Customer Reviews

Six-Minute Solutions for the Civil PE Exam Structural Problems

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have reached problem number 33 out of the 100 offered in this book and I have found over 10 mistakes. Basic design knowledge like P/A + or - M/S escapes this author. This book has hindered my studies at best.

I completely agree with the other 1 star reviews, this book is just terrible. The key problems are:

1. It's not representative of the PE. The first thing you should do prior to taking the PE is looking on the NCEES website and find out what they expect you to know. The 2009 version of the morning exam includes determinate structures, footing, beams and slabs, steel and maybe reinforced concrete. So when you get to the mansonry problem in this book and freak out, don't, NCEES does NOT expect you to know it. (Also, the solution is completely and utterly wrong.)

2. ASD vs. LRFD, there are quiet a few steel problems down with ASD. First off, it's 2009, who the heck uses ASD for steel. Second, the problem statement doesn't say "use ASD" so you end up solving the problem in LRFD and then looking at the solution and going, well, okay, that's not helpful. Also, the exam provides answer choices in both ASD and LRFD (but once again, who uses ASD?)

3. The problems are just odd - a built-up glulam column, torsion of reinforced concrete columns, really. No, I don't think so.

I just took the PE and I got to say, never once was I like, hey, I did a similar problem from the 6 minute solution book. I really wish this book was better, especially since there really are not that many books out there for PE prep, but even if this is the only book, I still don't recommend it.

The problems are not really 6 minutes problems. Many problems are asked in only ASD style and only answered in ASD. The questions are much more different than PE exam. When I was solving the problems I felt these are different that other PE samples I solved. And it was totally different that the PE exam that I took. I chose structural for the afternoon and it has nothing to do with this book. Waste of my time and money.

I was looking for books to review for the civil portion for the morning exam and structural for the afternoon. This books description said it had both. When I received this book I realized it is the SAME EXACT PROBLEMS as the Six Minute Solutions - Structural I book (which I had already been given by a friend) only the problems were in a different order! Books for this exam already cost a fortune and now this author is selling the same book under two different names, both of which contain outdated and useless problems! Also since this book is just a copy of the structural one it contains no material for the morning civil portion of the exam. This was a complete waste of money, I'd give it zero stars if the computer let me.

This is a very good book for PE exam. The style and difficulty of problems are very close to the real exam. I took PE recently, one of the problems is exactly same. I recommend this book.

This book still uses ASD for steel design, it has not been updated for LRFD design, and such you get different answers for the steel questions.

Fantastic book! Could not have passed exam without it. Many solutions to PE exam questions were found in this book. Essential for the Structural emphasis or the A.M. portion.