April 2013 SE, how did you do?

[Mark Leyner]

my results are now posted on CTS, pass lateral and vertical. it looks like i'll get to add two more initials to my name. Good luck to all!

 

[tenguy23]

Checked again for me in Illinois... Passed day 1 vertical and failed lateral day 2...glad I don't have to study for day 1 an now I'm ready to tackle day 2 round 2!

For those that passed day 2, any suggestions on how to study for the next 4 mo? I'm definitely going to purchase/study that 3 volume set for ibc/seaoc as I didn't use those at all, but I would bet my weaknesses were in (1) am bridge problems, (2) pm timber problems and (3) am & pm masonry problems

 

[tictac]

Checked again for me in Illinois... Passed day 1 vertical and failed lateral day 2...glad I don't have to study for day 1 an now I'm ready to tackle day 2 round 2!

For those that passed day 2, any suggestions on how to study for the next 4 mo? I'm definitely going to purchase/study that 3 volume set for ibc/seaoc as I didn't use those at all, but I would bet my weaknesses were in (1) am bridge problems, (2) pm timber problems and (3) am & pm masonry problems

SEAOC Manuals definitely helped me for round 2, My biggest problem was not having enough problems so I bought Kaplans "Structural Engineering PE License Review Problems & Solutions, 8th Edition"

It has some mistakes and some occasional outdated code references but it's well worth it. I believe most of the problems are taken from old SE exams from its older formats.

 

[Mark Leyner]

I'll second the SEAOC manuals. I worked through all the problems in Volumes 1 and 3. I also read all the code sections referenced by those problems and used them to highlight and/or tab specific sections and "wrinkles" to look out for on the exam.

I also bought and worked through most of the problems in Alan Williams, "Structural Engineering PE License Review Problems & Solutions, 8th Ed.". A lot of the "mistakes" in the solutions turned out to be mistakes on my part. The problems in this book seem pretty difficult at first go, but I think if you study the solutions and work through them, they really prepare you for the types of problems you'll see on the exam. Not only are the problems all taken from old PE and/or SE exams, but each problem is referenced as such. There is another Alan Williams book called, "Seismic and Wind Forces: Structural Design Examples" that is worth a look. The fundamental material is pretty good. I ran into several legitimate errors in the steel design section, but if nothing else, the problems in this book will expose you to more situations and hopefully, broaden your comfort zone when it comes to the much more limited number of problems on the exam.

Also, I worked the NCESS sample exam and the PPI sample exam several times. THe PPI sample exam is buildings only, so keep that in mind. Beginning about a month out from the actual exam, I worked the essay portions with a stopwatch over and over. I took the AM exams under time twice each and I should note that I failed the multiple choice exams all four times (IIRC). But there is no better preparation than to work problems in the exam environment. I will note that the NCEES essay solutions seem to be minimum passing solutions. Meaning, the solution presented is the minimum amount that would qualify a candidate for an acceptable essay answer. The PPI sample exam includes much more thorough essay solutions. And, of course the caveat with the essays is that they are graded by humans and the criteria are unknown. The best gouge for essays seems to be demonstrate your engineering judgment and problem solving ability regardless of how comfortable you are with the "nuts and bolts" of the exam, i.e. - in my opinion, an inelegant, but serviceable solution seems likely to win the candidate more points than a flurry of code references and an incomplete, or unserviceable solution.

I'd be happy to elaborate or share more if anyone reading this is interested. Best of luck to everyone, it's quite an accomplishment to qualify to sit for these exams, and as the passing rates indicate, it's a significant accomplishment to pass. Congratulations to all.

 

[ajk244]

CTS is showing pass for both for me arty-smiley-048: (I was hoping I'd get a chance to use that emoticon).

I'll definitely recommend the SEAOC books. There's a lot in there that's never explained in the codes. Also, the 16 hour practice exam from ppi is fantastic. Very challenging, but very representative of the test.

 

[TehMightyEngineer]

Blast, failed vertical (buildings). Didn't take lateral.

Passed 75% of the AM questions (surprised it was that low) but clearly didn't do well enough on the PM questions.

Wood: Acceptable

Steel: Improvement Required

Masonry: Improvement Required (Not surprised, didn't finish this one)

Concrete: Unacceptable (Not surprised, wasn't as prepared for this as I should have been and didn't finish it either)

Oh well, that will make my studying load easier this time around but, darn if it's not annoying. At least I know what to expect this time.

 

[captaincaution]

I'd also recommend the SEAOC seismic manuals. The ones I used referenced the 2006 IBC, and the exam was 2009 IBC, but I found that it didn't matter. The changes in the code are minor, but the concepts and methods you use are exactly the same. It goes through horizontal distribution of lateral forces really well. I also used the NCEES sample exam they have available on their website, as well as the PPI practice exam. While it focuses on the building afternoon problems, there were still some bridge problems in the morning portions.

I have an extra set of the SEAOC books, brand new still in shrinkwrap, again referencing the 2006 code. I'd be interested in selling them if anyone wants them. They'd be much less expensive than the new books.

If you aren't planning on taking the exam(s) again until next spring, I can't recommend the SEAOI review course enough. Everything you need to know for the exam is covered. If there is a material you are weak with, taking this course will definitely help you out. It's available live online, too, so you can still take advantage even if you can't get to downtown Chicago easily.

Other than that, it's a lot of practice, practice, practice. And making good use of tabs for your codes!

 

[ajk244]

I'd second the SEAOI course. It's a lot better value (price per contact hour) than the other courses I looked into. You may not get a ton out of every session, but I feel like review courses (both this one and the PE review course I took) added more structure to my preparation by having regularly scheduled classes and helped keep me in studying mode over the long haul.

 

[steelhead]

I didnt do nearly as well as I though I would. Dang this SE test was fast!

Whoohoo! Passed both!

If I had to do it again I would definitely work on working problems faster. I didn't think I passed because I ran out of time. But I'll take it

 

[Porta John]

I didnt do nearly as well as I though I would. Dang this SE test was fast!

Whoohoo! Passed both!

If I had to do it again I would definitely work on working problems faster. I didn't think I passed because I ran out of time. But I'll take it

Congrats Steelhead!! Huge accomplishment!!

 

[steelhead]

Thanks. Good luck to everybody on the next one.