Preparing and Passing the IStructE exam

This article provides guidance from a previous candidates experience of preparing and passing the IStructE exam. It has been written by a candidate who is a chartered structural and civil engineer having passed his IStructE interview in 2018, exam in 2020, and ICE review in 2023. Within this article, the candidate has written how he prepared for the exam and offers useful advice and tips for any other engineers who are preparing for the exam. The following article should help with your preparation.

Introduction

It is well known how challenging the chartered exam can be, so reading and understanding how another person prepared and studied for the exam can be useful in helping your own preparation and studying. I passed the exam in January 2020 after preparing for approximately 9 months and gained a good understanding of the exam requirements therefore I have decided to write down as much information as I can about my own exam experience which should help you with the following:

• Planning and preparing for the exam.

• Understanding the different sections of the exam and what is required in each one.

• Putting together a reference folder.

Approx. 9 months before exam

Preparation and planning

I started going to an exam preparation course approximately 9 months before the exam, this was a weekly evening class that I attended for 10 weeks. I would say that attending an exam preparation course can be very helpful (I’ve been told that the pass rate is higher for those who have completed an exam preparation course). The course gave me a good introduction to the exam, as we went through past questions, and used this as a foundation to develop my understanding of the exam as I started properly preparing approximately 7 months before the exam.

In summary, the months of preparation involved going through past exam papers and creating my reference folder. To start with, I created a folder on my computer to save any documents related to the exam, this included the following folders of which some were further split into separate sub-folders:

• Reading list – including any guidance / books / reference material / PDF’s that I thought would be relevant.

• Past exam papers and examiner reports which can be downloaded here: https://www.istructe.org/training-and-development/membership-exams/exam-preparation/chartered-membership-exam-resources/

• Documents and notes from the exam preparation course.

• My own attempted answers that I had scanned.

• Attempted answers from other people who have passed the exam – depending on the quality of these questions then this could be invaluable in helping you to understand the exam requirements, there are some worked examples on this website which may be helpful.

• An excel spreadsheet with my target programme to attempt certain questions and develop my reference folder.

• Reference folder – this is where I stored everything that I wanted to include in the hard copy reference folder to take into the exam which I explain in further detail later.

After organising my dedicated folders on the computer, I then decided to make a start at attempting some of the questions.

Approx. 6 months before exam

Early attempts

My first thought when starting exam preparation was to just have a go at attempting a question from start to finish and assess how far I was from being ready, this is when the realisation started sinking in of the challenge ahead, at this stage I felt way off being ready. I decided to attempt question 1 of the July 2018 paper, which was a Car Auction Facility. I spent a couple of hours each night and on weekends going through the question without any concern for time constraints, I wasn’t trying to do this in 7 hours, in the end I probably spent over 20 hours attempting this question going back and forth between guidance / reference material and back to the question. Looking back, I realised that I attempted to complete this question with far too much information and that my simple sketches for part 1a were definitely too detailed for what is required, so bear this in mind if you’re in the same position as I was when first attempting the paper, without properly knowing what is required it is easy to think you need to include everything rather than only including what is necessary and actually achievable in the time limit on the day.

My first proper attempt at doing a past question was completely different to my later attempts so don’t be worried if you are attempting your first question and struggling with time constraints or understanding exactly what is required because you will eventually become more efficient and realise what parts you can reduce.

After reviewing some other past papers, I realised that one of my challenges I was facing was the fact that I was providing too much information to complete in the time, I had read a few guidance documents advising what to include but at this stage I realised I needed to see how other people had attempted past papers.

Approx. 4 months before exam

Reviewing worked examples and more attempts

As mentioned above, I realised I needed to see how other people had attempted past papers so I asked a few people if they could send me copies of their worked examples. Once I had received a few worked examples I started gaining an understanding by simply having a read through them. I then used a couple of these worked examples to copy word for word just to get familiar with the layout / sketches / wording etc. Once I became more familiar, I then attempted a couple of questions with my own writing / thoughts and only using the worked examples as reference if I was stuck.

Using examples were definitely helpful, looking back there is no wonder it was a challenge to go through past exam papers without any sort of worked examples / answers to compare to. As a comparison, imagine trying to cook without a recipe, this exam is more than just getting an answer, I realised it becomes a methodical approach to answering each one which I will describe later. I would advise trying to get hold of some good worked examples to look through.

Approx. 2 months before exam

Reference folder

It was about this stage I decided to put together a proper reference folder developed from all the reference material I had collated during my work experience and exam preparation period. The following list shows how I divided my reference folder and a brief description of what each section included.

1. General – steel grades, parking layouts, floor & beam spans, span to depth ratios, reinforcement estimates & cover, disproportionate collapse, earthquake information, fire protection, movement joints, crane lifting, transport limits, programme estimates.

2. Introduction and loadings – typical dead and imposed loads, calculation of wind loads, deflection limits, SLS / ULS combination equations (to Eurocode), calculation templates for part 2c first page.

3. Stability – stability types, brace member capacities, sway frame calculations, RC walls / cores rules of thumb, calculation templates for part 2c for stability of steel bracing (single storey & multi-storey), steel moment frame (single storey & multi-storey), RC shear wall, RC core.

