Architectural Engineering PE

[Ritchie503]

Thought I would start a topic for the Architectural Engineering PE Exam.

I know there is not a lot of reference material for this exam, so if anyone is planning to take it in April (Only time its offered) feel free to use me as a resource (I took it April 2007 and passed).

 

[owillis28]

Thought I would start a topic for the Architectural Engineering PE Exam.
I know there is not a lot of reference material for this exam, so if anyone is planning to take it in April (Only time its offered) feel free to use me as a resource (I took it April 2007 and passed).

What does an Architectural Engineer do?

 

[kswildcats]

I just took the Mechanical PE last October and did not pass. Now I am trying to decide which exam to take come this April. I practice MEP engineering on a daily basis, but I have not touched Structural since school approx 5 years ago. I have all the study material for the ME (obviously it did not help), but I cannot find a whole lot for the Arch E. I have heard the Arch E test is not easy and wonder if I would be better off taking the ME test again. Anyone have any thoughts or have ever talked to someone that has taken both tests? Thanks

 

[Ritchie503]

What does an Architectural Engineer do?

Good question as I think many are not familiar with the term. Architectural Engineering is really a mix or renaming of other types of engineering specifically for the building construction industry. Most people with an AE degree probably refer to themselves as: 1) Structural Engineers 2) Mechanical Engineers 3) Electrical Engineers.

Personally I am an electrical guy, I went the AE degree route because it seems like EE degrees taught a lot of electronics type stuff - which was not my interest. The AE degree taught electrical more as it pertained to buildings in addition to Construction Management/Structural/Mechanical building systems.

 

[Ritchie503]

I just took the Mechanical PE last October and did not pass. Now I am trying to decide which exam to take come this April. I practice MEP engineering on a daily basis, but I have not touched Structural since school approx 5 years ago. I have all the study material for the ME (obviously it did not help), but I cannot find a whole lot for the Arch E. I have heard the Arch E test is not easy and wonder if I would be better off taking the ME test again. Anyone have any thoughts or have ever talked to someone that has taken both tests? Thanks

Finding resources/study materials for the AE exam is one of the toughest things, I went through all of this myself. I also debated what exam to take (AE or EE-power). If you work on MEP on a daily basis, I think you really need to give taking it serious consideration. Finding references/books is difficult, I will try to help, but in general just remember you need to find books that cover the subjects of the AE exam even though they were not written for the AE exam (Ask coworkers/engineering friends/etc what books they have so you don't have to buy as many). Here are few things by the four major sections of the test:

Structural (27%):

This was by far the toughest portion of the test for me, I think the same will be true for you. I basically used two references/books for this, one was the Structural portion of the Civil Engineering Review Manual, and the other was a book called "Architecture Exam Review: Volume 1 - Structural Topics". Neither book was written for the exam I took but the content is so similar it worked. I went though both of them in their entirety, it took a lot of time but it was my weakest subject. I did also use the LRFD Steel Manual quite a bit which I was not familiar with at all until studying for the exam, there are tables with information in them that may become useful. I did also have the ACI 318 book I borrowed from someone which while not as helpful as the other books was ok, I didn't have any prior experience with this. My friend who took the AE exam a year earlier has a Civil Engineering/Construction Management degree found it quite useful (I am sure their score on the structural portion was way higher than mine, we both passed but you can make the points us in Mech/Elec as I did). My theory on this section was to try and get some right, but knew it was never my strong point.

Construction Management/General Knowledge (27%):

These are two separate subjects in exam breakdown but I combine them as I look at the test as only have 4 major sections. If you work in MEP, the General Knowledge part should be pretty easy – not a lot you can study for here in my opinion. (BTW: KSWildCats what is your college degree in?) As for construction management, the 2 most important things to you need to know how to do are schedules and engineering economics. If you don’t have one, get an engineering economics book – the book I have is small, I went over it briefly to understand how to use the tables in the back (you’ll need it for the tables). The IBC (International Building Code) book was also helpful to bring.

