Civil Engineering All-In-One PE Exam Guide: Breadth and Depth, Second Edition

Hands down the best prep for the PE exam. I know it sounds like an exaggeration let me explain why. The Lindberg book is the size of a phone book with a layout like an encyclopedia or a medical textbook. No engineering book follows such a convoluted format. Goswami's book is set following basic concepts to complex details. I was able to read the entire book cover to cover and get a sense of being able to understand all the subjects on the PE. The book includes some great practice problems that are only a little harder than the NCEES practice exam questions but easier than the horrible 6 Minute Solutions. The book has an easy to follow index and you are able to use this book much more efficiently than Lindberg. I have thoroughly compared the geotech section in Lindberg to Goswami's and for example; on the Shallow square foundations Lindberg gives you the the general formula with values to modify the equation for a square foundation. Goswami gives you the formula for a square foundation without confusing you no values to modify. Also Goswami gives you a table with more values for Phi instead of having you interpolate like Lindberg. There might be some complex detail lacking for the depth section of the PE. It would be impossible to include this in the book. Sort of what Lindberg tried to do and failed. So you still need advanced section references. The Lindberg book was really expensive. Honestly I could have done without it. Just buy Goswami's guide and get reference materials for the in depth section. Buy early edition reference books and the whole package should run you about 400 for geotech. Half if you got Lindbergs. Goswami also gives a great review class for the PE google his name. You study before hand from this book and ask him tough questions in a webminar. I talked to people that took school of PE and that class is basically for people that are unable to study. The school of PE class goes over formulas and theories. Don't waste your time studying in a class. Do it beforehand and troubleshoot hard questions with Goswami. Goswami is a Structural PE at Morgan State in Maryland. No other class has a PhD teaching it. Oh and did I mention Goswami's class is half of what school of PE charges and about 1/3 of what the Test café rip off charges.

This book is a good resource overall, in addition to using the CERM. When this book covers topics beyond those covered in CERM, it often is poorly worded and it is expressly lacking details that can leave you scratching your head trying to understand what the author is saying. I also noticed that there a several errors in the practice problem solutions where I can not find an errata for anywhere.

This book is much easier to read, follow, and understand than the CERM. I used this book more than the CERM and was my main go to book during the PE exam. It's a handy companion to the CERM and the All-In-One Practice Exams. I recommend adding this to your AM studies and use with the CERM. In using the two you will find that what the CERM doesn't cover All-In-One does and vice versa. I found several topics that the CERM did cover but was very hard to follow and understand. All-In-One did a much better job at explaining the material. Putting the two together will be all you need for the AM exam as far as references and books.

If you're trying to sort through... just what do I study??? This book will kick start your work. Read it cover to cover to prep for the exam. It has everything you need and nothing you don't. Unlike the typical giant CERM reference, this books is easy to navigate and keeps things relatively simple. I recommend both books if taking the exam because there will certainly be those random "out of left-field" questions on the PE that are only found in the depths of the CERM but this is text will help you study and provide you a great "view from 5000 ft" keeping you from getting deep in the weeds which is exactly where you'll be if you try to read the CERM :) Good luck on the exam!

Two huge benefits of this book made it indispensable for my PE study: 1. This book seems to have been written expressly for the Civil PE Exam, which means that it is organized more closely to how the exam is organized, and gives you a targeted study tool to prep you for the exam. 2. Available in electronic format, which meant that I could take it with me while traveling (unrealistic with the other books). Also, searching was much easier. However, I would suggest having supplemental materials in case you find explanations that are not comprehensive enough. Occasionally, I did find terms that weren't extremely well-explained, a couple topics for the exam were missing, and some variables were not clearly defined. That supplemental book for me was the PPI "bible," which I found helpful as a reference but did not help focus my study for the exam. Together with these two books and a practice exam, I passed the April 2013 exam on the first try.

At least for me, this book was not especially helpful for the PE exam/ The formatting of the information and sample questions was dissimilar from the setup of the exam and sample exams from NCEES that it left me frustrated. I spent more time notating the book to "translate" the relevant sections into the exam breakdown that I actually used it as a reference. The information was good, but I really needed something more in line with the actual exam. I took it to the exam, but I don't think I ever even opened it. I recommend sticking to sample exams and other information offered directly from NCEES since the formatting will match the actual exam, saving you time and effort on exam day where you will already be stressed enough.