# April 2013 SE, how did you do?



## kevo_55

So, how did everyone think that they did? Did anything crazy happen in the exam room during the test?

Please feel free to talk about the exam, but please remember your NCEES agreement. The NCEES will be snooping on this board.

With that said, welcome back!


----------



## McEngr

I concur with Kevo's comment about NCEES. They will be watching, so be careful what you share.


----------



## bassplayer45

I am honestly embarassed by how i did. It was very similar to my first time taking the vertical (which i passed on the second try). After a few problems i didnt know how to even start, i got demoralized and just lost hope during the morning. There was one bridge question (my specialization) which i didnt even know existed or how to solve for in the morning (which really embarassed me). The afternoon was alright. The two 1 hour problems were eh. The first i think they were really unfair and worded poorly, the second i just didnt study enough for, plus they asked for the same thing i didnt even know existed from the morning multiple choice questions. On the plus side, i think i did the 2 hour long analysis problem correctly, so small bright spot.

Also! Our test was directly over the national youth cheerleading finals ages 6 - 13. The entire test, i heard "lets get ready to rumbbbbbllllleeeee, duh duh dah dah duh duh" every 15 mintues because all the teams performed to it. Then they all came out in the hall and screamed in excitement after each round. In the afternoon, we heard Gangnam style in the finals every 20 minutes until all the teams were done. The announcer was talking the whole time, there wasnt one peaceful moment the whole test. The proctor i have known the whole time came up after the test and apologized to me. It was awful.


----------



## Formula1251

So sorry to hear about your experience BP. That really sucks. Gagnam Style!? I already wasn't able to eat anything from the nerves, but that would have made me nearly lose it!

I took the br lateral as well, and was having trouble with the wording of the afternoon problems also. The problem for us is that there really is a lack of study material available beyond the SERM (which is very thin on bridges, and does not cover lateral at all in the foundations section), and the NCEES sample exam. I will acknowledge that they do cover general analysis somewhat better however. I learned there were less than 5% in my cohort taking the bridge module. Perhaps the market isn't yet strong enough, but the niche is available for the publishers. (I know all my building friends despise the bridge problems though!) My expectation going in to the test was that nothing presented in the sample exam would be on the test, which I think is a reasonable expectation.

My advice to you is that it is normal to get those feelings of despair--there is so much to remember in such a compressed and sustained amount if time--for me when that happens, which was a couple times in the morning, and a few times in the afternoon, is to try to block it out of your mind. The pressure is certainly on for the last test, but just try to keep pushing. A big part of the challenge is the grind. Good luck to you, I hope you get it this time. For me, I'm staying hopeful, cautiously optimistic, and preparing for the worst. I'm just hoping also that if I do have to take it again that the codes don't change for at least another cycle!

Again, good luck to you, and all others. Thank you all for your help, camaraderie, and support.


----------



## bassplayer45

Yeah, thanks for the words. I definetely need to brush up on my foundation work. The lack of info really didnt help on that problem in the afternoon


----------



## steelhead

I didnt do nearly as well as I though I would. Dang this SE test was fast!


----------



## steelhead

I think I could work every problem, I just wasnt quite prepared speed wise.


----------



## mr_man

I'm pretty sure that I nailed the exam.

If you can't get 80% on that exam, then you should just take the easy civil exam.


----------



## captaincaution

mr_man said:


> If you can't get 80% on that exam, then you should just take the easy civil exam.




Unfortunately (or fortunately?) that isn't an option in many states.


----------



## TehMightyEngineer

Well I think I did okay. I only took the first day and did buildings. The morning was really easy for me, only had a few problems that I had to guess on or was a little fuzzy on the method. However, the afternoon did not go well. Two problems I felt were really poorly written. One problem even used the term "door jamb" to discribe a door header jack stud! Completely different things if you ask me. I also wasted about 20 minutes calculating something that they gave us in a note. Lastly I screwed up and forgot how to calculate the section modulus of a built-up section. Ran out of time near the end so I'm really hoping to get partial credit otherwise I'm probably screwed. At least I knew how to answer everything.


----------



## McEngr

"At least I knew how to answer everything."

To your luck, I think that's all they are looking for. Try to relax and not think about it... enjoy life without studying for a while.


----------



## TehMightyEngineer

Yep, the day of the test I woke up thinking "development length!" or "live load reduction!" definitly kind of confusef now that I have my weekends back... at least for a few months.


----------



## Porta John

I passed the vertical last fall but failed the lateral, so this was my second time taking the lateral-buildings test. I thought that the afternoon questions were a good bit more straight forward than they were last fall. I still believe if you see a question and don't know exactly how to start solving it you will run out of time. I felt like I efficiently and diligently worked in the afternoon and still was unable to finish a part of one problem, so I wrote down a solution method for what I would have done given more time.

