Construction - October 2020

[SDB]

Any thoughts on the exam?

 

[SecondTimeisaCharm?]

Personally, I thought it was pretty rough. This was my second time taking it, and I felt prepared going into the exam, but I felt like there were a lot of topics on there that I did not study. Not feeling very confident about the results. 

 

[SDB]

Yes,

The depth was harder for me than the breadth.  

 

[martinv]

Opposite for me. I thought that the breadth was going to be easier than it was, too many concept questions that are always difficult to prepare for. Depth was as I expected - I had no clue in three questions, doubts in 7, not 100% sure in another 5, solid answer in 25 of them, which I usually score at around 90-95% (hence I am confident to have 22-33 for sure). 

 

[SDB]

Sounds like your depth went reasonably well.  Mine wasn't a catastrophe, but I ended up straight up guessing on about 8, not to mention doubts on at least that many more.  

 

[civconstr]

First time taker who felt really well prepared going in, and don't realistically know what I would've done differently.

Felt like I scored around 32/40 in the AM, 25/40 in the PM, for a total of around 57/80.

For most of the quantitative problems I got an answer that was one of the multiple choices, but I am beating myself up over whether I fell into the "trap".  For some of the conceptual problems, I can still (post-exam research) not find a definitive answer to the questions as I recalled them being asked.

 

[DataPM]

I passed! First time taking construction depth, third time sitting for the PE. Overall I felt really prepared for the test with plenty of time to review questions both in the AM & PM. 

 

[civconstr]

First time taker who felt really well prepared going in, and don't realistically know what I would've done differently.

Felt like I scored around 32/40 in the AM, 25/40 in the PM, for a total of around 57/80.

For most of the quantitative problems I got an answer that was one of the multiple choices, but I am beating myself up over whether I fell into the "trap".  For some of the conceptual problems, I can still (post-exam research) not find a definitive answer to the questions as I recalled them being asked.

This was me prior to registration on this site.  I did end up passing with a score (TX) higher than i was expecting.

resources above and beyond what may be required by NCEES (and the CERM and NCEES practice exam, which most already have) in order of importance:

1) review course of your choosing.  

2) construction, planning, equipment, and methods by puerifoy, schexnayder, shapira 

3) civil pre practice exam: construction depth version A by PE prepared 

4) any and all other practice exams you can get your hands on

items 2 and 3 were very helpful on exam day.

 

[Marechal]

Congrats. I’m preparing for next year. 

 

[NJHHEngineer P.E.]

Congrats. I’m preparing for next year. 

Do yourself a favor and take EET's breadth and depth courses.  I see you are looking at the Construction Depth exam.  I'm not sure what your professional experience is like (construction is a very broad description), but their course is worth it's weight in gold and worth every penny.  I think they did a fantastic job in preparing and "teaching" the materials.  I used their binders as a reference for I'd say damn near 85% of the test.  The other 15% was the CERM/NCEES recommended references.  There were a few questions that you'd only be able to answer if you brought those with you.  However, I'd say, most of my time spent in the other references was more as a double check on the info in EET's materials or for a tad more context. 

 

[bwin12]

Do yourself a favor and take EET's breadth and depth courses. 

I'm not a sales guy, but would say School has a good class as well. Frankly, I think it comes down to which one has the schedule/option that works best for you. 

They are expensive in the short term, but spending the money was well worth it to me. Plus I got the class reimbursed. I would have spent the money even if I was paying for it.

 

[Marechal]

Do yourself a favor and take EET's breadth and depth courses.  I see you are looking at the Construction Depth exam.  I'm not sure what your professional experience is like (construction is a very broad description), but their course is worth it's weight in gold and worth every penny.  I think they did a fantastic job in preparing and "teaching" the materials.  I used their binders as a reference for I'd say damn near 85% of the test.  The other 15% was the CERM/NCEES recommended references.  There were a few questions that you'd only be able to answer if you brought those with you.  However, I'd say, most of my time spent in the other references was more as a double check on the info in EET's materials or for a tad more context. 

