Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about the Exam

[bohnsai78]

Now that the exam is over and fresh in our minds (sort of), it's time to share the answers to all the questions we had in the weeks leading up to the exam.

I saw a version of this post on the "other" forum (by Freon) and felt like it was important enough to share here.......since it is exactly what I was looking for about 6 weeks ago when I started prepping for this past exam.

1) Which Exam you took.

2) Exam location

3) References taken

4) References actually used

5) Reference you wish you had

6) Expectations vs. actual impressions of the exam

7) Advice for future examinees

8) Anything else you feel important

I will post the first reply, and I don't expect everyone to be nearly as thorough, simple one-line answers may be sufficient. But again, I felt that this could've been extremely important to me a few weeks ago, so I took the time to share everything.

I'm new to the Boards so I'm not going to take any liberties and don't even know if I can, but if someone feels this is worthy of a "sticky" and can do so, I think it would be a good idea. It'd be nice to have sort of a "one-stop-shop" for new examinees to obtain a plethora of information while keeping the questions, elaborations, discussions in the regular posts.

 

[bohnsai78]

1) Civil Water Resources

2) Madison, WI (GO BADGERS)

3) CERM, CERM Sample Problems, WR 6-Min. Solutions, NCEES Sample Exam, Ten States Standards, EPA Glossary, Geotechnical Engineering (Coduto), Transportation Engineering Textbook, selected chapters/sections from the HCM, and a few "cheat books" that I had bound......for example a home made WR guide that had all the important WR equations and charts from the CERM and appendices condensed on about 3 pages. The front cover had the most commonly used information and the back cover had all the unit conversions from the inside of the CERM cover. Sorry to explain in such depth, but this was by far the most used reference I had.

4) The "home made" WR guide and the CERM were all that was needed for 90% of the exam. I occasionally (maybe 6 or 8 times) had to TRY to look up information in the TSS and the EPA & Geotechnical book glossaries to answer a qualitative question or get a better understanding of the problem statement for a quantitative ENV or GEO question. I only used the sections of the HCM that I had copied once, and I could've found what I was looking for in the CERM........but I think this exam was "HCM light" and I see how future exams could very easily require the HCM more.

5) I read how the Metcalf & Eddy Wastewater book would be useful but was not able to get my hands on one. I definately would have used it to look up some of the ENV qualitative questions......but I can not attest to whether or not what I was looking for would've actually been in it. I thought the combination of the CERM glossary and the EPA glossary would be adequate, but I don't think it was......I would use both of those and still try to find a good Civil Engineering Dictionary or Glossary, but don't have any recommendations at this time.

6) As a 1st time taker, I was not sure what to expect except what I was able to read on the forums. The combination of the forums and the sample problems/exams had me expecting the worst........which caused me to study my arse off......and was therefore pleasantly surprised that 95% of the exam was pretty straightforward. I also liked that, for the most part, the AM & PM questions went by discipline and did not jump all over.

7) My single most important advice is to have your resources very well organized.......tab everything, even if you think you don't need it. And I would do it before you even start studying so that you get used to using the tabs and "lookup methods" while studying. And while you're studying, you WILL find other things in the book that deserve a tab......tab these things on the top or bottom of the book.....these will probably end up being your most widely used tabs. Second, your study time for each topic, not discipline, TOPIC, should be proportional to the exam format. Use the section in the front of the CERM where it breaks down each discipline, especially for the afternoon, and study accordingly. It's foolish to study the entire Structural part of the CERM if you're taking the WR PM exam.....you'd be wasting your time. If you study appropriately, I feel that there's no need to spend more than a day or two studying each of the disciplines that are not on your PM exam, but you should know your depth portion like the back of your hand and almost be able to do those problems without any references (other than charts or tables of course).

 

[McEngr]

Test you took: PE Civil + Structural PM

Where you took it: Eugene, OR

What books you brought with you: Too many to count, but I'll try:

CERM, SERM, AASHTO, AASHTOSD, ASD 9th Edition, ACI 318-02, ACI 530-02, ASCE 7-02, IBC 2003, NDS 2001 + Supplement, HCM Manual, and a bunch of textbooks

What books you actually used: I used ACI 318-02 and IBC 2003 the most.

