Preparations Required For the PE Civil Exam
Every state has different requirements for taking the PE exam. Some states allow taking the test before having the experience requirements either for taking the OE CBT Exams or PE License.
It’s a long road to a PE Civil License Exam, with almost 300 hours of preparation time that starts many months before the actual PE CBT Exam date. However, things have taken a positive turn as to when and how many times one can take these tests. The preparation is nonetheless as tiresome and necessary for the better because now you can take a prerequisite for becoming a licensed professional engineer. But for the breadth of subjects one has to be prepared properly, remember it’s not a piece of cake.
PE CBT Civil examinees are generally eligible to repeat the PE Civil Exam once every testing window and up to three times per year. Candidates should check with their state board to see if they have any extra state-specific retesting requirements.
Each candidate must choose one of these five modules depending on his or her academic background, experience, and interests.
- Construction
- Geotechnical
- Structural
- Transportation
- Water Resources and Environmental
There is no negative grading, and there are no multiple-choice questions. There are no distinct minimum pass marks for the morning and afternoon sessions; the test will be assessed based on 80 questions. According to many PE forums, you must properly answer around 70% of the total questions (56 out of 80) to pass this test.
Before you get into the actual exam, you need to go through the following:
- On average, it takes a civil engineer 3 months of preparation. That is a pretty intense three months.
- Start to practice problems by hand, the more the better.
- Start practicing each exam to make sure you work them like homework. Doing practice exams will be a barometer to where you stand.
- Read up on past material as much as you can.
- Research what calculators are allowed and practice beforehand how to use one properly.
Wear a watch for keeping an eye on the time. - Visit your exam center a beforehand to know and have an idea about the place and save time on exam day.
- Be optimistic and give it your best shot regardless of what you the stats tell you about the passing percentage.
Remember: Candidates may leave the testing center for a 50-minute prearranged break. They may take further breaks as required, but they are not permitted to leave the testing facility during these breaks, which, unlike the planned break, will count against their exam score time.
Therefore, once you complete the PE CBT Civil Exam, the results will be accessible 7 to 10 days after the exam. NCEES will send an email with details on how to check the results and what steps to take depending on how you perform. If a candidate fails the exam, they will receive a diagnostic report outlining the test portions in which they struggled.
The PE CBT Civil exam is no joke. It is not an exam you can simply walk into and pass. A candidate has to put in the preparation and time to get the results.