CE pass and study material

September 10, 2019 17:16

After taking the CE exam and getting a pass on it I thought it would be beneficial for anyone who is looking at this exam to see my study material.

Francis Ching Building Construction Illustrated. Chapters 3 and 7.

Fundamentals of Building Construction Sixth Edition, Allen and Iano Chapters 2, 6, 13, 16, 19, and 20. I find that these sections are best to be read and outlined during your PJM test and then really read closely for the CE exam.

Architects Handbook, review the PJM chapters on project delivery methods to be sure your on top of them.

Ballast Study Guide, reviewing the contracts section, the project delivery section and the CE section

Black spectacles study site. Go ahead and sign up for it already. Yeah its 200 buck a month, but really the practice tests and video lectures are worth it. MAYBE SOMEONE THERE CAN WORK ON THE PRACTICE EXAMS to have more of the detail questions where you point to locate issues in details or wall sections. I have signed up for Hyperfine and see similar items in their PPD PDD questions.

Schiff Hardin lectures. Be sure to review the contracts here. The lectures are long but they really are fascinating and you should have studied them for PJM and this would really be a recap for you.

Lastly get the contracts, A201, A101, B101 ( you should know these really well. ) Also know the A701, G701-705, G711, sets and how they get filled out when they get filled out etc. Get some experience with your company, or if your not employed right now, then look online regarding payouts, retainage and field reports and how these effect the job and relate to each other.

Best of luck!

Comments

18 comments

maryam delshad July 30, 2020 19:29

Thank you so much David. My weak point is mostly construction types and code related questions. Do you recommend anything for these topics as well ?

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Christopher Hopstock April 14, 2021 21:38

Hi David,

We're so glad that you enjoyed our study materials and that they helped you pass your CE exam!
You'll be happy to hear that we added over 300 hotspot and drag-and-place questions to our exams in the past year. The proportion of these questions compared to other question types mimic that of the ARE.
Good luck in your studies!

Chris Hopstock RA

Black Spectacles

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Stephanie Schwindel September 29, 2019 15:19

Thanks for your feedback. I will definitely look into using these resources for my studies. The only thing I would recommend is to use a more recent version of the Schiff Harden lectures where he references the 2017 contracts.

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Ryan Salas November 20, 2019 05:42 (Edited November 20, 2019 05:42)

Hey David,

There's a lot to chapter 7! Of course this is all relevant to our career but would you mind suggesting which sections of chapter 7 to focus on in the context of this exam? Unless it actually is all of it... hope not!

Thanks!

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Ryan Salas November 20, 2019 18:37

Thanks David!

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maryam delshad July 30, 2020 18:03

Hi David,

I'm following your recommendations for my exam and thanks a lot for putting them together. Question : What did you study for ADA and zoning related questions ?

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David Kesting July 30, 2020 19:11

Zoning questions are going to be specific to the case study that they give you. I would Imagine that they would likely revolve around parking requirements or signage. Ada material... Give me a moment and I’ll check my material and get back to you.

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David Kesting July 30, 2020 20:53

I recommend buying the books. I realize that this can be expensive but frankly it’s my business to know and have access to this information and a business expense.

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Steven Aydelott July 31, 2020 03:04

Use UPS codes...it’s free link to IBC

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Nuo Bu August 05, 2020 05:47

Hi David,

Thanks for your suggestions. It's very helpful and clear! I am on my way to prepare my CE exam. I have all your listed books and materials. However, I am wondering do you think it's worth purchasing the Architectural Graphic Standards only for CE. I know it's a very important book not only for the exams but also for architecture career. However, it's not cheap. So I am not sure if I should buy this book right now.

Thanks!

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David Kesting November 20, 2019 07:47

Ryan, there’s only 50 pages to chapter 7 so it’s not that much. You can do it!

Read the whole thing and highlight as usual. Revisit your highlights and make sure you don’t skip the thermal, drainage, flashing, veneer and cladding details.

You’ll get greater insight if you look for the overlaps on those details and how they fit with similar ones from fundamentals of building construction by Allen and Iano.

im taking ppd and pdd soon and expect to see similar details there.

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David Kesting July 30, 2020 19:53

Oh yes! You should get a copy of the IBC and read the construction type chapters. It’s rather fascinating and you will need a copy of the IBC for work. You can also get Ching building codes illustrated which details that material rather clearly... come to think of it he details the ada material as well...

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TARA MIRZAEI July 30, 2020 20:17

Hi David and Maryam,
Is that true that upcoming version of IBC will com in 2021? I am from Canada, having access to BC building code is free. Is there any free access to IBC ?
I have previous version of building codes illustrated. Should I buy the new version?
Thank you

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TARA MIRZAEI July 30, 2020 21:43

I like to have IBC code, but the new version will come in a few month. I would rather to wait for buying 2021 version .

Appreciate your response

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TARA MIRZAEI July 31, 2020 04:30

Thank you Steven

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David Kesting August 05, 2020 16:57

Nuo

I agree that arch graphic standards is a great book but I didnt list it as a requirement with this test. That said its a great resource for PDD and PPD and you should def have it for those tests. I recall getting a few answers correct due to my review of AGS.

For CE I would buy Francis Ching Building Construction Illustrated. and make sure you know chapters 3 and 7. I would also have excellent knowledge of payouts, retainage and field reports and how these effect the job and relate to each other esp with how they relate to the contracts.

Times are tough and I know money is tight everywhere, but if you haven't passed PPD and PDD yet then getting AGS isn't a bad buy. Its on my shelf and I referenced it last week when I was doing a window detail.

D

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David Kesting April 14, 2021 22:17

Christopher Hopstock
Thanks for the update and that’s great news . I know that there are a slew of people who read these blogs and figured that you would chime in with some
News like that. Black Spectacles was an excellent resource that allowed me to pass all my exams. I also recommend hyperfine for the PPD and PDD tests.

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Divya Rai Mundala May 25, 2021 01:57

Hello Tara, I'm in Ontario, Canada. I would like to connect with you and gain some insight in the Registration process for us in Canada with respect to ARE. My email is divya3240@gmail.com
Please do connect with me. Thanks

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