4. Cladding support – wind on cladding, cladding loads, purlin & side rail span tables

5. Transfer structures – general information, section capacities, part 2c calculations for Vierendeel (trusses / beams were already included in other sections)

6. Roof support – portal frame & cell beam load-to-span tables, part 2c calculations for roof truss

7. Portal frames – rules of thumb, preliminary sizes table, approximate calculations

8. Floor panels – span to depth ratios for RC in-situ / precast / metal deck composite slabs, part 2c calculation templates for one-way continuous RC slab, RC slab moment capacity and reinforcement table

9. Floor beams – common steel beam layouts, beam span-to-depths, span tables, section capacities, cell beam & plate girder tables, RC beams, timber joist tables, part 2c calculation templates for secondary, primary steel beams, & RC beams.

10. Columns – general information and part 2c calculation templates for steel and RC columns.

11. Cantilevers – general information and part 2c calculation templates for steel cantilever.

12. Crane elements – general information for steel crane beams including tables, section capacities, and part 2c calculation template.

13. Foundations – ground conditions, ground improvements, common types of foundations, capacity tables, preliminary calculations, part 2c calculation template for pile foundations.

14. Ground floor slab – ground beams, raft, bearing slabs, suspended slabs.

15. Retaining walls – ground types, rules of thumb, general information on different types of retaining walls, part 2c calculation template for RC cantilever wall.

16. Basements – basement construction types, waterproofing information.

17. Good examples of my exam attempts.

I also had a second reference folder which included steel section properties and capacities (marked up to show preferred section sizes for different structural members. I also included some of my lesser quality exam attempts, and at the back was spare / scrap paper.

In addition to the reference folders, I also took some books including, ‘Structural Engineer’s Pocket Book’, ‘Economic Concrete Frame Elements to Eurocode 2’, and ‘Concrete Buildings Scheme Design Manual’. All these books were very useful for the exam, the reference folder was generally the go to material without much need to flick through the books in the exam. Copies of my past exam paper answers were taken to use as examples and templates for the actual exam.

Approx. 1 month before exam

Final attempts and template

It was at this stage that I was really starting to refine my exam attempts and workout exactly what was needed to complete it in the time. During the last month, I attempted about six exam papers completely as noted below. In addition to this, I also partially attempted a few other papers only concentrating on sections that I wanted to practice more and skipping the sections that I was confident with (and at this stage a bit sick of repeating). The exam questions I completed fully were 2006 Q2, 2008 Q1, 2017 January Q1, 2017 July Q1, 2019 January Q2, and 2019 July Q1.

In my preparation I had fully focused on building questions, this included multi-storey buildings and industrial type (long span warehouse or similar), probably focusing more on the latter of the two types. For the industrial type, typically my solutions were either a portal frame or long span roof truss at different grid spacing and then foundations to suit the ground conditions, for example, if there is rock at say 5m below then piles may be suitable, alternatively if the ground at low depth is good then pads may be suitable, if the ground is weak at low level then maybe ground improvements could be used to make pads viable. The good thing about a portal frame and a long span roof truss is that they deal with the gravity loads differently and also provide alternative stability solutions as one is a moment frame, and one is a braced frame. Variations of the multi-storey frame type of question very much depends on the building, it seems like the ‘hurdles’ that you need to overcome can vary quite a bit with the multi-storey buildings. It is likely that a concrete frame or steel frame with different grid spacing, different method of dealing with the ‘hurdle (depending on what it is, e.g. low structural depth therefore possibly flat slab or shallow steel beams as two solutions), and then different stability methods would likely lead to being the solutions, and then foundations to suit, pads likely to be suited for the lighter steel frame and piles likely to be more suited for the heavier concrete frame but dependant on ground conditions. This paragraph pretty much summarises the ideas I had for solutions before going into the exam.

My last few exam attempts formed my exam template which I would say is the key aspect of how I passed the exam, I helped someone else with their exam preparation and they also said that my exam template was helpful in helping them pass. A summary of the template is shown below:

Initial review and ideas – 1-2 pages – about 15-30 minutes

• Structural zones summary + sketch

• Ground conditions summary + sketch

• Summary of hurdles and possible solutions

• Stability solutions

• Grid options

• Fire requirements (often just a basic mention)

• Mention of robustness

• Mention of movement joint if applicable

• Summary of the two options

Scheme 1 – 2-3 pages – about 1 hour

• Functional framing & stability (1-1.5 pages)

  • Sketch of scheme 1, basic sketch covering about a quarter to a half of an A4 page, plan view + section through with some colours on it to show key elements and stability.

  • Second half of the page includes a list of the structural elements that form the functional framing, a brief description of serviceability limits, robustness, and stability.

• Vertical load transfer

  • Sketch (half a page) + description (half a page) - use colours in the sketch.

• Lateral load transfer

  • Sketch (half a page) + description (half a page) - use colours in the sketch.

Scheme 2 – 2-3 pages – about 1 hour

• Same contents as scheme 1

Scheme recommendation – 1 page – about 5-10 minutes

• Table showing brief comparison between the schemes based on performance criteria such as aesthetics, buildability, economy, environment, function, H&S, and stability.

