This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- The critical first step in soil classification is determining if it's coarse or fine-grained based on the 50% rule for the No. 200 sieve.

- How to classify coarse-grained soils as gravel (G) or sand (S), and then as well-graded (W) or poorly-graded (P) using gradation data.

- How to use the Atterberg Limits (LL, PL, and PI) and the Plasticity Chart to classify fine-grained soils.

- The function of the A-line and the LL=50 line on the Plasticity Chart to distinguish between clays (C), silts (M), and their plasticity (L or H).

- Common exam traps, including soils with 5-12% fines that require dual symbols and how to classify soils that plot directly on the A-line.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep