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Prepare for the PE Civil Exam

PPI offers fully updated Live Online, OnDemand, and Learning Hub bundles for the new 2024 PE Civil exam.

Choose your PE Civil Exam below to get started. 

Construction

Geotechnical

Structural

Transportation

Water Resources

About the PE Civil Exam

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Test Prep Insight names PPI their Editor’s Choice for PE Exam Prep Course and says that PPI provides
“the surest and most comprehensive prep package around for your PE prep.”*

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What Makes PPI PE Civil Exam Prep Different?

Constantly updated PE Civil prep materials. Your prep will be the most up-to-date, relevant content available. We pay close attention to whenever the NCEES® PE exam specifications are changed, so you always have practice materials that will help you pass. Our courses are fully updated to help you prepare to pass the new PE Civil CBT exam.

Lessons from professional engineers. Through lectures, problem-solving demos, strategy sessions, and office hours, your prep will be centered around instruction from experts who know the PE Civil exam inside and out. 

A proud reputation as leaders in PE Civil exam prep. We’ve been helping civil engineers advance their careers through the PE exam since 1975. Our courses aren’t just updated to the newest standards—they’re also based on decades of experience, which means we know what it takes for our students to succeed.

Proven PE Civil exam prep designed to help you pass. You’re ready to take the next step in your career, and our PE Civil exam prep is made by people who know how to get there. After enrolling in a course, you’ll receive expert reference materials, homework assignments, detailed class notes (plus the NCEES Handbook), as well as access to online quizzes, practice exams, flashcards, and more.

A passing guarantee. When you take one of our PE Civil Live Online courses, we guarantee you’ll pass. And if you don’t, you can take one of our PE OnDemand courses right afterward for free.*

*Conditions and restrictions apply. See https://ppi2pass.com/pass-guarantee for more details.

 

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What Our Customers Say

Matthew
“Just wanted to let you know, I received results for PE Exam today…PASS!! Thank you to PPI…Specifically Josh Ogle and Richard Austin, my instructors for the April 2021 review courses."
Ryan
"I don't think I could have stayed on track studying without this online review course. You definitely have to put in extra hours to complete the homework, but I really didn't feel overwhelmed by the time spent in the lectures and studying outside of it. If you have to miss a lecture, you can watch the recording and still get credit for attendance. This course really made me feel confident going into the exam, and I would recommend it to anyone!"
Eduardo
"I would definitely recommend this course to a friend or coworker. The course provided many homework problems and a lot of valuable study material. The instructor was great and answered many questions during office hours. Tips provided in the course were very useful!"
PE Civil Customer
“My instructor did an amazing job at teaching all the lectures and was always available for questions if you were having problems with a question. Her depth of knowledge was amazing, and even when she was asked something outside of her specific field of expertise, she would always find you the answer."
PE Civil Customer
“PPI not only prepares you to ace the test, it also teaches you to be a better engineer and provides you with materials and experience that will last through your career.”
PE Civil Customer
“The class is intense, so do not take it lightly, but well worth the work. If you are willing to put in the effort and attend all the classes and do all the homework, you will be more than prepared.” 
Erich
"PPI does an amazing job at building the foundation for the PE exam and will easily prepare you for the exam. The class certainly goes into more depth than is necessary for the test, but as soon as you open the exam booklet, your confidence will grow once you see the simplicity of most of the problems.”
Calvin
"A great comprehensive review of the Civil PE with a diverse class and knowledgeable instructor. It covered all the sections, provided great conceptual information on the topics, and gave excellent practical advice about taking the exam. Highly recommend it, especially if you have been away from an academic setting for a few years."
Joanne
"I found the review course to be much more demanding than the actual exam, which was a relief on exam day. A lot of the material covered in the course was good to learn, since it gave me confidence in the subject matter."
Kari
"My instructor explained concepts in an easy to understand way. Considering the huge volume of material potentially included in the PE exam, the course and the instructor did a good job hitting a lot of material and providing good test-taking tips."
Nicholas
"I would definitely recommend it to anyone who needs help on civil topics that were not covered in their respective jobs. Felt very confident after the exam and am very happy I chose PPI over some of their competitors."
Dhruv
"My instructor was very good and always tried his best to answer the questions posed by his students. The course helped me move through all the study material in a timely manner and prepared us well to be ready for the exam. I highly recommend this course to anyone who is looking to pass the PE exam."
Brad
"This course provided a great foundation for PE exam preparation, and my instructor was very gracious with his exam-taking advice. The provided course material (slides and practice problems) were extremely helpful and, for the most part, the assigned homework was good practice."
PE Civil Customer
“The instructor went over and above during lecture and office hours to get to everyone's questions. He managed to be a positive energy throughout the length of the course."
Kaitlyn
"I highly recommend this class to anyone struggling with the vast amount of information covered on the exam. The course was a great way to get on a schedule and forced me to complete practice problems and be exposed to thoughts and questions from my peers.”
Brian
"After completing the course, homework, and practice exams, I felt that the actual PE exam had much simpler problems, making it feel easier. I felt very confident after I finished the exam, thanks to this course."
Cristin
"The course is very well structured to keep you on track. The content covered was extremely relevant to the exam. My instructor was very caring, motivational, and gave great tips and strategies for the exam. I highly recommend this course."
Matthew
"The PPI Civil review course provided a great basis for a structured study schedule along with great review material. My instructor made the material easy to follow and understand. He gave many useful exam day tips and strategies, many of which I used while taking the exam. I highly recommend this review course."
Mary Beth
"This course helped me get my mind into a structured study schedule, and the provided materials helped me prepare everything I needed to take into the exam with me."
Andrea
"I had a great teacher, and the PPI material was laid out perfectly to help me prepare for my exam. Highly recommended!"

