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Construction Depth Reference Manual for the Civil PE Exam

Attention: this title is our legacy title for the PE Civil Construction depth exam pre-2024. For an up-to-date review, check out the PE Civil Construction Review Manual.

Thomas Korman’s Construction Depth Reference Manual for the PE Civil Exam, Second Edition (CECN2) is the only reference you need to prepare for the Construction depth portion of the PE Civil exam. This comprehensive manual follows NCEES exam specifications and addresses complex topics by parsing them into condensed, understandable, readable sections. Offering a complete review of all exam topics, this reference manual is up-to-date to the current exam specifications and design standards, and employs instructional design to enable comprehensive understanding that builds exam confidence.

Features Include:

  • Comprehensive review of the pen-and-paper pre-2024 construction depth section exam topics and highlights the most useful equations in the exam-adopted codes and standards
  • Cross references connect concepts and point you to additional relevant tables, figures, equations, and codes
  • Example problems that demonstrate the application of concepts and equations
  • A thorough index directs you to the codes and concepts you will need during the exam

Sample PDFs

PE Civil Construction Depth Reference Manual Book Cover
$168.00
PUB YEAR
2016
FORMAT
Paperback or eTextbook
PRINT ISBN
9781591264927
PID# 579318

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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