Mechanical (23%):

Since you attempted the ME exam, I assume this is your strong point and you have all the references you need (What ME Depth did you attempt KSWildCats?) Here is what I used: I had a book called “Mechanical & Electrical Systems in Buildings” by Tao/Janis from college (read the entire mechanical section – There books like this from other authors that are as good or better). I bought the “Six Minute Solutions for PE Exam – HVAC & Refrigeration Problems” book and solved all of those problems for practice as they are very similar to the exam. My friend had used a ‘Ductilator’ quite a bit, I didn’t use it but it would be worth bringing. I also bought the NFPA Pocket Guide to Sprinkler Installation. Mechanical was stuff I hadn’t really used a lot since college but it all came back to me as I reviewed it.

Electrical (23%):

This was a strong point for me being an electrical guy, here is what I used: I used the NEC Handbook (I prefer the handbook over the code book) a lot on the exam, its essential to have one of them. I am familiar with the book, but if I wasn’t I would maybe copy some of the common stuff out of it and have it in a binder (ex: 310.16, 430.52, 430.250, conduit fill tables, etc.) or at least tab it. I used ‘Uglys Electrical Reference’ as well, the book is short/small but has a lot of good stuff (I like their shortcut way of doing powerfactor correction – I used it to check my longhand way. Also has some items tables I listed to copy from the code book). I also brought my SquareD (GE also has one) motor calculator slide rule, it has FLC for motors, conductor ampacities, conduit fill (for EMT only), etc (quicker than looking it up in the codebook sometimes). I also had used some stuff out of the ME Systems book I mentioned above under mechanical, mainly used it for lighting – know how to do lighting calculations.

Other Info/Thoughts:

Advice that is in other areas of this board for general preparation applies to this exam as well, but I’ll repeat a few things anyway. FE formula book may be worth bringing. Tab/Highlight while going through the references. I copied/transferred formulas onto several sheets that I brought in my binder to have quick access to them – with units and some unit conversions. You don’t need to know the exact answer, just approximate answer (or just knowing what answer isn’t right). Read the questions carefully to be sure you know what they are looking for (ex: when you end up with 4.5 do you choose 4 or 5).

Overall on most subjects I think the questions are more general about the specific topic instead of extremely deep/complicated.

There is a list of references/books issued by NCEES or someone who worked on writing the exam, if you don’t have a copy of it or can’t find it let me know.

You MUST get the AE Practice Exam & Solutions. I sat down and took it as an 8hr test (just like the real one) one day, its most helpful to simulate the real exam. Take the practice exam at least 1 month before the test! This is important because taking the practice exam will give you a good feel of what will be on the actual exam while having enough time work on some weak spots (My friend & I failed the practice exam by the way). I got through the Mech/Elec/CM/General sections of the actual exam in 2 hrs which left me 2 hrs to try to figure out the structural portion.

Hope this helps you (and others) out – I know it’s a bit long. Please feel free to ask other questions and best of luck to you! Let me know what exam you decide to take. ~Ritchie

 

[Bman]

Ritchie,

Thanks for the excellent info. I am looking into taking the PE exam in April '09 and was leaning toward mechanical since that is what my degree is in, but I think the architectural is much more geared toward what I actually do. I am actually getting my MS in Project Management from Boston University right now (part of the reason for the April '09 date), so the construction management section should be a cakewalk for me. Anyway, I appreciate all the info you put together, I printed it out and will definitely be referring to towards the end of the year!

 

[Ritchie503]

Ritchie,Thanks for the excellent info. I am looking into taking the PE exam in April '09 and was leaning toward mechanical since that is what my degree is in, but I think the architectural is much more geared toward what I actually do. I am actually getting my MS in Project Management from Boston University right now (part of the reason for the April '09 date), so the construction management section should be a cakewalk for me. Anyway, I appreciate all the info you put together, I printed it out and will definitely be referring to towards the end of the year!

