PE Civil in April 2013 - What to do?

[IndyEngineer]

I am planning to retake the PE Civil exam in 2013. I was thinking to collect all the books and start preparing for the exam but found out that the standards would be changed in April 2013 exam. I am planning to purchase the following books for my study:

Civil Engineering Reference Manual for the PE Exam (CERM13), 13th Edition

Practice Problems for the Civil Engineering PE Exam: A Companion to the Civil Engineering Reference Manual (CEPP13), 13th Edition

Civil Engineering All-In-One PE Exam Guide: Breadth and Depth by Indranil Goswami

Civil Engineering PE Practice Exams: Breadth and Depth by Indranil Goswami

NCEES PE Civil: Transportation Sample Questions and Solutions

Civil PE Six-Minute Solutions Package

The question is...should I purchase these books and start studying or wait until october when NCEES would announce the new standards?

I will appreciate comments.

Thanks

 

[ptatohed]

I don't think there is any point in waiting. The earlier you start studying, the better. Even though some of the codes may change, the books you listed above may not be updated to reflected the changes for years after the NCEES code changes. The books you listed are a very good choice (not sure what you mean though by 6 Min package? I think you'll only need one 6 Min book on your depth module). I'll assume your depth module selection is Transpo? What you didn't list are the Transpo standards. When you go to buy your standards, make sure they are the ones on NCEES's upcoming list (ex. get the 2010 HCM, not the 2000 HCM). There is a thread in the Transpo forum with a link to NCEES's proposed codes, to be released in Oct. Let me know if you can't find it. Good luck.

 

[desantmf]

I agree with ptatohed, the books you have listed have nothing to do with the standards that will change. So feel free to buy those now if you want. Also I don't know if you need both the CERM13 and All-in-One Guide. I would just go with the CERM however, if money isn't an issue the more the better I guess. Just remember you will most likely have to spend $200-$600 on standards too depending on what depth portion you take.

From the NCEES website it says, "Exam specifications and design standards are posted 6 months before the exam administration. Updates for April exams are posted in November, and updates for October exams are posted in May." So before you go and buy all your depth section specific standards, wait until NCEES post them to their website.



"Know where to find the information and how to use it - That's the secret of success." - Albert Einstein

www.learncivilengineering.com

 

[IndyEngineer]

PPI site offeres a package of five 6 min solution books (one for each module). That's what I meant by 6 min package. Do I need all 5 books or just for my module i.e. Transportation?

As far as PM Transp is converned, I will purchase the following:

AASHTO 6th edition (the new one)

HCM

Roadside design guide

Transportation Depth Reference Manual for the Civil PE Exam by Norman Veigt (Should I purchase this ONE???)

I know NCEES recommend other books but I will see if I can borrow from someone or get the PDFs of these books.

Do yoy guys think the above books are good for afternoon exam?

 

[ptatohed]

PPI site offeres a package of five 6 min solution books (one for each module). That's what I meant by 6 min package. Do I need all 5 books or just for my module i.e. Transportation?

As far as PM Transp is converned, I will purchase the following:

AASHTO 6th edition (the new one)

HCM

Roadside design guide

Transportation Depth Reference Manual for the Civil PE Exam by Norman Veigt (Should I purchase this ONE???)

I know NCEES recommend other books but I will see if I can borrow from someone or get the PDFs of these books.

Do yoy guys think the above books are good for afternoon exam?

Indy,

I think the expense of all 6-mins is too high for the benefit. Only a small portion of each book is AM level and the rest is PM level. So you'd be buying the cons, geo, structs and water 6-mins just for the AM questions. Not worth it in my opinion (but you can if you want). Did you find the thread I mentioned with a link to the upcoming NCEES list of Transpo references? Yes, get the latest AASHTO Green Book, the latest HCM, the latest RDG but, to add to that, make sure you get the latest (2009?) MUTCD. It's a free download. I'd pass on the PPI Transpo Depth book if it were me.

Good luck.