You choose one depth, and all 80 questions come from it. The exam is computer-based, closed book with electronic references, and offered year round at Pearson test centers.
Questions
80, all worked
Exam time
8 hours in a 9-hour appointment
Delivery
Computer-based, year round
References
Handbook and design standards on screen
How the exam runs
A 9-hour appointment: a 2-minute nondisclosure agreement, an 8-minute tutorial, 8 hours of exam time and a 50-minute scheduled break.
80 questions, all worked: multiple-choice questions and alternative item types.
Closed book: the PE Civil Reference Handbook and the listed design standards are on screen as searchable PDFs. Personal copies are not allowed.
Both SI and US customary units are used.
The twelve knowledge areas
Knowledge area
Questions out of 80
1. Project Planning
4 to 6
2. Soil Mechanics
3 to 5
3. Materials
4 to 6
4. Analysis and Design
6 to 9
5. Hydraulics: Closed Conduit
7 to 11
6. Hydraulics: Open Channel
7 to 11
7. Hydrology
8 to 12
8. Groundwater and Wells
4 to 6
9. Surface Water and Groundwater Quality
5 to 8
10. Drinking Water Distribution and Treatment
6 to 9
11. Wastewater Collection and Treatment
7 to 11
12. Project Sitework
9 to 14
Who it is for
NCEES designs the exam for engineers with at least four years of post-college work experience in their discipline.
State boards may require their own application and fee before you can sit.
Try 4 questions
Question 1Flow measurement
A Parshall flume with a 2-ft throat is rated by Q = 8.00 Ha1.55 under free-flow conditions, with Q in cfs and the upstream head Ha in ft. The upstream head reads 1.25 ft and the flume runs free. Using 1 MGD = 1.547 cfs, the flow is most nearly:
Question 2Total maximum daily loads
A stream's total phosphorus criterion is 0.10 mg/L and its critical design low flow is 35 cfs. Using 1 MGD = 1.547 cfs and 8.34 lb per gallon per mg/L, the TMDL (the loading capacity at the design flow) is most nearly:
Question 3Lateral earth pressure
A smooth vertical cantilever wall retains 15 ft of dry, level sand backfill with a unit weight of 120 lb/ft3 and a friction angle of 32 degrees. The wall can rotate enough to develop the active state. Using Rankine theory, the resultant active thrust on the wall, per foot of wall length, is most nearly:
Question 4Soil properties and phase relationships
A falling-head test is run on a silty clay specimen 12 cm long with a cross-sectional area of 30 cm2. The standpipe has an area of 0.50 cm2. The head falls from 100 cm to 40 cm in 10 minutes. The hydraulic conductivity is most nearly:
The appointment is 9 hours, of which 8 hours is exam time; the rest is the nondisclosure agreement, a tutorial and a 50-minute scheduled break.
What are the Water Resources and Environmental topics?
Project Planning, Soil Mechanics, Materials, Analysis and Design, Closed Conduit and Open Channel Hydraulics, Hydrology, Groundwater and Wells, Water Quality, Drinking Water, Wastewater and Project Sitework.
When can I take it?
Year round, at NCEES-approved Pearson test centers.
How much does it cost?
The exam fee is $400, paid directly to NCEES. Some state boards also require their own application and fee.