Glad it helped since it did take awhile to type! I think the CM part is basic anyway, I had one CM class and thought that part of the test was easy. I think a lot of people avoid the AE exam (aren't aware of it, lack of people who have taken it, lack of study materials for it). Good luck finishing your MS degree, if you come up with other question/etc feel free to post them, I know the exam is out a bit for you.

 

[Brad Carne]

Great information. I will be taking it in April. Do you know where I can find an updated Reference Guide. The one I have is outdated.

 

[Ritchie503]

Great information. I will be taking it in April. Do you know where I can find an updated Reference Guide. The one I have is outdated.

I attached what I have for a reference list that I had found. There are a lot on the list, I don't think it is possible to bring them all.

I do want to say one thing about the 'year' of the code book. One that is the current code cycle is great, but using one that is up to a few code cycles old I think will work overall on the exam. An older code book may be easier to find (or a heck of a lot cheaper), the intent of the PE exam is not to test on all the code changes from the previous code cycle. Thats my :2cents:

 

[kswildcats]

Ritchie503,

Thanks for the advice. I kind of forgot to check back on the website to see if anyone replied.

I graduated with a BS in Architectrual Engineering. I do all MEP design, but particulary like electrical most.

I did the HVAC and Refrigeration depth portion of the afternoon ME test.

I signed up for the AE test, but I am concerned about the structural portion. I have a lot of books from college, but that was the last time I cracked any of them open.

My biggest problem is trying to find the time to study. My problem with the ME test was I could work the majority of the problems if I would have more time. Now I have so much reference material I am trying to organize it to be as efficient as possible during the test.

Thanks again for all your advice.

kswildcats

 

[Ritchie503]

Ritchie503,Thanks for the advice. I kind of forgot to check back on the website to see if anyone replied.

I graduated with a BS in Architectrual Engineering. I do all MEP design, but particulary like electrical most.

I did the HVAC and Refrigeration depth portion of the afternoon ME test.

I signed up for the AE test, but I am concerned about the structural portion. I have a lot of books from college, but that was the last time I cracked any of them open.

My biggest problem is trying to find the time to study. My problem with the ME test was I could work the majority of the problems if I would have more time. Now I have so much reference material I am trying to organize it to be as efficient as possible during the test.

Thanks again for all your advice.

kswildcats

The number of replies on this thread is low.. but thats ok, I knew it would be but still wanted to help those very few who are going to take the AE-PE. Since you like doing electrical, I think that portion will be pretty easy for you as should the HVAC questions. As I said I did the HVAC depth six minute solutions, if you can do that well I think you are should do well on the HVAC question on the AE-PE. The structual was tough, its hard to sit down and study something you don't enjoy, don't really understand, etc. Its just hard to sit down and study.. But you don't want to go though this PE test taking process again so you know best of what you need to do to make this one your last.

Personally I like to understand the concepts behind the problem vs just how to solve a specific problem. You never know exactly how a problem will be worded/what will be asked, I think knowing the comcepts help be able to figure out. There are other threads on this.

If I can be of assistance feel free to ask. Let me know how the exam goes and the hopefully positive results. And best of luck to you and everyone else!

 

[Mike_NC]

Ritchie503,

Thank you for all of the helpful information you have posted thus far..

I am starting to research and consider which PE Exam discipline to take in April 2009 also.

My background is in Civil/Construction Engineering, however I have just started working in MEP System Design.

I bought the Civil Book produced by NCEES and feel familiar with a lot of it, mostly b/c those are the classes I took in school. I have also just got the Arch. Engineering Manual produced by ASCE.

However my company would like for me to pursue the Arch. exam since that is what I am practicing or starting to practice.

What is turning me off to the idea so far is the limited amount of resources availble. Civil has reference books, sample questions, practice exams, university level review courses, etc. Where as w/ Arch. I feel I am on my own..

