Hello from North Texas!

[vipetikorn]

Hi everyone! 

I just graduated this past may with my BS and already certified as an EIT.  I am looking to study for the PE Exam this April, specifically the Civil - Transportation one. Thus, I brought the Civil Engineering Reference Manual (CERM) and also the Transportation Depth Reference Manual (TDRM) to prepare. Upon opening the books, I was completely mystified by the CERM (probably by the thickness) as compared the the TDRM because I knew straight away that the PM exam was going to be pretty much from the TDRM. Thus, I was wondering...how should I approach to exclusively study for the AM Exam through the CERM. I would assume that the CERM is pretty much an encyclopedia for all of the PM exams and also the AM exam, but since the AM exam is more general, I probably would not need to know all the nuts and bolts which would probably be in the PM exam for other sections like say, geotech or structural. 

 

[youngmotivatedengineer]

Good morning,  for the morning section you should use the test specifications as your starting point.  This will tell you what areas are tested in the morning.  

For the afternoon it's not just the TDRM. If you look at the test specifications,  there are multiple references on there thst you nerd to be familiar with.  

 

[txjennah PE]

Hello fellow Texan! Best of luck studying for the PE!  You are smart to take the exam as a recent graduate and while the material is still fresh.

 

[Wade_TX]

Welcome from San Antonio.  I know they are a bit expensive, but I would recommend some sort of course for the breadth portion.  They help make sure you stay out of the weeds and study the important material.  I tried at first to study my CERM by skim reading on my own and caught myself reading and focusing on a lot of smaller things, like Kinematics for example.  The courses make sure you focus on the main topics of the exam and that automatically incorporates the smaller topics in the process.  They also have schedules, which are VERY helpful for staying on track.  Good Luck!!