What books did you wish you brought: None - I was fully prepared with the afforementioned. If anything, I should've been more prepared for concrete mix design and concrete inspections.

General impression about exam and format: It was easy and reasonable for the amount of time that it required.

Advice for Spring test takers: If the problem seems easy, it probably is. So don't waste time second guessing yourself.

Comments about facility where test was given: Don't be intimidated by stadium-sized rooms. The pass rates are the same. Also, be sure that you know exactly where to go before you get up that morning.

Any transportation/parking issues: Parking is sometimes limited, so get there early. Don't get there too early, because you'll lack sleep for the test.

Hotels in area (If you stayed in one): In Eugene, a good hotel is about as rare as a street with no hippies. B)

 

[GCracker]

Test you took: PE Civil + Structural PM

Where you took it: Macon, GA

Hotel: Crowne Plaza, $90/night, less than 1 mile from the exam site, good resturant, gym, and bar with pool table.

What books you brought with you:

CERM, SERM, AASHTO, ASD 9th Edition, ACI 318-02, ACI 530-02, ASCE 7-02, IBC 2003, NDS 2001 + Supplement, and a bunch of textbooks

What books you actually used: I used ACI 318-02, IBC 2003, and CERM the most.

What books did you wish you brought: None - I was fully prepared with the afforementioned.

General impression about exam and format: The morning section was more straight forward than I was expecting. I was very worried about the Erviro and Hydro questions before the test, but now feel I did very well on them. The afternoon section was deeper than I was expecting and a little harder.

Advice for Spring test takers: Study the breath areas outside your discipline, but do not become obsessed with them. Take organized notes while you study. Spend more time on your depth section.

Comments about facility where test was given: Two people per table. Restrooms inside the exam room. Be prepared for rain. NO CELL PHONES!!!!

Any transportation/parking issues: None.

 

[edwin_dummy]

1) Which Exam you took.

PE CIVIL - WR depth

CALIFORNIA SPECIFIC SEISMIC

CALIFORNIA SPECIFIC SURVEYING

2) Exam location

Los Angeles, California

3) References taken

CERM, 6 MIN FOR WR, NCEE, TESTMASTERS WORKBOOK,

STEVEN HINER'S SEISMIC WORKBOOK,

345 SEISMIC SOLVED PROBLEMS

RESA MALLAHATI SURVEYING WORKBOOK

1001 SOLVED PROBLEMS FOR SURVEYING

4) References actually used

CERM, 6 MIN FOR WR, TESTMASTERS WORKBOOK,

STEVEN HINER'S SEISMIC WORKBOOK,

RESA MALLAHATI SURVEYING WORKBOOK

5) Reference you wish you had

PAUL COMO'S SURVEYING BOOK

6) Expectations vs. actual impressions of the exam

I ATTENDED TESTMASTERS REVIEW BUT I DIDNT STUDY MUCH AT HOME.

THE EXAM WAS EASIER THAN I EXPECTED THOUGH.

I FEEL I HAVE A CHANCE IN ALL 3 EXAMS.

7) Advice for future examinees

ATTEND A REVIEW COURSE ESPECIALLY IF YOU DONT PLAN TO PREPARE THOROUGHLY FOR THE EXAM.

EXPECT CALIFORNIA SPECIFIC EXAMS

TO BE A LOT TOUGHER THAN THE 8-HOUR EXAM !

YOU ONLY HAVE 2.5 MIN FOR EACH PROBLEM !

 

[Road Guy]

1) Which Exam you took.

Civil / Transpo

2) Exam location

Macon, GA, Stayed at Comfort Inn exit 169 (abotu $70 bucks) kind of a dump though

3) References taken

Testmasters Book,2000 HCM, MUTCD, RDG, AASHTO, ITE Traffic Engineering Handbook, ITE Transportation Planning Manual, some ENV Books , Geotech Books, Structural Analysis, Hydrology book, a statics text book, Steel Manual(ASD), all the 6 minute solutions for my PM section,and the CERM, and the Land Surveying Reference Manual

4) References actually used

Mainly used the Testmasters, the ITE Traffic Engineering Book Was helpful in both the AM/PM, but I used all the books above EXCEPT for the hydrology book.. I think taking in a couple of college textbooks on the AM subjects was a good idea(this go round) I also found a few items of noteworthy in the 6 minute solutions I even used the solutions to the CERM, I had forgotten how to do something basic, and then had to look up a quick problem to find out how to do a really dumb formula (so dumb I wouldnt even repeat it if it wouldnt get me in trouble)

I had also photocopied some sections out of a Project Management / Scheduling Book I had from my MBA.

