Concrete & Reinforcing References
Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures (PCA) and Placing Reinforcing Bars (CRSI): mix design, testing, curing, and rebar placement practice.
14 questions in our bank cite this reference.
The one thing to know
Testing questions are definitional: slump = workability, cylinders at 28 days = strength, Proctor = compaction benchmark. Tab the test-methods chapter.
Your tab set
Florida exams allow pre-tabbed, highlighted references. Build these tabs before exam day, in book order.
Water-cement ratio vs strength, admixtures
Slump, cylinders, air content
Moisture/temperature requirements, hot & cold weather concreting
Chairs, cover, supports (Placing Reinforcing Bars)
Highlight the question, underline the answer
Don't just tab your books — mark them as you practice. Every time a question sends you into a reference, leave a two-part mark behind: highlight the passage the question is about, and underline the exact words that answer it. Do this through your whole question bank and the book turns into a map of the tested material — so on exam day you recognize the spot, not just the section.
- 1
Highlight what the question asks about
When you look up a practice question, highlight the sentence or table the question turns on. That block is now a visual landmark you'll spot on a fast flip.
- 2
Underline the exact answer
Inside the highlight, underline the specific number, deadline, or phrase that is the answer — with a fine-tip pen. Highlight = the topic; underline = the fact.
- 3
Color-code by what trips you up
Use one highlighter color for deadlines and numbers, another for definitions, a third for the answers you got wrong twice. Your weak spots become the brightest marks in the book.
- 4
Let your tabs and marks compound
A tab gets you to the chapter; the highlight gets you to the paragraph; the underline gets you to the answer. Built up across a full question bank, that three-layer trail is the open-book skill the exam actually tests.
The reference lists allow underlining with pen or highlighter, bar handwritten and typewritten notes in the books, and bar making any marks during the exam — so every mark goes in before you walk in, and none of them can be written notes.
Navigating under time pressure
- Mix design and water-cement ratio material is up front; field testing and curing later.
- Rebar cover, chairs, and splice basics are in Placing Reinforcing Bars.