CE Pass
I passed CE recently and wanted to circle back to this blog as it helped me very much while studying. I decided to take CE after passing PJM/PCM as my friend and others have had success taking these exams out of order. I did find that some of the CE material overlaps with the PJM/PCM exams. I have some real world experience with bidding, site visits/construction administration so that was definitely helpful.
I read the Ballast Review Guide and used the Black Spectacles study guide & YouTube videos.
With that being said here are my tips if you are preparing for this exam:
1) Know the contracts especially the A201
2) Know who is responsible/liable in each situation if something goes wrong or more information is needed during construction. Generally the architect is responsible for code compliance while the GC is responsible for means and methods.
3) Understand the process for RFIs and submittals. Documents from GC/Subs always go through and are reviewed by the GC before submitted to the Architect. Architect reviews RFIs with his consultants and responds to the GC. The Architect reviews submittals and RFIs in a reasonable amount of time to not delay the project unless a specific date is listed in the submittal schedule.
4) Most of the times if there is an issue at the site the Architect will note it in a field report, never direct a GC or Sub on how to build something, store materials, etc.
5) Understand what happens and each parties role at the times of bidding, substantial completion, & final completion.
6) Have a general understanding of commissioning and its purpose
Any questions please comment as I would be happy to help. Best of luck to everyone looking to take this exam!
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Congratulations! Thanks for sharing!
Gang Chen, Author, Architect, LEED AP BD+C (GreenExamEducation.com)
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Thanks for posting. I have my CE exam scheduled in about 3 weeks. I have CE, PjM & PcM remaining. I am curious if I should allow more time to study all material for CE/PjM more in depth and whether there might be a benefit to taking PjM before CE. I am just starting my studying for CE by the way, and have some real world experience with CA, RFI response, site visit activities but none in contracts, bidding, assigning liability. Any thoughts on the amount of study time or order of exams would be great, thanks.
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Nicholas,
I would definitely recommend going through some PJM flashcards and also being familiar with the primary AIA documents. Read B101, A101, A201 front to back. Knowing the contracts is vital for the PCM/PJM exam but will help you with CE as well. Regarding bidding, know the process for public vs private project bidding. I don't think you should have an issue taking CE without having done PCM/PJM; my friend passed CE as the first exam he took. I studied everyday for about a month leading up to the CE exam but this is different for everyone.
Best of Luck!
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Congrats on the pass!
If anyone else is looking for free study resources, I made a video for all of my CE study tips here: https://youtu.be/-qPZkheCijE
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