I think the AM was a bit harder than I remembered from the fall. The buildings questions were not too bad, though there were a couple of wood design problems that may have gotten me. But I swear, AASHTO might just be the end of me. The bridges problems on the AM are always so tough for me, as I only design buildings for my job.

We'll see. I am optimistic. I think I am borderline in the morning, but felt good in the afternoon, though you never know if you just flubbed one and didn't realize it... We'll all find out in 10 weeks or so, I suppose.


----------



## Jgivens12

I'm hopeful. I did fairly well, but you never know. I think I did great on both AM portions (finished both with about an hour to spare to go back and double-check my answers). The lateral PM felt pretty good, but I agree with jlkells it was fast. I felt like i knew exactly where to go for each problem, but was still writing as fast as I could for the full 4 hours.

I'm a little unsure of the Vertical PM. I think I was on the right track on all the problems and finished all the parts, but some of the questions caught me a little off guard. My answers to all of them seemed a little suspicious so I'm sure I made some errors (small, big who knows). Hoping for the best though...


----------



## bob123

I felt really good about the morning portion for the vertical buildings exam. I felt like I was doing just fine in the afternoon session too until I got to the last question with only 15 minutes remaining. I was able to get something down for each part of that question to at least get some partial credit, but I don't know how far that will take me. I feel like I got caught up trying to include too many references or details in the other questions. You live and learn. I still have hope that I'll get the vertical portion passed regardless. I just wish they gave us a better explanation of what it takes to pass. I took the lateral exam too, but I focused my studying on the vertical portion so I wasn't expecting much. Both exams felt pretty fair and about what I expected.


----------



## Porta John

Looks like we have about 2 weeks to breath easy until we get results.

NCEES posted the following on their website:

Structural Scoring workshop
The Structural Scoring workshop will be held to grade the essay portion of the April 2013 SE exam. Learn more about the scoring process here.

When: June 06, 2013 - June 08, 2013

Where: Clemson, South Carolina

Event Contact: Jason J. Gamble, P.E., NCEES Exam Development Engineer

If memory serves, results are typically posted the week following the grading workshop. So we should be hearing about 1.5-2 weeks from now.


----------



## bassplayer45

I feel bad for whoever gets my essay problem 2, haha


----------



## dussbucs

Thanks for the update jlkells. Here is where I found the direct link buried under their events page:

http://ncees.org/about-ncees/event/structural-scoring-workshop/

Based on April 2012, scoring workshop was held June 7-9 and results were released on June 14th (http://ncees.org/about-ncees/news/all-april-2012-exam-results-have-been-released/).

So if I had to guess, somewhere around *June 13th* for April 2013.


----------



## cajone5

Looks like the end of next week... at least I know it won't be this week so I can stop checking...


----------



## cajone5

Results any time now... the anticipation is killing me...


----------



## bassplayer45

yep, hoping my failure notice is respectable, haha


----------



## Layman

An NCEES employee just told me through online chat that the results will be out the end of June or early July. He reconfirmed this after I was surprised enough to ask him again.


----------



## tictac

Layman said:


> An NCEES employee just told me through online chat that the results will be out the end of June or early July. He reconfirmed this after I was surprised enough to ask him again.




Well that's pretty disappointing. I was anticipating by end of the week based on that previous post.


----------



## Porta John

I would be willing to bet that the results will be out by the middle of next week at the latest. I had a similar thing happen to me last fall when I asked during the week following the grading workshop, they gave the generic response and sure enough the results were posted in the next day or so. I think they are required to give the company line even if the grading is ahead of schedule.



tictac said:


> Layman said:
> 
> 
> 
> An NCEES employee just told me through online chat that the results will be out the end of June or early July. He reconfirmed this after I was surprised enough to ask him again.
> 
> 
> 
> Well that's pretty disappointing. I was anticipating by end of the week based on that previous post.
Click to expand...


----------



## tictac

jlkells said:


> I would be willing to bet that the results will be out by the middle of next week at the latest. I had a similar thing happen to me last fall when I asked during the week following the grading workshop, they gave the generic response and sure enough the results were posted in the next day or so. I think they are required to give the company line even if the grading is ahead of schedule.
> 
> 
> 
> tictac said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Layman said:
> 
> 
> 
> An NCEES employee just told me through online chat that the results will be out the end of June or early July. He reconfirmed this after I was surprised enough to ask him again.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well that's pretty disappointing. I was anticipating by end of the week based on that previous post.
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...

I hope that's the case, the waiting is killing me.


