Guide to FE Civil Exam Prep in 2022 [Free Practice Exams] (2023)

Any prospective engineer knows how important the Fundamentals of Engineering exam is for their plans. Passing the FE Civil exam and earning professional licensure proves that you’re a highly qualified individual for a wide range of careers, with an average annual salary greater than $80,000.

However, it’s important that you understand what you’re getting into before you pick an exam date.

There’s a lot of important information you’ll want to know about the FE Civil exam before testing for it. Fees, exam structure, continuing education, and more all play major parts when it comes to this career choice.

A detailed breakdown of every major aspect of FE Civil exam prep can be found below— and keep reading for info on where to find free FE practice exams!

FE Civil Exam Structure

All FE exams are computer based tests (CBTs). They are closed book with a limited electronic reference. Students have 6 hours to complete the 110 question exam; this includes a tutorial on the testing software and an optional 25 minute break period.

Students working on the FE exam will need to answer questions from 14 different content areas. Some sections contain more questions than others. All questions are multiple choice, and you’ll want to complete every question even if you’re unsure of the answer. That’s because incorrect questions don’t detract from your score!

Here’s a quick list of the FE Civil exam specifications:

• Mathematics and Statistics: 8-12 Questions
• Ethics and Professional Practice: 4-6 Questions
• Engineering Economics: 5-8 Questions
• Statics: 8-12 Questions
• Dynamics: 4-6 Questions
• Mechanics of Materials: 7-11 Questions
• Materials: 5-8 Questions
• Fluid Mechanics: 6-9 Questions
• Surveying: 6-9 Questions
• Water Resources and Environmental Engineering: 10-15 Questions
• Structural Engineering: 10-15 Questions
• Geotechnical Engineering: 10-15 Questions
• Transportation Engineering: 9-14 Questions
• Construction Engineering: 8-12 Questions

Make sure to check out the NCEES exam specifications for a more detailed breakdown of the topics in each content area.

Exam Dates and Fees

Luckily the FE exam is fairly inexpensive. You need to pay a $175 exam fee directly to the NCEES when signing up for your exam date. However, some state boards may require you to file a separate application and pay them as well. Make sure to check with your local licensing board for additional requirements.

Of course, that’s not the only monetary cost you need to keep in mind with your exam.

FE Civil exam prep materials can cost a decent amount of money, plus you need to account for the opportunity cost of taking time off work to prepare for the test. Consequently, you’re going to want to have some money put aside before you start your study process, since you never know when an unexpected fee might pop up.

All FE exams are administered year round at approved Pearson VUE Test centers. This changed when the NCEES switched from a pencil and paper format to Computer Based Testing (CBT). You’ll need to check with testing centers in your area to see which specific dates are available for testing.

FE Civil Exam Pass Rate

The civil exam is a very popular yet difficult exam. Pass rates for this test tend to skew lower because of just how many people sign up for it each year. For example, the FE Civil exam had 1000 more candidates last year than the 2^nd most popular FE test and 3000 more than the 3^rd most popular.

According to the NCEES, only 62% of the 3,768 people who signed up for the exam last year passed. It’s generally accepted that getting a 70% grade on the actual exam is considered passing. When you consider how few students were able to pass, you can see just how difficult this exam is.

Of course, that difficulty does translate into better opportunities down the line— keep reading to find out more!

Career Opportunities

(Video) Best Books to Study for the FE Civil Exam in 2022

Earning your FE Civil certification will go a long way towards growing your career. Ziprecruiter reports that people with their FE make an average of $72k each year, or $3 an hour. Plus, this salary will grow even higher once you’ve gotten enough experience to complete your PE certification.

But a high salary isn’t the only benefit to earning your FE.

There’s also a great deal of job security when it comes to civil engineering. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that employment growth for civil engineers is expected to increase by 8% in the next 10 years. This is due to the growing obsolescence of current US infrastructure.

Additionally, the BLS reports that California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois are the states with the highest employment levels for civil engineers. You may want to consider looking for work in these areas since they also tend to pay higher than other states.

Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Continuing Education

There are currently no continuing education requirements for the FE certification. Plus, your Civil FE certification doesn’t expire at any point. However, you’ll eventually want to take the Civil PE exam and become a professional engineer. That certification will require you to complete continuing education courses to maintain.

Requirements for this vary based on what state you live in. Make sure to check with your local state engineering board to see how many CE credits you’ll need to keep your certification once you’ve earned it.

Getting Started with Your FE Civil Exam Prep

You’re going to want to start studying for your FE exam early. Sign up for your exam and mark down your test date. After that you can start putting together a study schedule as you work towards passing your licensing exam. Ideally you’ll want to pass on your first try.\

Here are some additional tips to help you prepare for the FE civil exam:

• Expect to take anywhere between 4-6 months studying for the FE exam. You’ll want to spend 10-15 hours each week working on your knowledge of Civil engineering concepts. Any more might make you burn out and any less will slow your pace too much.
• Make sure to take a practice test whenever you finish studying for a major section of the exam. That way you can see how well you learned the material before moving on.
• Lastly, you need to work on time management for the actual exam. Running out of time before you can finish can be devastating to your score. Identify the question types that take the longest so you can allocate your time effectively.

There’s plenty of places where you can find good study materials for the civil FE exam. I personally recommend signing up for School of PE’s prep course. Students who complete their course have a pass rate over 90% for the FE civil exam. Most of your time with this course will be spent watching lecture videos, completing practice exams, reviewing ebooks and lecture notes, and more.

Free FE Practice Exams

If you’re interested in free FE practice exams with free questions, you have a few options available:

• Certain courses, such as Capstone, offer free trials of their course that come with a set of practice exam problems.
• You can also check out PrepFE’s short practice exam. This free test is only 10 questions long but each one comes with a detailed answer explanation.
• I’ve also found PassFExam’s free practice exam to be a great way to work on time management while working on problems.

FE Civil Exam FAQs

Q: Do civil engineers have to take the FE exam?

A: Anyone interested in becoming a certified engineer will need to take the FE and PE exams. You can find work without them, but it will be much more difficult and you’ll likely be paid a lot less than a certified engineer.

Q: What is on the FE exam?

A: There are 14 major content areas covered by the FE civil exam. Each of these splits into a set of subtopics. Make sure to check out the exam blueprint provided by NCEES for more detailed information.

Q: What is a passing score on the FE civil exam?

A: The NCEES doesn’t make the passing score for the FE civil exam public information. However, most civil engineers say that 70% seems to be the baseline passing grade for the exam each year.