Speaker 1 (00:06): 55.5%. That is actually the average pass rate for first time test takers for the civil PE construction exam. I know it's not a good number, but when you compare this statistic to that of the other exams, you can see actually that construction has the lowest pass rates year after year. It's not a great number. And all of this to say is that if you're taking this exam, no, it's definitely not impossible, but you simply cannot wing this thing. What this means is that you're going to need a bunch of exam prep material to really nail this thing and get prepared the right way, way more than just relying on the handbook that they give to you for free and the codes and standards that you know you're going to need for the exam. So in this video I'm going to be sharing 18 books and resources you can use to crush this exam.

(00:55): We're going to break it down into three different categories. The first thing we're going to do is share with you five books to help you brush up on the theory that's going to be thrown at you. Theory is a huge part of the exam. The second thing we're going to throw at you is six resources that are going to give you more than 400 practice problems to help get you covered with the practice problems you need to do. And the third thing we're going to do is cover seven different practice exams to help simulate the real deal to make sure we get you covered. How's it going? I'm Isaac Eson. I'm here with Civil Engineering Academy and if you're gearing up for the civil construction PE exam, stick with me till the end because I'm going to help you pass this brutal exam once and for all. We're going to see you in a minute. Stick with me.

(01:47): Alright, so let's go ahead and get this thing started. The first thing we're going to cover is the first category, brushing up on construction concepts, the theory stuff. So here are a few books that I personally like and that our students that we've had in our courses recommend as well and they have used to help pass this exam. So let's get right after it. Alright, number one in this book series here is the Civil Engineering Reference manual. It's now called the Civil Reference Manual. You're fully aware of this one, I am sure of it. I've mentioned this one in my video on the best books for the water resources PE exam, and I'm going to include a video. So definitely check out that link if you haven't checked that out already. And we'll probably mention in future videos as well. And why is that? Why do we keep mentioning that?

(02:31): Well, because it does what the handbook doesn't. That is it teaches you and illustrates concepts and problems that you're going to need to learn for the exam. Of course, you're not going to use the entire book anymore because there is no more breadth exam as of April of 2024, but it is still a great resource. So obviously what you need to do is get laser focused on the construction chapters only and use this thing to brush up on the topics you struggle with when you're solving problems. And for those breadth topics that ended up getting shoved into the depth exam, this book has got you covered as well. So it is still a great resource to check out. Alright, number two on this list is called the Construction Depth Reference Manual for the Civil PE exam. This is a good reference manual. It's also provided and published by PPI that yes, it was created for the old construction depth exam, but this is exactly what makes it actually a really good resource.

(03:28): It actually dives into all the depth topics from the old depth section, which are now almost the entire exam, right? So it is still good material and what that means for you is it's going to cover problems from estimating quantities to earthwork to temporary structures. This book hammers on topics that are going to be covered all over construction and it dives into 'em deep. So you really need to learn those topics and it's going to get you covered for 'em. So in my opinion, this thing is still a must and one that we're going to recommend. You obviously need to know your construction depth stuff really well if you want to pass this exam and this book helps ensure that you do so. So check that one out. Alright, number three on this list is called the PE Civil Exam Review Guide Construction. A bit of a mouthful, but it gets the job done.

(04:14): This is an alternative book to the previous PPI book that I mentioned before. Now this one was created by the folks over at School of pe and it comes actually in two volumes. It covers all the topics for the construction depth exam of the old PE exam, but the difference is that this one has a more of a modern flare to it with colored pages to it, colored illustrations and even sub tech features like QR codes and everything else involved. I've actually done a review video of this book for you guys already, which I'm going to link in the description below, so go check that out if you haven't already. But we describe everything about those books in detailed review, including checking out those QR codes, which are pretty cool. But anyway, it is a really nice book and they have both a paperback and an ebook version so you can choose which one you prefer and run with it.