----------



## tenguy23

I agree (and hope) with Jlkells...adding 8 weeks to 4/12/13 gets you right to the end of June, so hopefully it was a general response


----------



## bassplayer45

Yeah, mine came on June 15th 2012, the first time i took the vertical structures, which was the week after the grading workshop


----------



## Lungshen

Today? Tomorrow?


----------



## bassplayer45

Mine was the Friday after the grading workshop for the vertical portion


----------



## Layman

Just got notice from NCESS to log into my NCEES account. I passed the bridge Lateral.


----------



## tictac

Congrats Layman!

Still nothing for me



Layman said:


> Just got notice from NCESS to log into my NCEES account. I passed the bridge Lateral.


----------



## kevo_55

So it begins...........


----------



## Chosen One

Passed Lateral Buildings!! Done with this exam!

KY (by the way)


----------



## kevo_55

Well, congrats Layman &amp; Chosen One!!

I'm happy for both of you!

:Banane35:


----------



## Lungshen

Passed lateral!! In AR. Just received via email


----------



## bassplayer45

Congrats you guys. Great work! Now i need to get this failure out of the way so i can pass it in October and be done with Lateral Bridges. It has been fun teaching myself


----------



## cajone5

Still not seeing anything on my account...


----------



## cajone5

I hope that's not a bad sign...


----------



## bassplayer45

I know Indiana has historically come out at 10:30 the morning after Ohio and Kentucky come out. My friend from Ohio just told me they posted Ohio


----------



## Lungshen

You can do it, BP!


----------



## cajone5

Since it's on the NCEES site wouldn't they all just go up at the same time?


----------



## bassplayer45

Lungshen said:


> You can do it, BP!


Thanks, i am hoping i snuck through, but if not, i have October!


----------



## bassplayer45

cajone5 said:


> Since it's on the NCEES site wouldn't they all just go up at the same time?


sadly no, the state testing board has to approve the results and give NCEES permission to release them. Each board has their own rules and times when they decide stuff


----------



## TehMightyEngineer

Gahhhh, I managed not to stress out about this until now but I can hardly bare waiting to learn my results. This is tougher than I thought it was going to be... Faster Maine, faster!


----------



## cajone5

Damnit...

Passed vertical.

Failed lateral.


----------



## tictac

Got mine (Texas) Passed lateral!


----------



## Lungshen

I think you will have a better chance of passing each component by tackle it separately. I passed each separately on 1st try. Put in about 200+ hours of study for each though. Granted that I am already a practicing PE for over 6 years but still I wouldn't dare to walk into that exam without putting in the effort.


----------



## tictac

cajone5 said:


> Damnit...
> 
> Passed vertical.
> 
> Failed lateral.




That's what I did last October. Just buckle down and focus all your efforts into lateral and you'll get it next time.


----------



## dussbucs

Damnit. Failed Lateral (Bridges) for the 2nd time. Passed all 3 PM essay problems. Got slammed on the AM multiple choice again.

I can't stand the blatant bias towards buildings on this exam.....


----------



## cajone5

tictac said:


> cajone5 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Damnit...
> 
> Passed vertical.
> 
> Failed lateral.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's what I did last October. Just buckle down and focus all your efforts into lateral and you'll get it next time.
Click to expand...

Yea -- I won't be failing this one twice... for good or bad I'm going to suffer again studying for weeks on end to make sure I don't EVER have to take this exam again.


----------



## bassplayer45

dussbucs said:


> Damnit. Failed Lateral (Bridges) for the 2nd time. Passed all 3 PM essay problems. Got slammed on the AM multiple choice again.
> 
> I can't stand the blatant bias towards buildings on this exam.....


So you got acceptable on all the essay's? I struggled on the afternoon bridges essays...mostly second problem

I thought the morning multiple choice was hard as well


----------



## dussbucs

bassplayer45 said:


> dussbucs said:
> 
> 
> 
> Damnit. Failed Lateral (Bridges) for the 2nd time. Passed all 3 PM essay problems. Got slammed on the AM multiple choice again.
> 
> I can't stand the blatant bias towards buildings on this exam.....
> 
> 
> 
> So you got acceptable on all the essay's? I struggled on the afternoon bridges essays...mostly second problem
> 
> I thought the morning multiple choice was hard as well
Click to expand...

Yeah. Acceptable on all 3 essays this time. 2 Acceptables and 1 Improvement Required last April (2012).


----------



## Layman

dussbucs said:


> Damnit. Failed Lateral (Bridges) for the 2nd time. Passed all 3 PM essay problems. Got slammed on the AM multiple choice again.
> 
> I can't stand the blatant bias towards buildings on this exam.....


