BEST Review Courses/Materials for someone with ZERO Seismic/Survey Background

[Hockey Eng]

I know this is a popular topic and there are many threads with people giving their advice.  I have been reading through some and came across someone who said that they did not have any background in surveying but that the CPESR course was good to get the basics, but that another course (Reza or Mansour, I can't remember which) was very technical and hard to digest.

I know I'm going to have to put a lot of time into learning this material from scratch.  I am just wondering what the best and most efficient strategy might be.  I'm already planning on doing a boat load of practice problems as that is how I ended up passing the PE exam after breezing through a review course and failing the first time.  I'm looking for the best review course for someone who hasn't had to study any of this material previously, to get a good grasp of the basics before I dive into the abyss of practice problems. 

 

[Jbray241]

For the surveying, I can't really make a recommendation. I used the PPI book (Cole) but I also had some background experience. Would not recommend the PPI book. I still passed the first try but the book seemed unfinished and I had to go to youtube to flesh out a lot of the concepts. Luckily there is tons of info available online for surveying (at least compared to seismic). I think surveying is easier of the 2 to grasp. The problems can get a bit complicated but at the end of the day its geometry and the example problems usually involve pictures.

For the Seismic exam, Hiner was really good. Had basically no background in the subject matter and I passed the first time. I just used the book, can't speak for the review course. The seismic material is more abstract. A lot of times I knew how to solve a problem and what equation to use but really had no idea what any of it meant. The Hiner example problems do a good job of making you take little baby steps. If you do get his book, skip the part 2 example problems though - they are a lot harder and I don't know why he puts them in front the easier part 3 problems (hopefully they change that in future editions).

 

[WtrEng2019]

My approach for all the exams (8-hr, Seismic, Surveying) has been to take the EET course and then supplement with extra problems from other writers. I have felt that EET does a really good job of covering all the material. My only complaint is that you cannot speed up the videos, which is frustrating if you are in a time crunch. That said I was able to pass seismic and surveying on my first tries without prior experience in those fields.

For Surveying I took the EET course, completed a practice exam from PE Prepared, and then completed practice problems from my coworker's Mansour book. I think the Mansour book was helpful for conceptual but that EET was better at covering quantitative problems.

For Seismic  I took the AEI Class (formerly EET) and also completed the practice exam from PE Prepared (note that this exam has not been updated for the new code and has some errors).  When my exam got cancelled due to Covid, I bought the Hiner book and completed his practice exams and some of his practice problems. I also printed out the seismic sections of  ASCE 7-16 and used it for quick references when the exam referenced a specific code section. 

Ultimately, I would just recommend to complete practice exams and problems from multiple writers. 

 

[ThePEmaster]

I have passed all the exams for CA and I am a PE

It was not a easy RODEO.

Survey: Reza and master that book COMPLETELY then find random problems from other sources to practice that differ from Reza.

Seismic: AEI(EET it changed) Dr Ibrahim is the best teacher I ever have had. If you learn and master his course you will pass. Hiner problems only if you need more practice problems.

 

[Hockey Eng]

Thanks for the responses so far.  I am keeping track!

 

[enggirl90]

Survey: If you have no experience, I would go with CPESR. Of all the lecture videos I have seen, CPESR best explains it. Practice tests are great with very good solutions as well. I also have the Reza book which is basically a book of questions. The solutions were not always very descriptive but the questions were good. Was hard to learn out of it. So in total CPESR course first and secondly if you have time the Reza book.

Seismic: I went with Hiner. The book and the course was good. The only problem is that you have a limited time to rewatch any videos as there is a time limit. Even though I am not a structural, I did well in those classes in college and surprisingly it went better than expected. Also took the ASCE and the CBC.

 

[Civil20]

I passed the seismic exam first time after I took a live webinar review course with Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim at A.E.I ( previously known as EET seismic) The course made me very well prepared for the test and I would strongly recommend it to anyone intending to take the seismic exam. Dr. Ibrahim has a strong structural background which gives him proficiency in explaining the subject matter of the course.  The extended length of the course made it possible for a detailed explanation of each chapter, aside from the fact that Dr. Ibrahim is talented in simplifying the challenging concepts. The course was very interactive, and Dr. Ibrahim made sure to check his students’ understanding by giving numerous on spot reviews and quizzes while discussing the answers and revisiting the confusing concepts.

Dr. Ibrahim further worked with us on developing a studying schedule and providing us with exam passing strategies and tips. He also made himself available for one on one instruction as needed.   

