# Testmasters



## Road Guy (Jan 2, 2007)

I was saving this review until after I found out about the results.

Overall I was dissipointed with the class, mainly due to my weakest section from my first failure being environmental and geotech, and the instructors for those sections were horrible.

The GEO guy was an old fossil whom I am sure knows his stuff, but just didnt need to be teaching, it also didnt help that he was sick and being 70+ its hard to talk for 8 hours a day when you have a cold.

The environmental instructor was one of these government PHd know it all types who spent more time grandstanding over the fact that the water in his district is monitored by the EPA and Dasani isnt (right. who do you trust?)

The structural guy was very good, he provided lots of updated useful handouts! Key word updated.

The transportation guy was average, he did provide some great info on mass-haul diagrams, and how to use the easy charts from the HCM. I think he got me at least 4 questions that I might not have known on my own. But he spent half a day on pavement design. I am sure those questions have been on the exam in the past if they spent half a day on it, but I think that subject is almost too complicated to try and "cram" He didnt cover anything on CPM which I thought was bad.

The Water Resources instructor was so good I almost thought about taking the PM WR exam(Civil) yes he was that good. Cant say enough about him.

But I think the best part of the class was that it was almost 100 hours of study time. You have to pretty much take a week or more off of work to take the class. I probabaly wouldnt have done that on my own.

Also I should add that all in all I am glad I signed up for the class, but its not something you can rely on by itself, I know several people in just my class alone who didnt pass.


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## singlespeed (Jan 2, 2007)

Congrats RG!


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## n2h20 (Jan 2, 2007)

I took the testmaster class in FL and passed on my first attempt. I firmly believe that this class is the reason that I passed. Overall the instructors were very good (except for structures). I learned how to actually solve problems and "key words" that help to figure out what type of problem you are working on. My degree was in Ocean Engineering so I had not had many college courses relavent to the civil PE. I had had one undergraduate soil mechanics course, one undergraduate structural analysis course, and one undergraduate fluid mechanics course. I had never had a course on transpo or enviro.

If you can figure out a way to afford the class and your boss will let you take off a few days (the class is typically Thurs-Sun) then go for it.

Also, don't just rely on Testmasters. You will still need to study on your own to reinforce the material.

P.S. I took WR as my depth.


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## NCcarguy (Jan 3, 2007)

> I took the testmaster class in FL and passed on my first attempt. I firmly believe that this class is the reason that I passed. Overall the instructors were very good (except for structures). I learned how to actually solve problems and "key words" that help to figure out what type of problem you are working on. My degree was in Ocean Engineering so I had not had many college courses relavent to the civil PE. I had had one undergraduate soil mechanics course, one undergraduate structural analysis course, and one undergraduate fluid mechanics course. I had never had a course on transpo or enviro.
> If you can figure out a way to afford the class and your boss will let you take off a few days (the class is typically Thurs-Sun) then go for it.
> 
> Also, don't just rely on Testmasters. You will still need to study on your own to reinforce the material.
> ...


there's a good point here.....Roadguy.....or should I say Roadguy, PE. where did you take testmasters? sounds like the guy that took it in Fla liked it. :beerchug


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## Road Guy (Jan 3, 2007)

mine was in Atlanta, GA.

I think some of the newer cities being offered classes are like what happens when any company grows (or grows to fast) some consumers get stepped on along the way.

most people i talk to really thought it was terrific, but I think I just drew the short straw of instructors..

of course I also just sent them my resume to teach transportation :true:


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## timmyutah (Jan 5, 2007)

I took mine in AZ

my thoughts..

If i could just have bought the book and skipped the boring lectures, i would have. They (instructors) didnt do anything for me, but the book and material in the book was the main reason i think i passed, as i studied after the course.

I hated to sell my book, but didnt need it anymore, and enjoy the $ i got from it.

TIMMY P.E.


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## gatormech_e (Jan 8, 2007)

hmmm, does testmasters offer any ME PE prep courses? i didn't find any for FL.

anyone here have books/notes they are willing to sell?


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## Biagiomarra (Feb 8, 2007)

gatormech_e said:


> hmmm, does testmasters offer any ME PE prep courses? i didn't find any for FL.
> anyone here have books/notes they are willing to sell?



any luck with locating the class notes for Testmasters?


