Goswami Course

[kenny911]

I'm enrolled in the Goswami course and received all the notes/problems for the fall class. He has the problems split up in AM/PM. Do you guys think its ok to just do the AM problems and do the PM for my depth topic? I just don't want to study for PM structures when my depth is transportation if I'm not going to see it. If I am going to see it, then I need to create more time for myself.

 

[solomonb]

If you paid for the course, I would do ALL of the problems. You will learn something that you did not know before-- now is the time to study and study HARD--you only want to do this one time-- not 3 or 4 like many folks on this board. If the Professor said to do them, then buck up and get started. Remember, you only want to do this one time.

 

[ptatohed]

I respectfully disagree with solo. My feeling is study time is precious and you shouldn't spend it doing even one problem in which you won't be tested. If you haven't already, print out the NCEES outline syllabus and follow it during your studies. Only study the topics on the syllabus (your depth syllabus). Good luck.

 

[crogmobulon]

I took Dr. Goswami's course for the April '11 exam. It is a very good course, and I'm sure it made all the difference for me. He has a good sense of what types of questions will be presented in the AM vs. PM. He has divided the problem sets into AM and PM sections for a reason.

My advice would be to work all of the breadth problems and skip the depth problems that are not in your selected PM field. Working PM problems from his sets that are outside of your depth area will not really give you much if any added advantage on the AM portion of the exam. As with any sample problems, you should try your hardest to work them without looking at the solutions and after you have done some review on the topic.

That being said, I did sit through the review sessions that covered the PM topics. This gave me a better sense of what would not be covered in the AM.

Most of the problems he provides are quantitative. I would recommend that you also look into resources that will drill you on qualitative questions as a supplement to his course. There are a good number of qualitative questions on the AM and PM sections of the exam, and they can be the ones that make the difference. PPI has a flash card set that has 100 qualitative questions and answers for each of the following subject areas: Structural, Geotech, Transportation, Water Resources & Environmental. I believe they published these before there was a Construction depth. They now also have these as an iphone/ipad app for around $20. I also found that PPI's Exam Cafe has a large number of qualitative questions for practice. I subscribed to the exam cafe for the month just before the exam, and found running through their qualitative drills to be very helpful.

 

[kstatenupe]

I took his course for the April session. I selected Transportation. Here is what I did.

I did ALL the AM Problems regardless of discipline.

I did ALL the Transportation PM Problems.

I had a month left once I finished all the problems listed above (I went ahead when I did my weekend studying) so I would work some of the PM soils, water. I had already told myself that if I got a super hard structures question in the PM, I would just leave it for the end, and narrow it down if possible, or just guess.

If you already have the PDF's, then get a huge binder, and print off all the questions and answers, tab them and study something else. Then maybe a week before the exam, go over those just so you know where they are and what is being asked.

My main focus was Transportation, water, soil, Const+econ in that order. I just made sure I knew exactly where the structure stuff was.

BTW...I used his book for about 85% of the exam.

 

[Ambrug20]

If you paid for the course, I would do ALL of the problems. You will learn something that you did not know before-- now is the time to study and study HARD--you only want to do this one time-- not 3 or 4 like many folks on this board. If the Professor said to do them, then buck up and get started. Remember, you only want to do this one time.

I am taking Goswami Course, but I am not going to spend time to study PM classes. I better work out few more transportation problems. However, I will take WW PM, or at least listen the most of it. And I am planning to work out all of the AM problems. Structural, however, is getting very hard for me, but the rest of the subjects, should be easier. This is not my first time and I thought that I was well prepared last time. One thing I learn, should be steady, constant study. No laziness and weaknesses. Its so hard to study in the evening, but this is the way to win this game.

 

[kstatenupe]

If you paid for the course, I would do ALL of the problems. You will learn something that you did not know before-- now is the time to study and study HARD--you only want to do this one time-- not 3 or 4 like many folks on this board. If the Professor said to do them, then buck up and get started. Remember, you only want to do this one time.

I am taking Goswami Course, but I am not going to spend time to study PM classes. I better work out few more transportation problems. However, I will take WW PM, or at least listen the most of it. And I am planning to work out all of the AM problems. Structural, however, is getting very hard for me, but the rest of the subjects, should be easier. This is not my first time and I thought that I was well prepared last time. One thing I learn, should be steady, constant study. No laziness and weaknesses. Its so hard to study in the evening, but this is the way to win this game.

The water PM questions that he had helped me. I did all of them.