Best PE Exam Review Courses (Principles and Practice of Engineering)

Articles > Best PE Exam Review Courses (Principles and Practice of Engineering)

What is PE exam?

If you’ve passed the FE (Fundamentals of Engineering) exam, the best next step to grow your career is a Professional Engineer (PE) license. The Principles and Practice of Engineering exam, otherwise known as the PE exam put on twice a year by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) requires you to demonstrate competence in the following three different categories

Analytical reasoning
Quantitative deduction
Discipline-specific concepts

What factors should I consider when choosing a preparation course for PE exam?

The PE exam is a notriously challenging test and something you must work hard to prepare for. The exam tests your competency in all aspects of civil engineering and should not be taken lightly. You should plan on taking many weeks to prepare and study hard before sitting for the exam. The average pass rate first time test takers during the last exam was about 63%. Because Most states require four years of acceptable, progressive, and verifiable work experience in the industry, engineers tend to have a hard time remembering the basics. For sure enrolling in a top-rated professional engineering exam preparation course is your best bet to pass the first time around. However, finding a good exam preparation course is a challenging task on its own and you should consider the following factors in deciding which one suits you best.

Live instruction
Quality and quantity of practice questions and exams
Price and guarantee
Certificate of Completion
Length of access
Support

What is your recommended resource to prepare for the exam?

Our recommended resource is PPI2PASS (a Kaplan company) because not only do they offer preparational courses but also they offer reference manuals. The PE Civil exam is open book and you can bring your PPI review materials with you on exam day which is an amazing help! They have a simple preparation philosophy (1) Assess, (2) Review, and (3) Practice; The good news is the have got you covered in all steps! A good starting point is to simply enter the exam date and take a quick diagnostics test. The system will then create a plan to meet your specific needs. Also, you might want to take advantage of their early-bird pricing. If you enroll in the Live Review course and find out you passed the exam, you get a 100% refund. Alternatively, if you happen to fail the exam after enrolling in a Live Review course, PPI offers a 90-day guarantee OnDemand course for free.

They offer reference manuals, practice problems, practice exams, study schedules, and more all in one place. They also have phone, email, and online support which is a great deal! PPI2Pass provides the most extensive review programs available for engineering. All materials are consistently updated to current exam specifications. Their content is based entirely around the new Computer-Based Testing (CBT) format for the exam. Consequently, you’re guaranteed to have the most recent and relevant materials available when you sign up!

PPI2Pass PE review stands out for its comprehensive resources and mix-and-match flexibility. A student is not limited to specific bundles. You can access materials that guide you the best. Give it a try!

Do you offer PPI2Pass promo codes?

Yes, If you following this link and use our promo code CIVEB you will get 15% discount on select products!

How long is the PE Civil Exam?

The exam is an 8-hour open-book 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.

What are different PE Civil depth sections?

The table below summarizes the topics covered in depth section along with pass rate of first and second time test takers.

Depth section	Topics	First time test-takers pass rate	Second time test-takers pass rate	More information
PE Civil Construction Exam	Earthwork Construction and Layout Estimating Quantities and Costs Construction Operations and Methods Scheduling Material Quality Control and Production Temporary Structures Health and Safety	57%	35%	Here
PE Civil Geotechnical	Site Characterization Soil Mechanics, Laboratory Testing, and Analysis Field Materials Testing, Methods, and Safety Earthquake Engineering and Dynamic Loads Earth Structures Groundwater and Seepage Problematic Soil and Rock Conditions Earth Retaining Structures (ASD or LRFD) Shallow Foundations (ASD or LRFD) Deep Foundations (ASD or LRFD)	63%	33%	Here
PE Civil Structural	Analysis of Structures Design and Details of Structures Codes and Construction	65%	44%	Here
PE Civil Transportation	Traffic Engineering (Capacity Analysis and Transportation Planning) Horizontal Design Vertical Design Intersection Geometry Roadside and Cross-Section Design Signal Design Traffic Control Design Geotechnical and Pavement Drainage Alternatives Analysis	65%	44%	Here
PE Civil Water Resources & Environmental	Analysis and Design Hydraulics–Closed Conduit Hydraulics–Open Channel Hydrology Groundwater and Wells Wastewater Collection and Treatment Water Quality Drinking Water Distribution and Treatment Engineering Economics Analysis	67%	43%	Here

Which PE Civil depth section should I take?

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.

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