pe Archives - The Structural Guy

5 Important Tasks To Do Right After You Pass the PE or SE Exam

The process of taking the PE or SE Exam can be quite stressful, but the moment of triumph after passing is undeniably exhilarating. The euphoria of knowing you won’t have to endure another round of exams or relentless studying is truly magical. However, putting emotions aside, it’s crucial for you to complete five essential tasks right after passing the exam to successfully conclude your licensing journey.

Structural Issues for My ADU and How I Solved Them (Part 3)

In Part 1 of this series about the conversion of my detached garage into an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), I discussed the structural issues relating to the roof of the garage. In Part 2, I discussed the structural issues relating to the walls of the garage and how I dealt with them. In this Part 3, I will discuss structural issues I had with the foundation of the structure and how I fixed them.

The PE Civil Exam is Moving To Computer-Based Testing (CBT): What You Need to Know

Have you heard about the big change happening to the PE Civil exam? The big news is that the year 2021 will be the last year that the PE Civil exam will be open book and paper-based. Since this is a huge change, I have compiled a summary for the important points you need to know about this transition.

4 Reasons Why You Should Consider Taking a Review Course for the PE or SE Exam

If your objective is to pass the PE or SE exam with the optimal amount of studying but without unnecessary stress, then you really need to consider taking a review course. In this post, I will provide you four reasons why you should take a review course from the unique perspective of someone who has taken review courses and also as an instructor that had taught both the PE and SE exam review courses.

NOT a Structural Engineer? 2 DOs and 2 DON’Ts When Studying for the Structural Part of PE Civil Exam

Now that you are no longer in school, studying anything outside of your field of expertise is probably a chore. If you are not a structural engineer or have no desire of becoming a structural engineer, studying structural engineering for the PE exam is probably as pleasant as going to the dentist! In this post, I will provide you with 2 DOs and 2 DON’Ts when studying for the structural part of the breadth portion of the PE Civil exam for a nonstructural engineer. Hopefully this post will save you time and grief!

The Best Reference to Learn/Review Wood Design for PE or SE Exam (Only 48 Pages Long!)

Wood is one of 4 main structural materials that you are required to know for the SE exam or the structural depth portion of the PE exam. However, I was surprised to learn recently that some of my co-workers never even took a wood design class in college. For me, I did take a wood design class in college and studied the textbook Design of Wood Structures by Donald Breyer. It was an excellent and comprehensive textbook that pretty much can teach you everything you need to to know about wood design, but it was also over 800 pages long! If you are instead looking for a fast way to learn wood design or just simply refresh your memory of wood design for PE/SE exam, I have a perfect reference for you. It is only 48 pages long but it includes all of the equations, adjustment factors, and design examples that you need to know for the PE/SE exam. Bring this reference to the PE/SE exam and you will be golden for wood design!

3 Useful Test Taking Strategies for the PE and SE Exams

There are many general test taking strategies out there that you probably already know. For this post I want to focus on 3 test taking strategies that specifically apply to the PE and SE exams. Putting these 3 strategies on the actual exam can greatly increase your chance of passing!

Civil PE Exam Review Course for October Exam

I will be teaching the review classes for the structural portion of the Civil PE exam in October for PPI! Classes for the entire course start on July 28th so if you are interested, click here to sign up for the class.

Even if you are not taking this particular review class, I highly suggest you look into taking a review class because it’s a great way to reinforce what you already know and a short cut for you to learn about materials that could be on the exam.

4 Necessary Components of a Study Plan for FE/EIT, PE, and SE exam

Studying means something different to everyone. The amount of studying you need to do depends on your level of knowledge of the subject and how much information you can retain each time you study. In this post I will provide 4 minimum studying activities you need to do for an engineering licensing exam (whether it’s FE, PE, SE, or another exam) to give you a good shot at passing. It’s up to you to calibrate this guideline to your specific needs and level of knowledge.

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When Should You Take the FE/EIT, PE, SE Exam and When Should You Start Studying?

So you decided to take the plunge and get on a path to get your professional engineering license, but you are not sure when you should take the engineering exam or when to seriously start studying for it. In this post I will give you some guidance regarding these two dilemmas so you can make sure that you are on the right track.

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