• Summary and recommendation

Client Letter – 1-2 pages – about 15-30 minutes

• Made up addresses at the top, brief overview of the client’s requirements plus possible solutions and preferred options, include sketches on same page if appropriate.

Calculations – approx. 8 pages – about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes

• List of main elements that will be designed such as stability bracing, roof truss, beam, column, foundation, slab etc; brief list of codes to be used, and summary loading information – 1 page.

• Calculation of each element – approx. 0.5-1 page per calculation.

Method statement – 1-2 pages – about 15-30 minutes

• For example: Enabling works, substructure, super-structure.

Outline construction programme – 1 page – about 15-30 minutes

• Brief table for each area and length of time to complete in months.

Drawings – 2-3 pages (A3) – about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes

• Plan view and sections on one page. Ways to save time include things like using dots for columns rather than drawing each UC section, marking references on elements like B1 / B2 etc for beams, C1 / C2 etc for columns and then listing all the section sizes to the side.

• Detail drawings on another page such as foundations / reinforcement / steel connections.

Exam day

The exam I did was the January 2020 exam (which can be found on the IStructE website) and the following section provides my experience on the day of the exam.

As I am based in the Northeast of England then my exam was in Newcastle which is about a one-hour drive. I chose to stay in a hotel the night before which I would recommend for you to consider if you need to travel, last thing you want just before a full day exam is to be stuck in slow traffic or missing a train then stressing out and worrying you may not make it in time. The fact that I stayed somewhere nearby meant that I was much more relaxed in the morning, still nervous for the upcoming exam but less stressed than if I had drove through morning traffic. Although the comfort of your own bed might be important so maybe it is something have a think about.

I woke up in the morning after little sleep due to thinking about the exam but regardless, I got up with plenty of time to spare and went for a McDonald’s breakfast which was located a bit closer to the exam venue. I drove to the venue, which in this case was an office tower, and walked in the reception and waited to be called up; there were about 6 of us waiting to go in the exam. We were invited into the exam room, which was a small room, basically a meeting room in an office although not sure what other venues are like and will vary depending on locations and might change over the years.

On the exam day I had taken my reference material (folders and books) as mentioned, along with typical stationary like pencils and coloured pens. Tip, I personally found that writing in lower case joined up writing was quicker.

As I spent my 15 minutes reading the questions, I went through the same feeling that I think a lot of people go through, and that is the uncertainty of which question to choose. Question one was a multi-storey office building and question 2 was a single-storey airport terminal. Even though my preference was a single storey structure, I still debated a while between the two questions and almost proceeded with question 1 (I’ve heard other people have a similar experience of starting one question and then thinking ‘why am I doing this question?’ and then change their mind and do a different question). After a few minutes I decided to proceed with question 2 which was the single storey airport terminal.

The general layout of my answer was based around the template I discussed earlier. From memory I believe my two solutions included a steel portal frame structure stabilized by the moment frame action in plane of the portal frames and I think I opted for bracing in the transverse direction due to the serviceability requirements dictated by the glazing but with consideration of the aesthetics. The other solution was a steel roof truss stabilized with bracing in both directions, both solutions had different grid spacing and variation in the foundations. Once I was happy that both solutions were sufficiently distinct and viable, I then proceeded with a review of the solutions and concluded to progress with the steel roof truss solution.

For the client letter I will have written approximately 1-2 pages explaining the basic principles of incorporating a basement in the building, what would be required and how it would affect the proposed design.

I had managed to finish section 1 by lunch break, by this point I had not taken a toilet break as I wanted to wait till lunch so that I was not using exam time. Most others clearly had the same idea and only one person was allowed out at a time, but luckily I managed to get my turn before the lunch break ended, but it could be a consideration for anyone else in case they are still implementing the same rules.

After lunch I progressed with my calculations for the main structural elements including bracing, roof truss, columns, mezzanine floor slab beams, and foundations. I progressed with the method statement, construction programme, and the drawings. For the drawings I believe I did a ground floor plan, a roof plan, a mezz floor plan, a section through, and a few details such as steel truss node and foundation detail, I speak of this from memory and I think it is likely that the plan views will have been drawn only showing one half of the building with a line of symmetry shown and noted to say that both sides are the same.

It was a massive relief to get to the end of the exam, get home and finally have spare time in my life again, although I kept thinking about the exam for many days after. Having spoken to a few others who have sat the exam, it seems this is quite common to spend your time afterwards overthinking of areas you are unsure on, the best thing is to not think about it too much. I was once given the advice to rewrite your entire answer straight away while it is fresh in your mind, I never did this and I kind of regret not doing it because it’s not possible to get a copy of your exam paper, but I remember at the time thinking that the last thing I wanted to be doing was spending another day going through an exam paper, but this could be an idea for anyone else to consider.

I sat the exam in January 2020 and got my results in April 2020, dates of sitting the exam have changed since then but hopefully this gives you an idea of how long it can take to get your results.

I hope this article explaining my experience of preparing and sitting the exam is helpful to anyone else looking to do the same and I wish you all good luck.