The class included unlimited access to recorded webinars which helped me review certain topics. Also, we were given access to three timed Computer Based Test (CBT) which measured our test taking skills and speed.

 

[Maycha]

Seismic definitely Dr. Ibrahim! I understand now it's AEI, I took it 2 years ago it was still EET. I failed after studying with Hiner. And since I got to study with both I can say that the way Dr. Ibrahim structured his study material is far superior. You get everything you need, EVERYTHING! It's easy to follow, fun to learn, and I just enjoyed the process even though I was 34 weeks pregnant when I took the test and studied for 2.5 months. 

I had experience doing survey so CPESR worked great for me. Their practice tests are fantastic!  

 

[Maycha]

Seismic definitely Dr. Ibrahim! I understand now it's AEI, I took it 2 years ago it was still EET. I failed after studying with Hiner. And since I got to study with both I can say that the way Dr. Ibrahim structured his study material is far superior. You get everything you need, EVERYTHING! It's easy to follow, fun to learn, and I just enjoyed the process even though I was 34 weeks pregnant when I took the test and studied for 2.5 months. 

I had experience doing survey so CPESR worked great for me. Their practice tests are fantastic!  

 

[2folxtrynapass]

Regarding Seismic: Please believe ALL the comments regarding Dr. Ibrahim Ahmed of AEI (formerly of EET). His teaching ability is excellent. I passed a few years back because of his teaching method. He literally walked me through seismic. I have two small children and was unable to commit to the live in-class sessions. He asked me to attend the live webinars on Sundays which I was able to do from home.  The requests he had were 1) Attend 3 VERY important live classes since I live near Sacramento (this was because I didn't pass the previous time); 2) Do ALL the homework; 3) Stay in touch with him with questions.  If I didn't do this, he would contact me.  I followed this recipe and I felt more than confident walking into the exam. I passed.

Regarding Surveying: I studied from Reza's material and a supplemental surveying book. I did not pass but not due to any fault from his review. Reza is very approachable and helpful. His study material is very good. I did not do the time exams and feel that was my downfall. The surveying exam is not hard, it's fast. I did not complete the exam but feel I could have...if I had additional time!

 

[TrickShotG]

I agree with AEI for seismic...just took my exam today so I may wind up failing. However, I have no structural background and after his course and practice exams, I felt confident sitting for the exam and feel like I did well enough to pass.

 

[Reverse Polish]

Most of my work is in low seismic areas, so I didn't have a ton of exposure to high-seismic (SDC D/E/F) design principles, but needed to master them for the 16-hour SE exam.  I strongly recommend obtaining a copy of SEAOC Structural/Seismic Design Manual Vol. 1.  This book will walk you through each seismic concept in ASCE 7 with example problems, and provides section references for each topic.  If you understand the concepts in this book, you'll have it mastered in no time.

https://www.seaoc.org/page/2018SSDMV1

 

[Hockey Eng]

Thank you all for the replies, I appreciate the input!

 

[eleminohpee]

I took seismic with zero experience of seismic calculations whatsoever. I signed up for the Hiner (California Seismic Review I think?) course as it came highly recommended from several coworkers that took it many years ago. I found his book laid out pretty good, but the teaching left a lot to be desired. Failed twice, (passed 8-hour and surveying on first try) and tried to get support from Hiner with no success. He seems nice but also seems far too busy to be bothered with helping students doing this class. I signed up for EET and passed the next try. I used a highly modified Hiner book with EET classes and notes.

 

[Hanger930]

I used EET for the 8 hour exam and loved it.

Besides studying for the 8-hour exam, I had no experience with survey experience. I also had no seismic design experience.

I took the EET class and loved it. I maybe watched half the videos and really appreciated their book and practice tests.

For seismic I took the AEI class . There were so many hours of videos that I only watched videos for a few specific sections that I was confused by. The book was very helpful and there were so many practice questions. The practice exams were also very helpful. I also used the Heiner book, but found it to be less detailed, but the practice questions were very helpful.

 

[prali3sa]

Seismic: I took both Hiner and Dr. Ibrahim's course (AEI-previously EET), and have to emphasis that they are both AMAZING teachers and have great courses. Although I failed the first time i took Seismic with Dr. Ibrahim, which was only because I did not put enough time and effort. Even Hiner recommends supplementing his course with AEI's sample test book, which comes with 3 CBT's. Hiner only has 1 CBT which you can take twice.

I am still looking for survey course. I might either go with CPESR or EET.

