# All-in-One Civil PE Exam Guide by Indranil Goswami



## sab35263

Did anyone use this book for the PE test? What do you think of it?


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## sac_engineer

sab35263 said:


> Did anyone use this book for the PE test? What do you think of it?


I used it and I highly recommend it. I answered 75% of the questions in the morning and afternoon (transpo) exams using this book alone. For transpo, it was a time-saver because there were tables to look up answers rather than plugging equations, but you should still know how the equation works.

I don't think I would have answered the questions as quickly and passed the PE on the first try without this book.

Good luck!


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## sab35263

sac_engineer said:


> sab35263 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Did anyone use this book for the PE test? What do you think of it?
> 
> 
> 
> I used it and I highly recommend it. I answered 75% of the questions in the morning and afternoon (transpo) exams using this book alone. For transpo, it was a time-saver because there were tables to look up answers rather than plugging equations, but you should still know how the equation works.
> 
> I don't think I would have answered the questions as quickly and passed the PE on the first try without this book.
> 
> Good luck!
Click to expand...

Did you use the CERM as well? Also, I'm taking the structures afternoon so I'm not sure if I need this book.


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## humner

I just bought a copy on Amazon for $68.00, have not gotten it yet.


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## sab35263

humner said:


> I just bought a copy on Amazon for $68.00, have not gotten it yet.


I was looking at that copy. I wonder of the book is updated for the structural depth of the exam. Too bad we can’t view the contents of the book. Please let us know what you think about the book.


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## humner

sab35263 said:


> humner said:
> 
> 
> 
> I just bought a copy on Amazon for $68.00, have not gotten it yet.
> 
> 
> 
> I was looking at that copy. I wonder of the book is updated for the structural depth of the exam. Too bad we can’t view the contents of the book. Please let us know what you think about the book.
Click to expand...

I have taken the "Test" 3 times now, and I am not bragging, but after reading this book for 1 1/2 days, I wish I had it on the first time I took the exam. I am very impressed with the layout and ease of locating info. Will let you know better in 3 months, that is when I should get my results back from VT.


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## sab35263

humner said:


> sab35263 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> humner said:
> 
> 
> 
> I just bought a copy on Amazon for $68.00, have not gotten it yet.
> 
> 
> 
> I was looking at that copy. I wonder of the book is updated for the structural depth of the exam. Too bad we can’t view the contents of the book. Please let us know what you think about the book.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I have taken the "Test" 3 times now, and I am not bragging, but after reading this book for 1 1/2 days, I wish I had it on the first time I took the exam. I am very impressed with the layout and ease of locating info. Will let you know better in 3 months, that is when I should get my results back from VT.
Click to expand...

Which depth are you taken? Does this book have the updated AASHTO code?


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## sac_engineer

sab35263 said:


> sac_engineer said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> sab35263 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Did anyone use this book for the PE test? What do you think of it?
> 
> 
> 
> I used it and I highly recommend it. I answered 75% of the questions in the morning and afternoon (transpo) exams using this book alone. For transpo, it was a time-saver because there were tables to look up answers rather than plugging equations, but you should still know how the equation works.
> 
> I don't think I would have answered the questions as quickly and passed the PE on the first try without this book.
> 
> Good luck!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Did you use the CERM as well? Also, I'm taking the structures afternoon so I'm not sure if I need this book.
Click to expand...

I used CERM and Goswami's book and that was all I needed for the breadth exam. I can't provide a true testimonial other than how it helped me with the transportation depth. The title of the book says it all, and it can be a time-saver during the exam.

As for AASHTO compliance, you should bring the manuals regardless. Most questions are testing one's critical thinking and analytical skills, but there are some questions that are directly from the manuals. Use the test plan provided by NCEES and don't stray from it.


