About CERM

[ketanco]

Is CERM a study bok for morning only or does it cover ALL afternoon sections too?

It seems pretty detailed. Is it just there just in case and it is ok to study from a more concise material and only refer to this just in case or you recommend studying the material in all detail here?

I saw an ebook version. It is cheaper and I can study that from anywhere. Is this book something you would buy on paper because you definitely would like to take this with you to exam, or is it ok if I buy ebook?

is this a must have book regardless of any depth you choose? Are there any other good morning session study book you can recommend?

 

[Phantom PE]

The CERM seems to be the hands down definitive morning reference book. That and my notes from a review course were all I needed for the morning. It will have some information on the afternoon topics, but you will really need the references listed by NCEES for your discipline. I took transportation, and you definitely need the greenbook, MUTCD, Roadside design guide and HCM. There is no single book that has everything.

I would not go ebook as you will need to take the book with you. I would say this is a must have for any discipline.

 

[ketanco]

and as far as the editions, should i definitely buy the latest one or 1-2 prior is ok? i saw a much cheaper used one but not latest edition

 

[Lumber Jim]

I think you put too much effort into taking the PE to worry about saving a few bucks on an older edition of a reference book that will be the main one that gets referenced. I have kept my MERM as a reference since the test and it has come in handy. The book has all of my own tabs and ear tags that helped me reference sections quickly on the test. The choice is yours to make but I was glad to have the latest edition.

:2cents:

 

[ptatohed]

Is CERM a study bok for morning only or does it cover ALL afternoon sections too?

It seems pretty detailed. Is it just there just in case and it is ok to study from a more concise material and only refer to this just in case or you recommend studying the material in all detail here?

I saw an ebook version. It is cheaper and I can study that from anywhere. Is this book something you would buy on paper because you definitely would like to take this with you to exam, or is it ok if I buy ebook?

is this a must have book regardless of any depth you choose? Are there any other good morning session study book you can recommend?

I have mixed feelings about the CERM. It's a great and indispensable book but it has a bit of an identity crisis. For starters I feel all of the "Background" info should be taken out. If it's not on the exam, take it out. Second, is it AM or PM?? It's not marketed as AM-only yet you might easily think that it is based on the companian depth-specific books PPI sells along with the CERM. As for content, the CERM covers all AM topics and some PM topics but not all PM topics. So, I guess consider it an " AM+ " book? I also wish the CERM clearly sorted/identified AM vs PM topic coverage. If I am taking, say, Transpo Depth, I need to know where the Geotech AM topics are but I'd like to avoid the Geotech PM-only topics.

Buy the bound/printed book.

It's a must have. You can also consider Goswami's All-In-One but I'd buy it in addition to the CERM, not instead of.

and as far as the editions, should i definitely buy the latest one or 1-2 prior is ok? i saw a much cheaper used one but not latest edition

If you already owned a, say, 11th Ed, I'd say keep it. But if you are buying one for the first time, get the latest edition.

Good luck.

 

[andyrich]

I don't really recommend buying the older materials. Could you imagine how you would feel if the reason you failed the PE was you missed a question due to not having the most current resource?

The CERM is not perfect, but it has worked for a lot of engineers, and is definately one of the best on the market.I would suggest getting the newest one, if you can. It will be out of date before you know it, anyway, so its better to get a newer one, IMO.

 

[BigandTasty]

Ok I have a question. When is the CERM 14 coming out? On ppi2pass website is says that you can upgrade to CERM 13 until April, 30 2013. SO , I was hoping that they would have a new one out soon and the new afternoon Transportation package that had the study materials covering the new references on the Transportation afternoon such as the latest greenbook, HCM 2010 etc. I want to get started studying however, I don't want to buy CERM 13 and 14 come out in a month. TIme is ticking as well.

 

[Troutfinder P.E.]

BigandTasty, that very thing happened to me, I purchased CERM 12 and then a month or two later CERM 13 came out, they offered an upgrade from 12 to 13 for $85, you just had to fill out a form and cut the cover off the CERM 12 and send it in to prove you really had CERM 12 to get the deal. I wanted to start studying just like you are saying, so if you dont mind dropping another $85 or whatever the upgrade price will be, then go ahead and get the CERM 13 and let the fun begin!