Thank you NJHHEngineer, I took Construction depth this past fall 2020 with Samir, but I cancelled my October exam.

Besides EET Binders what practice material did you use to prep for the PM section.

I' have over 10 years experience in construction and I have both MP & CCM certification. My next goal is to get the PE. But I'm too scare, to sit for the exam. Any tips will help.

Thank you again

Marechal  

 

[NJHHEngineer P.E.]

Thank you NJHHEngineer, I took Construction depth this past fall 2020 with Samir, but I cancelled my October exam.

Besides EET Binders what practice material did you use to prep for the PM section.

I' have over 10 years experience in construction and I have both MP & CCM certification. My next goal is to get the PE. But I'm too scare, to sit for the exam. Any tips will help.

Thank you again

Marechal  

To be honest, the EET binders is about all I used along with the NCEES Construction Practice Exam.  It doesn't seem like there's much else out there that I could find.  I have about 10 years experience as well in heavy highway construction for a company that does just about everything.  So I think the fact that I've done a little bit of everything definitely was an advantage.  I purchased all of the NCEES recommended standards with the exception of the CMWB.  I believe they covered the basics in the EET class.  i basically decided I was going to "wing it" if there was anything on masonry. The ACI specifications were a MUST.  I recall the exam being pretty heavy on ACI topics this time around.  Make sure you know your way around them.  ACI 347R is part of SP4, you do not need to purchase it separately.  You don't need to read these standards like a book, but I would at least get familiar. There's bound to be a "look up" question (or a few) out of the references.  You'd be kicking yourself if you don't have the reference you need.

When I was studying, I went nuts and tried to find all of my college text books on the different subjects.  Downloaded a ton of practice problems that truthfully were WAAAAY more difficult than the exam itself.  If you really think you need more problems, you can try Scribd.com.  I believe you can register for like a free 30 day trial and download a few practice exams from them.  I don't really recall doing many of them though.  I think the problems in the EET binders (both breadth & depth) were more than sufficient and covered the different questions/variations.

And above all, don't be scared of the test.  Buckle up and just do it.  It's just a test.  I was lucky enough to pass my first try, but I was a nervous wreck waiting for results.  As my wife put it, "if you fail, so what?  Just take it again and pass".  I think the biggest part of the test is in your own head.  You can't go in with doubt or it's already got you beat.  If you truly put the time into the preparation and the understanding of the topics, you're already one step ahead. Just got to stay calm and take the test.  And one thing to remember that I've seen several times since joining the forum, if you do fail it does not mean you're any better or worse of an engineer than before you started.  And just because someone else passed doesn't make them any better than you.  Just be confident and DO IT!

 

[NJHHEngineer P.E.]

I'm not a sales guy, but would say School has a good class as well. Frankly, I think it comes down to which one has the schedule/option that works best for you. 

They are expensive in the short term, but spending the money was well worth it to me. Plus I got the class reimbursed. I would have spent the money even if I was paying for it.

No doubt.  I can't speak on School.  I was convinced to EET, which was a little bit cheaper so that helped.  I'm sure comparatively speaking they both have their strengths and weaknesses.  I think the main advantage to a review course is they filter out all the fluff and focus on what's actually on the exam.  I planned to self study when i started and just started reading the CERM like a book.  Besides being super overwhelming, there was a whole lot of stuff that I thought was important that wasn't even mentioned in the EET course or the exam.  It helps to condense the subjects.  You use up a lot of brain power and space preparing for the exam.  Might as well make it all useful info and not stuff you'll never see.

 

[civconstr]

Thank you NJHHEngineer, I took Construction depth this past fall 2020 with Samir, but I cancelled my October exam.

Besides EET Binders what practice material did you use to prep for the PM section.

I' have over 10 years experience in construction and I have both MP & CCM certification. My next goal is to get the PE. But I'm too scare, to sit for the exam. Any tips will help.

