Civil Engineering Reference Manual for the PE Exam

Having recently taken and passed the PE exam, I can attest to this book's usefulness. The index, in particular, I found to be pretty expansive - I used it to find answers to more than one problem where I was fairly clueless.

Please note, the CERM's utility is certainly highest on the morning (breadth) section. Although it won't be entirely useless on the afternoon (depth) portion of the exam, you'll definitely utilize other references more heavily. I, for one, was impressed by how lopsided the difference in difficulty between sections turned out to be.

Regardless of exam section, each question is equally weighted; thus, it's best to "clean house" where it's easiest - in the morning. You'll find this manual quite useful for that.

My $0.02...


This book is required.   January 12, 2006
R. Griffin (Shreveport, LA United States)
17 out of 18 found this review helpful

I passed the exam in October 2005, and I used this book for 95% of the exam. I know I didn't get 100% on the exam, but I got enough to pass. Make a photo copy of the the index and appendices and put them in a three ring binder. Not only will this keep you from tearing up the book, it will save you time when you look up information in the index. Make sure you get one of the required calculators. I was amazed by how many people had to take the exam without a calculator because they didn't have one that was on the approved list.


Improvement   November 13, 2001
KayCeeKay (Missouri, United States)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

I purchased the 6th edition of this book a few years back in anticipation of taking the PE exam. Then the PE exam changed. Therefore this Reference Manual changed. I would have to say that this 8th edition is a MUCH better reference book. It is well thought out, well presented and just simply contains much more information! I was thoroughly impressed from the second I cracked open the book and as I work through the problems I become more and more impressed with the book. At first I was distressed about buying the latest edition and having to spend the additional money but it ended up being money VERY well spent. I highly recommend this book if you are preparing for the exam or if you simply want an excellent reference book for your engineering library.


Excellent choice   July 16, 2002
Arthur Armour (Portland, OR United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Used this book and companion problems booklet. I took only this book to the test and it did the trick. Though you need to read it to be familar with it. I took the water resources afternoon test and the book did not fail me. Great index lead me to appropriate pages after determining key word in test question. Problem booklet helped me get into the problem solving mode. Booklet also helped me determine info (conversions and equations) I would use a lot and I put those on seperate paper which I bound for the test. It helped to have the seperate notes because the book is big and time is wasted turning pages. I finished each section with 5 minutes to spare. Buy and read this book, work through some of the problem booklet, and you have a good chance of passing the PE. It was my only study guide (two months diligent study) and reference in the test and it worked for me.


This is the one you need   November 11, 2000
Marcel Dulay (Austin, TX United States)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

As you can read from other reviews, this book is the one reference that is used most during the PE exam (very true). The subjects are well organized with many example problems; however, I did catch some errors. The book is very much geared towards the test and I found even the most obscure items somehow referenced in the text. If you plan on doing extensive study I recommend buying the solutions manual to the sample problems as a study guide to help work through the civil engineering disciplines that you do not practice.