(05:02): I thought they were really nice. So check those out if you can. Alright, number four on our list is the Civil engineering PE all in One Exam Guide. This is another massive book that was created for the old PE exam by Dr. Sami when it was still a Brett and a depth type of exam. And again, I've already mentioned this in my other videos, specifically our water resources exam, and I'm going to do it on this one too because it's still a great resource. So it's going to cover everything that was in the old PE exam specifications, including the construction depth topics that can still be found in the latest specifications. So it's still a great resource for you. It's also a big perk because it is a cheaper option to quickly brush up on all of the construction topics that you're going to be thrown compared to other books that are out there.

(05:48): And it also comes with some practice problems and solutions, so it makes it a really nice combo. So for the price, it's actually a pretty good steal. I still think it's worth it and I still think it's relevant to today's exam, so check that one out as well. And now for number five, and you're going to be a little skeptical about this one, but we have what's called the Construction Methods and Management book. And yes, actually this is a textbook and yes, I know you just want to pass the exam and you do not want to sit through a college course again, right? That's painful. And those days are over, right? I think they are, but honestly, it's still maybe worth getting your hands on this one specifically, this one in particular. Now, a few good old textbooks give you a very good refresher on topics you've forgotten, especially that are heavy on the exam itself.

(06:35): And this one seems to be a really good one for you. If you actually check out some of the online reviews about this book, you can definitely see why. And that's one we recommend. This book has actually been helping people pass the PE exam for quite some time now, and some even keep this book for life as a reference for their work in the construction field. So if you do end up getting it, it's going to be one that's on your shelf for a long time. So you may not want to buy another book, I totally get that, but maybe you can see if a coworker has that or borrow it from someone that has it. Check out your public library or something like that. It may help you more than you expect. Maybe you can find a PDF copy somewhere online. I don't know where you get your stuff, but definitely check out this book.

(07:18): I do think it's going to help you in the long run. Alright, next up we have our second category, which is practice problems. Definitely want to check these ones out. Now I'm going to go ahead and list a few resources that give you a ton of problems to practice, but I want to make sure we are very clear on something first, and that is that you need to use your PE handbook when solving these problems all the time. I cannot stress that enough. Now, a lot of resources I'm going to mention in this list haven't been updated to meet the latest specifications and solutions may still look like they're referencing other books. The idea here though is to get as much practice under your belt as possible, no matter where the problems come from, but you need to solve these problems using the handbook as your only reference, including your codes and standards.

(08:04): But you want to get used to using those the things. So with all that in mind and that kind of warning here are a few books that get the job done and have a ton of practice problems that come with them. Okay? The number one book that we recommend is called the PE Civil Practice Problems book. This is another book by PPI that goes with the Civil Injuring Reference manual. Each chapter in this book actually aligns with the chapters in the ER as we used to call that thing. And while the ER does explain the theory about a topic given in a chapter, this book actually has practice problems associated with it. And so because those two align, it makes it super nice. Now, a common complaint about this book though is that the problems are way more difficult than the actual exam questions. I actually think that's a good thing as opposed to under-prepared, but it is a common complaint about these problems.

(08:54): So just to reiterate, if you're practicing with difficult problems, even the hardest questions on the real exam will end up be easy for you. So definitely give this one a try. Okay, number two on our list is the six minute solutions for the civil PE exam, the construction depth problems, that is definitely a mouthful. This is also another book by PPI. It's not going to be a very thick book though if you go check this one out, since it's really only practice problems, they dive right into the depth stuff. But that's actually the beauty of this book. It actually comes with a hundred multiple choice questions that are divided into seven groups that cover the main construction depth topics. Each problem actually comes with a hint of how to start the problem solving process. So that's kind of a nice thing that they give you a hint.

(09:37): You can also get solutions to all of them so you can see where maybe you went wrong and what you missed, which is always a good thing to have on hand because you want to go back and fix what you missed, right? It's how we learned. So the same complaint though can be made for this particular book and that the questions are way too difficult compared to the real exam. But again, I think that's a good thing because we want to challenge ourselves. So keep that in mind. Alright, next up we have number three, which is the PE Civil Construction book. Now this book is a brand new book that's published by the School of pe, which is an alternative to the six minute solutions book by PPI. And I honestly think you should be getting both when it comes to practice problems, the more the better.

