Survey Reference Manuals

[marcv182]

Of the reference manuals listed by the California PE website, which are worth hunting down?

I've heard about the Cuomo book and the practice problems, but are any of the one's singled out by the board worth using/studying?

Any input will be great! Thanks!

 

[Suns Den]

I think Cumo n "the other board" publications would be your best bet...

 

[Trashman]

Over in the 'Anything About PE Exam' discussion owillis28 posted a link to a reference that caltrans puts out that I think would be useful.

 

[sachin_srk]

Is there any good book or a reference to practice surveying problems....its been six to seven years since i had that course...i kinda lost touch with that.....i am new to this board..i donnow whether there is a topic already posted regarding this....

 

[1234oj]

Work on the practice problems and practice exams from the "the other board".. ofcourse refer coumo, it should be a fair preparation...

also give adequate prep time for the "office procedures" section .

I found that problems were relatively straightforward. The theory, especially from the procedures was a pain to understand....

 

[mr. smee]

Hey!

I've already described what I think of Reza Mahallati's surveying review course, so I won't go in depth here. I merely think that his review manual and class are well worth it. Here are some other resources I found were helpful. Please keep in mind that I went overboard b/c surveying was the final exam I had to pass and had the luxury of going in depth.

1. Schaum's Outline of Introductory Surveying. This book has some very, very basic problems. I liked it because it had really good equations for horizontal and vertical curves and for volume calcs as well. It was good for doing practice problems and getting my feet wet with surveying again, but the methodologies for problem solving they use in the book aren't practical for the test. I used this at the beginning of my survey review, circa April 2007 (for the Oct 07 exam).

2. Surveying Theory and Practice 7th Ed. A good reference if you need a quick definition during your studies and during the test. Very, very pricey, though (I really pulled out all the stops for this exam).

3. The other board's CA special survey review manuals. They are a greedy and unfeeling corporation, but they do put out a decent product. Learn from the Cuomo books, but be aware that they are rife with errors and omissions that may leave you scratching your head and wondering how the hell they came to that solution. There is good stuff in there. The practice exams are a good test of your skills, too. The real deal may be a bit trickier though (in my experience only...results may vary).

4. The Surveyor Reference Manual, also from the Other Board. Not one of their better products, but also useful for a definition or two.

The main thing for surveying is practice problems and remembering your basic concepts. I would pick up concepts as I stumbled through the problems, which is why my study phase was so freaking long. Good planning on my part, I thought. =) Finally, aim to get 31 problems for sure correct. It's a good goal that will get you close the the average passing score. But don't get complacent because passing scores seem to be on the rise for past few offerings.

Hope this helped. Do your best and best of luck to you!

mr. smee