PE Civil Reference Manual

Attention: this is our legacy title for the PE Civil Structural, Transportation, Water, and Construction exams pre-2024. This title is still applicable for Geotechnical. For an up-to-date review, check out the following discipline-specific titles:

Available in Print or eTextbook

Michael R. Lindeburg, PE’s PE Civil Reference Manual, 16th Edition (CERM16) is a comprehensive manual that follows the NCEES exam specifications and addresses complex topics by parsing them into condensed, understandable, readable sections. Offering a complete review, this reference manual employs instructional design to enable comprehensive understanding that builds exam confidence. The PE Civil exam is a 9-hour, closed-book computer-based test (CBT) that is now offered year-round at approved Pearson Vue testing centers.

For the PE Civil Geotechnical Exam:

The PE Civil Reference Manual offers a comprehensive foundational study for the PE Civil Geotechnical exam. Geotechnical topics include:

  • Soil Properties and Testing
  • Special Soil Topics
  • Excavations
  • Construction Earthwork
  • Construction and Job Site Safety
  • Plane Surveying
  • Rigid Pavement Design
  • Groundwater
  • Rigid Retaining Walls
  • Piles and Deep Foundations
  • Shallow Foundations
  • Structural Steel

Add on the PE Civil Companion for the 16th Edition as a convenient side-by-side companion offering a comprehensive index with thousands of entries covering all topics, over 100 appendices, and over 550 common civil engineering definitions.

Pair this reference manual with PE Civil Practice Problems for a comprehensive review, and PE Civil Study Guide to maximize your problem-solving efficiency and build exam-day readiness.

Features include:

  • Complete exam review for the Breadth portion of the PE Civil exam
  • Brief overview of each afternoon Depth exam
  • Up-to-date codes including: AASHTO, HCM, IBC, ACI and more
  • Recommendations for a study schedule to keep you on track
  • Exam tips for exam-day readiness

*eTextbook access benefits include:

  • One year of access
  • Ability to download the entire eTextbook to multiple devices, so you can study even without internet access
  • An auto sync feature across all your devices for a seamless experience on or offline
  • Unique study tools such as highlighting in six different colors to tailor your study experience
  • Features like read aloud for complete hands-free review

After you pass

PE Civil Reference Manual, 16th Edition will serve as an invaluable reference throughout your civil engineering career.

Sample PDFs

PE Civil Reference Manual, 16th Edition
$315.00$283.50
PUB YEAR
2018
FORMAT
Hardcover or eTextbook
PRINT ISBN
9781591265702
PID# 579315

FAQs

The best PE prep course depends on your exam discipline, schedule, and how deep a review you need, but strong courses share three traits: structured review aligned to NCEES specifications, an extensive exam-like practice-problem bank, and full-length practice exams with diagnostics. PPI offers live-online and self-paced options across PE disciplines so you can match the format to how you learn.
Plan for 200–300 hours of study. With a full-time job, that's about five to seven months at 10–15 hours per week; six months is a good default. Focus your hours on practice problems and the discipline-specific reference material, and take full-length practice exams to build endurance for the 8-hour format.
The PE exam is rigorous and discipline-specific, so difficulty varies by field. Per NCEES (January 2026), first-time pass rates ranged widely: for example, Mechanical: Thermal & Fluid Systems 77%, Environmental 67%, Civil: Water Resources & Environmental 71%, Civil: Structural 61%, and Chemical 63%. The exam becomes more manageable when its content matches your day-to-day work, so most candidates plan several months of focused study.
The most effective PE prep combines structured review of your discipline's topics, a large bank of exam-like practice problems, and full-length timed practice exams to build pace for the 8-hour day. Master your reference materials so lookups are fast, target weak areas first, and simulate exam conditions. PPI's discipline-specific review courses and practice exams structure all three.

Some states require a BS degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program to sit for the PE exam. Other states allow you to take the PE exam with a degree in engineering technology, physics, math, or chemistry—or without any degree—as long as you’ve met the required work experience. Check your state requirements to see if you can take the PE exam without an engineering degree.

You should prioritize your engineering interests and professional background when determining which PE exam to take. The difficulty level of each discipline is also important to consider. Reach out to licensed engineers in your network for additional perspectives, too.
You can take most PE exams once per three-month testing window and no more than three times per year. Certain PE exams are only offered once per year in October. Some licensing boards are more restrictive, so check your state licensing board to confirm how often you can retake the exam.

Most states allow you to take the PE exam after passing your FE exam and gaining at least four years of post-college work experience. However, some states now allow examinees to sit for the PE exam before completing their work experience. Check your state requirements to see when you’re qualified to sit for the exam.

By NCEES pass rates (January 2026), the highest first-time pass rates were PE Agricultural & Biological (81%), Mining & Mineral Processing (80%), Fire Protection (78%), and Mechanical: Thermal & Fluid Systems (77%). But the truly 'easiest' PE exam is the one whose content matches your daily work: alignment with your experience beats raw pass-rate statistics. Choose the discipline that supports your career goals.

It is an 8-hour exam. It contains 80 total questions: 40 multiple-choice questions in the 4-hour AM session, and 40 multiple-choice questions in the 4-hour PM session.
PE exams are closed-book, computer-based test (CBT)s; your only reference is an electronic resource(s) supplied by NCEES on-screen. For the PE exam, NCEES will typically provide a discipline-specific reference handbook and one or more design standards. NCEES states which design standards will be available on the exam website in the specifications documentation.
The PE exam tests for a minimum level of competency in engineering. You need a minimum of four years of post-college work experience to be able to sit for the exam.

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