# Books allowed for SE Exam



## DAVE9999 (Aug 26, 2009)

Does anyone who has taken the SE I &amp; II know of any restrictions on books that can be used? In particular, the Structural Engineering Reference Manual?

Thanks


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## skhudeira (Aug 30, 2009)

You can take any book to the exam, as long as it is not a book that has solved examples clearly written for the SE exam.


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## MOOK (Aug 31, 2009)

Illinois does not allow personal notes, photocopy of codes, PPI, or Kaplan publications


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## Hromis1 (Sep 4, 2009)

DAVE9999 said:


> Does anyone who has taken the SE I &amp; II know of any restrictions on books that can be used? In particular, the Structural Engineering Reference Manual?
> Thanks


Dave9999,

I am not sure you were given a clear answer.

look at

http://www.ncees.org/exams/professional/#bring

Then look at your state's particular instructions. One of the other posters is correct, Illinois does not allow personal notes or PPI......But other states will allow these under restricted guidelines.

Generally the material has to be "bound"...I have put my personel notes in plastic, in a three ring binder...and here is the critical part...do not remove them from the binding...etc.

you MUST check with your state board to be sure. Be prepared to have a proctor examine the notes etc. Even my PPI books have personel notes written in Ink all through them about problem, formulas highlighted, etc...(I personally don't take the NCEES example books, they had so many errors in them that they were more off a problem)

But I have no fear of anyone looking at them. I every day work I am always using example problems as a quality check to remind myself to check every detail. I personally see no reason why the exam should be handled any different way....

However, Be Carefull!....during the last exam I had a jerk sitting next to me that was fubbling through personal notes, I would swear he was taking some out of the bunder....very disruptive and it made me suspicious. (there were several other reasons)..He was SOME trouble for the proctors....I noticed for much of the exam time he drew a lot of extra attention from them...(I wrote a complaint out to NCEES via email later).

Even my box that I carry my books with is clear plastic.

Hromis1


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## DAVE9999 (Sep 4, 2009)

Thanks for the help, you mentioned in Illinois that you can't bring personal notes. Can you clarify whether the personal notes are OK as long as they are in a binder? I tried contacting Illinois and got this response:

_I suggest that you review the NCEES website for the references._

http://www.ncees.org/exams/professional/pe...ds/structural_d

esign_standards.pdf

(not much help)

I am waiting on an email response to someone else from the testing service


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## Hromis1 (Sep 8, 2009)

Sorry Dave, I can only write from my personal experience....in Ohio...BOUND notes were allowed..I put mine in plastic slip sheets...I took the civil PE years ago (Passed), and now am taking the structural exams for my employer....including the FE...I have sat for 3 exams, personal notes and PPI, SERM, CERM were allowed for all...but again, that is only in Ohio.

I would be lost without my personal notes.

Good luck getting a straight answer from anyone. I usually find it is hard to pin down your average bureaucrat to a simple straight answer. It can be real, frustrating.


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## DAVE9999 (Oct 13, 2009)

Hromis1 said:


> Sorry Dave, I can only write from my personal experience....in Ohio...BOUND notes were allowed..I put mine in plastic slip sheets...I took the civil PE years ago (Passed), and now am taking the structural exams for my employer....including the FE...I have sat for 3 exams, personal notes and PPI, SERM, CERM were allowed for all...but again, that is only in Ohio.
> I would be lost without my personal notes.
> 
> Good luck getting a straight answer from anyone. I usually find it is hard to pin down your average bureaucrat to a simple straight answer. It can be real, frustrating.


am i missing something, why would putting notes in plastic slip sheets make a difference in terms of whether it is bound or not?

it is frustrating, an open book exam should be: any materials allowed, not vague rules on what you can/cannot bring that vary from state to state


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## Hromis1 (Oct 13, 2009)

DAVE9999 said:


> am i missing something, why would putting notes in plastic slip sheets make a difference in terms of whether it is bound or not?
> it is frustrating, an open book exam should be: any materials allowed, not vague rules on what you can/cannot bring that vary from state to state


Dave, agreed...closed book is stupid, since we all use the referance materials every day at work. I never found a clear rule. However, I am trying to take the "high road" on this. And always have things open for possible inspection. The plastic, at least gives you some sort of barrier against "accidently" making stray marks on your page. (Of course you could still do this in any bound book)

A guy next to me on the last exam had notes that were not in plastic, just in a three ring binder. The fool kept taking things out of the binder. Very distracting. He drew a lot of attention from the proctors. For this and several other reasons I wish they had thrown him out. I am not sure if he was taking "notes" on the binder, or drawing lines on a nomigraph to solve flow problems etc.

The biggest frustration is that you never get a clear answer from anyone. You are left to your best guess

Hromis1


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## DAVE9999 (Oct 14, 2009)

Hromis1 said:


> Dave, agreed...closed book is stupid, since we all use the referance materials every day at work. I never found a clear rule. However, I am trying to take the "high road" on this. And always have things open for possible inspection. The plastic, at least gives you some sort of barrier against "accidently" making stray marks on your page. (Of course you could still do this in any bound book)
> A guy next to me on the last exam had notes that were not in plastic, just in a three ring binder. The fool kept taking things out of the binder. Very distracting. He drew a lot of attention from the proctors. For this and several other reasons I wish they had thrown him out. I am not sure if he was taking "notes" on the binder, or drawing lines on a nomigraph to solve flow problems etc.
> 
> The biggest frustration is that you never get a clear answer from anyone. You are left to your best guess
> ...


I see, they could be concerned with someone copying problems in a notebook, of course you could copy those in a text or code book as well. I agree on trying to take the high road as much as possible to be safe


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