I feel comfortable w/ Structural and Construction Admin, however I am working on plumbing but have yet to dive into Electrical or Mechanical Design.. other than CAD work..

Any opinions or advice?

Thanks..

 

[Bman]

Ritchie503,

I was looking at AEI's website and I found this map of states that currently offer the AE exam (http://content.aeinstitute.org/images/state2.jpg). Since there are a handful that do not offer the exam, do you know if there are any issues with reciprocity in these states if we pass the AE exam in another state? It seems like it would be a bigger problem for states that make you declare your dispcipline such as mechanical, electrical, civil, etc. as opposed to states that simply license you as a professional engineer. I'm really leaning toward the AE exam at this point, but I am getting a little hung up on this issue. Not sure if I should just take the ME exam and be safe or just hope that these few states approve the exam before it ever becomes an issue for me....

 

[Ritchie503]

Ritchie503,Thank you for all of the helpful information you have posted thus far..

I am starting to research and consider which PE Exam discipline to take in April 2009 also.

My background is in Civil/Construction Engineering, however I have just started working in MEP System Design.

I bought the Civil Book produced by NCEES and feel familiar with a lot of it, mostly b/c those are the classes I took in school. I have also just got the Arch. Engineering Manual produced by ASCE.

However my company would like for me to pursue the Arch. exam since that is what I am practicing or starting to practice.

What is turning me off to the idea so far is the limited amount of resources availble. Civil has reference books, sample questions, practice exams, university level review courses, etc. Where as w/ Arch. I feel I om on my own..

I feel comfortable w/ Structural and Construction Admin, however I am working on plumbing but have yet to dive into Electrical or Mechanical Design.. other than CAD work..

Any opinions or advice?

Thanks..

It sounds as if my weakness are your strenghts! I think the most difficult part of the AE-PE is getting stuff together to feel comfortable to sit for the exam, since few take it there just isn't much out there direclty for it.. Like I said before, all the subjects on it there are books/etc for, it just a matter of putting together a collection for the exam (well and knowing how to use whats in them). It honestly took some time to find what I needed, thats why I am sharing my experience.. I want you to feel less on your own than I did. If it makes you feel better, I know two others who took the AE-PE exam the same time I did, I don't know them well and didn't know they were taking the exam until we were in the room, all three of us passed. Am I correct in assuming that you have very limited experience in mechanical/electrical?

I think you have 1/2 of the exam covered, as for mechanical/electrial here is my take: Get a book that is about mechanical/electrical systems in buildings and read it. I had used the Tao/Janis book but there are others out there. Sit down and do the problems in Six Minute Solutions for PE Exam – HVAC & Refrigeration Problems”, I think this is actually a great book of problems. If you can do the problems in this book you shouldn't have any issues on the mechanical portion of the exam.

As for electrical, for sure don't just open the code book and try to understand it. I think the mechanical/electrical systems in buildings book is the place to start. With the electrical part, I would say to keep it simple (goes for mechanical too), don't get too focused in on one area. There is a lot to any dicipline, but questions will more likely be general/entry level type questions. Not sure of a good sampling of electrial questions other than the AE Practice Exam & Solutions - could start there. The reason I don't have any other electrical references is that I didn't study this area at all. You could search the books at Construction Book Express to see if you can find something, I had bought other books there. Be aware when searching that there is a lot of books for the electrical journeyman/masters exams, these books would have more advanced/deeper questions/code questions than you will see on the AE-PE.

Hope some of this helps?

~Ritchie503

 

[Ritchie503]

I was looking at AEI's website and I found this map of states that currently offer the AE exam (http://content.aeinstitute.org/images/state2.jpg). Since there are a handful that do not offer the exam, do you know if there are any issues with reciprocity in these states if we pass the AE exam in another state? It seems like it would be a bigger problem for states that make you declare your dispcipline such as mechanical, electrical, civil, etc. as opposed to states that simply license you as a professional engineer. I'm really leaning toward the AE exam at this point, but I am getting a little hung up on this issue. Not sure if I should just take the ME exam and be safe or just hope that these few states approve the exam before it ever becomes an issue for me....

