# IBC code cycle for 2015 exam/ study material?



## kdeep (Mar 10, 2014)

Hello,

I plan to take 16 hr structural exam in state of WA in April 2015, wanted to buy SERM this year. Current SERM is based on IBC2009 code cycle. I am trying to figure out when will NCESS will adopt a new code cycle. When I called them and PPI2 people none of them gave me concrete answer or told me any particular cycle that they are following. They mentioned they will declare the code cycle only after registration begins. I have following questions about SERM study material before purchasing

HOw much does a a code cycle change affect SERM.

Are there any other suggestions for study materials if one material is better than the other?

How much code reference does NECSS practice exam book has?

Thanks in advance,

Deepali


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## TehMightyEngineer (Mar 12, 2014)

> How much does a a code cycle change affect SERM.


I haven't compared seismic but wind in ASCE7-10 is completely different from ASCE7-05. If they do a code change and you're planning to take lateral next year then a 2009 IBC reference is worthless in my opinion.



> Are there any other suggestions for study materials if one material is better than the other?


PPI was what I used, no major complaints. I wouldn't say some are better but people definitely have favorites.



> How much code reference does NECSS practice exam book has?


Plenty, you'll want to make sure you're following the right code.

In the end I suspect we're due for a code change on the SE exam so by next April you're pretty much guaranteed to need new books. No point in buying them until that change happens in my opinion.


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## kdeep (Mar 12, 2014)

tehmightypirate said:


> > How much does a a code cycle change affect SERM.
> 
> 
> I haven't compared seismic but wind in ASCE7-10 is completely different from ASCE7-05. If they do a code change and you're planning to take lateral next year then a 2009 IBC reference is worthless in my opinion.
> ...


Thank you for your reply.


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## ItzmeJ0e (Mar 12, 2014)

Deepali,

Unfortunately NCEES is not very forthcoming when it comes to scheduled code updates. They claim that they do not want to cause confusion by having more than one published list of design standards, so they never announce code changes more than six months in advance. This is a big problem for people like you trying to prepare a year in advance.

For reference, NCEES adopted IBC 2009 (and the associated reference standards including ACI 318-08, ACI 530-08, etc.) starting with the April 2012 exam. They announced this change immediately following the October 2011 exam. If they are to maintain the same 3 year lag, we might expect that NCEES will adopt IBC 2012 beginning with the April 2015 exam. This is just a guess though, and it could be another year before they actually get around to updating the exam design standards. NCEES won’t make any official announcements until after his year’s October exam.

Regarding buying the Structural Engineering Reference Manual (SERM), I’d say go ahead and buy it now (or whenever you plan to begin studying). Even if the codes are changed for the April 2015 exam, it will take PPI several months, maybe a year, to update their books following NCEES’s announcement, so it’s unlikely that there will be an updated SERM for you to use prior to April 2015. In general the codes don’t change much year-to-year (especially the sections that are most likely to appear on the SE exam) so the book will still be very useful, even if it is technically out of date. One big exception is that the wind provisions for ASCE 7 have undergone major changes between the 05 and 10 versions, but I don’t think this renders SERM worthless--wind load calculations are only a very small part of this book. When studying from the SERM, I recommend following along with the relevant code sections anyway. This way you’ll be able to pick up on anything that might have changed.

I would however recommend waiting to buy the design standards. You’ll definitely want to have the up-to-date versions for the exam, so best to wait for NCEES to publish the list after the October exam.

The NCEES practice exam book has extensive code references and is very representative of what you can expect to see on the actual exam. But NCEES hasn’t even gotten around to updating this book for IBC 2009 yet. So don’t expect a timely update to this book once new changes to the design standards are announced. It’s still a worthwhile purchase in my opinion though—just make sure to check their solutions against the up-to-date design codes as some solutions may be affected.

