Excel Test Prep Service

Results from the California PE Exam of April, 2010 were sent out mid-July. A few days prior to receiving my letter, I received two advertisements for study services. I took them as a bad omen. In fact, I failed to pass the seismic portion of the California PE exam series. Here in the Sunshine State, we have 5 portions: a take home, mailed in with the application, the two part NCEES exam, and two more exams the day following the NCEES test date. The two are a seismic and a surveying exam.

Since then, I learned about the best book for the seismic PE exam. 

I failed the seismic. This is a reasonable result. My study for the other portions had content and structure. For the seismic? Well, I noticed everyone else had seismic books with them. I had only two books: the ASCE7-05 and the 2006 IBC Structural Seismic Design Manual. These were marginally helpful on the exam. End result: my performance on two of five portions of the seismic exam was "marginal". The other three were "deficient".

This harbinger of bad news hit my post box four days before official news:

PASS THE EIT.
PASS THE PE.
We guarantee it.
Excel Test Prep

A guarantee shows some good business principles. Plus, they got my address somehow. Freedom of information act, perhaps? Anyhow, you can peruse their site at exceltest.com or phone them at (510) 490-7000. email: pe@exceltest.com

For more PE Exam Review Class reviews, see the PE Review Course List and Comparison.

PE Exam Books You Will Need:

For the NCEES PE Structural Exam:

1. Civil Engineering Reference Manual 14th Edition (CERM) Michael R. Lindeburg, ISBN: 978-1591263807

2. International Building Code 2012 International Code Council ISBN: 978-1609830403

3. Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, American Society of Civil Engineers, ASCE7-10 ISBN: 978-0784412916

4. Steel Construction Manual AISC 360-10, American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) ISBN: 978-1564240606

5. Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete, American Concrete Institute, ACI 318-08 ISBN: 978-0-87031-264-9

6. National Design Specification for Wood Construction ASD/LRFD, 2005 edition, and National Design Specification Supplement, Design Values for Wood Construction, 2005 edition, ASIN: B001K9TDFS

7. PCI Design Handbook Precast and Prestressed Concrete, 6th Edition, 2004  ISBN: 978-0937040713

8. Building Code Requirements and Specifications for Masonry Structures, ACI 530-08, Masonry Standards Joint Committee, ISBN: 1-929081-29-4

9. AASHTO LRFD Design Specifications for Bridges, 5th Edition, 2010, ASIN: B004C15EOA

10. Seismic Design Review Workbook: For the California Civil Professional Engineering Examination (See another post: Best Book for the California Seismic PE Exam.)

11. 2006 IBC Structural/Seismic Design Manual, 2nd Edition, ISBN: 978-1-58001-933-0 (for California Seismic Specialty exam)

12. The book of your choice for the California special Civil Engineering Surveying Exam. Link goes to an article listing all the best options available.

And, again, never be without:

1. Civil Engineering Reference Manual (the CERM), ISBN: 978-1591263418

DISCOUNT:
These books can be purchased at ppi2pass.com. Additionally, take 5% off using promo code PASS1114. . Write down the discount code. Check the ppi bookstore today.

If you want to compare the best PE Sample Exams, click the link!