Calculator Policy for California State Specific Seismic and Surveying Principles Exam:

The head proctor of the Seismic Principles Exam (April, 2011) surprised me when she said, "You can have any calculator, as long as it does not have QWERTY." Basically, they don't allow a calculator into which you can type-enter the questions.

It is still best to practice on the calculator you will use during the exam. Buy a compliant model as soon as possible in your preparation period. I used the Casio fx-115W. It is solar. This prevented any concern about dead batteries.

fx-115w - Allowed in PE Exam

Visit the page for the California Board of Professional Engineers. They specifically state,

"It should be noted that the Board's calculator policy for its state-specific examinations varies significantly from the NCEES calculator policy for the national examinations."

So, if you have a favorite calculator that NCEES disallowed, you can bring it to the California state-specific exams, as long as it is not one of the following "strictly prohibited" types (June 6, 2012):

1. anything with a QWERTY keyboard
2. palmtop
3. laptop
4. handheld or desktop computers
5. data banks
6. data collectors
7. personal data assistants
8. organizers

Calculators with other (non-QWERTY) alphanumeric keypads are acceptable.

Some of the strictly verboten calculators are listed on the bpels site. These are not allowed on the NCEES exam, but are permitted on California state-specific seismic and survey exams:

... the HP 39 series; the HP 41 series; the HP42S; the HP 48 series; the HP 49 series; the HP 50 series; the TI 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 89 series; the Casio CFX 9850; the Casio FX 7400; the Casio FX 9750; and the Casio FX 2.0.

Best Engineering Calculators

BPELS Calculator Policy 

Select the best engineering calculator, and price shop on one page. 

Starting in October, 2011, NCEES administration services will administer and proctor California State special seismic and surveying exams. Be sure to check the BPELSG site, and take an allowable calculator. 

The Required Code Books for the California State Specific Seismic Exam + Cheapest Seller for Each

(Note: before you buy any of these books singly, paying shipping for each, check the PE exam study materials page on Amazon. It can save you some green on cover prices, and also on shipping (free on orders over $35.) 

The California state-specific Seismic Principles exam for April and October, 2015 will be based on ASCE7-10 and the 2013 CBC, which is based on the 2012 IBC. Though the books I originally researched change every few years, the sources are likely to remain the best sources for price, or to at least remain very competitive.

The below is copied directly from the pels.ca.gov website (with purchase notes added after each code book):

Seismic Principles Examination
Design of Wood Structures ASD/LRFD
6th Edition, 2007
Donald E. Breyer, Kenneth J. Fridley, Kelly E. Cobeen
McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York
Cheapest find for Design of Wood Structures ASD/LRFD (6^th Ed): Amazon.com (note that shipping is free, compared to typical $3.99 elsewhere.)

Seismic Design Handbook, 2nd Edition, 2001

2006 Design of Reinforced Masonry Structures
July 2007
Chukwuma G. Ekwueme and Gregg Brandow
Concrete Masonry Association
6060 Sunrise Vista Drive, Suite 1875
Citrus Heights, CA 95610
(916) 722-1700

Cheapest find ($80) for Design of Reinforced Masonry Structures: The Masonry Society website: https://www.2paysecure.com/tms/cart/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=128
However, the overall cheapest price ($88.20) is at Amazon. This is because the Masonry Society charges $10 for basic UPS ground shipping. They do not offer USPS mail.

2006 IBC Structural/Seismic Design Manual, Volume 1
Code Application Examples and Building Design Examples
Structural Engineers Association of California
International Code Council
5360 Workman Mill Road
Whittier, CA 90601-2298
1-800-284-4406
www.iccsafe.org

Cheapest find: Amazon, through codeitusa. Note that Amazon, and DealOz both perform searches of multiple sites. However, for the above books, I found cheaper prices at Amazon. For your convenience, I have a "Search for Reference Book Deals" box directly to Amazon in the right margin of this blog. Copy the code book titles, and paste them into the search box.

2006 IBC Structural/Seismic Design Manual, Volume 2
Building Design Examples for Light Frame, Tilt-up, and Masonry
Structural Engineers Association of California
International Code Council
5360 Workman Mill Road
Whittier, CA 90601-2298
1-800-284-4406
www.iccsafe.org

2010 California Building Code, Volume 2 (CCR, Title 24, Part 2, Volume 2)
International Code Council
5360 Workman Mill Road
Whittier, CA 90601-2298
1-800-284-4406
Important Note: If you have the 2009 IBC, that is an equal substitute, and you will not need to purchase the 2010 CBC in addition. Both refer to ASCE7 2005 for seismic. The California Board website makes this statement.

Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures
American Society of Civil Engineers, ASCE/SEI 7-05

ATC-20 Procedures for Postearthquake Safety Evaluation of Buildings and ATC-20-1 Field Manual: Postearthquake Safety Evaluation of Buildings, 2nd Edition
1995
Applied Technology Council
(650) 595-1542
www.atcouncil.org

ATC 20 costs: Used copies are $20 to $100 from associated sellers at Amazon. Buy new from atcouncil.org for $24. ($31.98 total after tax and cheapest USPS Priority Mail for $5.70.) Total from Applied Technology Council is still less than what I found at Amazon, except for one offering in “good” condition from a 93% positive feedback seller.
The ATC-20 totals to $48.41. See my post Is ATC 20 Worth the Investment ?

Design of Wood Structures ASD/LRFD
6th Edition, 2007
Donald E. Breyer, Kenneth J. Fridley, Kelly E. Cobeen
McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York

Civil Engineering Reference Manual. If you're not crazy, this book is required. It is not listed by the NCEES, mind you. However, in every other sense of the word "required", you better have the CERM. Click the link to go to a site which searches for the cheapest price on the CERM.

Study Materials for the PE exam: Remember, Amazon is the biggest selling powerhouse on the Internet. Any seller selling on Amazon must offer their lowest price on Amazon; they must match or lower the retail cost. So, Amazon (barring irregularities) will always be the cheapest portal to buy PE exam books.

For a massive collection of carefully screened PE Sample Exams, Seismic prep material, and review books for most every exam type, visit the PE Exam Study Materials store on Amazon.

The California Civil Seismic Exam Review  page ranks the top 7 books and DVDs for review.