 

[K19]

Given the circumstances you describe I would suggest just going with the current 13th edition. I got by just fine with the 12th edition when I took the exam last October even though the 13th was (and still is) the current edition. If I recall the 13th came out right about a month after I had bought mine as well.

While codes & standards do change over time, discipline fundamentals generally do not. It's highly doubtful that you'll see any code-related question in the morning depth section, never mind one that's a make-or-break hinging upon the version of the CERM you have.

Also, be sure to check out the ppi website for any errata for your particular edition. Good Luck.

 

[BigandTasty]

Thanks very much!

 

[daxx1313]

Thanks for all the info everyone. You've helped answer part of a question I posted in another thread.

 

[John QPE]

and as far as the editions, should i definitely buy the latest one or 1-2 prior is ok? i saw a much cheaper used one but not latest edition

If you already have one, you can go through all the erratta of the newer editions and update your copy accordingly. The content of this book has not really changed much over the years. Of course, if buying a new one, I'd get the latest edition.

 

[daxx1313]

So here’s my dilemma. I have the CERM 10th ed, and I’ve been working the problems in it for quite some time and am very familiar with it. I just registered for the School of PE (SPE) online course and that came with a hefty price tag of $1300. So now I’m basically broke. I looked at the table of contents of CERM 13 and compared it to CERM 10 and cross referenced it with the sections I need to study for SPE, and the CERM 10 is about 95% the same. The only area where things seem to be different (at least it looks that way from the Table of Contents) is the Construction area.

Since I’m pretty much tapped out as far as funds go, what would all of you suggest I do?

Go with the CERM 10 and hope I’m good on the 95% overlap, or should I eat only ramen for the next month and buy the CERM 13?

Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

D

 

[snickerd3]

is there a library you can borrow the new edition from whether from there or interlibrary

 

[VaStruct07]

I used the CERM for only one problem that I encountered that I had no other idea how to work.

Personally, I found it worthless to lug that thing into the test and use it as little as I did. Granted, I took a prep course which focused more on the topics that have been on previous exams, and I was also told by friends to focus on what the class covered and not to waste my time with the CERM (that was included with the class). The CERM certainly covers everything you need to know, but I would have read the first section then...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Also, I think I only opened the CERM sample problem book once, and that was to flip through just to see what it looked like.

 

[JoeyPinoy]

and as far as the editions, should i definitely buy the latest one or 1-2 prior is ok? i saw a much cheaper used one but not latest edition

I used a 15 year old MERM along with its matching companion problem set and I found it to be fine for both studying and during the test. Only rarely did I find a "gap" when practicing off the NCEES practice test; Google can take care of the rest.

The main thing is to use the hell out of the book during practice, becoming intimately familiar with what is where. This will save lots of time, especially if you supplement with some sort of index or tabbing system in the book.

 

[Predgw]

Intern

If you spent the $1300 on the SOPE then save your money, you will do fine with the 10th edition. In fact, eben if you had the money, I would save the cash for a depth section manual.

 

[rah2115]

I just purchased the morning review material from PPI about 2 weeks ago, which included the CERM 13th edition with all of the accompanying practice problems and solutions. Now today, I went on their website and they are now selling the CERM 14th edition with all new practice material. Would anyone recommend updating versions, or do you feel like the 13th will be more than current enough to study by? Thanks.

 

[matt267 PE]

I just purchased the morning review material from PPI about 2 weeks ago, which included the CERM 13th edition with all of the accompanying practice problems and solutions. Now today, I went on their website and they are now selling the CERM 14th edition with all new practice material. Would anyone recommend updating versions, or do you feel like the 13th will be more than current enough to study by? Thanks.

I also just received the 13th edition of it all. I'm taking the water depth so I'm not too concerned about updates to code standards. I'm sticking with the 13th edition. They are based on the same ncees exam specs, I think.

 

[ptatohed]

I just purchased the morning review material from PPI about 2 weeks ago, which included the CERM 13th edition with all of the accompanying practice problems and solutions. Now today, I went on their website and they are now selling the CERM 14th edition with all new practice material. Would anyone recommend updating versions, or do you feel like the 13th will be more than current enough to study by? Thanks.

That's rough. Can you return/exchange your 13 for the 14?