Update: I passed!!!
Took the structural exam last week and left feeling hopeful, but the anxiety waiting for results is something else. I know there's no point in worrying about something out of my control at this point, but here we are.
For context, I took this exam back in April 2022 right before they removed the breadth section. I studied maybe 30 hours, somehow walked out thinking I passed, and failed. That false confidence was a wake-up call. In hindsight, I didn't actually know the material, the exam just tricked me into thinking I did. At that point, I was about a year and a half post-grad.
This time around, I put in approximately 120 hours of studying, exclusively using AEI, and took the NCEES practice exam two days before (scored an 80%). I skipped masonry, wood, temporary structures, and AASHTO because I found on my first attempt that most of those questions are just code lookups, and I really wanted to focus on what I know I'm solid on and trust my ability to read the codes. I don't regret that strategy post-exam. I don't think it would have been worth spending time on those sections for me personally. The questions I struggled with most were related to seismic loading. I'd also agree with others on this sub who say geotech carries a large portion of the structural exam. I felt like I knew how to approach every geotech question I got, and a basic understanding of foundations and retaining walls will go a long way.
The first half felt brutal. 42 questions, flagged about 10 for low confidence, and had to guess on maybe 3/4 of those. It was heavier on code/design content than I expected and I decided to cut myself off right after 4 hours. The second half was a completely different experience. I only flagged 5 questions, felt solid, and actually had just enough time to go back and check my work. Found 2 calculation errors on the second pass that I was able to correct. I only slept a couple hours the night before due to anxiety, so that makes me nervous I could have had more stupid mistakes I didn't catch.
A few takeaways for anyone prepping:
- Don't let a rough first half get in your head. The second half is a fresh start
- Always run back through your computational problems if you have time. I found 2 errors I was able to correct
- Track your units on every calc problem. That's how I caught both mistakes
- Geotech is a bigger portion than you might expect. A solid understanding of foundations and retaining walls goes a long way
- For statics and mechanics problems, always check your reference tables first. I found most of them had an applicable shear, moment, or deflection case I could use directly
Mostly just posting to connect with others who took it this week. How's everyone feeling going into results day? Also feel free to AMA if you're prepping for structural.
I'll update tomorrow with my results.