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## fingerscrossed (Feb 13, 2007)

I have read several reviews about the Testmasters course regarding how much it helped them (especially the notes). I live in CA and don't have access to the courses. Is there any way to get/purchase copies of the notes?

Thanks -


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## fingerscrossed (Feb 13, 2007)

I have read several reviews about the Testmasters course regarding how much it helped them (especially the notes). I live in CA and don't have access to the courses. Is there any way to get/purchase copies of the notes?

Thanks -


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## fingerscrossed (Feb 13, 2007)

I have seen several reviews of the Testmasters courses saying how much they helped. However, I live in CA and don't have access to the courses. Is there any way to get/purchase the class notes?

Thx


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## Road Guy (Feb 13, 2007)

I have seen them afor sale, I have them, and I have thought about scanning them and then putting them on a CD and charging a nominal fee(cause thats going to be a LOT of scanning &amp; copying, if you know what I mean)

The notes would be good to study from, they had some really good example problems.


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## Junaid29 (Feb 13, 2007)

CERM Structure and transportation chapters for Civil/Water depth

For those taking the PE Civil/Water depth, the Structure and transportation are not required for the PM (depth) exam.

Hence, what chapters of CERM would be sufficient to cover the Structure and transportation questions of AM (breadth) exam?

(Note that the NCEES syllabus does not pin point the required CERM chapters)


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## Road Guy (Feb 14, 2007)

statics, shear / moment diagrams, max allowable moment, truss, method of sections, method of joints, stuff like that. good idea to know all the basic beam design formulas.


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## gatormech_e (Feb 21, 2007)

no luck getting the MEPE testmasters notes, i've been hitting the textbooks and using MERM. i have the 6 min solns but haven't looked yet...will have to get on it soon as i'm running short on time for the April exam...sigh...


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## Guest (Feb 21, 2007)

gatormech_e said:


> no luck getting the MEPE testmasters notes, i've been hitting the textbooks and using MERM. i have the 6 min solns but haven't looked yet...will have to get on it soon as i'm running short on time for the April exam...sigh...


Heya Gator !!

Missed seeing your posts - thought you might have been scared off. Glad that you are still around AND preparing for your exam. :joke: :reading:

Good luck !!

JR


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## gatormech_e (Mar 26, 2007)

thanks for the welcome, i've been working hard, studying and stressing. only about 3.5 weeks of prep time left and i need to take some time off from work...


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## cement (Mar 28, 2007)

^^ full time home study rules. Good luck!


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## IlPadrino (Jun 30, 2007)

I took the Civil PE Testmasters course in Tempe, AZ in March/April 2007. Beyond the time at the class, I probably only studied (prepared?) less than 20 hours. I credit Testmasters (especially Dr. Israni) for my success in passing my first-time exam in Water Resources. I'm going to put together a more thorough review of Testmasters once I get my course binder unpacked (I just moved), but in short, here're my thoughts:

The Water Resource review (given by Dr. Israni) was absolutely OUTSTANDING. He also covered the general exam strategies that were spot on. The only thing not mentioned that I think was helpful was to write the required units (based on the problem AND the answers given) in big letters before starting to work on the problem. It's amazing how many chances there are to get headed down the path of wrong units.

The other areas were hit and miss as far as the review presentations go. I'm certain all presenters knew their topics well, but they'd often go down paths that weren't very useful for the exam (an example that come to mind: ten minutes spent talking about why municipalities don't want to issue boil water notices). I was also surprised how much time was spent on "plugging and chugging" equations or converting units. This is probably by biggest complaint about the course. I mean, if you can't use your calculator to evaluate an equation or if you can't convert units, you've got no business calling yourself an Engineer in Training, much less a Professional Engineer.

Bottom Line: The Course Notes were essential to organizing a review. The only area I found inadequate was the Hydrology section - but maybe it was just my lack of comprehension; I struggled with the Unit Hyrdograph questions on the exam. There was a lot on structures that was not needed for the WR depth, but remember that this course doesn't focus on just one depth.

The course is expensive ($1,500) but perhaps a small price to pay for success. I would unequivocally recommend the course to anyone.


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## slates (Aug 29, 2007)

I signed up for Testmasters in Hawaii after hearing the positive reviews on here, only to find out today that they cancelled the course due to low enrollment. I have been studying, but still just don't seem to feel comfortable with all of the material. I have always been a visual learner and find it easy enough to blow over stuff I'm reading that doesn't seem important or takes too long to grasp the concept. I did ask if they could send a copy of the course notes to me since they kinda ruined my preparation plan, but haven't heard back from them yet.


