PPI, A Kaplan Company has sponsored this post.

After decades of neglect, America’s civil infrastructure is drawing more than just attention from legislators and the media—it’s attracting investment.

Consider the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which passed into law in November 2021. It budgets $1.2 trillion in spending on a broad swath of initiatives, from shoring up aging roads and bridges to building out broadband communications networks. Then there’s the boom in electric-vehicle adoption. Powered by consumers and incentivized by governments, the rush to EVs demands widespread upgrades and additions to the power grid and battery-charging infrastructure. And as EVs move society closer to a net-zero ideal, the climate change already underway will inspire massive public works designed to mitigate the effects of rising sea levels, intensifying storms, droughts, forest fires and the like.

Given this state of affairs, the work of civil engineers has never been more crucial. The growing number of infrastructure projects is likely to increase the need for civil engineers. The complexity and scale of many of these future infrastructure projects is likely to require greater civil engineering expertise. Combine the two, and you have rising demand for those with a demonstrated ability to perform to the highest standards of the discipline—namely, fully licensed Professional Engineers.

What is Engineering Licensure? 

A Professional Engineer (PE) license grants its holder the legal ability to sign and seal engineering plans, and to submit them to a public authority. In that regard alone, PE licensure can make an engineer more attractive to employers, who might prefer or require staff in particular roles to sign and seal drawings. However, a PE license also can confer elevated status, because it certifies that its holder meets the high standards for professional competency and conduct in the associated engineering discipline.

According to Josh Ogle, a licensed structural engineer, that certification is particularly important for civil engineers. “I’ve heard it said that doctors have your life in their hands when they perform surgery,” notes Ogle, “but civil engineers have your life in their hands at any given moment of the day.” Moreover, the infrastructure designed by civil engineers is often so large that it can’t be tested to the same degree as, say, an automobile or a circuit board. Where there is less opportunity for design iteration, knowledge and experience become even more vital. Those who bring those assets to the table are, naturally, more likely to attract higher-profile assignments, opportunities for promotion and higher compensation.

Earning Your Professional Engineering Designation

Unlike licensure in many other professions, obtaining a civil PE license requires both work experience and a passing grade on not one, but at least two exams.

The process begins with the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, which is developed and scored by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). No work experience is required to take the FE exam, and students qualify for examination as early as the final year of their undergraduate engineering program. A passing grade on the six-hour test earns the applicant what’s called, depending on the state, an Engineer in Training (EIT) or Engineering Intern (EI) certificate. Obviously, it's advantageous to take the FE exam before or shortly after graduation, when the material covered is still fresh in the candidate’s mind. Moreover, EIT/EI certification is mandatory for practicing engineers.

Upon receiving their EIT/EI designation, the individual can begin accumulating the work experience required to take the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam. It’s typically the second and final test on the road to full civil engineering licensure, but some states require testing specific to an engineer’s specialty, such as structural engineering. And in California, two additional exams (Civil Engineering Surveying and Civil Seismic Principles) are required due to the state’s earthquake risk.

As for the amount on-the-job experience required, it also varies among states. Generally, the prerequisite is four years of progressive work under the supervision of a fully licensed civil engineer.

The PE exam itself comprises 80 questions, with an eight-hour time limit for completion. Although a candidate’s grade is based on the full exam, it’s helpful to know that the exam comprises two distinct parts. The “breadth” section covers civil engineering fundamentals such as project planning, soil mechanics, geometrics, materials and site development, whereas the “depth” section focuses on one of five specializations selected by the candidate: construction, geotechnical, structural, transportation, or water resources and environmental.

Ogle says that while the subject matter of the broad component will be familiar to someone who has recently graduated from school, “the second half of the exam is very specific to your depth, for which you're going to benefit from being out of school and working for longer.” In states where eligibility requires less than four years of work experience, Ogle calls three years “the sweet spot.” But no matter the requirements, most candidates will benefit from a refresher course in the run-up to their scheduled exam.

How to Prepare for the PE Civil Exam

It’s worth noting that the PE exam format changed substantially in 2022, from open-book to closed-book, and from pen-and-paper to computer-based. The move to computer-based testing (CBT) is significant because it facilitates new question-and-answer formats. “Instead of just being multiple choice problems, they have what are known Alternative Item Types, such as multiple correct answers, point-and-click, drag-and-drop or fill in the blanks,” says Ogle. “They’re more like the questions you’d find on the SAT or ACT, where you might second-guess yourself a little bit.” He believes that candidates would do well to familiarize themselves with the new CBT format as part of their exam preparation.

As for the switch to a closed-book exam, no longer may candidates bring their own reference materials into the testing center. Instead, electronic access to the NCEES PE Civil Reference Handbook and the design standards for the chosen depth section are provided. Efficiently navigating these resources is a key contributor to exam success, which is why Ogle recommends practicing with electronic copies of these materials.

One thing that hasn’t change with the PE civil exam: its difficulty. No one can earn the Professional Engineer designation without demonstrating a rock-solid grasp of a wide range of subject matter, so it’s no surprise that 300 hours of study over the course of several months is recommended by those with insider knowledge of the exam.

“The best way to prepare for an exam that can throw anything at you is to practice, practice, practice,” says Ogle. “That’s very cliché but it’s probably the best advice to give. You want to have worked through enough problems that nothing throws you for a loop.”

Over the decades that PPI, A Kaplan Company, has conducted PE exam prep courses, the company has built a library of thousands of practice questions. They now supply a practice quiz generator that allows candidates to curate quizzes on their choice of topics, question formats, the number of questions and whether the quiz is timed. The questions themselves are selected at random from the database, and include references to the same PE Civil Reference Handbook that candidates may consult during the final examination.

Planning Makes Perfect

“As far as studying and preparation goes, I think having an actual plan in place is also going to be beneficial,” Ogle says. “I can say that I'm going to study 100 hours, but if I don't have a plan to study those 100 hours, I don't know what I need to do each step of the way.”

It helps to take a formal PE Civil Exam preparation course. Review courses ensure that candidates are studying the right breadth and depth of materials, are familiar with the question types that will be on the exam, and understand how to use the NCEES PE Civil Reference Handbook as a both a study aid and an in-exam reference.

How much anyone will benefit from a prep course depends on a few factors.

"Those who benefit greatly from review courses are those who are further into their career, or further away from graduating from school, or who haven't been in the civil engineering industry as of late,” says Ogle. “Civil engineering hasn't really changed, but making sure that you're getting back into that student mentality is important.”

Many PE exam resources are available for engineers looking to attain their PE licensure, such as the PE Civil exam preparation courses offered by PPI, A Kaplan Company.  PPI’s selection of online PE exam preparation courses includes live lecture, on-demand and self-study options to suit different students’ schedules and study styles.

Taking PE Exam prep courses helps ensure you study all the required topic areas, with NCEES-approved materials and practical examples—putting you on the path to successful completion of the exam and a great career as a licensed PE civil engineer. 

To learn more about the PE Civil Exam and how an exam preparation course can help you succeed, visit PPI, A Kaplan Company.