# What depth section to take for California Civil PE Exam?



## nightwing (Mar 2, 2015)

I am a young graduate about five years out of school. I am trying to figure out what Afternoon Depth to take for California Exam. Which one is the easiest? Does anyone have any recommendations? I am planning to take the 8 hour exam, Seismic Exam, and Surveying Exam in October. I have a Masters in Structural Engineering, but in my current position rarely do any in depth structural work. I do not have any of the references for the structural part and am not that familiar with the codes as I was in school. Does anyone have any recommendations for what to take in the afternoon exam? Thank you for your help.


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## ptatohed (Mar 2, 2015)

nightwing said:


> I am a young graduate about five years out of school. I am trying to figure out what Afternoon Depth to take for California Exam. Which one is the easiest? Does anyone have any recommendations? I am planning to take the 8 hour exam, Seismic Exam, and Surveying Exam in October. I have a Masters in Structural Engineering, but in my current position rarely do any in depth structural work. I do not have any of the references for the structural part and am not that familiar with the codes as I was in school. Does anyone have any recommendations for what to take in the afternoon exam? Thank you for your help.


You have a Masters in Structural and you are asking which Depth Module to select?

You shouldn't have to ask, and I shouldn't have to answer  , but I will anyway  .....sign up for and study for the Structural depth. No brainer. You'll do fine in the 8-hr PM and your structural knowledge will help you with the CA-Seismic.

Good luck.


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## nightwing (Mar 5, 2015)

ptatohed said:


> nightwing said:
> 
> 
> > I am a young graduate about five years out of school. I am trying to figure out what Afternoon Depth to take for California Exam. Which one is the easiest? Does anyone have any recommendations? I am planning to take the 8 hour exam, Seismic Exam, and Surveying Exam in October. I have a Masters in Structural Engineering, but in my current position rarely do any in depth structural work. I do not have any of the references for the structural part and am not that familiar with the codes as I was in school. Does anyone have any recommendations for what to take in the afternoon exam? Thank you for your help.
> ...





ptatohed said:


> nightwing said:
> 
> 
> > I am a young graduate about five years out of school. I am trying to figure out what Afternoon Depth to take for California Exam. Which one is the easiest? Does anyone have any recommendations? I am planning to take the 8 hour exam, Seismic Exam, and Surveying Exam in October. I have a Masters in Structural Engineering, but in my current position rarely do any in depth structural work. I do not have any of the references for the structural part and am not that familiar with the codes as I was in school. Does anyone have any recommendations for what to take in the afternoon exam? Thank you for your help.
> ...


It has been a few years since I graduated. I do not do structural engineering work. I was wondering what is the easiest afternoon exam section to study for? I am planning to take all three sections and wanted to get a good study plan.


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## ptatohed (Mar 5, 2015)

nightwing said:


> ptatohed said:
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> > nightwing said:
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There is no universal answer to which is easiest. The one that is easiest for YOU is the one YOU feel most comfortable with. I think you should take Structural. But if you are still not sure, look at some sample exams for all 5 topics and see if you feel comfortable with one Module over the other.


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## The Wizard (Mar 5, 2015)

ptatohed said:


> There is no universal answer to which is easiest. The one that is easiest for YOU is the one YOU feel most comfortable with. I think you should take Structural. But if you are still not sure, look at some sample exams for all 5 topics and see if you feel comfortable with one Module over the other.


I was going to type this exact thing, but ptatohed beat me to it. Besides, what is easy for one person may be tough for another. There is no easy depth section.


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## nightwing (Mar 7, 2015)

The Wizard said:


> ptatohed said:
> 
> 
> > There is no universal answer to which is easiest. The one that is easiest for YOU is the one YOU feel most comfortable with. I think you should take Structural. But if you are still not sure, look at some sample exams for all 5 topics and see if you feel comfortable with one Module over the other.
> ...


Does not working in the area which the exam you take common for people? Example you are in transportation and take water. Can a construction person pass structural part?