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## Jesse

My internet search has revealed several sources to assist examinees. Which ones have you found the most useful? In my opinion the PPI offers a good value for money and the ASCE webminars appear to offer excellent experts delivering lectures on areas most likely to be encountered during the exam. Among the books, the one my Indranil Goswami and Michael Lindeburg seem to do the job. Any opinions^

1) 2009 Civil Engineering All-In-One PE Exam Guide: Breadth and Depth McGraw-Hill Professional Indranil Goswami

2) 2007 Civil Engineering Environmental Problems for the PE Exam (Pe Exam Preparation) Harry Harbold

3) 2008 Civil Engineering Reference Manual for the PE Exm Professional Publications Michael R. Lindeburg

4) 2008 Practice Problems for the Civil Engineering PE Exam: A Companion to the Civil Engineering Reference Manual Michael R. Lindeburg

5) 2008 Six-Minute Solutions for Civil PE Exam Water Resources and Environmental Problems R. Wane Schneiter

6) 2003 Environmental Engineering Reference Manual for the PE Exam, Second Edition Michael R. Lindeburg

7) 2003 Practice Problems for the Environmental Engineering PE Exam: A Companion to the Environmental Engineering Reference Manual(2nd Edition) Michael R. Lindeburg

8) 2008 Six-Minute Solutions for Civil PE Exam Water Resources and Environmental Problems R. Wane Schneiter

9) 2010 Core Engineering Concepts for Students and Professionals (CORE) Michael R. Lindeburg

10) Civil Engineering PE Learning System Kaplan

The following bodies offer online test preps, expert advice.

11) 2010 Mgi Exam readiness for $400 - $700 ( http://www.mgi.org/PROFESSIONAL_ENGINEEREXAM.SHTML_

12) 2010 PPI reference guides and expert help for $725 ( http://ppi2pass.com/ppi/PPIShop?ct=CIVIL&amp;a...7&amp;pr=PZCEFP )

13) 2010 PE Review Exam Prep for $750 ( http://www.pereview.net/ )

14) ASCE exam review for $1995 ( http://www.asce.org/files/pdf/conted/pereviewfall06.pdf )


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## civil78

Jesse said:


> My internet search has revealed several sources to assist examinees. Which ones have you found the most useful? In my opinion the PPI offers a good value for money and the ASCE webminars appear to offer excellent experts delivering lectures on areas most likely to be encountered during the exam. Among the books, the one my Indranil Goswami and Michael Lindeburg seem to do the job. Any opinions^
> 1) 2009 Civil Engineering All-In-One PE Exam Guide: Breadth and Depth McGraw-Hill Professional Indranil Goswami
> 
> 2) 2007 Civil Engineering Environmental Problems for the PE Exam (Pe Exam Preparation) Harry Harbold
> 
> 3) 2008 Civil Engineering Reference Manual for the PE Exm Professional Publications Michael R. Lindeburg
> 
> 4) 2008 Practice Problems for the Civil Engineering PE Exam: A Companion to the Civil Engineering Reference Manual Michael R. Lindeburg
> 
> 5) 2008 Six-Minute Solutions for Civil PE Exam Water Resources and Environmental Problems R. Wane Schneiter
> 
> 6) 2003 Environmental Engineering Reference Manual for the PE Exam, Second Edition Michael R. Lindeburg
> 
> 7) 2003 Practice Problems for the Environmental Engineering PE Exam: A Companion to the Environmental Engineering Reference Manual(2nd Edition) Michael R. Lindeburg
> 
> 8) 2008 Six-Minute Solutions for Civil PE Exam Water Resources and Environmental Problems R. Wane Schneiter
> 
> 9) 2010 Core Engineering Concepts for Students and Professionals (CORE) Michael R. Lindeburg
> 
> 10) Civil Engineering PE Learning System Kaplan
> 
> The following bodies offer online test preps, expert advice.
> 
> 11) 2010 Mgi Exam readiness for $400 - $700 ( http://www.mgi.org/PROFESSIONAL_ENGINEEREXAM.SHTML_
> 
> 12) 2010 PPI reference guides and expert help for $725 ( http://ppi2pass.com/ppi/PPIShop?ct=CIVIL&amp;a...7&amp;pr=PZCEFP )
> 
> 13) 2010 PE Review Exam Prep for $750 ( http://www.pereview.net/ )
> 
> 14) ASCE exam review for $1995 ( http://www.asce.org/files/pdf/conted/pereviewfall06.pdf )


From what I have heard and experienced myself.. all are good in their own ways- it just depends on how much you want to spend. I have the 6 min solutions for all disciplines, CERM (a must), Goswami's book (ordered it last week- thanks to this thread- it is a GREAT resource), I have the CERM additional things- practice problems etc- they aren't as helpful as the 6min and the NCEES practice test. If you have CERM and Goswami- you have a great start for the AM portion, everything else is just extra help. I did the PPI exam cafe this time (second attempt- bare miss last go around) and it has been worth it. It is my last week's prep and studying- a nice finish to the cramming.


