Structural Systems ARE 4.0 Review
Things I studied to prepare:
I had taken and passed 4 other sections before taking structures as well. I think that puts you in a good position to feel comfortable going in and taking the test.
PPI ARE Exam Manual : Structural Systems Chapters
PPI : Structural Systems Q&A
Kaplan: Exam Manual _ for the practice test and quizzes.
Thadius Seminar. I attended in person, but think the online format would have been better for my learning style.
Buildings at risk: Seismic Design (Skimmed)
My first introduction to the structural exam was through the Thadius seminar. I would highly recommend this even though the price of the class is more than the exam itself. While I attended in person, I would recommend the online sessions as well. This would allow you to go back and review any information you are having trouble with at your own pace. (I guess the only trouble is you can't get specific questions answered).
After I took this class I took a break (my wife started finals for law school, and it didn't turn out to be a good time to take the test for me) and I actually wound up studying and taking the SPD and SD exams next before returning to the structural exam. I would not recommend this, as I lost a lot of knowledge I would have retained from the seminar!
When I did return, I used the study format that I used to pass the previous test. I started with the PPI (Ballast) book and read through that at a casual pace. I also read the Fema 454 and the browed the Buidings at risk information.
I used the PPI Q&A to see what categories that I needed to focus on as they break them down into subject categories. I would then (briefly) review that material.
I also used Kaplan Q&A, however for this section they provide like 400 questions, I only made it through about half and spend three evenings working with it before I moved on.
I then took the practice tests in the Ballast Q&A and The Kaplan Exam Guide. I don't think used any of the material in the Kaplan book, unless I didn't do well on a section quiz ( you can use those to test your strength in a category as well). I would review any question that I missed and work it out and understood how/ why I missed it. I don't think I ever did to well (< 75%) on the practice exam, and found them (especially the Ballast) to be more difficult than the exam that I sat for.
In the few days before the test I made sure I knew the in's and out's of the vignette. (SPAN IN THE SHORT DIRECTION, AVOID THE HEADACHE OF USING BEARING WALLS) If you can get your hands on the Norman Dorf materials, they may come in handy for this.
I had about 5-6 weeks to study this between my SD exam and when I scheduled my Structural Test (plus the previous Thadious seminar). I have always tried to schedule my exams on a Sunday, to give me Friday and Saturday to take a practice test, flash cards, review the vignette, and review any last min concepts.
The best advice I can give you if you don't know the answer, skip it! Don't waste time on solving a problem, that is only 1/125th of your overall score! You should have plenty of time at the end to work through the head scratchers after you are through the question you can answer properly.
I would study deflections and expansion and understand those formulas and how to work those problems out if I could go back and study again.
Lateral forces show up on the test, so make sure you have those concepts down! I found the FEMA documents are the best resources for that.
Know the rules of a couple (equal and opposite) and how to solve truss using the section method, and how to solve for hand rail overturning.
Just take your time, study, put the work in and you will be fine. Understanding the concepts will go a lot further than memorizing formulas (but there are some you have to remember).
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