Other references I recommend reviewing (beyond the NCEES list design standards, SERM, and the NCEES practice exam) are:

2009 SEAOC IBC Structural/Seismic Design Manual, Volume 1

A Structural Analysis Textbook (such as Structural Analysis by R.C. Hibbeler)

16-Hour Structural Engineering (SE) Practice Exam for Buildings (full disclosure: I wrote this one, so my opinion is totally biased)

NCSEA also publishes a detailed list of available study materials here: http://www.ncsea.com/downloads/files/Education/SE%20Review%20Course/SE%20Exam%20Study%20Guide.pdf

This is way more than anyone would need, but you can pick and choose references from this list based on what you think you need more help with.

If you’re looking for more general information about the exam and how to prepare, the introduction to my book is available for free online here: http://ppi2pass.com/Docs/bookInfo/STBDPX/STBDPXintro.pdf

Good luck with your studies!


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## McEngr (Mar 12, 2014)

There is little difference in the wind provisions. They are actually easier in ASCE 7-10 with the simplified all heights method. It was developed by Ed Huston and a team of wind experts in Seattle if my memory serves.

I think you'll find 1 lateral wind problem in the the afternoon and 3 lateral seismic problems. I haven't looked at the exam specs in a while, but that is my memory. I would go ahead and study the 2010 provisions and go with the spec reference of chapter 35 of the IBC. NCEES does not update exam cycles without making sure that IBC agrees with the supporting material references. Good luck and hopefully it only takes one weekend out of your engineering life.


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## kevo_55 (Mar 13, 2014)

I've had the chance to meet Ed Huston at a seminar.

Great guy and a very smart engineer.

The best thing that he said about the new wind provisions is that while they are LRFD based, if you calculate the service level wind load you will find that it is slightly less than ASCE 7-05.

Good luck, but take your time while studying.


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## BosStr27 (Mar 13, 2014)

This doesn't really apply to the IBC, but if you try to buy the 3rd printing of the Seismic Design Manual or the 13th edition of the steel manual through NCEES, it says that these references will be used through the October 2014 exam. I'm assuming that means that they'll start using the newer editions starting in 2015 but who knows.

https://account.ncees.org/exam-prep/category/SE/product/seismic-design-manual-3rd-printing

https://account.ncees.org/exam-prep/category/SE/product/steel-construction-manual-13th-edition


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## ItzmeJ0e (Mar 14, 2014)

BosStr27 said:


> This doesn't really apply to the IBC, but if you try to buy the 3rd printing of the Seismic Design Manual or the 13th edition of the steel manual through NCEES, it says that these references will be used through the October 2014 exam. I'm assuming that means that they'll start using the newer editions starting in 2015 but who knows.
> 
> https://account.ncees.org/exam-prep/category/SE/product/seismic-design-manual-3rd-printing
> 
> https://account.ncees.org/exam-prep/category/SE/product/steel-construction-manual-13th-edition




I think it’s probably fair to imply from this that NCEES is at least tentatively planning to update the design standards beginning with the April 2015 exam. Of course nothing is official until NCEES makes the announcement. But if I were studying to take the SE exam in April 2015 or later, I would consider using the following codes:

AASHTO 6th Edition (same as now)

IBC 2012

ASCE 7 2010

ACI 318 2011

AISC Steel Construction Manual 14th Edition (maroon book), including AISC 360 2010.

AISC Seismic Design Manual, 2nd Edition (maroon book), including AISC 341 2010.

AISI Cold-Formed Steel Specification, 2010 Edition

NDS (National Design Specification) for Wood Construction, 2012 Edition

Special Design Provision for Wind and Seismic (wood) 2008 (same as now)

PCI Design Handbook 7th Edition

TMS 402/ACI 530 2011


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## kdeep (Mar 16, 2014)

ItzmeJ0e said:


> Deepali,
> 
> Unfortunately NCEES is not very forthcoming when it comes to scheduled code updates. They claim that they do not want to cause confusion by having more than one published list of design standards, so they never announce code changes more than six months in advance. This is a big problem for people like you trying to prepare a year in advance.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your help, ordered SERM, will at least get an idea of preparation materials.


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## kdeep (Mar 16, 2014)

Thank you all for your help.


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