(10:17): Now, I haven't actually used this one myself again because this thing is brand new, but it comes with practice problems and solutions that are created by experts in the industry, specifically in the construction world, and it follows all the latest NCES specifications. So you can't go wrong there. Now given the high quality exam prep material that I've seen coming out of these guys when they've been publishing books, this one is probably extremely good as well. So you want to check it out, definitely give it a try. Alright, now onto number four, which is called the Construction Practice Problems for the Civil PE Exam. Let's dive into this one. Now this book is a compilation of more than 200 practice problems and solutions by Dr. Shahin Monsour. Now it is based on specifications prior to the April, 2024 changes. So it references older versions of the handbook and solutions, but again, that's 200 construction problems and that's pretty awesome.

(11:06): It's a ton of problems that you should be checking out. So if you can get this book, definitely do it. Just use the latest version of the handbook to solve your problems as you're going through it to making sure you have the latest references and you should be good. Now, you're going to have to do this pretty much with any resource that's out there is to make sure you're using the handbook and the latest codes and standards to check the final solutions. So it's the same thing that applies to this book. So I'd say just go for it anyway, get this book and make sure you're using the latest codes and standards as you go through it. Now to wrap up our recommended resources for practice problems, I have the last two here, starting with number five, and that is our 100 bonus construction theory questions.

(11:45): Yes, this is our very own resources produced by Civil Engineering Academy. This thing though, is packed with a whopping 100 of the best theory questions that the N-C-E-E-S can throw at you. Theory questions honestly make up a huge portion of the exam. As you may, well be aware, you can expect up to 15 questions probably in the morning and afternoon sections, so be prepared for that. Now the problem with that is there are very few resources that specifically help you with the theory stuff that gets thrown at you. So it's tough to find stuff out there as you're studying this. So we created actually these bonus theory questions to help get you exposure to them as much as possible. Now, are they going to be exactly like what's on the exam? Probably not, but it's going to get your mind thinking of how questions are asked, specifically theory questions.

(12:35): So when you solve problems, you'll be thinking just like NCES and how they throw questions at you. So again, it's called 100 bonus Construction Theory Questions. Go check it out. We have a link in the description. Alright, and finally we have number six, and that is the all in one Civil Engineering PE Practice exams, breadth and depth. Another mouthful. Can we get better titles? I don't know. I don't think so. Now, the first thing you're going to notice as you look through this is that this book is giving you practice exams, not necessarily practice problems, but since it's not specifically for the construction exam, I do prefer to use this thing as basically a repository of practice problems. This thing has a total of 280 questions broken down into seven groups, each one with 40 questions. That's a ton of problems. Now, two of these things are breadth questions and the other five groups are depth exams, one for each of the old depth exams that we had exposure to, but you can just focus on the construction problems in the first two groups that they give you the first two exams that they give you, and then you can dive right into the 40 question depth exam that they provide you to make sure you're fully covered with all construction questions.

(13:47): Now this is going to lead us to the third and final category we want to prepare you for is you're studying for your construction depth exam, and that is practice exams. You and I should know that taking timed practice exams, simulating the real exam, is definitely a must, and these resources are going to make sure you have enough of them to take this exam multiple times. So with that, let's get after it. Now, number one on this list is the official N-C-E-E-S-P-E Civil Construction Practice Exam. Another mouthful, yes, not full. Now this thing is an 80 question practice exam directly from the horse's mouth. You absolutely need to get this and you need to take it. And to be honest with you, if you're only going to take one practice exam on this whole list that we have for you, you probably should take this one because it's right from the horse's mouth.

(14:35): This one's going to give you help to get the fill of how the folks at NCES write the exams themselves. It's going to help you get used to the look, the fill, the traps that they may throw in for questions that may trip you up and everything else involved with this exam. Now, obviously you're not going to get the exact same questions on your official exam, but they can copy the problem statements and just add a few things or change numbers or whatever they need to do to create brand new questions. But it's definitely going to give you the look and the fill and exposure of the real exam and that's exactly what you want. Okay, number two on this list is called the Construction Depth Practice Exams for the Civil PE exam. Okay. This exam is also published by PPI with two practice exams based on the old depth section of the construction exam.