I have not had to deal with reciprocity issues, all the states around here have the AE. I think a state that doesn't have the AE-PE may not let you get a PE liscense in that state? The best thing to do is call which ever state you think you may submitt a comity application to and see what their rules are. In states that just liscense as a PE (not the discipline specific thing) you at least dont' have to explain why the stamp says AE when you are claiming to be an electrical or mechanical guy. I am glad that the majority of states do offer the AE-PE.

 

[Mike_NC]

Ritchie503

Thanks for the help and advice..

You were correct, I have no/limited actual mechanical/electrical design. As I said, I am entry level in that type position now, however I am getting acclimated w/ plumbing and CAD and haven't even started focusing on M or E.

I guess with all of the Civil Resources, it is taking a lot to turn away from that and start gearing toward an arch. one..

Also, what are your feelings on licensure/practicing.. As far as my degree in civil/construction, pass the civil/construction, then "practice" MEP, which is basically architectural.. I know on the Civil-Construction board, there was ALOT of debate and arguing over that recently.. haha..

Do you have any specific texts you found helpful on the M & E? Or just a general Building system design adequate?

Also, any hints on the "general" info that is 12%..

This exam being a single 8 hr exam.. do you get the entire exam in the morning to pace yourself as youd like, or do they give you "half" in the morning and a second "half" in the afternoon.. ?

Thanks for your help and insight.

Mike

 

[Ritchie503]

You were correct, I have no/limited actual mechanical/electrical design. As I said, I am entry level in that type position now, however I am getting acclimated w/ plumbing and CAD and haven't even started focusing on M or E.I guess with all of the Civil Resources, it is taking a lot to turn away from that and start gearing toward an arch. one..

Also, what are your feelings on licensure/practicing.. As far as my degree in civil/construction, pass the civil/construction, then "practice" MEP, which is basically architectural.. I know on the Civil-Construction board, there was ALOT of debate and arguing over that recently.. haha..

Do you have any specific texts you found helpful on the M & E? Or just a general Building system design adequate?

Also, any hints on the "general" info that is 12%..

This exam being a single 8 hr exam.. do you get the entire exam in the morning to pace yourself as youd like, or do they give you "half" in the morning and a second "half" in the afternoon.. ?

Thanks for your help and insight.

Mike

Mike you are welcome for the advice, I am glad I can be of assistance (and that my AE-PE exam thread is actually getting some activity!! I know how little is out there on this exam).

I think it is fine to have limited work experience on portions of the AE-PE exam, for example I do electrical for my job. I do know the basics of HVAC/Plumbing, I had some of it in college and it came back to me rather quickly to where I think I did very well on that portion of the exam. What you do day to day at work and what is the the exam many not be exactly the same, I think the exam is overally more basic but at work I get indepth on certain stuff. Hopefully you see my point? I wouldn't let this scare you.

If you have all the civil resources and the knowledge to pass the Civil exam, it would be tough to go redo all of that for a different exam. Most people currently practing MEP who have a PE liscense did not do the Architectural PE as it is so new. If your state lets you practice in any dicipline, it shouldn't matter which exam you take. Like I stated in a previous post, make sure whatever states you plan to do comity applications for will accept the AE-PE for what you will need to sign. The Civil PE is more widely accepted and you may have fewer reprocity issues with that one. So honestly, if civil is your strong point and you can do the civil exam, that may be best for you. Fun decision right? I know you prefer not to retake the exam.