I had been in exactly the same situation, failing bridge Lateral twice because of morning section. But this time I dissected every problem in SEAOC Structural/seismic Design Manual Volume 1 and some examples in Steel Seismic Design Manual and it worked. Maybe you can try these too next time and I believe you will get through.


----------



## dussbucs

Layman said:


> dussbucs said:
> 
> 
> 
> Damnit. Failed Lateral (Bridges) for the 2nd time. Passed all 3 PM essay problems. Got slammed on the AM multiple choice again.
> 
> I can't stand the blatant bias towards buildings on this exam.....
> 
> 
> 
> I had been in exactly the same situation, failing bridge Lateral twice because of morning section. But this time I dissected every problem in SEAOC Structural/seismic Design Manual Volume 1 and some examples in Steel Seismic Design Manual and it worked. Maybe you can try these too next time and I believe you will get through.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice Layman. I'll definitely give that a try.


----------



## tictac

So would there ever be a need to take the PE exam after passing this test?


----------



## bassplayer45

Yes and no. An example would be in Illinois, my undrestanding is you can design any structural component of a bridge with an SE stamp, but would need a PE to stamp any roadwork? I am not 100% certain, but i think this is the case


----------



## kevo_55

^^ Yes, that is correct.

Some states treat the SE as an "add on" license to a PE license. So, for some states you would still need to take the civil exam. (WA, NV, and to a point CA is like this.)

Congrats Lungshen &amp; tictac!


----------



## steve1997

Failed lateral buildings for the second time but I passed the vertical. To be honest this lateral test is beyond difficult and having a 16% repeat taker percentage is horrible and it should open their eyes on how difficult this test is, especially at $500 per test! I struggled through the morning exam and I thought the questions were really not fair especially given the time frame that you have. Well here I come in October!


----------



## tictac

kevo_55 said:


> ^^ Yes, that is correct.
> 
> Some states treat the SE as an "add on" license to a PE license. So, for some states you would still need to take the civil exam. (WA, NV, and to a point CA is like this.)
> 
> Congrats Lungshen &amp; tictac!




But in my state (Texas) they don't recognize SE so I'll have to register as PE. What if I applied for reciprocity for PE in other states that require SE to be an add on?

The reason I ask is that there are people in my office that have taken the old SE 1 and became licensed as PE in Texas. They were then able to just take the California Seismic and Surveying exam to become PE in California.


----------



## Mark Leyner

tictac said:


> But in my state (Texas) they don't recognize SE so I'll have to register as PE. What if I applied for reciprocity for PE in other states that require SE to be an add on?
> 
> The reason I ask is that there are people in my office that have taken the old SE 1 and became licensed as PE in Texas. They were then able to just take the California Seismic and Surveying exam to become PE in California.




I think most states had a provision to grant a PE (Civil/Structural) for candidates who passed the SE1 but I believe that once you passed the SE2, your title would become simply SE. I understand the rationale is that PE is granted for 8 hours of examination while SE is granted for 16 hours.

Under the provisions of the current 16-hour SE examination, I think all states treat the PE separately from the SE. Meaning that candidates who have only successfully completed 8 hours of the 16-hour examination are not considered licensed to practice unless they pass the additional 8 hours for the SE or pass the separate 8 hour PE.

I'm not as familiar with reciprocity, but intuitively, I doubt if other states will grant you PE if your examination history only shows passing the SE. Obviously, you would be eligible for SE reciprocity where you qualified.

In the case of an outlier state, like California, you have to pass the PE and CA Seismic and Surveying prior to becoming eligible for the PE. The good news there is, if you have a PE from another state, I believe CA will accept those results and you can now take the Seismic and Surveying examination at approved testing centers nationwide. So, I don't think you have to travel to CA to become a licensed PE. But if you want to be a CA SE, you have to first become a CA PE.


----------



## bassplayer45

steve1997 said:


> Failed lateral buildings for the second time but I passed the vertical. To be honest this lateral test is beyond difficult and having a 16% repeat taker percentage is horrible and it should open their eyes on how difficult this test is, especially at $500 per test! I struggled through the morning exam and I thought the questions were really not fair especially given the time frame that you have. Well here I come in October!


I took it for my first time. I didnt understand how the passing rate could be so low, but now i understand...the test was rough!


----------



## Lungshen

Honestly I think Lateral is easier to prepare than Vertical, because you have a narrower topic to prepare. Though I am sure the Bridge guys would say the same thing, the exam have too many bridge problems in the morning! I don't design bridge and will never in my career. I guessed all bridge related problems in the morning and pretty sure I flunk all of them. Why couldn't NCEES separate the building and bridge question out like the afternoon session? We need to start a petition on this...


