bootleg exam materials

[PsychoNumber1]

anyone else notice the number of people with illegal copies of exam materials? it seemed like nearly everyone had a photocopy or pdf printout of something that isn't typically sold in that form. especially some of the more expensive reference books for the CA specifics like the IBC and ASCE.

 

[James3AE]

I didn't notice that, but I did notice a ton of people with practice problem solution manuals, which from reading the list of stuff we were allowed to bring in NJ, I thought was a big no no.

To me, if you don't know the material enough to work the problems out on your own, you are starting out from a disadvantage in the first place, so if people want to bring that stuff, and it's allowed, fine by me... but I couldn't imagine spending half the test flipping through 10 million binder pages.

I was able to get by with the PE reference book, a Cameron Hydraulic data book, an HVAC text book, and the 4 ASHRAE manuals. Didn't even need two of the ASHRAE books.

 

[Exception Collection]

I didn't notice that, but I did notice a ton of people with practice problem solution manuals, which from reading the list of stuff we were allowed to bring in NJ, I thought was a big no no.
To me, if you don't know the material enough to work the problems out on your own, you are starting out from a disadvantage in the first place, so if people want to bring that stuff, and it's allowed, fine by me... but I couldn't imagine spending half the test flipping through 10 million binder pages.

I was able to get by with the PE reference book, a Cameron Hydraulic data book, an HVAC text book, and the 4 ASHRAE manuals. Didn't even need two of the ASHRAE books.

It's more than a little bit more complex for Civil - every different material has a different code, with major differences in them, and a lot of different formulas for each type. I don't know the specifics of Mechanical testing, but I'm guessing that most of the codes are comparatively simple and straightforward. When I sat for the PE (Civil w/ Structural depth) I'd been working with the various codes for 8-9 years, and I still had to look up information in the IBC, AISC, ACI 318, ASCE7, and three non-code reference books I'd brought along.

 

[James3AE]

I didn't notice that, but I did notice a ton of people with practice problem solution manuals, which from reading the list of stuff we were allowed to bring in NJ, I thought was a big no no.
To me, if you don't know the material enough to work the problems out on your own, you are starting out from a disadvantage in the first place, so if people want to bring that stuff, and it's allowed, fine by me... but I couldn't imagine spending half the test flipping through 10 million binder pages.

I was able to get by with the PE reference book, a Cameron Hydraulic data book, an HVAC text book, and the 4 ASHRAE manuals. Didn't even need two of the ASHRAE books.

It's more than a little bit more complex for Civil - every different material has a different code, with major differences in them, and a lot of different formulas for each type. I don't know the specifics of Mechanical testing, but I'm guessing that most of the codes are comparatively simple and straightforward. When I sat for the PE (Civil w/ Structural depth) I'd been working with the various codes for 8-9 years, and I still had to look up information in the IBC, AISC, ACI 318, ASCE7, and three non-code reference books I'd brought along.

I'm sure it's more complicated for the other disciplines, based on the suitcases, milk crates, hand trucks, etc full of books I saw others wheel in. I heard from a friend who took it in NY he saw a guy with three shelf book case full of books wheeled in on a hand truck.

I'm not sure our code are less complicated, but there definitely are less code related questions. I had only one, related to an outdated version of ASHRAE 62.1 and they included the relevant excerpt in the question.