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Rating: 
Summary: Special thanks go to Majid Baradar
Review: Excellent book. The basic seismic principles are presented so well and so easy by multiple questions format. I found solutions very comprehensive. It provides the key UBC codes. It prepares you well for the tough California seismic exam. I was amazed to see majority of the exam candidates had this book and other Baradar's book, 345 Solved Seismic Design Problems, going to the actual exam. Out of all study guides, 345 Solved Seismic Design Problems and this book are the best. I passed the exam on first try. Special thanks go to Majid Baradar.
Rating:
Summary: Must Have Book
Review: I admit that learning seismic principles and UBC codes were the most difficult task in my civil engineering field. However, by studying this book in conjuction with Lindeburg and Baradar's Seismic Design of Building Structures, and using the other Baradar's book "345 Solved Seismic Design Problems", I prepared myself for the CA Special Seismic Exam very well. Although I had no seismic background, these books assisted me to become a professional civil engineer by passing the seismic portion of the P.E. exam on the first try. I highly recommend this book as a must have book as a study aid.
Rating: 
Summary: Useful practice exams but lacking in certain areas
Review: I used this book in conjunction with Baradar's 345 Solved Seismic Problems book and Lindeburg's Intro to Seismic Design books to study for (and pass on the first try) the CA special seismic exam. Although I had no background in the field at all, I feel these 3 books were enough to pass the exam. My comments on this book: the main problem is that the book references the outdated 1994 UBC rather than the 1997 UBC which is currently used in the CA special seismic exam. I also felt that the two practice exams contained in the book were a lot easier than the actual exam (mainly the length of problems, not the difficulty of the problems themselves). I also found the actual exam to contain more "theoretical/conceptual" type problems than the practice exams did. But the problems will still challenge you enough to help prepare you for the exam. I feel this is a worthwhile investment for anyone looking to pass the CA special seismic exam.
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