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FE Civil · all 14 NCEES knowledge areas

FE Civil Exam Practice Test

This FE Civil exam practice test runs the way the real exam does: 110 civil questions laid out by the NCEES blueprint, one 5 hr 20 min clock, the review-and-submit point halfway through, and the optional break. Your score by knowledge area appears the moment you submit, and every question has a worked solution.

  • 2 full-length civil exams
  • 82 civil question generators
  • PDF + answer key
  • Save and resume

Practice exams: FE Civil

CIV-F1Full length

FE Civil Full-Length Practice Exam 1

  • 110 questions
  • 5 hr 20 min
  • 14 NCEES sections

The whole NCEES blueprint at real scale and real pace: review and submit the first half, take the optional break, then finish.

PDF + answer key
CIV-F2Full length

FE Civil Full-Length Practice Exam 2

  • 110 questions
  • 5 hr 20 min
  • 14 NCEES sections

The whole NCEES blueprint at real scale and real pace: review and submit the first half, take the optional break, then finish.

PDF + answer key
CIV-H1Half length

FE Civil Half-Length Practice Exam

  • 55 questions
  • 2 hr 40 min
  • 14 NCEES sections

Every section at half scale in 2 hours 40 minutes. A good fit for a weeknight.

PDF + answer key
CIV-Q1Diagnostic

FE Civil Quick 20 Diagnostic

  • 20 questions
  • 58 min
  • 14 NCEES sections

Twenty questions spread across the blueprint in about an hour. Shows where to start studying.

PDF + answer key
Want a paper nobody has seen?

Section drills: one NCEES knowledge area, instant feedback

How each FE Civil practice exam is put together

Each form starts by giving all 14 knowledge areas their NCEES minimum, which uses 100 of the 110 questions. The last 10 go where the ranges leave the most room, weighted by section size. So no two forms have quite the same mix, and every form stays inside every NCEES range. Here are the two named exams, counted.

#Knowledge areaNCEES rangeCIV-F1CIV-F2Question generators
1 Mathematics and Statistics 8–12 8 8 10
2 Ethics and Professional Practice 4–6 5 4 8
3 Engineering Economics 5–8 5 7 13
4 Statics 8–12 9 8 8
5 Dynamics 4–6 4 5 5
6 Mechanics of Materials 7–11 8 7 6
7 Materials 5–8 6 5 3
8 Fluid Mechanics 6–9 6 7 6
9 Surveying 6–9 6 6 3
10 Water Resources and Environmental Engineering 10–15 10 11 6
11 Structural Engineering 10–15 11 12 4
12 Geotechnical Engineering 10–15 13 11 4
13 Transportation Engineering 9–14 11 10 4
14 Construction Engineering 8–12 8 9 2
Total100–15211011082

A generator is a question type that produces new numbers, contexts, and figures each time, so the count is of distinct problem designs, not of stored questions. Knowledge areas and ranges: NCEES FE Civil CBT specifications.

Question formats and thinking levels in the civil exams

The real FE is mostly single-answer multiple choice, with some alternative item types, such as a numeric answer you type in or a question with more than one correct option. Our civil forms follow that: 95 multiple-choice, 14 fill-in, and 1 multiple-correct question on CIV-F1. Fill-in answers are graded to a tolerance, so reasonable rounding counts as correct.

Each question is also written at a deliberate level of Bloom's taxonomy. Most FE Civil work is apply: take the right handbook equation and use it cleanly, like Manning's equation or a sight-distance formula. The harder ones are analyze, where you have to decide something first (which layer is below the water table, which member is zero-force). Evaluate covers ethics judgments and comparing alternatives on EUAC or benefit–cost.

Bloom's levels: questions out of 110 on CIV-F1 and CIV-F2
  1. Understand · CIV-F1 1
  2. Understand · CIV-F2 2
  3. Apply · CIV-F1 63
  4. Apply · CIV-F2 60
  5. Analyze · CIV-F1 38
  6. Analyze · CIV-F2 41
  7. Evaluate · CIV-F1 8
  8. Evaluate · CIV-F2 7

Counts from the two named forms. Retakes and generated forms vary slightly.

Two FE Civil practice problems, with worked solutions

One transportation and one water resources problem, both apply-level and both about two minutes if you know the handbook page. Each wrong option is a specific mistake, and the solution tells you which.

Transportation Bloom's level: Apply
A circular horizontal curve has a radius of 1,300 ft and an intersection (deflection) angle of 25°. The tangent length T is most nearly:
  1. A 115.3 ft115.3\ \text{ft}
  2. B 288.2 ft288.2\ \text{ft}
  3. C 567.2 ft567.2\ \text{ft}
  4. D 606.2 ft606.2\ \text{ft}
Answer and worked solution

Answer: B.

  1. T=Rtan⁡Δ2=1300tan⁡12.5∘=288.20 ftT = R\tan\dfrac{\Delta}{2} = 1300\tan 12.5^\circ = 288.20\ \text{ft}

Why the other choices are tempting:

  • C: That is the length of curve, not the tangent.
  • D: Used tan Δ instead of tan(Δ/2).

📘 FE Reference Handbook › Civil Engineering (transportation: horizontal curves)

Water Resources Bloom's level: Apply
A shotcrete rectangular channel is 9 ft wide and flows 2.5 ft deep on a slope of 0.002. Manning's n = 0.025. The discharge is most nearly:
9 ft2.5 ft
  1. A 3.67 ft3/s3.67\ \text{ft}^3/\text{s}
  2. B 55.2 ft3/s55.2\ \text{ft}^3/\text{s}
  3. C 82.1 ft3/s82.1\ \text{ft}^3/\text{s}
  4. D 110 ft3/s110\ \text{ft}^3/\text{s}
Answer and worked solution

Answer: C.

