CEA - Which Civil PE Exam is Easiest to Take? Which is Hardest?

As engineers with an analytical science-based background, we tend to rely a lot on what the numbers tell us about something. Therefore, the statistics on the Civil PE Exam give us a hint on which depth exam can be considered the easiest one to take and pass. Today, however, Isaac combines his years of experience as a test taker himself and as an instructor to those seeking their PE license to dissect these numbers and the amount of work each exam requires.

By mentioning the specs required by the NCEES for each of the five exams and taking into account not only their pass rates and a number of test-takers but also the preparation time each of them requires from us, Isaac ranks, based on his own opinions and experience, which exam he thinks is the “easiest” one --- if there’s such a thing as an easy exam. The number of standards we need to know change from exam to exam, as well as the number of topics we need to cover in order to be ready for each one. Therefore, even though “easy” may not be the perfect word, some of the exams require a bit less than others.

If you’ll soon be a first-time test taker and are not sure which depth exam to choose, this episode will get you covered. In addition to laying out all this information based on statistics and personal experience, you’ll get two pieces of advice in case you don’t know how to choose which depth exam you should go for!

Resources (some links are affiliate links)

PPI is our partner to help you ace your FE and PE exams. Use our discount code of CIVACand our link to get 15% off of any book you order. - http://civilengineeringacademy.com/ppi

Built Bar - http://civilengineeringacademy.com/built

CEA Episode 51 (Tim Miller - NCEES) - https://civilengineeringacademy.com/cea-51-the-ncees-chief-officer-of-exams-tim-miller-pe

Civil PE Exam Statistics by NCEES - https://ncees.org/engineering/pe/pass-rates

ASCE 7 (Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures) - https://www.asce.org/asce-7

OSHA Technical Manual (OTM) - https://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm

If you need exams, solved problems, or courses, make sure to check out our home base - https://civilengineeringacademy.com

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Reach out to Isaac - isaac@civilengineeringacademy.com