Hi all - I am taking the PE Civil Structural exam this April (my second try) and I am trying to get more familiar with the codes. I feel pretty good about most of the codes except for AASHTO, PCI and ACI. I don't ever use these codes and was wondering if anyone had any tips for how to navigate them. I'm not going to read them all cover to cover but any tips for how to tab them and find information quickly will be helpful! Or any sections that are very likely to be on the exam and should be tabbed.
PE Civil Structural - Tips for Understanding Codes
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ACI 318-14 will run you all over the place. For example, design limits are given in the chapters near the front (the chapters named after building components), but Phi factors are located elsewhere, and limits for tension-controlled and compression-controlled sections are in yet another chapter. In other words, flow charts may be helpful.
Be forewarned that there aren't any design equations in the code for tension-controlled members (i.e. beams), so know flexural analysis of concrete beams cold.
AASHTO is very well organized and indexed. I have zero bridge design experience, and was able to learn AASHTO sufficiently for the SE exam simply by working practice problems. I doubt the PE Civil Structural will have anything that can't just be looked up.
Best of luck!
Be forewarned that there aren't any design equations in the code for tension-controlled members (i.e. beams), so know flexural analysis of concrete beams cold.
AASHTO is very well organized and indexed. I have zero bridge design experience, and was able to learn AASHTO sufficiently for the SE exam simply by working practice problems. I doubt the PE Civil Structural will have anything that can't just be looked up.
Best of luck!
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civilrobot PE etc etc
The Beyonce of Construction
I sat for Civil - Construction, but I had to use ACI 318 in the AM and PM.
It may sound like a lot but I basically read any chapter that I found myself referencing. I'm taking the EET course for the second time. If I was given a question that referenced a section of ACI, I answered the question but then carved out time to read the chapter. I highlighted and tabbed info that kinda stood out to me. It actually helped a lot when I came up on 'look up questions' in the exam. The answer wasn't always in the subsection you referenced for a practice problem. It could be in the next paragraph so it was good to have a general idea of where to find the information.
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Take some time to reference between your study material and the codes/references. Ex: if you are studying breadth with SoPE notes, and they list an equation, go find that equation in the CERM and tab that page or section and write the CERM page number in your notes next to the equation.
You can do the same process with afternoon notes and find the given information in codes to make reference. Then when you are on the exam you can go to your notes for the high level information, and if required, go find the nuance or variation that is most likely located in the reference or code.
You can do the same process with afternoon notes and find the given information in codes to make reference. Then when you are on the exam you can go to your notes for the high level information, and if required, go find the nuance or variation that is most likely located in the reference or code.
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