5) Reference you wish you had

ITE Parking Generation Manual/Handbook

6) Expectations vs. actual impressions of the exam

AM was a little tougher (in some parts) than I thought. I think the PM was about the same, but its the morning part that gave me fits in April.

7) Advice for future examinees

Study, work problems, problems, and take at least 2 environmental textbooks, a geotech textbook (I actually found a few "nice" things in my statics book)

8) Anything else you feel important

Something I did that I feel cost me study time, is that I was in the habit of "rewriting" the problem statement for the problems I was working, I was under the impression that I would review these later, I never did, I have 3 spiral notebooks (big ones) of nicely worked out problems, which is essentially worthless, just work as many practive problems as you can dont worry about keeping them neat while your studying..

 

[DVINNY]

1) Which Exam you took.

Civil / Transpo

2) Exam location

Charleston, WV, Stayed at Holiday Inn Express next door (about $95)

3) References taken

Field Engineers Manual, Cameron Hydraulics, 2000 HCM, MUTCD, RDG, AASHTO, Metcalf & Eddy Books , and the CERM

4) References actually used

CERM, HCM2000, MUTCD, AASHTO ROADSIDE DESIGN, AASHTO "green book"

5) Reference you wish you had

none really

6) Expectations vs. actual impressions of the exam

AM was tougher than what I experienced in the past. I think the PM was do-able (if that's a word).

7) Advice for future examinees

It's all about preperation, and knowing your references

8) Anything else you feel important

Yes, you're luck. Because I think a certain amount of luck is required for this thing. Luck in guesses, or luck in the material that shows up on the exam is something you studied, or luck in finding it in the right reference, etc. etc. you get my drift.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

I didn't take civil, but this thread is pretty sweet, and might help people taking Envl or WR afternoon.

1) Which Exam you took.

Full Environmental exam

2) Exam location

Northfield, VT. Stayed at an Econo Lodge in Montpelier (10 miles away) for an a mere $49.

3) References taken

ENVRM, PPI

Intro to Envl Eng., Masters

Unit Operations, Reynolds and Richards

Envl Biotech, Rittman and McCarty

Hydrology and Hydraulic Systems, Gupta

Air Quality, Godish

Air Pollution Control Design, Mycock :true: that's his name!

Haz Waste Mgmt, LaGrega

Intro to Hydrogeology, Fetters

Water Chem, Snoeyink

Envl Chem, ???

Envl Law Handbook, ???

Printouts of OSHA regs and legal statutes

NCEES FE equation book

4) References actually used

All but the NCEES FE guide

5) Reference you wish you had

I was all set

6) Expectations vs. actual impressions of the exam

The NCEES sample exam kicked my ass and shook my confidence a little. The actual exam was far less stressful than the build up to it. Once it started, it just felt like any other study session working problems, because I was well prepared.

7) Advice for future examinees

Don't focus too much on doing problems. It's important to be comfortable with PE type problems and I spent about 1.5 of my 4.5 months doing problems. But you also really need to know some theory behind it. If you only know how to number crunch, you will only know questions that you can just plug and chug with. If you know theory, you can apply it to oddball problems.

8) Anything else you feel important

Condense key notes and tables into a binder. I had summary sheets I wrote equations and key facts on, and xeroxed tables right out of books. This way I only had to search through a little material, organized in a way that makes sense to me.

 

[tmckeon_PE]

Test you took: WR

Where you took it: Kissimme, FL

What books you brought with you: CERM, all six min sol

What books you actually used: CERM, WR six min sol

What books did you wish you brought: Didn't need another book, but thought I needed NAVFAQ (spelling?)

General impression about exam and format: Morning was easy, afternoon was actually organized more than I had thought and was harder.