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## sac_engineer

I don't want to sound discouraging, but it's too late in the game now to seek other resources for the exam this Friday. If you've studied and feel prepared, then I would advise not to buy new books right now until you find out if you didn't pass. For those who haven't studied and are looking for last-minute resources to up your odds on passing, then it won't really matter at this point since you're taking a gamble anyway.

Good luck to everyone taking the exam this week!


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## ND75

I would surely recommend this book. I took the exam in April 2010 and was able to manage with this book. It was easy to look up and the reference tables in the book proved to be very handy.


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## sab35263

Which depth did you try this April?


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## civil78

It is a definite- I used it this April on attempt #2- man I wish that I had it at try #1. It was worth its weight in gold


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## maximus808

was it more useful than the CERM?


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## civil78

maximus808 said:


> was it more useful than the CERM?


I would recommend having both. This one is more user friendly, but doesn't cover as much as CERM. The examples are better laid out, and I found them to be more similar to what you see on the PE than the CERM examples. You could probably get by with it alone- but they compliment each other really well.


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## schok108

civil78 said:


> maximus808 said:
> 
> 
> 
> was it more useful than the CERM?
> 
> 
> 
> I would recommend having both. This one is more user friendly, but doesn't cover as much as CERM. The examples are better laid out, and I found them to be more similar to what you see on the PE than the CERM examples. You could probably get by with it alone- but they compliment each other really well.
Click to expand...



I'm planning to take PE for *first time *with Structural Depth next Oct . Please help me to decide about which books should I purchase.

So far my research concludes purchasing:

1.	NCEES: BOOK PE Civil Sample Questions and Solutions Book

ISBN 978-1-932613-31-5 IS LATEST EDITION, 2008

2.	Civil Engineering Reference Manual (CERM)

By Michel R Lindeburg; ISBN 1591261295

3. AISC STEEL Manual 13th edition

(I have 8th Edition)

4. 2009 Civil Engineering All-In-One PE Exam Guide: Breadth and Depth McGraw-Hill Professional Indranil Goswami

Please let me know if you have any of these to sell at good price.

* Thanks in advance....*


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## Paul S

schok108 said:


> civil78 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> maximus808 said:
> 
> 
> 
> was it more useful than the CERM?
> 
> 
> 
> I would recommend having both. This one is more user friendly, but doesn't cover as much as CERM. The examples are better laid out, and I found them to be more similar to what you see on the PE than the CERM examples. You could probably get by with it alone- but they compliment each other really well.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> I'm planning to take PE for *first time *with Structural Depth next Oct . Please help me to decide about which books should I purchase.
> 
> So far my research concludes purchasing:
> 
> 1.	NCEES: BOOK PE Civil Sample Questions and Solutions Book
> 
> ISBN 978-1-932613-31-5 IS LATEST EDITION, 2008
> 
> 2.	Civil Engineering Reference Manual (CERM)
> 
> By Michel R Lindeburg; ISBN 1591261295
> 
> 3. AISC STEEL Manual 13th edition
> 
> (I have 8th Edition)
> 
> 4. 2009 Civil Engineering All-In-One PE Exam Guide: Breadth and Depth McGraw-Hill Professional Indranil Goswami
> 
> Please let me know if you have any of these to sell at good price.
> 
> * Thanks in advance....*
Click to expand...

I can not imagine taking the structural exam without the AISC manual. Have you gone to ncees.org and looked at the necessary references for the exam? if not, please do!


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## sab35263

I have the Steel manual for sale, Brand new 13th edition in shrink wrap:

http://engineerboards.com/index.php?showto...al+13th+edition

email me at [email protected] and we’ll talk about it.