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## IlPadrino (Aug 30, 2007)

I, too, had a problem with getting the Testmasters class in my choice of location. I wanted Oregon but they didn't have enough demand so I had to go to Tempe, AZ. Even though I ended up having to fly out there three times, it was still worth it.

If you could buy the notes, I'd say do it in a heartbeat... but I'm not sure they'll do that. I wanted to buy the FE notes for one of my Lieutenants who's deploying to Iraq in September until March and so can't attend the class in person. At first they said no, but after a little insistence and explanation about how we can all do our part to support our troops, they decided to do it. I'm glad they did and it'll be a great help to her while she's in Iraq.


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## Andros (Dec 15, 2007)

Hey Everyone,

Testmasters was not a bad course,

However it will not prove profitable unless you study on your own. Its like a Rerun...Once you have seen before it becomes easy...

I am awaiting my results to see the positive in CIvil PE from DC.

I also used six minutes for environmental, water and geotech and some additional books for review like METCALF and EDDY, Hydrology Book and ofcourse cerm. Spent approximately three months studying at 2hrs a day.


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## fhredd90 (Dec 21, 2007)

I took EE review course in Houston, TX. I passed the first time. I feel that the review course focused my studying. The notes were an excellent source. I also enjoyed the lectures and they were valuable because the instructor showed shortcuts or easier ways to get the correct answer that were not shown during my academic years.


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## dmercado_PE (Dec 21, 2007)

fhredd90 said:


> I took EE review course in Houston, TX. I passed the first time. I feel that the review course focused my studying. The notes were an excellent source. I also enjoyed the lectures and they were valuable because the instructor showed shortcuts or easier ways to get the correct answer that were not shown during my academic years.



Congrats fhredd90! I took the EE Testmasters review and workshop in Houston too. I passed as well.


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## LindaM (Dec 22, 2007)

I also took the Testmaster's course -- in Dallas. I did not study prior to the course and it definitely identified the areas where I needed to focus my study efforts. I studied about 1-2 hours per night once the course was done. About a month of studying. Preparation is important, but confidence is important too. I for one think 2-3 months of studying shows a lack of confidence. Maybe that's just me...but I think if you are ready to review and seal plans, you should just need to review some of the stuff you don't use daily. I see too many people on this board that lack that self-confidence. Believing in yourself if the first step to success!


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## squishles10 (Dec 23, 2007)

Hey Linda- you got an account huh? PS- she also passed after taking this course so I'll be taking it even though I have all her notes.


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## ClemsonEngr (Dec 24, 2007)

Like Road Guy said in the first post, classes are great, but it will also require lots of time studying before and after the class. The class is a good way to outline the material and to get help when you get stuck. BUT don't think that a class alone will get you ready for the exam.


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## IlPadrino (Dec 24, 2007)

ClemsonEngr said:


> Like Road Guy said in the first post, classes are great, but it will also require lots of time studying before and after the class. The class is a good way to outline the material and to get help when you get stuck. BUT don't think that a class alone will get you ready for the exam.


It did for me... I took the course the last few days of March and into April 2007, studied about another 20 hours (mostly going over the sample problems from the notes), and passed on my first try.

The notes were more valuable than the lectures (except for Dr. Israni). It's funny, though, because I think I probably had the same guys as Road Guy (certianly the old Geo fossil!).

Bottom line: Everyone's different and for most everyone, we'll never know what really got them through (assuming they did at least two things).


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## LindaM (Dec 24, 2007)

IlPadrino said:


> It did for me... I took the course the last few days of March and into April 2007, studied about another 20 hours (mostly going over the sample problems from the notes), and passed on my first try.
> The notes were more valuable than the lectures (except for Dr. Israni). It's funny, though, because I think I probably had the same guys as Road Guy (certianly the old Geo fossil!).
> 
> Bottom line: Everyone's different and for most everyone, we'll never know what really got them through (assuming they did at least two things).



See, I agree with you... 20 hours is about reasonable in addition to a prep course which focuses your studying efforts. People that study for 300 hours...wow. To me that seems excessive, but if that's what someone needs to do to feel confident, then DO THAT.

