The Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam is the last exam before a Professional Engineer license. Civil engineers take the PE Civil exam from NCEES, choosing one of five depth areas. Passing it doesn't license you by itself: your state board also has to approve your education, experience and references.
This guide is part of our civil engineering licensing series. Exam facts come from the NCEES PE Civil page and were checked in October 2026.
The exam at a glance
| PE Civil | |
|---|---|
| Format | Computer-based, at NCEES-approved Pearson VUE test centers |
| When | Year-round |
| Questions | 80, multiple choice plus alternative item types (such as point-and-click or fill-in-the-blank) |
| Appointment | 9 hours: a nondisclosure agreement, a tutorial, the 8-hour exam and a 50-minute scheduled break |
| Fee | $400, paid to NCEES (some boards charge their own application fee too) |
| References | An electronic NCEES reference handbook and the specified design standards, provided in the exam |
| Retakes | One attempt per testing window, at most three in 12 months |
The five depth areas
You pick one when you register:
- Construction
- Geotechnical
- Structural
- Transportation
- Water Resources and Environmental
Each has its own specification listing topics and question counts, plus the design standards (codes) you may be tested on. Pick the depth that matches your daily work. The questions assume practical experience, and the design standards you'll need are the ones you already use.
A note for structural engineers: the PE Civil: Structural exam leads to a PE license, not a Structural Engineer (SE) license. Some states treat structural work differently. Illinois, for example, stopped accepting PE Civil: Structural for a PE license in April 2024 (IDFPR).
April 2027: new specifications
NCEES has posted new specifications and design standards for all five civil depth areas, effective with exams from April 2027. NCEES updates specifications about every 5–7 years and design standards more often, and posts each change 6 months ahead. If you plan to test around spring 2027, check which version applies to your date and study from it. Prep materials written for the old specification may not cover the new standards.
Who can sit for it
This is where states differ most:
- Many states let you take the PE before your experience is complete. Florida says no experience is needed to sit for the PE, only an ABET degree and a passed FE (FBPE). North Carolina lets you sit once you meet the education requirement and pass the FE (NCBELS).
- Some states want everything first. New York requires the full 12 years of education and experience credit before you can be admitted to the PE exam (NYSED).
- Some need board approval or a status first. Montana requires an EI certificate before you can sit for the PE there (Montana board). Washington no longer requires board approval: you register with NCEES directly (BRPELS).
Check your state's page in our licensing guide before you register.
After you pass
You then apply to your board for the license. Expect to submit your experience record, references (often from licensed PEs) and, in some states, an extra state exam:
- Texas requires an open-book ethics exam on the Texas Engineering Practice Act (Texas page).
- Washington requires its Engineer Law Review, with an 80% pass mark (Washington page).
- California requires two technical exams for a civil license: Civil Seismic Principles and Civil Engineering Surveying (California page).
How the PE shows up in hiring
On this board, "PE required" usually goes with project manager, senior engineer and engineer-of-record roles, where someone has to seal drawings or be in responsible charge. Browse PE civil engineering jobs to see the work and pay at that level. The state licensing pages show how pay for PE-required roles compares with other roles in that state, when enough postings disclose a salary.
For the full picture, read how long it takes to go from EIT to PE and how to get licensed in a second state. Confirm every eligibility rule with NCEES and your board before you register.