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FE Civil Exam Prep Courses

Discover comprehensive study materials for the FE Civil exam.

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Find the Best FE Civil Exam Prep Course for You

Passing the FE Civil exam is one of the first steps you’ll take toward becoming a professional civil engineer—and we’ll help you make sure it happens. Join the thousands of students who trust PPI with their civil engineering FE exam prep each year.

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FE Civil Class Options for the Live Online Course Bundle

Expand the list below to show all available Live Online class dates and information.

FE Civil Live Online Course (March 2026 - June 2026)
Schedule
March 16 - June 22, 2026
Location
Location:
Online
Instructor
Instructor:
Yara Elborolosy
Ramesh Iyengar

FE Civil Live Online Course (May 2026 - August 2026) (Access Your Course Starting 2/3/26)
Schedule
May 18 - August 26, 2026
Location
Location:
Online
Instructor
Instructor:
Patrick Juneau
FE Civil Live Online Course (May 2026 - August 2026) (Access Your Course Starting 2/3/26)
Schedule
May 23 - August 23, 2026
Location
Location:
Online
Instructor
Instructor:
Jack Goode
FE Civil Live Online Course (July 2026 - December 2026) (Access Your Course Starting 04/03/2026)
Schedule
July 15 - December 9, 2026
Location
Location:
Online
Instructor
Instructor:
Instructor TBD
FE Civil Live Online Course (September 2026 - December 2026) (Access Your Course Starting 06/03/2026)
Schedule
September 16 - December 16, 2026
Location
Location:
Online
Instructor
Instructor:
Josh Ogle
FE Civil Live Online Course (September 2026 - December 2026) (Access Your Course Starting 06/03/2026)
Schedule
September 17 - December 22, 2026
Location
Location:
Online
Instructor
Instructor:
Instructor TBD

Clear Explanations for Every FE Civil Concept

With PPI, you’ll do more than just review exam topics. You’ll get the support you need to master every one of them. Your course includes a PPI-trained AI tutor, hundreds of practice problems, and detailed answer explanations, all designed to give you the precise guidance you need, exactly when you need it.

Trust the #1 Rated FE Exam Prep Course

Test Prep Insight names PPI their Editor’s Choice for FE Exam Prep Course and says,
“Like their texts, these classes are nothing short of excellent.”*

FE Civil Exam Details 

  • The FE Civil exam is typically your first step toward becoming a licensed civil engineer. It’s a closed-book, computer-based exam and includes 110 questions. The exam appointment time is 6 hours long and includes:
    • Nondisclosure agreement (2 minutes)
    • Tutorial (8 minutes)
    • Exam (5 hours and 20 minutes)
    • Optional scheduled break (25 minutes)
  • The only resource you will have on exam day is a digital version of the NCEES FE Reference Handbook.
  • The exam is administered year-round at NCEES-approved Pearson VUE test centers.
  • The exam fee is $225.
  • The average pass rate of a first-time taker of the FE Civil exam is 65% as of July 2024.*

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Featured Faculty Members 

Robin Closs, PE, SE

Robin Closs, PE, SE has 15 years of experience as a structural engineer in designing and analyzing anything from pipes to multistory buildings in fields such as commercial, power, government, institutional, nuclear, industrial, and residential. She traveled to Long Island in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy as part of a Code Enforcement Disaster Assistance Response Team.
Her engineering knowledge in timber, concrete, steel, masonry, aluminum, and light gauge metal has helped her design new buildings, complete renovations and additions, demolish existing structures, produce mechanical platforms, and design appropriate repairs to roofs, walls, floors, and spillways. Ms. Closs is the president of The Engineering Society of Buffalo and currently creates, writes, and edits their monthly newsletter. She also regularly spends time tutoring and greatly enjoys assisting young minds to see the benefits of engineering. She has also acted as the principal coordinator for 80 person volunteer teams, judged inventions, and mentored winners of engineering city competitions. Ms. Closs graduated from the Milwaukee School of Engineering with a BS degree in Architectural Engineering with a Structural Specialty. She is a licensed professional engineer in multiple states, is a licensed structural engineer in Illinois, and is certified as a NCEES Model Law Structural Engineer.

Joshua Ogle, PE, SE

Joshua Ogle, PE, SE is ‘The Hipster Engineer’. He is more than your average engineer and tries to find ways to give back to the profession. With his passion for engineering, Josh started TheHipsterEngineer.com to be a resource for engineers as they prepare for their licensure exams, job search and career growth.

Josh has a broad range of experience. He is currently a licensed structural engineer and Project Manager for a premier structural engineering firm, Dunn Associates, Inc., located in Salt Lake City, Utah which specializes in building design. He has worked on numerous building projects that do not fit typical design standards and loves every minute of it.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree from the University of California, Davis in Civil Engineering he went on to help open up a new office for his previous firm. While in Los Angeles, California he prepared for the PE exam. He passed the Civil PE Exam (Structural Depth) along with the California Specific Exams (Seismic and Surveying), and he wants you to pass too!