In addition to studying, I spent at least that amount of time organizing the reference materials and making notes for myself. The last day before the exam, all I did was review the formula sheets and made a small notebook of each emphasis area with the important formulas, cross-referenced to pages in the CERM or my notes. This was what I used for most of the "work" problems (as opposed to theory questions).

I found all of the lectures from Testmaster's extremely beneficial. The Transportation, Structures and Geotech review areas were the most helpful to me. Definitely, I was able to answer some questions that became "give me's" only because of what I learned in this course.


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## LindaM (Dec 24, 2007)

fingerscrossed said:


> I have seen several reviews of the Testmasters courses saying how much they helped. However, I live in CA and don't have access to the courses. Is there any way to get/purchase the class notes?
> Thx


I don't really think the notes would be that helpful without the "instructions" that go with them. The instructors explain how to use the tables, what is important and what is not. Not that the material is copywrited, but I don't think it is ethical to "sell" the notes from this course. I guess if you want to give someone your notes, there is nothing wrong with that, but to sell them...I would really question your ethics -- this is the business of these people, they have worked hard to put together a successful course to help US succeed.

Integrity is so important as an engineer ... just think about the guy who posted an exam question on this board and we know what happened. The same is true of sharing the work of someone else without their permission. We can help people by giving them advice, by making questions ourselves that cover the basic areas of knowledge, without giving actual test questions and without using the work of TestMasters.

I personally think that TestMasters was worth every penny. I was a first-time test taker, took the review course in Dallas because that is where I now work. However, I took the PE in Tallahassee because I lived in FL when I applied for the PE (my husband was transferred to Dallas in August).

During the course, I was disappointed in the Structures review which was my weakest area. After taking the test, the instructor covered everything that was necessary for the morning session (he offered additional instruction for the afternoon structures area which he didn't require the rest of us to attend). All of the other areas were excellent. There was nothing on the test that was a surprise, nothing that they said "would not be covered" appeared on the test.

This is not to say that ALL of the questions were like the TestMasters review. There were HARDER questions that were more in-depth than were covered or that I did not spend significant time to understand in an area outside of my concentration.

It is well to remember that no one is going to get 100% on this exam. Concentrate on the easy questions and your area of expertise and I think there are enough of those to pass. Don't try to get EVERY question. Some are best just to skip because they take too much time.

I left the morning with over 1.5 hours left, knowing that there were some questions that I did not get right, but that I made an educated guess at answering. Even if I had spent the 1.5 hours on THOSE problems, I don't think I would have improved my score. I concentrated on what I did know, got 32-34 of those answered (which is over 75%) and didn't worry about those 6-8 I was unsure of.

FOR THOSE TAKING THE TEST AS REPEATS -- *DON'T WORRY SO MUCH ABOUT EVERY PROBLEM*. CONCENTRATE ON WHAT YOU ARE GOOD AT FIRST AS WELL AS THE "LOOK UP" QUESTIONS, THEN YOU WILL BUILD YOUR CONFIDENCE!

THIS TEST IS AS MUCH ABOUT STRATEGY AND CONFIDENCE AS IT IS ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW!

GO FORTH AND BELIEVE YOU WILL PASS -- THEN AND ONLY THEN WILL YOU *INSURE* THAT THIS IS TRUE!


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## IlPadrino (Dec 24, 2007)

LindaM said:


> I don't really think the notes would be that helpful without the "instructions" that go with them. The instructors explain how to use the tables, what is important and what is not. Not that the material is copywrited, but I don't think it is ethical to "sell" the notes from this course. I guess if you want to give someone your notes, there is nothing wrong with that, but to sell them...I would really question your ethics -- this is the business of these people, they have worked hard to put together a successful course to help US succeed.


I agree with much of your post but for two things...

1) I think the notes were a lot more valuable than the instructions. In fact, some of the instruction was an absolute waste of time (you can read about my detailed assessment of Testmasters elsewhere here). Granted, there were some portions of the notes that were recommended to skip over, and having done so, I don't regret it in the least. But to say the notes wouldn't be helpful without the instructions is way off base, in my opinion of course.

2) I think you're backwards on the ethical issues of selling the notes. I can see of no problem with selling what you paid for. It happens every day with books, music, etc. Why should Testmasters be any different? Understand I'm not talking about selling photocopies of the notes - that's a different matter.


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