What is on the PE Civil Geotechnical exam?
The PE Civil Geotechnical exam has 80 questions across 10 knowledge areas in the NCEES specification effective April 2024. Retaining Structures (ASD or LRFD) and Deep Foundations (ASD or LRFD) carry the widest ranges, at 10 to 15 questions each, and Earth Structures, Ground Improvement, and Pavement follows at 9 to 14 questions. You work every question on a closed-book, computer-based exam, with the PE Civil Reference Handbook and the design standards named in the specification available on screen.
Question ranges by knowledge area
NCEES states each area as a question range, and in each PE Civil specification the low ends of those ranges add up to 70 of the 80 questions.
| Knowledge area | Questions |
|---|---|
| Site Characterization | 8-12 |
| Soil Mechanics, Laboratory Testing, and Analysis | 8-12 |
| Construction Observation, Monitoring, and Quality Assurance/Quality Control | 6-9 |
| Earthquake Engineering and Dynamic Loads | 5-8 |
| Earth Structures, Ground Improvement, and Pavement | 9-14 |
| Knowledge area | Questions |
|---|---|
| Groundwater and Seepage | 4-6 |
| Problematic Soil and Rock Conditions | 4-6 |
| Retaining Structures (ASD or LRFD) | 10-15 |
| Shallow Foundations (ASD or LRFD) | 6-9 |
| Deep Foundations (ASD or LRFD) | 10-15 |
Each of the five PE Civil modules is offered year-round on a computer, and the appointment runs 9 hours: 2 minutes for the nondisclosure agreement, 8 minutes for the tutorial, 8 hours for the exam, and a 50-minute scheduled break. Items use both SI and U.S. Customary units. That appointment is part of the format of the PE Civil exam. If you are choosing among the five modules, read which PE Civil exam you should take.
The question ranges above come from the specification effective April 2024. NCEES has also posted specifications effective beginning April 2027 that keep the same knowledge areas and the same question ranges.
What the heaviest areas cover
Retaining Structures (ASD or LRFD), Deep Foundations (ASD or LRFD), and Earth Structures, Ground Improvement, and Pavement have the highest ranges, and the ASD or LRFD in those titles means you should be ready for either method.
Retaining structures center on lateral earth pressure and how that load is shared along a wall. You analyze rigid walls, such as cast-in-place and gravity walls, and the external stability of mechanically stabilized earth. You also analyze cantilevered, anchored, and braced walls, including soldier pile and lagging, sheet piles, secant and tangent piles, and diaphragm walls, plus cofferdams and temporary support of excavation. Underpinning and its effect on adjacent infrastructure belong here, as do ground anchors, tiebacks, soil nails, and rock anchors, including field quality checks.
Deep foundations center on axial capacity and settlement for driven piles, drilled shafts, micropiles, helical screw piles, auger-cast piles, and beam or column elements. The same area includes lateral capacity and lateral movement, installation methods, static and dynamic load tests, and integrity testing.
Earth structures, ground improvement, and pavement cover treatments that strengthen or lighten poor ground, such as grouting, soil mixing, wick drains, lime or cement treatment, rigid inclusions, and aggregate piers. Geosynthetics show up for separation, strength, filtration, drainage, and reinforced slopes, including internal stability of mechanically stabilized earth. You also evaluate and stabilize slopes, check stress and settlement in embankments, earth dams, and levees, and review landfill liners, caps, and interface stability. Pavement and slab-on-grade sections include rigid, flexible, porous, and unpaved sections, and the area includes utility design and construction.
The remaining areas are smaller but still broad. Site Characterization is about reading and checking site data, planning the exploration, choosing drilling, sampling, and in-place tests, classifying soil and rock, and describing groundwater. Soil Mechanics, Laboratory Testing, and Analysis covers phase relationships, index properties, total and effective stress, strength, permeability, and chemical, electrical, and thermal behavior that is outside hazardous-materials work.
Construction observation covers earthwork quality, trench and construction safety, instruments for movement, settlement, pore pressure, and vibration, and erosion or scour protection. Earthquake engineering covers seismic site characterization and seismic design, including liquefaction and pseudostatic analysis. Groundwater and seepage covers dewatering, flow, effects on nearby structures, and drainage or infiltration control. Problematic soil and rock covers karst, collapsible and expansive soils, peat and other organic or sensitive soils, reactive or corrosive soils, frost, and rock slopes and rockfall. Shallow foundations cover bearing capacity and settlement, including how load spreads with depth.
Design standards supplied on the exam
A question that cites a standard is scored on the edition named in the specification, and an answer that relies on a different edition gets no credit. How those files are provided on exam day is covered with the references you can use on the PE exam.
