PE Civil Exam Morning Prep with PE Civil Reference Handbook

[AndyPE]

Hi - I am getting started studying for the PE Civil Structural exam. I am mainly focused on the morning portion for now as there are a number of topics I have not looked at since college which for me in 10 years ago. I recently passed the SE so I am less worried about the afternoon for now as I have studied a lot of that stuff recently. Previous exam takers have told me to use the Lindeburg PE Civil Reference Manual by PPI as a good study guide. I also have their practice problems book. Now the exam is computer based and closed book with the NCEES PE Civil Reference Handbook as your guide (other than structures and safety codes in the afternoon). The topics covered in the NCEES Handbook match with the topics that Lindeburg says will come up in the morning exam (project planning, soil mechanics, structural mechanics etc) . The NCEES handbook is much less comprehensive than the Lindeburg guide. I assume as the NCEES handbook is the only reference, that any questions they ask in the morning that required an equation need to come from this handbook, so if I am comfortable with everything in the NCEES handbook then I should be okay for the exam? I am trying to make sure I have my bases covered but want to be efficient with my study time and not waste time on topics that will not be on the exam. Any feedback would be appreciated - thanks!

 

[steel]

Shouldn't your SE result be enough to get you a PE license? What state are you in?

 

[AndyPE]

I am in Illinois. I do not have a US degree as I moved to the US a few years ago. SE and PE boards are separate in Illinois. SE board would count my non US degree and non-US work experience and let me sit the exam and get the license. Illinois PE board will not count my education or experience outside the US and so will not let me get a PE here until I have enough US only experience. For Illinois it doesn't really matter as I have an SE so I dont really need a PE so I just went ahead and got the SE. But I work in other states that only use a PE license so it would be helpful to be licensed there also. I can take the exam in Michigan. Its cold in Chicago for the next few months and things are slow with COVID so it seemed like a good time to just study and pass the exam so I have the SE and PE Civil.

Any feedback on the NCEES Reference Manual would be appreciated!

 

[steel]

I am in Illinois. I do not have a US degree as I moved to the US a few years ago. SE and PE boards are separate in Illinois. SE board would count my non US degree and non-US work experience and let me sit the exam and get the license. Illinois PE board will not count my education or experience outside the US and so will not let me get a PE here until I have enough US only experience. For Illinois it doesn't really matter as I have an SE so I dont really need a PE so I just went ahead and got the SE. But I work in other states that only use a PE license so it would be helpful to be licensed there also. I can take the exam in Michigan. Its cold in Chicago for the next few months and things are slow with COVID so it seemed like a good time to just study and pass the exam so I have the SE and PE Civil.

Any feedback on the NCEES Reference Manual would be appreciated!

I believe you should be able to use your SE result to obtain a PE license by reciprocity In other surrounding states.

If I were you, I’d contact the state boards where you want to be licensed and ask, just to be sure.

 

[AndyPE]

Thanks for the advice. I will contact the boards in the states I am interested in and see what they. I had seen some threads before where people had tried reciprocity from SE to PE and seems like it does not always work but I will see what some different state boards say.

https://engineerboards.com/threads/ca-pe-reciprocity-for-ncees-se-exam.30870/

 

[steel]

California is a different situation. They do not grant a PE license using the NCEES PE Civil exam. They make licensure candidates take the California Seismic and Surveying exams.