----------



## ajk244

I took the building afternoon, but I honestly didn't have a problem with having bridge questions in the morning. I don't like the idea of having zero knowledge in a large area of structural engineering, so I enjoyed preparing for those questions. I can at least get around in the AASHTO code now and have at least a very basic understanding of bridge design. It's not like the bridge questions were insanely hard or anything. All but one or two were similar to practice problems I worked leading up to the exam. I've also always found it interesting to see where different codes and standards differ on the same topic. It gives a better understanding of the thought process behind the provisions and their application.

For the bridge guys, I realize it's a staggering amount of information to brush up on, but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect them to have knowledge outside of one code.


----------



## bassplayer45

akladiva said:


> I took the building afternoon, but I honestly didn't have a problem with having bridge questions in the morning. I don't like the idea of having zero knowledge in a large area of structural engineering, so I enjoyed preparing for those questions. I can at least get around in the AASHTO code now and have at least a very basic understanding of bridge design. It's not like the bridge questions were insanely hard or anything. All but one or two were similar to practice problems I worked leading up to the exam. I've also always found it interesting to see where different codes and standards differ on the same topic. It gives a better understanding of the thought process behind the provisions and their application.
> 
> For the bridge guys, I realize it's a staggering amount of information to brush up on, but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect them to have knowledge outside of one code.


Nope, i agree with you. Just wish maybe we got like 5 more bridge problems in the morning, haha. You are right though, the topics are much more narrowed for lateral morning than the vertical morning.


----------



## steve1997

I found the vertical was fairly simple as this is my main focus at work. The lateral however I believe is more difficult and broad.


----------



## Porta John

bassplayer45 said:


> akladiva said:
> 
> 
> 
> I took the building afternoon, but I honestly didn't have a problem with having bridge questions in the morning. I don't like the idea of having zero knowledge in a large area of structural engineering, so I enjoyed preparing for those questions. I can at least get around in the AASHTO code now and have at least a very basic understanding of bridge design. It's not like the bridge questions were insanely hard or anything. All but one or two were similar to practice problems I worked leading up to the exam. I've also always found it interesting to see where different codes and standards differ on the same topic. It gives a better understanding of the thought process behind the provisions and their application.
> 
> For the bridge guys, I realize it's a staggering amount of information to brush up on, but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect them to have knowledge outside of one code.
> 
> 
> 
> Nope, i agree with you. Just wish maybe we got like 5 more bridge problems in the morning, haha. You are right though, the topics are much more narrowed for lateral morning than the vertical morning.
Click to expand...

Let me start by saying I am a buildings guy... hate the AASHTO with a passion. But I agree completely with akladiva, it is good to now have a working knowledge of the AASHTO code, the design criteria, etc. I used to think that they should have a separate exam for buildings or bridges, but then someone made the point that they would have to qualify you as a "SE-Buildings" or "SE-Bridges" which is not only annoying but career limiting. I don't think any of us want to take separate 16 hour exams for the two diciplines to practice in either.

I have to agree that the bridge guys have room to complain about how the AM portion of the exam is currently formatted. Theoretically they should ask 20 bridges questions and 20 buildings questions, then go to your specialty in the afternoon. I am not sure what the justification is on only asking a handful of bridges questions... but as a building guy I won't complain about it


----------



## ajk244

On quantity of questions in each area, I think you can make valid argument for just about anything. I could argue that there are too few ACI questions because they use up concrete questions with AASHTO, for both more or fewer pure analysis problems, etc. In the end, I think the mix they have now is pretty good. When you have a dozen or so required codes, it would be hard to justify having half the questions come from one code (AASHTO). If you spent any more questions on bridge stuff, you'd probably have to eliminate some of the specialty stuff like PCI and AISI altogether. Anyway, my only real complaint about the exam is the lack of time. I pride myself on being thorough and not rushing through designs, so having to race through a test just to finish doesn't sit well with me. But I understand why they do it. They'd have to make the test a couple more days long to test everything they want to and give people ample time.


----------



## bassplayer45

Well NCEES just announced all results have been released to states


----------



## Mark Leyner

bassplayer45 said:


> Well NCEES just announced all results have been released to states


Yup...now waiting for Continental Testing Services to process and post for Illinois...


----------



## tenguy23

Anyone have an idea of how long it has taken in the past between when NCEES sends results to IL &amp; when IL (CTS) posts scores? Should I stop checking &amp; wait until next week as an IL test taker?


----------



## runfastdontstop

Any thoughts on how long CTS will take to post results for Illinois? Based on how long the PE results took, I'm guessing next Wednesday...


----------



## bassplayer45

Well i failed first try at Lateral. Confused as hell by my results. Got 21-40 morning. I somehow did better on the stuff i thought i knew nothing about, but was hurting on the stuff i work the most on. Proud of myself for getting almost 100% right for lateral forces and analysis methods though.