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## schok108

Paul S said:


> schok108 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> civil78 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> maximus808 said:
> 
> 
> 
> was it more useful than the CERM?
> 
> 
> 
> I would recommend having both. This one is more user friendly, but doesn't cover as much as CERM. The examples are better laid out, and I found them to be more similar to what you see on the PE than the CERM examples. You could probably get by with it alone- but they compliment each other really well.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> I'm planning to take PE for *first time *with Structural Depth next Oct . Please help me to decide about which books should I purchase.
> 
> So far my research concludes purchasing:
> 
> 1.	NCEES: BOOK PE Civil Sample Questions and Solutions Book
> 
> ISBN 978-1-932613-31-5 IS LATEST EDITION, 2008
> 
> 2.	Civil Engineering Reference Manual (CERM)
> 
> By Michel R Lindeburg; ISBN 1591261295
> 
> 3. AISC STEEL Manual 13th edition
> 
> (I have 8th Edition)
> 
> 4. 2009 Civil Engineering All-In-One PE Exam Guide: Breadth and Depth McGraw-Hill Professional Indranil Goswami
> 
> Please let me know if you have any of these to sell at good price.
> 
> * Thanks in advance....*
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I can not imagine taking the structural exam without the AISC manual. Have you gone to ncees.org and looked at the necessary references for the exam? if not, please do!
Click to expand...


From NCEES.org, I could find list of the codes from " Structural specifications" &amp; list of books from "Study materials" .

If I am missing something please send me the link for whole list of referenmces required.

Thanks


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## civilized_naah

schok108 said:


> From NCEES.org, I could find list of the codes from " Structural specifications" &amp; list of books from "Study materials" .If I am missing something please send me the link for whole list of referenmces required.
> 
> Thanks


Try this: http://ncees.org/Documents/Public/PE%20Civ...0Apr%202008.pdf


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## playboyman007

schok108 said:


> civil78 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> maximus808 said:
> 
> 
> 
> was it more useful than the CERM?
> 
> 
> 
> I would recommend having both. This one is more user friendly, but doesn't cover as much as CERM. The examples are better laid out, and I found them to be more similar to what you see on the PE than the CERM examples. You could probably get by with it alone- but they compliment each other really well.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> I'm planning to take PE for *first time *with Structural Depth next Oct . Please help me to decide about which books should I purchase.
> 
> So far my research concludes purchasing:
> 
> 1.	NCEES: BOOK PE Civil Sample Questions and Solutions Book
> 
> ISBN 978-1-932613-31-5 IS LATEST EDITION, 2008
> 
> 2.	Civil Engineering Reference Manual (CERM)
> 
> By Michel R Lindeburg; ISBN 1591261295
> 
> 3. AISC STEEL Manual 13th edition
> 
> (I have 8th Edition)
> 
> 4. 2009 Civil Engineering All-In-One PE Exam Guide: Breadth and Depth McGraw-Hill Professional Indranil Goswami
> 
> Please let me know if you have any of these to sell at good price.
> 
> * Thanks in advance....*
Click to expand...


here is my list of reference for the Structural Depth I'll be using to prep for the test.

1) Civil Engineering Reference Manual

2) Structural Depth for the Civil Test

3) Concrete Design for the Civil/Structural

4) Timber Design for the Civil/Structural

5) Practice Problems for the CE

6) All the 6 minute solutions

7) 365 Solved Seismic Design Problems

8) Structural Materials from RBF Prep course

9) NCEES practice exam

10) code books (NDS, ACI 318, AISC, PCI Design Handbook)...not the MSJC

11) etc...

I still feel these materials I have isn't sufficient for the test.


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## txguy

If anyone wants to buy this book let me know, i am selling this one for 50$. no marks and no highlighters used. excellent condition. I passed PE this time and this book helped me a bunch. Shoot me email at: [email protected]

Thanks


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## srk

what is the latest edition of this book? i am starting my prep for apr 2011.

heard some good reviews about this book. are there any other better reference and prep book for transp PE?

thanks!


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## PE_2009

srk said:


> what is the latest edition of this book? i am starting my prep for apr 2011. heard some good reviews about this book. are there any other better reference and prep book for transp PE?
> 
> thanks!


Don't get confused with this book. All you need for morning section is CERM.