 

[Aaron241]

Hello everyone, I gave my test on the 11th of last month and they informed me that there was a glitch in the Prometric results and I apparently failed. I did find the problems harder than I expected but felt it should have been good enough to pass. Can you guys please suggest how I can prepare better? I studied from Mansour and Quomo and tried some practice tests (120 practice problem series from PPI (they were old, 2011 edition) and found the problems in the exam harder (requiring more time, which is scarce).
There are so many practice resources (PPI, school of PE, Reza, Mansour, and EET). Which one would you guys recommend? Will appreciate the help. Thanks

 

[angelova]

I would like to share my experience, as I have just found out I passed my Surveying exam last week (June 7). I passed my Seismic exam on May 10. Both exam I passed on the first try.

READ IF YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE IN SEISMIC DESIGN:

Seismic: I have absolutely no experience in Seismic design. I went to school in Boston, so when I moved here in California I had ZERO background in Seismic. The closest you can consider as relevant to seismic is that I took one Structural Analysis class back in college. My work is in Water Resources field so really no seismic required in my everyday work. Therefore, I was super stressed about the California Seismic Principles exam. One of my coworkers highly recommended Dr. Ibrahim's class - AEI, and I decided to try and see how it will work out for me. I ordered the On-Demand course, which also includes a handbook with the class notes and another book with 3 exams. I can't say enough good things about the class. I took the exam and went to the testing center only with my handbook that Dr. Ibrahim provided and another binder where I collected all of the other class notes, summary sheets, Mini Exams, etc. that Dr. Ibrahim shared throughout the class. I made my due diligence and I watched all of the lectures and solved all the homework problems. I also took all of the Mini Exams. The last week before the exam I solved the 3 exams and tried to solve all the Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 problems again (the chapters that were expected to be the heaviest weight during the exam). When I went to the exam and started solving the problem I felt so well prepared, it felt like I was solving Dr. Ibrahim's homework problems/exam/etc. These were the best money I have ever spent, no doubt. I can't recommend it enough. Dr. Ibrahim is also amazing at teaching, he actually made me listen and I learned so much. He also really cares about you, he is genuinely a nice person, and wants you to successfully pass your exam. Incredible person! If you want to pass the exam on the first try - take Dr. Ibrahim's class.

 

[jr_inthefog]

I was an ME and was exposed to civil only at the workplace- enough to qualify my experience. I took Excel for NCEES, Hiner for seismic (1st time), and Reza for surveying (2nd Time). I finally passed all. I would not highly recommend Excel- the afternoon materials were pretty poorly laid out but gave me enough of a framework to pass on the 2nd- which isn’t too bad. The morning materials were good tho. My union paid for almost all of the materials and tests- that’s why I did it. Glad I did.

 

[Calicivil]

I would like to share my experience, as I have just found out I passed my Surveying exam last week (June 7). I passed my Seismic exam on May 10. Both exam I passed on the first try.

READ IF YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE IN SEISMIC DESIGN:

Seismic: I have absolutely no experience in Seismic design. I went to school in Boston, so when I moved here in California I had ZERO background in Seismic. The closest you can consider as relevant to seismic is that I took one Structural Analysis class back in college. My work is in Water Resources field so really no seismic required in my everyday work. Therefore, I was super stressed about the California Seismic Principles exam. One of my coworkers highly recommended Dr. Ibrahim's class - AEI, and I decided to try and see how it will work out for me. I ordered the On-Demand course, which also includes a handbook with the class notes and another book with 3 exams. I can't say enough good things about the class. I took the exam and went to the testing center only with my handbook that Dr. Ibrahim provided and another binder where I collected all of the other class notes, summary sheets, Mini Exams, etc. that Dr. Ibrahim shared throughout the class. I made my due diligence and I watched all of the lectures and solved all the homework problems. I also took all of the Mini Exams. The last week before the exam I solved the 3 exams and tried to solve all the Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 problems again (the chapters that were expected to be the heaviest weight during the exam). When I went to the exam and started solving the problem I felt so well prepared, it felt like I was solving Dr. Ibrahim's homework problems/exam/etc. These were the best money I have ever spent, no doubt. I can't recommend it enough. Dr. Ibrahim is also amazing at teaching, he actually made me listen and I learned so much. He also really cares about you, he is genuinely a nice person, and wants you to successfully pass your exam. Incredible person! If you want to pass the exam on the first try - take Dr. Ibrahim's class.

What exam or exams did you think we're the best representation from AEI of the actual exam?