Essays

Columns: Acceptable (I thought i did enough to get needs improvement, but i guess i did enough to get it right!)

Foundations: Needs improvement (i seriously thought i did nothing right on this)

Analysis: unacceptable (This kind of bums me out. I thought i had the best grasp on this problem and did it correct, not sure what i screwed up. Very worst thought i would get needs improvement)


----------



## Mark Leyner

For Illinois examinees, I think CTS will e-mail when your results have been posted. Then you log onto the CTS site to check. As to whether or not that will be today or next week, I'm not sure. Based on what I saw, there were probably about 80 people there for the Vertical and 120 or so for the Lateral. It seems like a relatively small pool, but I'm not sure how many people at CTS will be available to process the data.


----------



## mkaiser82

I took it in Illinois in October last year and I believe my results were available on CTS on Christsmas day. So I believe they entered them in on Christmas eve during they day, and the website was updated automatically the next day. Good luck to you all still waiting.


----------



## Lungshen

120 took lateral in Illinois? What the....there were only three people including myself in Arkansas. At first I thought I was in the wrong place at the exam site because there were about other 100 or so kids there taking their FE. They looked at me funny when none of them brought any books and I walked in with a huge suitcase of books.

Sorry to hear that, BP. Now you know what to expect next time...bring some ear plugs dude. Hearing Gangnam style every 15 mins during exam I would have flipped &gt;.&gt;


----------



## test_taker

For anyone interested, the CA board has statistics up for the April 2013 exam: http://www.bpelsg.ca.gov/applicants/ap13stats.shtml

The pass percentage seems higher than the historical average. I'm curious to see what ncees publishes for the national pass rate.

National Structural Lateral
Tested
142

Passed
78

Pass %
55%



National Structural Vertical
Tested
146

Passed
76

Pass %
52%


----------



## Formula1251

I'm surprised the CA pass rates are so high, I'm curious to learn the national statistics. I'm happy to report that I passed the Bridge Vertical last Oct, and the Lateral this April. Huge relief! To all test-takers out there, I STRONGLY recommend taking the tests at separate times, so that you can focus your study on each one (I studied for 3 months each time). There is way too much material to study if you're trying to do both the same weekend. Obviously if you know your stuff, go for it, but you have been advised


----------



## bassplayer45

Agreed! I need to work on my lateral load distribution, that was my serious weak point


----------



## Lungshen

NCEES has posted national passing rate for SE. 41% for lateral, that is much higher than 25% last October.


----------



## bassplayer45

Yeah, huge jump. I was hoping it was going to be low to make me feel a little better about my performance, haha.


----------



## steve1997

hahaha I agree Bass! I was hoping for a low pass rate.....my performance was not good either!


----------



## tenguy23

Illinois is killing me! Still no posted grades! Emailed the contact at CTS asking about status (especially since national pass rate statistics are already posted on ncees.org) and the contact said, "results just have not even posted yet." I'm dreaming F5 in my sleep now...


----------



## RVickery

as a MD resident, I'm not expecting anything until the end of next week. I'm not sure how IL works but I would immagine most states would get their results by the end of this week. I took Both Vertical &amp; Lateral in October &amp; it was close to 4 weeks after NCEES released results to the state boards that us MD folk got our results. Granted, the holiday weeks were thrown in there so that added time I'm sure. I'm just hoping that they are out before July 4. holidays. I guess what I'm saying is hang in there, they'll be out soon enough.

Best of luck to everyone, hope we all pass!!


----------



## Porta John

North Carolina just posted their results this morning. I passed the lateral on my second try. I passed the vertical last fall so I guess I can put this exam to bed officially now!

It is a helluva exam, so keep putting in the work and yall will all get the results you want, and it will be worth the wait.

Regarding taking two components vs. one component, it seems like I am in the minority but I don't think it is a bad idea to take both at once. First, much of the analysis and all of the codes overlap between the two components. Secondly, even though I only passed the vertical component last October, I felt like I knew exactly what to expect on the lateral this April because I had already taken one shot at it. Obviously, some depends on how many attempts your employer will help you pay for. Fortunately for me, my employer footed the bill for the exam both times I took it, which helped a lot. To each his own, but I think there is enough overlap that you can take both on one weekend, provided you can handle the sheer exhaustion that hits by Saturday afternoon.

Good luck to everyone else waiting to hear their results.


----------



## Mark Leyner

c'mon Illinois (CTS!), make today the day...


----------



## HiroEng

Any other states get SE results yet? I was hoping for a quick set of results where we all got the news, but seems like the initial rush has died off!