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## boo

PE_2009 said:


> srk said:
> 
> 
> 
> what is the latest edition of this book? i am starting my prep for apr 2011. heard some good reviews about this book. are there any other better reference and prep book for transp PE?
> 
> thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> Don't get confused with this book. All you need for morning section is CERM.
Click to expand...

i found 2 answer from this book in oct. exam


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## kengineer

The Goswami book is definitely worth getting, but like anything it has plusses and minuses.

I actually like the format of this book a lot more than the CERM, but Goswami does lack depth The CERM is such a busy, cluttered format its sometimes difficult to find exactly what you are looking for.

The Goswami needs some to address some formatting where similarly used formulas are split between pages where you may not always see each case and pick the wrong one. I added notes and arrows for continuity where this happened in the book.

For me, I was not comfortable with just the CERM and the Goswami gives things in a more readable format and different example problems. The way I see it, having a few extra examples around is priceless in the test and I didn't have to bring every undergrad college book to the exam.

Goswami helps more with the knowledge based questions because you can visually scan the text easier. I know I answered a few of questions right out of the book.

For about 1/3 of the price of the CERM, it's a must have.


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## ptatohed

I just ordered it. I found it cheapest at Barnes &amp; Noble. Even cheaper than Amazon. $66 + $4 = $70 shipped (new). It should arrive in a few days.

Just curious, do you guys have the soft or hard cover? On Amazon and B&amp;N, it's listed as a hard cover but some reviews state that people have received soft covers. ?


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## lccivil

I used this book and it was my number one resource as it was very well written and concise. My biggest peeve about this book is that there are not code references. So a good idea is write on the site the respective chapter or code reference.

My discipline was structural. There is even some AASHTO Stuff in here that was very useful.

For those studying Civil/Structural purchase the PM problems from Dr. Goswami as well. The practice problems had a very realistic feel. Remember this a reference book, it does not substitute for your code manuals. Know how to source material in all of code manuals (very important), there are a lot of give me questions if you know your stuff.

Other books I used included the CERM and SDRM, 6 min solutions (structural depth), NCESS Structural I sample questions and NCESS Sample Questions.

Good Luck,

Time for the 16 hour structural exam now...


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## lccivil

lccivil said:


> I used this book and it was my number one resource as it was very well written and concise. My biggest peeve about this book is that there are not code references. So a good idea is write on the site the respective chapter or code reference.
> My discipline was structural. There is even some AASHTO Stuff in here that was very useful.
> 
> For those studying Civil/Structural purchase the PM problems from Dr. Goswami as well. The practice problems had a very realistic feel. Remember this a reference book, it does not substitute for your code manuals. Know how to source material in all of code manuals (very important), there are a lot of give me questions if you know your stuff.
> 
> Other books I used included the CERM and SDRM, 6 min solutions (structural depth), NCESS Structural I sample questions and NCESS Sample Questions.
> 
> Good Luck,
> 
> Time for the 16 hour structural exam now...


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## ptatohed

ptatohed said:


> I just ordered it. I found it cheapest at Barnes &amp; Noble. Even cheaper than Amazon. $66 + $4 = $70 shipped (new). It should arrive in a few days.
> Just curious, do you guys have the soft or hard cover? On Amazon and B&amp;N, it's listed as a hard cover but some reviews state that people have received soft covers. ?



It arrived on Friday. Hard cover.


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## maximus808

ptatohed,

I'm glad you got that book. It is such an excellent resource. In my opinion there are sections in that book that are better than the CERM. The transportation section is much better as it hits many more topics including signals. The author of the book Goswami has an online review course that suppose to be good. They send you notes and use the book during their live online study classes. I don't have the link but I believe you can search for it on google. He's a great advisor.


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## passpepasspe

maximus808 said:


> ptatohed,
> I'm glad you got that book. It is such an excellent resource. In my opinion there are sections in that book that are better than the CERM. The transportation section is much better as it hits many more topics including signals. The author of the book Goswami has an online review course that suppose to be good. They send you notes and use the book during their live online study classes. I don't have the link but I believe you can search for it on google. He's a great advisor.


I agree that it is a great book.. I used it for transportation and i thought the water section to be very well done also...


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## JKG

Passed on first sitting (water resources/environmental) using this book as my primary study resource. Also worked through the NCEES sample problems, but found myself getting stuck too often, with the solutions not providing the level of detail I needed. And that is really all I used to prepare, basically working through the All-In-One guide from start to finish, and then going back and working the NCEES sample problems.

