PE exam guides

The Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam tests competency in one engineering discipline. NCEES designs it for engineers with about four years of post-college experience, and most PE exams cost $400 per attempt. PE Civil and PE Environmental are each 80 questions with 8 hours of exam time, offered year-round.

These guides cover the five PE Civil modules, PE Environmental, the references and design standards you get on screen, and the licensing steps that differ by state. Facts are restated from NCEES and state boards, with sources and dates; nothing here is legal advice, so confirm state rules with your board.

PE Civil

• PE Civil Exam FormatPE Civil is a computer-based exam with 80 questions and 8 hours of exam time inside a 9-hour appointment, offered year-round. You pick one of five modules, each with its own specification.
• Choosing a PE Civil ModuleChoose the PE Civil module that matches the work you do. All five have 80 questions and the same timing, but the knowledge areas, design standards, and pass rates differ.
• PE Civil Construction ExamThe PE Civil Construction exam has 80 questions across the knowledge areas in its NCEES specification, effective April 2024. Here are the areas, question ranges, design standards, and pass rate.
• PE Civil Geotechnical ExamThe PE Civil Geotechnical exam has 80 questions across the knowledge areas in its NCEES specification, effective April 2024. Here are the areas, question ranges, design standards, and pass rate.
• PE Civil Structural ExamThe PE Civil Structural exam has 80 questions across the knowledge areas in its NCEES specification, effective April 2024. Here are the areas, question ranges, design standards, and pass rate.
• PE Civil Transportation ExamThe PE Civil Transportation exam has 80 questions across the knowledge areas in its NCEES specification, effective April 2024. Here are the areas, question ranges, design standards, and pass rate.
• PE Civil Water Resources and Environmental ExamThe PE Civil Water Resources and Environmental exam has 80 questions across the knowledge areas in its NCEES specification, effective April 2024. Here are the areas, question ranges, design standards, and pass rate.
• PE Exam ReferencesOnly what NCEES supplies on screen: the PE reference handbook for your exam and, for exams that use them, the design standards listed on the last page of the specification. You cannot bring your own books.
• PE Civil April 2027 Design StandardsNCEES has posted PE Civil specifications effective April 2027 with updated design standards. The knowledge areas and question ranges stay the same; editions change, such as ASCE 7-22, AISC 16th edition, HCM 7th edition, and MUTCD 11th edition.

PE Environmental

• PE Environmental ExamPE Environmental has 80 questions and 8 hours of exam time, year-round, under specifications effective April 2026: water, solid and hazardous waste, sustainability, air, site assessment and remediation, and environmental and occupational health.

Planning, cost, and licensing

• PE Exam 12-Week Study Plan (Civil and Environmental)Twelve weeks is a workable runway if you plan from your module's specification, study inside the handbook and design standards you will see on exam day, and finish with full timed sets.
• PE Exam CostThe PE exam fee is $400 per attempt, paid to NCEES; PE Structural is $350 per section. Boards may charge their own application fees, and rescheduling or canceling costs $50.
• PE Exam Experience RequirementsMost states require about four years of acceptable, progressive engineering experience for a P.E. license, but when you may sit for the PE exam varies: Texas EITs and Florida candidates can test before finishing that experience.
• PE Exam Results and Retake RulesPE results are typically available 7 to 10 days after the exam (PE Structural depth results take 10 to 13 weeks). NCEES allows one attempt per testing window and three in any 12-month period.
• PE Exam Pass Rates 2026NCEES's latest PE pass rates (July 2026) show first-time PE Civil rates from 60% (Construction) to 71% (Water Resources and Environmental) and 73% for PE Environmental; repeat takers pass at lower rates.
• PE Civil vs PE Structural (SE)PE Civil is one 80-question, 8-hour exam in a chosen module. PE Structural, the exam often called the SE, has vertical and lateral components with separate breadth and depth sections, $350 each, and not every jurisdiction accepts it as a PE exam.
• PE License BasicsEach state board sets its own rules. Texas lets EITs take the PE before finishing experience, California adds two state civil exams, Florida needs an ABET degree and the FE before the PE, and New York requires board approval first.
• California Civil Seismic and Surveying ExamsCalifornia requires civil engineering applicants, including comity applicants, to pass two state exams, Civil Seismic Principles and Civil Engineering Surveying, in addition to the NCEES exams. They are offered every quarter after your application is approved.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the PE Civil exam?

Eighty, with 8 hours of exam time inside a 9-hour appointment that includes a 2-minute agreement, an 8-minute tutorial, and a 50-minute scheduled break.

Do I need four years of experience before the PE exam?

Most states require about four years of experience for the license, but when you may sit for the exam varies by state. Texas lets its EITs test before finishing that experience, and Florida requires none to sit. Check your board.

What references are allowed on the PE exam?

Only what NCEES supplies on screen: the reference handbook for your exam and, for exams that use them, the design standards listed in the specification.

Sources

1. NCEES: PE exam. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
2. NCEES: PE Civil exam. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
3. NCEES: PE Environmental exam. Retrieved October 3, 2026.