----------



## RVickery

MD results were released today.

In October I passed the Vertical, failed the Lateral. This time, I passed the Lateral!!! Feels so good to be done with this test, it's a tough one. Good luck to everyone else.


----------



## ajk244

Has anybody heard anything new from Illinois (CTS)? I assume any answer they give is bogus, but am curious if anybody is actually getting a response.


----------



## Mark Leyner

Congrats, RVickery. I took both days in Chicago in April. I haven't contacted CTS about results, I'm just sitting on my hands. This Friday will mark 10 weeks out from the exam and 1 full week after NCEES announced release of scores. I guess it's not officially "overtime" until COB on Friday.

But, in any case, what are you gonna do? It seems like there's nothing to do but wait...


----------



## tenguy23

As an Illinois test taker, if I knew my results sooner, I would be able to study sooner an not have to deal with the stress of waiting...that is what I would do...


----------



## Mark Leyner

OK, based solely on posts in this thread:

6/13 - KY, WA, AR, TX results are posted

6/14 - NY, IN

6/17 - NC

6/20 - MD

The rest of us continue to wait...


----------



## Mark Leyner

Oops, should be 6/19 for MD. Also, you are correct, tenguy23. Registration is open and we're burning study time by sitting here in the dark.


----------



## tenguy23

...or we could be planning our vacation for October, right Mark?! We engineers have to have a life too! Hope you get good results...

Btw...anyone know the cheapest place I get the 3volume ibc seaoc manuals for seismic? As a non member of icc


----------



## tenguy23

...or we could be planning our vacation for October, right Mark?! We engineers have to have a life too! Hope you get good results...

Btw...anyone know the cheapest place I get the 3volume ibc seaoc manuals for seismic? As a non member of icc, i have to pay a bit more...


----------



## ajk244

I got mine here: http://www.buildersbook.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&amp;Store_Code=bbi&amp;Product_Code=9011S09&amp;Category_Code=

It seemed to be the cheapest I was coming across ($168 after shipping).


----------



## captaincaution

With CTS in Illinois, it's just best to wait until the email you. When I took the exam in October 2012, NCEES released results to the states 12/17, and CTS notified us on 12/25 that results were posted. Hopefully you guys will hear this week. I'd guess middle of next week at the latest.


----------



## runfastdontstop

I just checked the CTS site for Illinois again... It now says "pass" next to vertical (woohoo!). It is still blank next to lateral. Not sure if that means I failed that one, but I'm hoping it just means they are still uploading the results... Should find out soon at least.

Btw, I have not received an email from them yet.


----------



## ajk244

Same here. Passed next to vertical  , blank for lateral. Maybe somebody input the vertical results and went home for the day.


----------



## tenguy23

Checked my Illinois results on CTS... Failed next to lateral, blank next to vertical....must still be uploading results


----------



## Mark Leyner

I have passed vertical, no result for lateral as of 8:57AM CST.


----------



## Mark Leyner

my results are now posted on CTS, pass lateral and vertical. it looks like i'll get to add two more initials to my name. Good luck to all!


----------



## tenguy23

Checked again for me in Illinois... Passed day 1 vertical and failed lateral day 2...glad I don't have to study for day 1 an now I'm ready to tackle day 2 round 2!

For those that passed day 2, any suggestions on how to study for the next 4 mo? I'm definitely going to purchase/study that 3 volume set for ibc/seaoc as I didn't use those at all, but I would bet my weaknesses were in (1) am bridge problems, (2) pm timber problems and (3) am &amp; pm masonry problems


----------



## tictac

tenguy23 said:


> Checked again for me in Illinois... Passed day 1 vertical and failed lateral day 2...glad I don't have to study for day 1 an now I'm ready to tackle day 2 round 2!
> 
> For those that passed day 2, any suggestions on how to study for the next 4 mo? I'm definitely going to purchase/study that 3 volume set for ibc/seaoc as I didn't use those at all, but I would bet my weaknesses were in (1) am bridge problems, (2) pm timber problems and (3) am &amp; pm masonry problems


SEAOC Manuals definitely helped me for round 2, My biggest problem was not having enough problems so I bought Kaplans "Structural Engineering PE License Review Problems &amp; Solutions, 8th Edition"

It has some mistakes and some occasional outdated code references but it's well worth it. I believe most of the problems are taken from old SE exams from its older formats.


----------



## Mark Leyner

I'll second the SEAOC manuals. I worked through all the problems in Volumes 1 and 3. I also read all the code sections referenced by those problems and used them to highlight and/or tab specific sections and "wrinkles" to look out for on the exam.