I found myself completely overwhelmed and feeling hopeless with Lindeberg's CERM and study questions. The level of difficulty is *far* beyond the actual PE exam. If the theory is to be over-prepared, that is great, if you have the time. I neither had the time, nor was it such a high priority.


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## BAZ20

I am planning to take Construction depth exam this October... Did someone use this book for construction exam?


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## Sam77

JKG said:


> Passed on first sitting (water resources/environmental) using this book as my primary study resource. Also worked through the NCEES sample problems, but found myself getting stuck too often, with the solutions not providing the level of detail I needed. And that is really all I used to prepare, basically working through the All-In-One guide from start to finish, and then going back and working the NCEES sample problems.
> I found myself completely overwhelmed and feeling hopeless with Lindeburg's CERM and study questions. The level of difficulty is *far* beyond the actual PE exam. If the theory is to be over-prepared, that is great, if you have the time. I neither had the time, nor was it such a high priority.


Same here, I passed the Civil/Water from the first attempt. I did not have enough time to study, did not even bother to buy Lindeburg's CERM. Used Goswami's All-in-One for familiarizing myself with topics I never took before, focusing on subjects that are mentioned in the NCEES syllabus; this helped me to skip a few chapters.

Not a lot of examples though to practice.

So, I Bought the Lindeburg's practice exam, could not even finish half of the questions in 8 hours, good thing I knew already that it is way harder than the actual exams from comments of people in this board.

I Bought the NCEES practice exam finished the exam in 7 hours with 29/40 morning, 29/40 afternoon.

I think Goswami's All-in-One is a good book for studying, however, I think you need to bring with you more reference books in the exam, I brought 10 more books to the exam, I used only 2 of them for 4 questions that I would never find their answers in Goswami’s. Not sure if these 4 questions were crucial for me passing the exam.


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## Happy

Civil Trans here. I've been holding back my comments until I knew I passed. But I am going to contradict the going census here and state that I don't think Goswami's book is very useful. I bought the CERM and Goswami's both - and reviewed them both. During the exam I refered to the CERM a lot, but the few times I tried cracking Goswami's book it didn't help me at all.

I personally don't the layout at all of the book. Poorly organized and presented in my opinion.

The CERM isn't great either. It covers too much information. But, if you use the NCEES exam outline to focus your studying EXTENSIVELY and EXCLUSIVELY (as you should be), you will find yourself skipping most of the CERM chapters and sections anyways, you really only need to study maybe about 25% of it. But the parts you do study have enough detail to help you in the exam.

By contrast, the Goswami skips several topics on the NCEES outline - so unless you have a lot of other resources you're going to be SOL with this book.

Go in with the CERM, and I'd also recommend a copy of Das's geo book as well. I had a super old Das version from the 90's but it was enough to help me a lot on the morning exam. That and my transportation books were all I really needed.


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## cindyanne

I took the Transportation section in the afternoon and passed. I bought the All-in-One Civil PE Exam Guide and also attended the online review class. Both were great. I thought the book was a very valuable resource. It could have been laid out a little better, but if you actually use it to study with and not just open it for the first time the day of the test then you should be OK. There are not a lot of problems in the book. BUT .... if you take the review course he gives you course notes and there are tons of problems.

I also had the CERM. The CERM was difficult for me to follow, which is why I looked for a different PE Exam book in the first place.

I think that most Civil afternoon exams are going to require you to have extra resources. Its wishful thinking to think that one book is going to have everything you need, especially when you are dealing with codes, AASHTO manuals, design guides, etc


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## JKG

Sam77 said:


> I think Goswami's All-in-One is a good book for studying, however, I think you need to bring with you more reference books in the exam, I brought 10 more books to the exam...


Good point, that's what I did too. I used my other reference books while working through the Goswami book and the NCEES sample problems, tabbing them along the way. I used Goswami's book as my main reference during the exam, but frequently pulled out one of my other references.


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## johnf

I didn't use the all-in-one at all in the pm (construction), but I did use it in the am. The all-in-one is a better study aid, for working practice problems, than it is a test day reference, imo, but it helped me. i wouldn't go without it.