Advice for Spring test takers: Study your core area until you can answer those questions without delay. Study the six min solutions in all areas (along with using the CERM and internet resources) for the breadth until you are comfortable enough to converse with an engineer in those areas.

Comments about facility where test was given: Had two persons to a table and the other guy was taking WR. Hows that for security?

Any transportation/parking issues: Parking was adequate and weather was nice.

Hotels in area (If you stayed in one): Stayed in one that was one mile away. Wife came with me. It was nice.

 

[Ugly Kid Joe]

You took the PM WR and only brought in the CERM basically?

Isnt there a lot of environmental stuff on there in the afternoon?

 

[Guest]

Exam: PE Civil/WR Depth :claps:

Location: Tallahassee, Florida

Books/References: CERM, Chellapati Manuals, Six-Minute Solutions, Fundamentals of Geotechnical Engineering (Das), Environmental Engineering Calculations (Lin & Lee), Wastewater Engineering (Metcalf & Eddy), Hydrology & Hydraulic Systems (Gupta), Water Quality & Treatment (AWWA), Applied Hydrogeology (Fetter), Handbook of Hydraulics (Brater and King), and personal notes, tables, charts, etc. for each of the five subject areas.

Books/References Used: Mostly CERM, Chellapati, and personal notes. I was able to glean information for another 4 ? 5 questions from other reference materials. :true:

Books/References That Would Have Been Useful: I felt my references were adequate for the exam. However, I did not bring a watch with me because my cell phone keeps time for me. My testing center did NOT have a clock on the wall and that served to make it difficult to pace myself. DEFINITELY bring a watch !!!! :brick:

Expectations vs. Actual Impressions of the Exam: I felt the morning portion of the exam was fair. I still struggled with some of the problems, but then again I am not used to having to solve 40 problems covering a vast body of knowledge in only 4 hours. In the afternoon, I felt the quantitative problems for the most part were fair ? the qualitative problems were from out of left field. I finished the morning session with time to spare and was able to check/re-check most of my problems. I did not finish the afternoon session ? because I did not bring a watch and pace myself better I ended up randomly guessing on five (5) questions. Fatigue also began to set in during the afternoon session, despite the light lunch, snacks, and Lipton Citrus Iced Tea. That stuff in the bomb !!

Advice for Future Examinees: In previous exams I had only really prepared for my depth area ? traditionally Environmental. When I took the exam this time I decided to prepare for the WR depth and devote a fair amount of time to other areas that I am traditionally weak (Transportation, Structural). Even though I feel that MOST of my study preparation was for not, I also believe that the difference between passing and failing will can be the one or two questions that I ended up getting right because of that extra work. My biggest advice ? yeah 2 ? 3 months of studying really, really sucks, but then again consistently failing the exam by one point also sucks. Do yourself a favor and put the time in and get it done right the first time.

Testing Facility Comments: The Professional Development Center in Tallahassee provides plenty of space to layout books and references ? one person to an 8? table. The room was kept EXTREMELY cold ? my hands were numb by lunchtime. I guess there were plenty of complaints because the heat was turned on in the afternoon. That sucked because it was obviously the first time it had been started for the fall and thus started the eye irritation. It only lasted for about 35 minutes, so I was good to go afterwards.

Transportation/Parking Issues: The parking lot at the rear of the Professional Development Building appeared to be adequate for parking. I did not hear any complaints about having to park across the street at the civic center.

Hotels in area (If you stayed in one): I live just south of Tallahassee, so I did not stay in a hotel. However, I did notice that construction for a Residence Inn located a few blocks from the testing center was nearly complete. I would believe that would be a choice hotel if one needed a place to stay before the exam.

Regards,

JR

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

Transportation/Parking Issues: The parking lot at the rear of the Professional Development Building appeared to be adequate for parking. I did not hear any complaints about having to park across the street at the civic center.

I had a parking gripe myself. There was really no on-site parking. You needed to squeeze into one of the few parallel spots in front of the building, or on a side street in front of someone's house.

 

[tmckeon_PE]

You took the PM WR and only brought in the CERM basically?
Isnt there a lot of environmental stuff on there in the afternoon?

