Is the current version is a good reference for us test takers for April?

4. For any building lateral test takers, I saw EET being mentioned all around this forum. Will the class provide enough reference material? Do I still need a lot all other materials for the exam? 

Thank you so much. And good luck to you'all.

purple-521 said:

About the book SEAOC: If I have 2012 SEAOC Vol 1 should I upgrade to 2015?

Click to expand...

No. There were only very minor edits between the two editions if I recall.

purple-521 said:

is SEAOC Vol 2 to Vol 4 very necessary to help pass the exam?

Click to expand...

Not necessary but I found volume 3 to be some help for a few topics, would recommend that one first. Volume 2 is good if you have it, but otherwise I wouldn't buy it just for the exam. Volume 4 I didn't have and didn't feel I needed it given that the AISC seismic manual is such a great reference.

purple-521 said:

Seismic and Wind Forces: Structural Design Examples from Alan Willams

Click to expand...

I had this and used it a bit to study but didn't use it at all in the exam. Didn't bother bringing it for the 2nd attempt. I would only get it if you can use it for work; from what I recall it's got some really complex problems in it that are great resources if you're doing a real building design but for exam problems it's too heavy. Decent reference for studying some topics and great to have around the office but definitely more bang for your buck elsewhere.

Correct, hardly a change in 2015 version of volume 1 since ASCE 7 is still the same.  I did not update mine.  I would also add that the steel volume (4) shouldn't have changed much from 2012 to 2015 since the same steel reference and ASCE 7 version is used.  When I upgraded, I only got the volume 2 and 3 changes due to the changes in concrete, wood, and masonry codes.  Main thing is you don't want to use an incorrect or outdated code reference on the exam (may lose points in PM) so if you are pulling a reference from a secondary source to save time, you want to make sure it is correct.

None of these are necessary but they are very helpful to review.  Certainly the designs are more complex and there is some computer generated data but it is still helpful to follow the steps and know why they made certain design choices.  Just don't get caught in weeds by being familiar with the level of detail required on the exam.