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## ptatohed

Well, I studied from and used the All-In-One on test day and I passed (Transpo depth module). It's a good book but it certainly is not “all in one depth and breadth”. That makes no sense. Of course other resources will be needed for the afternoon/depth modules if you take transpo, structures, construction, etc. But it's a good book.

I do not believe the All-In-One is a substitute for the CERM though. The All-In-One has some good points and helps explain certain topics clearly and even touches on some topics the CERM omits. But, the CERM with its front cover conversion formulas, its helpful index (I thought the All In One had a very weak index), helpful appendixes, additional graphics/charts, etc. is still a must-have.

If you can only afford one, go with the CERM but the All-In-One makes an excellent additional reference. The way I studied was to read the topic in the CERM and then the same topic in the All-In-One. It really helped things click for me. In the CERM, I would jot down the page number of the equivalent topic in the All-In-One and vice versa. I even put a note in the book I preferred better for that topic. This helped me out on test day.

I recommend the All-In-One, especially for the price, just don't think it is a CERM replacement, because it is not.

Good luck.


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## jenni179

Happy said:


> Civil Trans here. I've been holding back my comments until I knew I passed. But I am going to contradict the going census here and state that I don't think Goswami's book is very useful. I bought the CERM and Goswami's both - and reviewed them both. During the exam I refered to the CERM a lot, but the few times I tried cracking Goswami's book it didn't help me at all.
> I personally don't the layout at all of the book. Poorly organized and presented in my opinion.
> 
> The CERM isn't great either. It covers too much information. But, if you use the NCEES exam outline to focus your studying EXTENSIVELY and EXCLUSIVELY (as you should be), you will find yourself skipping most of the CERM chapters and sections anyways, you really only need to study maybe about 25% of it. But the parts you do study have enough detail to help you in the exam.
> 
> By contrast, the Goswami skips several topics on the NCEES outline - so unless you have a lot of other resources you're going to be SOL with this book.
> 
> Go in with the CERM, and I'd also recommend a copy of Das's geo book as well. I had a super old Das version from the 90's but it was enough to help me a lot on the morning exam. That and my transportation books were all I really needed.


I have to agree with Happy. The CERM is a must, the All-in-One has some useful material but I thought it didn't explain problems well at times and was not as user friendly. I will say that All-in-One explains the CPM problems much better than the CERM. Also it has some additional structure questions. Overall I wasn't impressed with it and I'm glad it wasn't that expensive. I also purchased practive exams from Goswami and I thought some of the solutions were explained very poorly and the exams were very difficult to complete (time-wise) compared to the actual exam. Looking at the practice exam solutions reminded of a professor that knows his material so well he doesn't explain half of the steps because it's so obvious to him.


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## Jacob_PE

I just got my copy of the All-in-one and I'm pretty psyched about having it. Today I tried creating a WR/ENV Depth index showing at what page to turn for every line item on the NCEES WR/ENV depth exam syllabus but there are several topics that don't have their own coverage subsection. Has anyone else created such an index for this depth? I'll end up filling the gaps in my index with where to turn in the CERM.


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## Jacob_PE

Sam77 said:


> JKG said:
> 
> 
> 
> Passed on first sitting (water resources/environmental) using this book as my primary study resource. Also worked through the NCEES sample problems, but found myself getting stuck too often, with the solutions not providing the level of detail I needed. And that is really all I used to prepare, basically working through the All-In-One guide from start to finish, and then going back and working the NCEES sample problems.
> I found myself completely overwhelmed and feeling hopeless with Lindeburg's CERM and study questions. The level of difficulty is *far* beyond the actual PE exam. If the theory is to be over-prepared, that is great, if you have the time. I neither had the time, nor was it such a high priority.
> 
> 
> 
> Same here, I passed the Civil/Water from the first attempt. I did not have enough time to study, did not even bother to buy Lindeburg's CERM. Used Goswami's All-in-One for familiarizing myself with topics I never took before, focusing on subjects that are mentioned in the NCEES syllabus; this helped me to skip a few chapters.
> 
> Not a lot of examples though to practice.
> 
> So, I Bought the Lindeburg's practice exam, could not even finish half of the questions in 8 hours, good thing I knew already that it is way harder than the actual exams from comments of people in this board.
> 
> I Bought the NCEES practice exam finished the exam in 7 hours with 29/40 morning, 29/40 afternoon.
> 
> I think Goswami's All-in-One is a good book for studying, however, I think you need to bring with you more reference books in the exam, I brought 10 more books to the exam, I used only 2 of them for 4 questions that I would never find their answers in Goswami’s. Not sure if these 4 questions were crucial for me passing the exam.
Click to expand...