Thank you again

Marechal  

i am in houston and selling (all purchased in summer 2020):

ACI MNL15

ACI SP4

ACI 347R-14

ASCE 37-14

CMWB

(every req'd reference except OSHA and AISC)

also selling (some minor notes written in the text, but completely useable):

PPI CERM PE Civil Quick Reference

PPI CERM PE Construction Depth Reference Manual

PPI CERM PE 6min solutions

PPI PE Civil Practice Problems

Construction, planning, equipment, and methods by Puerifoy, Schexnayder, Shapira

PM if interested

 

[Marechal]

To be honest, the EET binders is about all I used along with the NCEES Construction Practice Exam.  It doesn't seem like there's much else out there that I could find.  I have about 10 years experience as well in heavy highway construction for a company that does just about everything.  So I think the fact that I've done a little bit of everything definitely was an advantage.  I purchased all of the NCEES recommended standards with the exception of the CMWB.  I believe they covered the basics in the EET class.  i basically decided I was going to "wing it" if there was anything on masonry. The ACI specifications were a MUST.  I recall the exam being pretty heavy on ACI topics this time around.  Make sure you know your way around them.  ACI 347R is part of SP4, you do not need to purchase it separately.  You don't need to read these standards like a book, but I would at least get familiar. There's bound to be a "look up" question (or a few) out of the references.  You'd be kicking yourself if you don't have the reference you need.

When I was studying, I went nuts and tried to find all of my college text books on the different subjects.  Downloaded a ton of practice problems that truthfully were WAAAAY more difficult than the exam itself.  If you really think you need more problems, you can try Scribd.com.  I believe you can register for like a free 30 day trial and download a few practice exams from them.  I don't really recall doing many of them though.  I think the problems in the EET binders (both breadth & depth) were more than sufficient and covered the different questions/variations.

And above all, don't be scared of the test.  Buckle up and just do it.  It's just a test.  I was lucky enough to pass my first try, but I was a nervous wreck waiting for results.  As my wife put it, "if you fail, so what?  Just take it again and pass".  I think the biggest part of the test is in your own head.  You can't go in with doubt or it's already got you beat.  If you truly put the time into the preparation and the understanding of the topics, you're already one step ahead. Just got to stay calm and take the test.  And one thing to remember that I've seen several times since joining the forum, if you do fail it does not mean you're any better or worse of an engineer than before you started.  And just because someone else passed doesn't make them any better than you.  Just be confident and DO IT!

@NJHHEngineerI sincerely appreciate all your tips and advises. It means at lot to me. 
Happy holidays and Merry Christmas 

Thank you again 

 

[Pstmr]

What is the best resource for learning scaffolding and scaffolding calcs? I really struggled to grasp this material before the test and did horrible on those problems on the test.

 

[NJHHEngineer P.E.]

What is the best resource for learning scaffolding and scaffolding calcs? I really struggled to grasp this material before the test and did horrible on those problems on the test.

I don't recall there being any scaffold calculation questions on the Construction exam.  From what I remember, these were more OSHA 1926 look up questions. I would recommend getting a copy of OSHA 1926 Construction and familiarizing yourself with the sections.  Scaffolding is Subpart L. Also, having the MUTCD Part 6 on hand was a life saver too.  Both are free references and can be printed online.  I have an OSHA 1926 book from work that I used on the exam.  I believe these can be purchased, and I think are a little easier to follow that the online formatting.

 

[Porron126]

i am in houston and selling (all purchased in summer 2020):

ACI MNL15

ACI SP4

ACI 347R-14

ASCE 37-14

CMWB

(every req'd reference except OSHA and AISC)

also selling (some minor notes written in the text, but completely useable):

PPI CERM PE Civil Quick Reference

PPI CERM PE Construction Depth Reference Manual

PPI CERM PE 6min solutions

PPI PE Civil Practice Problems

Construction, planning, equipment, and methods by Puerifoy, Schexnayder, Shapira

PM if interested

Did you sell your materials?

 

[civconstr]

Yes