FAQs for the PE Civil Exam

To register for the new option for the construction depth exam, you will need to select the "Construction - Design and Construction of Buildings and Structures" option when you register for the exam.

The PE Civil Reference Handbook should be used as a reference. You should know the content of it well enough that you can easily find what you're looking for during the exam, saving you time and avoiding additional stress. However, don't rely too heavily on it. If a topic is in the exam specs, you should study it in-depth regardless of whether or not it's in the Handbook. Learn more in our Ultimate Guide to the PE Civil Exam.

The NCEES PE Civil exam is challenging and requires dedication to a study plan. Planning your preparation, developing a study plan, and sticking to it is an accomplishment in its own right! You may already know the benefits of earning your professional license, but having a plan of action for earning those benefits will help you make your licensure goal a reality. Not sure where to start? Learn how to develop a PE Civil exam study plan.

PPI is launching new courses in January 2024 to respond to these changes. The new courses contain:

  • New qbank questions to increase topic coverage of the exams.
  • New instructional materials for the live class to ensure thorough coverage of topics.
  • Revamped practice exams and diagnostic exams to match the content of the new exams.
  • A new learning path that is focused on the topic coverage of the new exams.
  • For PE Civil Structural and PE Civil Construction, all design standards have been updated to the new design standards such as IBC 2018.

The PE Civil exam is an 8-hour closed-book CBT exam split into the AM—Breadth and PM—Depth sessions. 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.

The recommended amount of study time for the PE Civil CBT exam is approximately 300 hours. To make sure that you are covering the right content during your study time, think about enrolling in a PE Civil exam prep course designed specifically for the CBT exam. PPI offers three different prep options for the PE Civil exam to suit the amount of prep you need and the format that works best for you:

  • Live Online Course Bundle: This option is best for examinees who want an all-in-one solution to preparing for the PE Civil CBT exam and would like to attend scheduled class sessions. The Live Online course bundle will prepare you for both the depth and breadth portions of the exam. 

  • OnDemand Course Bundle: The OnDemand course bundle is a great option for students or professionals with busy schedules who want to study on the go or at inconsistent times. You'll receive access to pre-recorded lectures, problem-solving demonstrations, and exam strategy sessions from licensed engineers, as well as homework assignments and reference materials. 