  1. A=9(2.5)=22.50A = 9(2.5) = 22.50, P=9+2(2.5)=14.00P = 9 + 2(2.5) = 14.00, R=A/P=1.607 ftR = A/P = 1.607\ \text{ft}
  2. Q=1.486nAR2/3S1/2=1.4860.025(22.50)(1.607)2/3(0.002)1/2=82.06 ft3/sQ = \dfrac{1.486}{n}AR^{2/3}S^{1/2} = \dfrac{1.486}{0.025}(22.50)(1.607)^{2/3}(0.002)^{1/2} = 82.06\ \text{ft}^3/\text{s}

Why the other choices are tempting:

  • A: Used S instead of √S.
  • B: Left out the 1.486 constant required in USCS units.
  • D: Used the depth as the hydraulic radius; R = A/P, which includes the wetted sides.

📘 FE Reference Handbook › Fluid Mechanics / Civil Engineering (hydrology and hydraulics) (Manning's equation)

A three-exam plan for FE Civil practice tests

  1. 1

    Week 1: Quick 20 diagnostic

    About an hour, across all 14 areas. Don't study first; you want an honest baseline. Note the two or three weakest heavy areas.

  2. 2

    Weeks 2–5: section drills

    Ten questions at a time in one knowledge area, with instant feedback. Start with your weakest heavy area from the diagnostic.

  3. 3

    Middle of your plan: Exam 1, fully timed

    All 110 questions in one sitting with the break. The results rank your study priorities by accuracy × section weight.

  4. 4

    Following weeks: drills on the top three priorities

    Use the Drill this section buttons on your results screen, and redo the missed questions with new numbers.

  5. 5

    Final 10 days: Exam 2, then the NCEES practice exam

    Exam 2 checks the fixes. The official NCEES exam is your last calibration. Leave the final two days for rest and handbook review.

Why a first attempt is worth protecting

In NCEES fiscal year 2025, 61% of first-time FE Civil takers passed, against 32% of repeat takers: nearly a two-to-one gap. 9,863 people sat FE Civil as a repeat that year.

Timed practice exams are the cheapest insurance you can buy against joining them. Pair them with the FE exam study guide so each exam lands at the right point in your plan. For the full seven-year picture, see FE Civil exam prep.

NCEES Squared 2025, p. 10.

Download an FE Civil practice exam PDF with answer key

Each PDF is typeset for print: questions with figures, a bubble answer sheet, the answer key, and a worked solution for every question. Equations stay sharp at any zoom. Print it, work it against the clock with the handbook, and grade yourself.

PaperCodeQuestionsPagesSize
FE Civil Full-Length Practice Exam 1 CIV-F1 110 72 1.3 MB Download PDF
FE Civil Full-Length Practice Exam 2 CIV-F2 110 70 1.3 MB Download PDF
FE Civil Half-Length Practice Exam CIV-H1 55 36 0.9 MB Download PDF
FE Civil Quick 20 Diagnostic CIV-Q1 20 14 0.6 MB Download PDF

FE Civil practice test FAQ

Where can I find a free FE Civil practice exam?
Right here: two full-length 110-question FE Civil practice exams, a half-length exam, and a Quick 20 diagnostic, all free with no account. The Generate a new full exam button builds a fresh FE Civil paper on demand, so you won't run out. NCEES also sells an official FE Civil practice exam for $50 (see FE exam study materials).
How many FE Civil practice problems should I do?
There's no official number, and volume matters less than coverage. As a working target, aim for at least 30–40 problems in each heavy area (water resources, structural, geotechnical, transportation), 15–25 in each lighter one, and two or three timed full-length exams. That comes to several hundred problems over a typical 8–12 week plan.
What is a good score on an FE Civil practice exam?
NCEES doesn't publish the passing score, so any practice-test cutoff is an estimate. A more useful goal: no knowledge area under about half right, and a steady overall trend upward across exams. That's a rule of thumb, not an NCEES standard. The results screen shows your accuracy in each of the 14 areas so you can check both.
Is the NCEES FE Civil practice exam worth buying?
Yes, as a late checkpoint. It's written by the people who write the real exam, so it's the best guide to question style, but at 50 questions it's one sitting. Use free practice for volume and save the official exam for the last two or three weeks.
Are FE Civil practice exams harder than the real exam?
It depends on the source, and nobody outside NCEES can calibrate difficulty exactly. Our questions are written to the NCEES subtopics at FE depth: single-concept problems solvable in about three minutes with the handbook, with wrong options that come from real mistakes. If a practice problem takes 15 minutes or needs a code book, it isn't FE-style.
Can I download the FE Civil practice exam as a PDF?
Yes. Each named FE Civil exam has a branded PDF with the questions, a bubble answer sheet, the answer key, and a fully worked solution for every question. Full-length papers run about 70 pages. Generated exams can be saved as PDFs from their preview window.
Do I need the FE Reference Handbook for this practice test?
Yes. Keep the current handbook open (it's free from your MyNCEES account), because on exam day it's the only reference you get. Every worked solution names the handbook section it uses, and finding formulas quickly is part of what you're practicing.
How is this different from the general FE exam practice test?
Same engine, same rules, locked to civil. The FE exam practice test lets you switch between all seven disciplines; this page shows only the FE Civil exams, drills, and PDFs, plus how the civil forms are built.

More FE Civil and FE exam prep

FE Civil exam prepBlueprint, seven years of pass rates, study order, and common traps FE exam practice testPractice exams for all seven FE disciplines FE exam study guideThe 12-week plan these practice exams slot into FE exam study materialsHandbook, calculators, and the official NCEES practice exam

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