Actually, there was enough in the CERM and the 6min sol to solve all the problems. However, env is not my strongest point and I think I missed two env questions simply because I hadn't studied it well enough.

WR questions and geo were actually not that hard. If env had been left out, I would have felt like I made 90% or better. With env, well...I got what I needed out of the afternoon session (morning session was easy for me...36 confirmed with two good possibilities and two reasonable possibilities). Only needed 20 on afternoon and got at least 26 confirmed.

Seems from some of the posts that a few engineers were unaware that there is a glossary in front of the index.

 

[royal flush]

1) Which Exam you took. Civil - Environmental Depth

2) Exam location - Cow Palace, San Francisco. Thats right, site of the grand national rodeo. And the weekend of the exam, it was also the site of the "exotic-erotic expo"... whatever that is.

3) References taken - CERM, Metcalf & Eddy

4) References actually used - CERM, Metcalf & Eddy

5) Reference you wish you had

6) Expectations vs. actual impressions of the exam - No clue if I passed or failed. I feel like I got at least 50-60% right but I know that 60% is not gonna cut it...

7) Advice for future examinees - Go potty before you leave for the exam!! And don't drink a bunch of water. The bathrooms at the cow palace were port-o-potties with very very long lines...

8) Anything else you feel is important - Book your hotel on priceline!! $70 for a comfort inn room in Macon ??!?!? I paid $75 for a 4 star on the frisco bay!

9) Traffic - As usual, traffic was terrible (even at 6AM), but it always is in san francisco...

Oh yeh, and I second the comment on the CA specific exams. It was tough for me to switch from 6-minute mode to 3-minute mode on the saturday exams...

 

[ARJ]

1) Which Exam you took.

ALREADY PASSED PE CIVIL - GEO depth

ALREADY PASSED CALIFORNIA SPECIFIC SEISMIC

TOOK CALIFORNIA SPECIFIC SURVEYING

2) Exam location

POMONA, California

3) References taken

1001 SOLVED PROBLEMS FOR SURVEYING

PAUL CUOMO SURVEYING PRINCIPLES FOR CIVIL ENGINEERS

120 SOLVED SURVEYING PROBLEMS--BY BONIFACE

ELEMENTARY SURVEYING--BY PAUL WOLF

LAND SURVEYOR REFERENCE MANUAL BY ANDREW HARBIN

HIGHWAY GEOMETRY AND TRAFFIC DESIGN BY CHELAPATI--WHY? FOR THE VERTICAL CURVE FORMULAS AND EXAMPLES.

4) References actually used

PAUL CUOMO SURVEYING PRINCIPLES FOR CIVIL ENGINEERS

ELEMENTARY SURVEYING--BY PAUL WOLF

LAND SURVEYOR REFERENCE MANUAL BY ANDREW HARBIN

HIGHWAY GEOMETRY AND TRAFFIC DESIGN BY CHELAPATI

5) Reference you wish you had

NONE

6) Expectations vs. actual impressions of the exam

Studied extremely hard. Fully expected to pass. No subject I didn't study per the boards breakdown of what was going to be on the exam. However, to me it was very difficult. The hardest part of this particular exam is TIME---50 problems in 2.5 hrs. Given enough time, I could have answer every one correctly. I wanted to leave feeling confident, but instead I left disgusted at myself, because I have to worry about cut scores and all that garbage in order to pass.

7) Advice for future examinees

I think I studied too hard. I even studied the night before the exam. I was mentally exhausted while taking it. I couldn't reason and think fast enough because of being so tired. ---My advice? Study hard----but----get plenty of rest so you'll be sharp when taking it. I think lack of rest probably cost me.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

8) Anything else you feel is important - Book your hotel on priceline!! $70 for a comfort inn room in Macon ??!?!? I paid $75 for a 4 star on the frisco bay!

Wow, William Shatner posts on our board.

 

[traffic]

1) Transpo

2)Raliegh,nc

3)CERM,MUTCD,HCM,Roadside design guide,all the ITRE study materials,Hickerson,Highway engineering manual, my own notebook with formulas, example tests, Naval book, Hydrobook, Geotech (chilipati, I know its spelled wrong)

4) CERM, MUTCD, HIghway Engineering Manual, Geotech, my own notebook, ITRE study books

5) none

6) This was my second time taking it and I had hoped to see some similar type questions but they all were different from the April exam.