April 2024 list
The geotechnical standards effective April 2024 are ASCE 7-16, USACE EM 1110-2-1902 Slope Stability (2003), FHWA NHI-05-037 (2006), FHWA NHI-06-088 and NHI-06-089 Soils and Foundations (2006), FHWA-NHI-11-032 GEC No. 3 (2011), and FHWA NHI-16-009 and NHI-16-010 GEC No. 12 for driven piles (2016).
The same list includes FHWA NHI-16-072 GEC No. 5 for site characterization (2017), FHWA NHI-18-024 GEC No. 10 for drilled shafts (2018), NAVFAC DM-7.02 (1986), UFC 3-220-05 (2004), UFC 3-220-10 (2022), and CFR Title 29 Part 1926 (July 2020).
April 2027 update
For geotechnical, the specifications effective beginning April 2027 replace ASCE 7-16 with ASCE 7-22 and update CFR Title 29 to 2024. They add FHWA-NHI-07-092 Geosynthetic Design and Construction Guidelines (2008) and UFC 3-220-20 Foundations and Earth Structures (2025). The PE Civil design standards in April 2027 page lists the edition changes for the other civil modules.
On the exam, design standards appear as searchable PDF chapters, and only one chapter can be open and searched at a time. The handbook and the standards stay available for the whole exam.
Geotechnical pass rate
NCEES last updated PE Civil pass rates in July 2026. Volumes and pass rates for all five modules are below. Geotechnical first-time examinees passed at 63%, and repeat examinees passed at 44%.
| Module | First-time examinees | First-time pass rate | Repeat examinees | Repeat pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 1000 | 60% | 417 | 38% |
| Geotechnical | 434 | 63% | 201 | 44% |
| Structural | 1624 | 62% | 847 | 43% |
| Transportation | 1929 | 61% | 1097 | 43% |
| Water Resources and Environmental | 2620 | 71% | 876 | 49% |
How to study with the handbook and the standards
Practice with the PE Civil Reference Handbook, version 2.2, third posting December 2025, a 502-page PDF. NCEES does not sell printed copies of the handbook or provide the design standards for study; publishers sell the standards.
Practice from the handbook PDF and from the editions named for your exam date. Because only one design-standard chapter can be searched at a time, rehearse that limit: open one chapter, find the procedure or table, and close it before you open another.
Put more practice on retaining structures, deep foundations, and earth structures, ground improvement, and pavement, while still covering the shorter areas. One way to organize the weeks is the 12-week study plan for the PE exam.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the PE Civil Geotechnical exam?
The exam has 80 questions, and you work all of them. They are drawn from 10 knowledge areas. The low end of each range adds up to 70 of those 80 questions. The appointment is 9 hours, with 2 minutes for the nondisclosure agreement, 8 minutes for the tutorial, 8 hours for the exam, and a 50-minute scheduled break.
What design standards are used on PE Civil Geotechnical?
Under the April 2024 specification, NCEES supplies ASCE 7-16, USACE EM 1110-2-1902 Slope Stability (2003), FHWA soils, piles, site, and shaft references (including GEC No. 3, GEC No. 5, GEC No. 10, and GEC No. 12), NAVFAC DM-7.02 (1986), UFC 3-220-05 (2004), UFC 3-220-10 (2022), and CFR Title 29 Part 1926 (July 2020). Scoring uses the edition listed in the specification. Beginning April 2027, ASCE 7-22 replaces ASCE 7-16, CFR Title 29 is updated to 2024, and the list adds FHWA-NHI-07-092 (2008) and UFC 3-220-20 (2025).
What is the PE Civil Geotechnical pass rate?
In the NCEES figures last updated in July 2026, the first-time pass rate for PE Civil Geotechnical was 63%, from 434 first-time examinees. The repeat pass rate was 44%, from 201 repeat examinees. Those figures are for this module. The same update reports separate volumes and pass rates for the other four PE Civil modules.
Do the geotechnical topics change in April 2027?
The knowledge areas and the question ranges in the April 2027 specifications match the April 2024 specifications. The design-standard list is the part that changes. Use the edition named in the specification in effect for your exam, because a solution based on another edition receives no credit.
Is the PE Civil Geotechnical exam open book?
The exam is closed book. The references on screen are the PE Civil Reference Handbook and the design standards listed for geotechnical. Those references stay available for the whole exam. Each design standard opens as searchable PDF chapters, and only one chapter can be open and searched at a time.
Sources
- NCEES PE Civil: Geotechnical exam specifications, effective April 2024 (PDF). Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES: PE Civil exam. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES: PE exam. Retrieved October 3, 2026.