I recently completed the morning section of the Limburg sample exam and had a tough time with a good number of them, especially the structures problems. I skimmed throught the WR/ENV depth exam and those problems all look overlly complex and time consuming. My current plan is to work all the example problems from all the water/env section of the Goswami book as if they were sample exam questions. For you guys that passed the WR/ENV exam with the Goswami book as a primary resource, how much tabbing did you do with your book, can you give me an idea of what pages you tabbed?


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## AMiller

I ordered the All In One book today after reading this thread. I already have the CERM but will use this to bolster my references. Like many people have said, for the price, it would be a shame to miss a couple problems that this book could answer for you. I will provide more comments when I receive the book and have a chance to review.

-Andrew Miller


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## Jacob_PE

Another plus about the all in one is it fits perfectly on the console of the exercise bikes at my gym. Working out and studying become one.


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## JKG

_"For you guys that passed the WR/ENV exam with the Goswami book as a primary resource, how much tabbing did you do with your book, can you give me an idea of what pages you tabbed?"_

I didn't do all that much tabbing, I just counted 12 tabs. I mostly tabbed the sections in All-In-One which I referenced when working the NCEES sample questions. Part of what helped me was that All-In-One was my primary study book, so I was already pretty familiar with it from preparing.


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## Jacob_PE

JKG said:


> _"For you guys that passed the WR/ENV exam with the Goswami book as a primary resource, how much tabbing did you do with your book, can you give me an idea of what pages you tabbed?"_
> I didn't do all that much tabbing, I just counted 12 tabs. I mostly tabbed the sections in All-In-One which I referenced when working the NCEES sample questions. Part of what helped me was that All-In-One was my primary study book, so I was already pretty familiar with it from preparing.


Yea, I've noticed that as I'm working problems now a days I go straight to my All-in-one first, and usually find exactly what I need, but sometimes when I want to be 100% sure, I open up my CERM again.


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## AMiller

After using the book for a couple weeks now I find that it is good at somethings that the CERM is not and not so good at things the CERM is great at. I think I would be fine in the AM section using one or the other, but having both will be a nice back up. My plan is to use the CERM as my main reference, but when i go through the problems and get stumped, I will use the All-In-One as my back up. The reason being, the CERM makes it much easier to pin point information through the use of the index. I have tabbed the All-In-One but didn't want to go too crazy to where I could see each tab without thumbing through the pages.

-Andrew Miller


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## Ambrug20

AMiller said:


> After using the book for a couple weeks now I find that it is good at somethings that the CERM is not and not so good at things the CERM is great at. I think I would be fine in the AM section using one or the other, but having both will be a nice back up. My plan is to use the CERM as my main reference, but when i go through the problems and get stumped, I will use the All-In-One as my back up. The reason being, the CERM makes it much easier to pin point information through the use of the index. I have tabbed the All-In-One but didn't want to go too crazy to where I could see each tab without thumbing through the pages.
> -Andrew Miller


I am study by this book right now, and I could say that the book has lots of extra information CERM doesn’t have. It explain in some cases why use this formula, but not the other one (which I couldn’t understand for a long time in what case use what).

The book lay-out is very organized; in Transportations section (which I am more interested) has a lot of tables from Green Book and HCM, which could save time on the exam. Its very well organized and have simple and easy explanation of material. I would say it worth to spend money on this book.


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## Chris Cat

I have been studying with both books. I find that Goswami's book is more practical and more focused. However, if Goswami's book cover only 60% of the CERM, than I suggest you know where to locate the rest of the 40% in CERM.

I didn't have problems locating sections in the CERM. My problem was understanding the concept. What good is a formula if you can't apply it the correct way.

Bottom Line = Buy them, both.


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