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## ptatohed (Mar 7, 2015)

nightwing said:


> The Wizard said:
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> > ptatohed said:
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Of course. Any one of us can pass any one of the 5 depth modules. But, obviously, it would make sense to choose a depth module you are most comfortable with. I've heard of the opposite - a few examinees have purposely selected depth modules that they were NOT familiar with just so they can learn more about the topic, while studying. It's up to you. You do not need to work in the field of your selected depth module. It's my opinion that the exam is mostly text-book based and not so much "real life" based. Just pick the one you feel most comfortable with.


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## nightwing (Mar 10, 2015)

ptatohed said:


> nightwing said:
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> > The Wizard said:
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I just want to make sure that there is time to learn the different codes for structural engineering since I have not used them that much in my work. I do not have all the codes and there are some things that I never work on in school. The experience of designing buildings and structures is something I do not have.


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## ptatohed (Mar 10, 2015)

nightwing said:


> ptatohed said:
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> > nightwing said:
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As previously stated, pick the Depth Module you feel most comfortable with. We can't do that for you.


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## Tim_Nelson (Mar 19, 2015)

I had a co-worker who was a mechanical engineer study for and pass the Civil PE exam without any prior civil classwork and very limited (&lt;1 year) work experience. He took the construction depth and said he was glad he made that decision. Just throwing that out there.


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## nightwing (Mar 19, 2015)

Tim_Nelson said:


> I had a co-worker who was a mechanical engineer study for and pass the Civil PE exam without any prior civil classwork and very limited (&lt;1 year) work experience. He took the construction depth and said he was glad he made that decision. Just throwing that out there.


Did he take the seismic and surveying with the 8 hour exam all together? Does the construction section require reference materials?


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## ptatohed (Mar 19, 2015)

nightwing said:


> Tim_Nelson said:
> 
> 
> > I had a co-worker who was a mechanical engineer study for and pass the Civil PE exam without any prior civil classwork and very limited (&lt;1 year) work experience. He took the construction depth and said he was glad he made that decision. Just throwing that out there.
> ...



Are you saying you've never looked at the NCEES exam outlines/references?

:shakehead:

http://ncees.org/exams/pe-exam/

https://cdn.ncees.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Civ-Con-April-2015_Combined.pdf


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## NakedOrangie (Mar 19, 2015)

nightwing said:


> Tim_Nelson said:
> 
> 
> > I had a co-worker who was a mechanical engineer study for and pass the Civil PE exam without any prior civil classwork and very limited (&lt;1 year) work experience. He took the construction depth and said he was glad he made that decision. Just throwing that out there.
> ...


Adding to what ptatohed wrote above, for the California PE seismic and surveying:

http://www.bpelsg.ca.gov/applicants/refs.shtml

http://www.bpelsg.ca.gov/applicants/plan_civsurvey.pdf

http://www.bpelsg.ca.gov/applicants/plan_civseism.pdf

I have had two friends who work as civils both fail the construction depth. Just something to keep in mind if you're still looking for the easiest depth to take. I still think you're better off trying a handful of sample problems from each discipline and then making a decision based on what was easiest and most comfortable for you. I could have easily decided to take my exam in structural as that was the subject I studied in school, however, I practice in transportation which makes it the most logical choice for my selection in depth.


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## nightwing (Oct 4, 2015)

How are the transportation and construction depth sections? I am undecided on what depth to take and wanted to know which was the easiest one to study for and take?


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## ptatohed (Oct 7, 2015)

nightwing said:


> How are the transportation and construction depth sections? I am undecided on what depth to take and wanted to know which was the easiest one to study for and take?


Is this guy for real? I feel like I am on internet Candid Camera.


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## The Wizard (Oct 7, 2015)

:facepalm: not again!

Ptatohead, you're a mod. Close the thread. This thread stinks....bad.


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## matt267 PE (Oct 7, 2015)

nightwing said:


> How are the transportation and construction depth sections? I am undecided on what depth to take and wanted to know which was the easiest one to study for and take?


There is no correct answer to that question. The "easy test" will be the one with topics you're most familiar with. But it still won't be easy.


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