# PE structural vs SE



## Structures (Jun 13, 2017)

I passed the PE recently and am now looking to take the SE.  My current state doesn't require it but I think the industry standard appears to be going that way, so I figure it's better to be ahead of the curve.

My focus is almost entirely in bridges, and I debated taking the SE first, simply because everyone at work said there wouldn't be any bridge questions on the PE structural depth.  Coworkers advised me to take Transportation, but after debating it, I ended up taking the structural depth for the PE.  For the most part, it wasn't too bad.  Although, I had to familiarize myself with a lot of codes I don't use frequently (ACI, ASCE, IBC, etc.), it didn't feel impossible.

So my question is this - How does the afternoon of the PE compare to the morning of the SE?  I've seen some people post their scores in the 20-25 range, so I'm assuming it's more difficult, but I've only talked to a few people who've taken both and it was all back when it was SE1 and SE2.  I remember people telling me they thought the FE afternoon was similar in terms of difficulty to the PE morning, and I thought it was of similar difficulty, but that the PE was probably a little more difficult than the FE.  Just curious if anyone has any thoughts.


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## user 34852 (Jun 13, 2017)

I think everything about the SE is harder than the PE.  Looking at the pass score rates prove this.   It really dives into the codes more, and is much more specific in nature than the PE was, which I think helps.  SE morning will have 8-10 bridge problems, the rest will be building problems.  This is case for both Vertical and Lateral exams.  As a building guy, the morning bridge problems tend to be fairly straight forward.  Check out NCEES for additional info.


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## ATLAC47 (Jun 13, 2017)

The morning is definitely more geared toward buildings.  Talking with a bridge engineer who took the test, they said the bridge questions in the morning weren't that difficult for a bridge engineer, it's the other questions for buildings that were difficult.


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## VTBridge (Jun 13, 2017)

Structures said:


> I passed the PE recently and am now looking to take the SE.  My current state doesn't require it but I think the industry standard appears to be going that way, so I figure it's better to be ahead of the curve.
> 
> My focus is almost entirely in bridges, and I debated taking the SE first, simply because everyone at work said there wouldn't be any bridge questions on the PE structural depth.  Coworkers advised me to take Transportation, but after debating it, I ended up taking the structural depth for the PE.  For the most part, it wasn't too bad.  Although, I had to familiarize myself with a lot of codes I don't use frequently (ACI, ASCE, IBC, etc.), it didn't feel impossible.
> 
> So my question is this - How does the afternoon of the PE compare to the morning of the SE?  I've seen some people post their scores in the 20-25 range, so I'm assuming it's more difficult, but I've only talked to a few people who've taken both and it was all back when it was SE1 and SE2.  I remember people telling me they thought the FE afternoon was similar in terms of difficulty to the PE morning, and I thought it was of similar difficulty, but that the PE was probably a little more difficult than the FE.  Just curious if anyone has any thoughts.


I would recommend getting one of the SE practice exams and taking it while the PE knowledge is still fresh. This will give you an idea of the topics that are the same with more difficult content and the areas that may be new to the SE. You will also be able to develop a study plan based on how you did in each area and decide if a class is worth the cost.


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## YAZRABADI (Jun 13, 2017)

The SE exam is completely different than the PE. Dont make the mistake of walking into this assuming I will get lucky in couple of multiple chooses and get through. You have to really now your codes to administrate proficiency in this field. 

That is my take on this.


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