7) Work as many example problems as possible

'.02'

 

[GTScott]

Time to pull this thread back up and add my info...

1) CE - Geotech Depth

2) Macon, GA

3) Lots (will elaborate later)

4) Lots - mainly CERM in AM...personal notes in the PM

5) More books on structures

6) The time was not nearly as big a deal as I had thought, I had plenty of time...now, whether or not I knew the material was another thing.

7) Bring anything you think you might need....stop studying a week before the exam and relax...get a good night sleep...do not stay at a hotel by the interstate.

 

[jfusilloPE]

1) Which Exam you took.

Civil/WR Afternoon

2) Exam location

Pittsburgh

3) References taken

CERM - 10th Edition

Wastewater Engineering Treatment and Reuse- Metcalf & Eddy, fouth edition

Geotechnical Engineering, Principles and Practices, Cuduto, 2003

A Dictionary of Environmental & Civil Engineering, Len Webster

Six Mintue Solutions - Water, Geotech, Environmental

Miscellaneous Class Notes

4) References actually used

All of the Above

5) Reference you wish you had

None

6) Expectations vs. actual impressions of the exam

Exam was pretty straight forward considering what I had studied

7) Advice for future examinees

Do sample problems, and make notations in your CERM. Take a good dictionary with you. Also, most importantly (IMHO) learn your calculator!

8) Anything else you feel important

I did take the study class from that other site (work paid for it), and I think that it helped out alot in learning how to use the tables in the appendix.

Read and re-read your reference material, I actually worked generalized problems out in my CERM from six-minute solutions where there was very little information for the types of questions asked in the six-minute solutions.

 

[n2h20]

Exam: Civil PE - WR

Location: Miami, FL

Books/References Taken: I took way more references than I needed but I would do the same again. I think it is better to have references and not need them than to leave them at home. I took the CERM 10th Ed., Testmasters notes, personal notes, all six min solutions, NCEES practice exam, Wastewater Eng by Metcalf & Eddy, Hydrology & Hydraulic systems by Gupta, Applied Hyrogeology by Fetter, Fundamentals of Geotech by Das, Civil Eng. Dictionary, Lindberg practice problems and sample exam?????.

Books/References Used: CERM, Testmasters & personal notes, Wastewater Eng by Metcalf & Eddy, and Fundamentals of Geotech by Das. I found many qualitative questions in both the morning and afternoon session from Metcalf & Eddy and Das!

Books/References that Would Have Been Useful: I think I took the right references to the exam. It is not possible to have everything. I found most qualitative answers in Metcalf & Eddy and Das but there was one or two enviro that I still couldn?t find. There is a book called the Dictionary of Civil & Environmental Engineering (I think by Webster) that is now out of print but I have heard is very useful for the exam. I could not get my hands on a copy.

Expectation vs. Actual Impressions of Exam: The level of complexity of the questions was much less that what I expected. The six minute solutions & Testmasters class went into much deeper level of detail/complexity than what is actually on the exam. The exam was still very challenging (I passed but actually didn?t think I did when I left the exam). Study, study, and study some more. You get out what you put in. It sucks to basically change your lifestyle to study for 3-4 months before the exam giving up almost everything else but then again do you really want to have to take the exam a second time?

Testing Facility Comments: The exam site was very cold. Two people to a table so there was not a lot of room for references. Plus when the other person starts erasing the entire table shook. The exam site was big enough for one person per table but I guess they didn?t have enough proctors. The exam room was on the third floor with only one tiny elevator (4 people plus references max). this is frustrating to get there and wait in line to go up. Get there early so you have plenty of time to set up at your desk. Lunch facility is onsite but very crowded. Some people didn?t get served until the break was almost over. I would recommend taking your own lunch.

Parking Issues: Good parking right out front. $5 to get into the lot.

Hotel: Did not stay in one but the exam site is at a hotel.

My biggest advice is to have one separate notebook with unit conversions, key equations, and a table of contents to help you find information in your other notebooks/references.

Good Luck!!!