PE Civil — Construction practice problems and timed practice exams

What the exam covers

PE Civil — Construction knowledge areas

NCEES divides the PE Civil — Construction exam into 11 knowledge areas and publishes a range for each: how many of the exam’s 80 questions can come from that area. PassFEPE sorts every PE Civil — Construction problem into the same areas, so you can work on one at a time or mix them all.

1. 1

   Soil Mechanics

   Lateral earth pressure · Soil consolidation and settlement · Effective and total stresses · Bearing capacity · Slope stability

   6–9 exam questions8–11% of the exam50+ practice problems

2. 2

   Site Layout and Development

   Layout and control (e.g., staking, benchmarks, elevations) · Basic horizontal and vertical curve elements (e.g., middle ordinate, length, chord, radius) · Site investigations (e.g., adjacent structures and properties, utilities)

   5–8 exam questions6–10% of the exam20+ practice problems

3. 3

   Material Properties

   Soil, rock and aggregates (e.g., boring log interpretation, classification, strength, permeability, compressibility) · Concrete (e.g., mix design, admixtures, proportioning) · Steel (e.g., structural, reinforcement, prestressed) · Wood (e.g., sawn, engineered)

   5–8 exam questions6–10% of the exam30+ practice problems

4. 4

   Estimating Quantities and Costs

   Quantity take-off methods · Cost estimating · Engineering economic analysis (e.g., cost analysis for resource selection, break-even, net-present value, life-cycle costing) · Work measurement and productivity (e.g., earned value)

   6–9 exam questions8–11% of the exam30+ practice problems

5. 5

   Project Planning and Scheduling

   Construction sequencing · Activity time analysis · Project schedule analysis (e.g., network analysis, critical path method, linear schedules) · Resource scheduling and leveling · Time-cost trade-off

   7–11 exam questions9–14% of the exam30+ practice problems

6. 6

   Material, Production, and Execution Quality Control

   Material test methods and specification conformance · Weld and bolt installation · Quality control process (QA/QC) · Concrete placement · Concrete maturity and early strength evaluation · Compaction (e.g., soils, asphalt, aggregates)

   7–11 exam questions9–14% of the exam40+ practice problems

7. 7

   Structural Mechanics

   Loads (e.g., dead, live, construction, wind, preloading) · Statics and stresses (e.g., bending, shear, axial, combined, deflection) · Structural members (e.g., beams, columns, one-way slabs) · Structural systems (e.g., foundations, retaining walls, trusses, frames, two-way slabs, slab-on-grade)

   7–11 exam questions9–14% of the exam40+ practice problems

8. 8

   Hydraulics and Hydrology

   Stormwater collection and drainage (e.g., open-channel flow, culvert, storm sewer, watersheds) · Storm characteristics and runoff analysis (e.g., rational and SCS/NRCS methods, types of flow, flow characteristics, hydrographic application, erosion control, runoff time of concentration, storm frequency, rainfall measurement and distribution) · Detention/retention ponds

   4–6 exam questions5–8% of the exam40+ practice problems

9. 9

   Construction Operations and Methods

   Lifting and rigging · Cranes (e.g., stability, outrigger loads, lifting capacity, crane types) · Dewatering and pumping · Equipment selection and operations · Deep foundation installation · Excavation and embankment (e.g., cut and fill analysis, borrow pit volume, haul distances)

   9–14 exam questions11–18% of the exam40+ practice problems

10. 10

    Design for Support of Construction Loads

    Formwork · Falsework and scaffolding · Shoring and reshoring · Bracing and anchorage · Support of excavation · Construction loads on permanent structures (e.g., erection analysis, equipment loading)

    10–15 exam questions13–19% of the exam40+ practice problems

11. 11

    Health and Safety

    OSHA construction and industry regulations and safety management · Work zone and public safety including maintenance of traffic

    4–6 exam questions5–8% of the exam20+ practice problems

How PassFEPE helps

Practice that fits around a full-time job.

• Practice problems

  420+ PE Civil — Construction problems, sorted by knowledge area. Choose the areas and how many to do in a set.

• Timed practice exams

  5 full-length PE Civil — Construction practice exams on the exam clock, with the scheduled break and a review screen before you submit.

• Step-by-step solutions

  Every problem has a worked solution, so you see how the answer is reached and where a wrong one goes astray.

• Tailored study plan

  Your results decide what comes next. PassFEPE ranks the PE Civil — Construction knowledge areas that need the most work and sizes a set for each.

• Your handbook, searchable

  Add your own NCEES PE Civil Reference Handbook PDF. Search it, jump between sections and keep it open beside every question. It stays on your device.

• Progress by topic

  Accuracy in each of the 11 knowledge areas, and your pace against the exam clock, so every session goes where it counts.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

How many questions are on the PE Civil — Construction exam?

80 questions in 8 hours of exam time, in two sections with an optional 50-minute scheduled break after about half the questions (PassFEPE’s simulator breaks after question 40). NCEES publishes the question count, the times and the break; PassFEPE’s simulator follows them.

Which knowledge area carries the most questions on the PE Civil — Construction exam?

Design for Support of Construction Loads: NCEES publishes a range of 10–15 of the 80 questions for it, 13–19% of the exam. PassFEPE has 40+ practice problems in it.

Are these real PE Civil — Construction exam questions?

No. They are practice problems written for PassFEPE in the style of the computer-based exam, sorted by the NCEES knowledge areas for PE Civil — Construction.

Do I need the NCEES PE Civil Reference Handbook?

It is the main reference NCEES supplies on screen. For this exam NCEES also supplies the design standards listed in its exam specification. PassFEPE includes neither, because both are copyrighted. 70+ of these problems need a design standard. Add your own legally obtained PDFs to your reference library and choose the one that opens beside your questions. The files stay on your device.

Is PassFEPE affiliated with NCEES?

No. PassFEPE is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NCEES.