I also bought and worked through most of the problems in Alan Williams, "Structural Engineering PE License Review Problems &amp; Solutions, 8th Ed.". A lot of the "mistakes" in the solutions turned out to be mistakes on my part. The problems in this book seem pretty difficult at first go, but I think if you study the solutions and work through them, they really prepare you for the types of problems you'll see on the exam. Not only are the problems all taken from old PE and/or SE exams, but each problem is referenced as such. There is another Alan Williams book called, "Seismic and Wind Forces: Structural Design Examples" that is worth a look. The fundamental material is pretty good. I ran into several legitimate errors in the steel design section, but if nothing else, the problems in this book will expose you to more situations and hopefully, broaden your comfort zone when it comes to the much more limited number of problems on the exam.

Also, I worked the NCESS sample exam and the PPI sample exam several times. THe PPI sample exam is buildings only, so keep that in mind. Beginning about a month out from the actual exam, I worked the essay portions with a stopwatch over and over. I took the AM exams under time twice each and I should note that I failed the multiple choice exams all four times (IIRC). But there is no better preparation than to work problems in the exam environment. I will note that the NCEES essay solutions seem to be minimum passing solutions. Meaning, the solution presented is the minimum amount that would qualify a candidate for an acceptable essay answer. The PPI sample exam includes much more thorough essay solutions. And, of course the caveat with the essays is that they are graded by humans and the criteria are unknown. The best gouge for essays seems to be demonstrate your engineering judgment and problem solving ability regardless of how comfortable you are with the "nuts and bolts" of the exam, i.e. - in my opinion, an inelegant, but serviceable solution seems likely to win the candidate more points than a flurry of code references and an incomplete, or unserviceable solution.

I'd be happy to elaborate or share more if anyone reading this is interested. Best of luck to everyone, it's quite an accomplishment to qualify to sit for these exams, and as the passing rates indicate, it's a significant accomplishment to pass. Congratulations to all.


----------



## ajk244

CTS is showing pass for both for me arty-smiley-048: (I was hoping I'd get a chance to use that emoticon).

I'll definitely recommend the SEAOC books. There's a lot in there that's never explained in the codes. Also, the 16 hour practice exam from ppi is fantastic. Very challenging, but very representative of the test.


----------



## TehMightyEngineer

Blast, failed vertical (buildings). Didn't take lateral.

Passed 75% of the AM questions (surprised it was that low) but clearly didn't do well enough on the PM questions.

Wood: Acceptable

Steel: Improvement Required

Masonry: Improvement Required (Not surprised, didn't finish this one)

Concrete: Unacceptable (Not surprised, wasn't as prepared for this as I should have been and didn't finish it either)

Oh well, that will make my studying load easier this time around but, darn if it's not annoying. At least I know what to expect this time.


----------



## captaincaution

I'd also recommend the SEAOC seismic manuals. The ones I used referenced the 2006 IBC, and the exam was 2009 IBC, but I found that it didn't matter. The changes in the code are minor, but the concepts and methods you use are exactly the same. It goes through horizontal distribution of lateral forces really well. I also used the NCEES sample exam they have available on their website, as well as the PPI practice exam. While it focuses on the building afternoon problems, there were still some bridge problems in the morning portions.

I have an extra set of the SEAOC books, brand new still in shrinkwrap, again referencing the 2006 code. I'd be interested in selling them if anyone wants them. They'd be much less expensive than the new books.

If you aren't planning on taking the exam(s) again until next spring, I can't recommend the SEAOI review course enough. Everything you need to know for the exam is covered. If there is a material you are weak with, taking this course will definitely help you out. It's available live online, too, so you can still take advantage even if you can't get to downtown Chicago easily.

Other than that, it's a lot of practice, practice, practice. And making good use of tabs for your codes!


----------



## ajk244

I'd second the SEAOI course. It's a lot better value (price per contact hour) than the other courses I looked into. You may not get a ton out of every session, but I feel like review courses (both this one and the PE review course I took) added more structure to my preparation by having regularly scheduled classes and helped keep me in studying mode over the long haul.


----------



## steelhead

steelhead said:


> I didnt do nearly as well as I though I would. Dang this SE test was fast!


Whoohoo! Passed both!

If I had to do it again I would definitely work on working problems faster. I didn't think I passed because I ran out of time. But I'll take it


----------



## Porta John

steelhead said:


> steelhead said:
> 
> 
> 
> I didnt do nearly as well as I though I would. Dang this SE test was fast!
> 
> 
> 
> Whoohoo! Passed both!
> 
> If I had to do it again I would definitely work on working problems faster. I didn't think I passed because I ran out of time. But I'll take it
Click to expand...

Congrats Steelhead!! Huge accomplishment!!


----------



## steelhead

Thanks. Good luck to everybody on the next one.


----------