I think you need a book that is specifically mechanical/electrical systems unless the overall building design book goes indepth for M&E. There are so many other systems in buildings that don't apply to the exam (curtain wall systems, etc.) The specific text I used for mechanical/electrical (ok I didn't read the electrical section but I know it has one, I knew the electrical well enough that I didn't study it. I will try to look through my book to see if the electrical part looks like it covers whats needed, I know it covers lighting calculations well). The newer version of the one I used is "Mechanical & Electrical Systems in Buildings" Janis/Tao, ISBN-10: 0135130131 ISBN-13: 978-0135130131. Another option that may be better (my friend went to a different school and used this one) is "Mechanical & Electrical Equipment for Buildings" Stein/Reynolds/..../.... ISBN-10: 0471465917 ISBN-13: 978-0471465911. You can preview pages of the second one on Amazon.com

As for the general portion, if the "constrution" part of your degree was in reference to 'building construction' I think you will be fine. If you have a general sense of how a building goes together and general knowledge of the materials its made of, then again should be fine.

As for any version of the PE exam you take, you will get a set of questions for the morning section (exactly 1/2 for the AE-PE, some civil exams I think do a different number of questions in the afternoon) and turn them in to never see them again. You will then get the rest of the questions in the afternoon. The reason is if they gave you all of the questions in the morning and let you go to lunch, you could ask people (taking the exam or offsite) over lunch and then use that info when you go back in... I think you get the picture, and its a good thing this is not allowed to happen. Manage your time in each half, I got through it and had enough time to do the ones I understood. Personally here is what I did: I went though the exam in order by question, I tried to answer it, if I did I marked it down on the answer sheet, if I was unsure I flagged it to look at it later, and if I had no clue (which would be most sturctural questions for me) I skipped it and did it last. At the end I did go back over all the problems quickly to look for major mistakes (when in a rush you can do silly things). Some questions I was stumped on earlier during my 2nd look, it was like 'ah stupid Ritchie, here is how you do this'. I think there is enough time for the exam if you are prepared. (other parts of the form may cover this, or throw it out there in a different section and I am sure you will get opinions.). I did the mechanical/electrical/general-CM portion (about 75% of the exam) in about 2 1/2 hrs, leaving the rest (1 1/2 hrs) to pull my hair out on structural questions.

Once again, my post turned out long... Hope this helps... Feel free to keep asking questions and best of luck with whichever exam you take.

~Ritchie503

 

[TAGGIES]

Mike you are welcome for the advice, I am glad I can be of assistance (and that my AE-PE exam thread is actually getting some activity!! I know how little is out there on this exam). I think it is fine to have limited work experience on portions of the AE-PE exam, for example I do electrical for my job. I do know the basics of HVAC/Plumbing, I had some of it in college and it came back to me rather quickly to where I think I did very well on that portion of the exam. What you do day to day at work and what is the the exam many not be exactly the same, I think the exam is overally more basic but at work I get indepth on certain stuff. Hopefully you see my point? I wouldn't let this scare you.

If you have all the civil resources and the knowledge to pass the Civil exam, it would be tough to go redo all of that for a different exam. Most people currently practing MEP who have a PE liscense did not do the Architectural PE as it is so new. If your state lets you practice in any dicipline, it shouldn't matter which exam you take. Like I stated in a previous post, make sure whatever states you plan to do comity applications for will accept the AE-PE for what you will need to sign. The Civil PE is more widely accepted and you may have fewer reprocity issues with that one. So honestly, if civil is your strong point and you can do the civil exam, that may be best for you. Fun decision right? I know you prefer not to retake the exam.