  • Self Study - Learning Hub and Print Bundle: Students or professionals who need a refresher before they take the PE Civil Exam, but may not need a full review course, might find that the Learning Hub and Print option is for them. With this option, you’ll get access to the PE Learning Hub and printed review and practice materials.

No, the PE Civil exam is now a closed-book CBT exam. October 2021 was the last exam in the open-book format. In 2022, the exam transitioned to a closed book Computer-Based Test (CBT) that is available to take year-round. You will not be able to bring any books into the exam. Your only reference will be an electronic reference supplied by NCEES.

You should consider taking the exam on or after April 2024 if these situations apply to you:

  • You previously took the exam and performed better on the afternoon or depth topics.
  • You have a lot of experience as a practicing engineer and would be best able to take an exam that is specific to one discipline.
  • You have not yet started studying for your exam and will need approximately six months to study. Taking the exam after April 2024 will give you adequate time to study for the exam.

You should consider taking the on or before March 2024 if these situations apply to you:

  • You are a recent graduate who has a lot of knowledge about different breadth topics as well as depth topics.
  • You have already started studying and are ready to take your exam before March 2024.
  • You already took the exam and performed better on the morning or breadth portion of the exam.
As of April 2024, the PE Civil exams are changing from breadth and depth exams to depth-specific exams. This change will focus the exams on the specific depth topics so that the examination is more focused on each discipline.

If you are taking the exam on or before March 2024, PPI’s OnDemand or Learning Hub materials are still available for your study. These cover all breadth and depth topics for the exam prior to the exam change. You will not need to worry about the exam changes if you are taking the exam prior to April.

The PE Civil exam is a closed-book CBT exam that tests for a minimum level of competency in civil engineering. You need a minimum of four years of post-college work experience to be able to sit for the exam.

According to NCEES, there isn't a specific pass or fail score. You can view how NCEES scores the exam by visiting here.


The latest pass rates released by NCEES for the PE Civil exam were:

  • First-time test takers: 63%
  • Repeat test takers: 40%

  • The exam will still consist of 80 questions. The new exam will be focused on discipline-specific topics, so the number of questions per topic will increase.

  • Similar closed-book references will still be available. For PE Civil Structural, the design standards are changing to IBC 2018.  

  • For the PE Civil Water Resources and Environmental exam specifically, there have been fewer changes to the exam compared to other exam disciplines. A few breadth topics are still in that particular exam.

Certain codes and design standards will need to be obtained from the respective code publishers. PPI refers to closed-book references throughout our own study materials; however, due to copyright, PPI is not able to provide the design standards or codes themselves.

NCEES provides a Reference Handbook free of charge. To download for personal use, navigate to ncees.org and select  ”MyNCEES”. You will need to create an account with NCEES to receive the Handbook. PPI does not publish the NCEES Handbook, but we do have the capability to view questions side-by-side with your own personal copy of the Handbook. 

Can't decide which PE Civil depth section to take? Choosing a depth section is a big decision, particularly if you're unsure of the best route to take. Isaac Oakeson, PE, of Civil Engineering Academy, put together this video explaining how to best choose a depth section when you're not sure what direction is best for you.

 

If you are deciding between two PE Civil disciplines, such as choosing between Construction and Transportation, you should consider which exam you are more likely to pass based on your experience. Take a look at the exam topics for each and consider which you are more familiar with. Another consideration is where you would like to focus on for your future career. If there is one discipline you are more interested in for your future career, prioritize taking that discipline’s exam.

None of the PE Civil exams are considered easy, but the exam becomes easier if the content is something you already know a great deal about because of your line of work. Rather than seek out the easiest PE Civil exam, choose the one that is most closely aligned with your current career or future goals. Always think about your career goals when considering the PE Civil exam. If your goal is a promotion in your current role, select the one that best matches your current role. If your goal is to switch industries, choose the PE Civil exam that will set you up for success in that industry.

View More PE FAQs

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