Beyond engineering, he enjoys spending time with his wife, his boy, and his pups. They are the things that keep him centered while working hard, studying hard and teaching hard! Get started with Josh on your exam prep now!!

Arthur Chianello, PE

Arthur Chianello, PE is a licensed professional engineer in both Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters degree in Civil Engineering. His current position is the Water Resources Manager for a large City in California with a population of over 380,000 people.
His current responsibilities include managing the domestic water system in addition to river surface water supplies and groundwater banking for later recovery and use. Mr. Chianello has practical engineering work experience ranging from aerospace design, structural engineering, managing daily operations of wastewater treatment plants, and currently managing a domestic water utility. In addition, Mr. Chianello is a certified wastewater treatment plant operator and a certified water distribution operator. Arthur is passionate about the engineering sciences and is excited to help others pass their FE and PE exams.

FE Civil Exam FAQs

The NCEES FE Exam is a 6-hour-long, computer-based exam given over two consecutive sessions separated by a break. There are 110 questions total, split evenly between the two sessions. Questions will be multiple choice or AITs (Alternative Item Types). Questions with the same exam-specified knowledge area may not be grouped together, but no knowledge area will span both sessions.  

You will have to register to take the exam beforehand on the NCEES website at NCEES.org. NCEES partners with Pearson VUE to administer their exams at their test centers. You may have to travel a long distance away from where you live to arrive at the closest one to you. In that case, it is recommended you get a hotel nearby. It is also highly recommended that you visit the testing center before exam day to ensure that day goes smoothly.

The exam includes a 2-minute nondisclosure agreement, an 8-minute tutorial, a 25-minute break between the two sessions, and a brief survey at the conclusion of the exam. You will have 5 hours and 20 minutes to actually answer the questions, working out to approximately 3 minutes per question. You may work through the problems in any sequence, and may return to questions within the same session. Once the session is submitted, you will not be able to return to those questions.

PPI’s FE Learning Hub is designed to mimic the exam-day experience and prepare you for the computer-based test format, so we recommend utilizing that resource before your exam day.

For more information about what to expect, see this article from our Resource Center.
The FE Civil exam covers the following topics:

Mathematics and Statistics
Ethics and Professional Practice
Engineering Economics
Statics
Dynamics
Mechanics of Materials
Materials
Fluid Mechanics
Surveying
Water Resources and Environmental Engineering
Structural Engineering
Geotechnical Engineering
Transportation Engineering
Construction Engineering

Each topic has a range for the number of questions it will have on the exam. Therefore, it is highly recommended to tailor your studies to the weight of each topic. PPI’s study plans in the PPI Learning Hub do this for you automatically. We schedule out your studies to spend more time on topics that are more heavily covered on the exam.

When you click on a topic in the study plan that you wish to review within the PPI Learning Hub, you are brought to that chapter in the review manual and practice problems web book so that you can tailor your review easily to the topics you need more information or practice on. Additionally, in the quiz generator you can filter on which topics you want to receive questions about.

For more information on specifications for the exams that went into effect July 1, 2020, please view this PDF on the NCEES website.
The passing score varies, but we recommend aiming for at least 70% on exam day.

Based on PPI’s experience as exam prep providers, we have found that students typically need to score about 50-60% correct on exam day in order to pass. However, we highly encourage students to aim for at least 70% correct to maintain a comfortable passing buffer. 

All of PPI’s online products encourage you to aim for a 70% pass rate to keep you on track during your studies and best prepare you for exam day. We offer quizzes in which you can compare how you are doing against the 70% rate.

The FE CBT exam is closed-book aside from the NCEES FE Reference Handbook which is provided to you on-screen during the exam. You cannot bring any outside resources into the exam. Because of this, it is imperative that you familiarize yourself with the NCEES handbook before exam day. 

PPI’s Learning Hub allows you to upload your own copy of the NCEES Handbook PDF when you take quizzes and practice exams on the left of the screen to mimic what it will look like on exam day.

The exam is made up of multiple choice questions, as well as AIT’s, or alternative item types. AIT’s can include but are not limited to: multiple correct, point and click, drag and drop, and fill in the blank.

View More FE FAQs

Testimonials from FE Civil Customers

"PPI and David were a key part to being able to pass the FE exam the first time"

"Having been out of college for almost two decades, I was nervous about taking an exam most people take during or right after college. There’s definitely a lot of material to cover, but the combination of classes, reading material, and practice problems helped out tremendously. David Connolly was our instructor and he was great. During the classes, he explained the material well and took time to answer questions during the lecture. He was very active in the forums answering any questions that came up. PPI and David were a key part to being able to pass the FE exam the first time."

- Jonathan W., FE Other Disciplines

"I had the resolve and felt confident in my solution"

"The instructor did a number of things to support me. First, the continuous exposure to my weak subject areas led me to become more comfortable with them. Additionally, the areas that I knew well, I grew a stronger depth and understanding of the concepts. Finally, with continuous repetition of practice problems and countless conversations with the instructor, my confidence [grew] in my ability to answer questions. So whether they were first-time questions or new questions I encountered on the exam, I had the resolve and felt confident in my solution."

- Foster J., FE Civil