I think you need a book that is specifically mechanical/electrical systems unless the overall building design book goes indepth for M&E. There are so many other systems in buildings that don't apply to the exam (curtain wall systems, etc.) The specific text I used for mechanical/electrical (ok I didn't read the electrical section but I know it has one, I knew the electrical well enough that I didn't study it. I will try to look through my book to see if the electrical part looks like it covers whats needed, I know it covers lighting calculations well). The newer version of the one I used is "Mechanical & Electrical Systems in Buildings" Janis/Tao, ISBN-10: 0135130131 ISBN-13: 978-0135130131. Another option that may be better (my friend went to a different school and used this one) is "Mechanical & Electrical Equipment for Buildings" Stein/Reynolds/..../.... ISBN-10: 0471465917 ISBN-13: 978-0471465911. You can preview pages of the second one on Amazon.com

As for the general portion, if the "constrution" part of your degree was in reference to 'building construction' I think you will be fine. If you have a general sense of how a building goes together and general knowledge of the materials its made of, then again should be fine.

As for any version of the PE exam you take, you will get a set of questions for the morning section (exactly 1/2 for the AE-PE, some civil exams I think do a different number of questions in the afternoon) and turn them in to never see them again. You will then get the rest of the questions in the afternoon. The reason is if they gave you all of the questions in the morning and let you go to lunch, you could ask people (taking the exam or offsite) over lunch and then use that info when you go back in... I think you get the picture, and its a good thing this is not allowed to happen. Manage your time in each half, I got through it and had enough time to do the ones I understood. Personally here is what I did: I went though the exam in order by question, I tried to answer it, if I did I marked it down on the answer sheet, if I was unsure I flagged it to look at it later, and if I had no clue (which would be most sturctural questions for me) I skipped it and did it last. At the end I did go back over all the problems quickly to look for major mistakes (when in a rush you can do silly things). Some questions I was stumped on earlier during my 2nd look, it was like 'ah stupid Ritchie, here is how you do this'. I think there is enough time for the exam if you are prepared. (other parts of the form may cover this, or throw it out there in a different section and I am sure you will get opinions.). I did the mechanical/electrical/general-CM portion (about 75% of the exam) in about 2 1/2 hrs, leaving the rest (1 1/2 hrs) to pull my hair out on structural questions.

Once again, my post turned out long... Hope this helps... Feel free to keep asking questions and best of luck with whichever exam you take.

~Ritchie503

I am being today by odering the "Ugly Electrical Reference", "2005 Dr. Watts Pocket Electrical Guide, "The Ductular - Duct Sizing Calculator, Trane, 1998" and "The Civil Engineering Reference Manual fo tht PE Exam" . Thanks for the advice!

 

[Ritchie503]

I am being today by odering the "Ugly Electrical Reference", "2005 Dr. Watts Pocket Electrical Guide, "The Ductular - Duct Sizing Calculator, Trane, 1998" and "The Civil Engineering Reference Manual fo tht PE Exam" . Thanks for the advice!

Good for you to start collecting reference material. Glad to see you found this tread, and congrats on your first post. If you have any questions feel free to ask and welcome to the fourm.

 

[KSU-ARE]

I'm glad to see that a forum has been started on this subject as I'm starting to look for reference material for the AE PE exam in April 2009. As the rest, I ran in to a wall when looking for such material and study guides. I graduated from Kansas State with bachelors in Architectural Engineering and have been doing Electrical since. After talking to a lot of people who have taken the EE PE, I was fairly certain I did not want to go that rout as it seemed to me that 90% of people with AE degree do not pass that exam. So now after finding out that majority of the states do offer AE PE exam, that is the rout I plan to go. Although I have not done structural for a wile now, I don't think it will be THE toughest for me as we did have a number of classes in it back and school and i do still have all my class notebooks with notes. (Thank god they graded us on how our notebook was organized and how neat it was). Construction Management is something I did not take any classes on, so will definitely need some time on that.

Can you tell us how in depth they went with electrical? Did they make you do lighting calculations and is it good idea to copy the recommended lighting levels from IES Handbook. Also, how much is there on Engineering Economics? Anything on LEED or ASHRAE 90.2?

Anyone who has taken the test, please feel free to thorough out a list books and other study materials that you felt was the most helpful in studding, or you felt was the most used during the test.

Thank you for all of your help!!!