(15:19): Each has 40 questions in there so you can be fully prepared for this thing, but it also comes with step-by-step solutions plus comments from authors that are explaining the shortcuts to save time and common mistakes that you should be avoiding on the exam. I personally think you should take each one of these with a time limit of four hours for each 40 questions. That way you're giving yourself some time exposure on this thing, putting some pressure on yourself well before the real exam and use only the handbook and the resources that you have at your disposal, including your codes and standards, the calculator you're going to bring and all of that jazz. Alright, number three on this list we have the construction depth pe, civil engineering exams by Rashid Islam. Now this book is really highly rated by pretty much every online forum for the PE exam, as well as great reviews on Amazon, including one from our own students here at Civil Engineering Academy.

(16:10): Now just like the PPI book, it also comes with two practice exams from basically the old construction depth section, each with 40 questions, but this one does have a catch to it. This one was created way back in 2022 though, and I say way back, but the Philly's not that long ago, but this is when the exam went CBT and this thing hasn't been updated since then. So make sure you use the current version of the Handbook and Codes to help solve these problems, knowing that sections in the handbook mentioned in the solutions are probably from an older edition. And now number four on this list, that is the ultimate construction PE exam. Yes, this one is one that we put out here with Civil Engineering Academy following the latest specifications for the construction PE exam. We're really pretty proud of it. I want to mention it to you because I think it's a great resource.

(16:55): Now this bad boy comes with 80 questions and step-by-step solutions. So we are definitely not going to leave you hanging. We're going to point you to the right spot and to the right places you need to go to refer to go solve these solutions yourselves. Alright, number five on our list, we have the construction depth practice exam and its assessment guide. Another mouthful. This is a good practice exam. It's actually made by Mark DeSantis who used to run learn civil engineering.com. Now this one comes with a practice exam for the old construction depth exam with 40 questions, but the beauty of this one is that it also comes with a nice assessment section that you can check out to help see how you did. And what that means is that as you take the exam, you can then evaluate your strengths as well as your weaknesses to know what you need to practice and brush up on.

(17:40): I think this is a nice practice exam to take at the beginning or right in the middle somewhere of your exam prep. And that way you can use that assessment as your guide to adjust your own study schedule and zoom in on the topics that you need to work on a bit more. Okay, now here are the last two resources I have for you, starting with number six. It is called the Practice Exam for the Civil PE Exam, breath plus Construction dap. Yes, another mouthful. Now this is another resource by Dr. Goss Swami that was created for the old PE exam when it was still a breath and depth exam, but again, it's still really good. So you're going to have 40 questions for your breath exam, plus 40 questions for your depth exam. You can solve those questions in the breath portion that are just related to construction problems in that breath section.

(18:23): That's what you need to do to tailor this. And then you can take that four hour practice exam for your afternoon exam, which includes 40 questions for your depth questions. So basically this one gives you both a practice exam and some additional problems as well, which is great. Now for number seven, and finally, we are going to wrap this thing up, but this one may be the best of all. One that we personally really enjoy and a lot of students have enjoyed, and that is the ultimate PE CBT exam simulator. Now, this is a super awesome exam. We worked really hard here at Civil Engineering Academy to create because we just noticed that all the practice exams that were out there were all still paper-based exams and not really a true CBT exam experience. So we decided to create a full-blown simulator to help you get the look and fill of a true CBT exam long before your exam day.

(19:13): And believe me, taking this exam is just taking the real deal. Stepping into the exam room on exam day, you'll have the questions given to you on the right, the handbook and standards given to you on the left, both multiple choice and a IT types of questions thrown at you. You'll still have all the functionality of your search function control F. So you can go through and look through your handbook for certain key terms. You're going to have all the other little quirks about the exam, remembering to take a break. You can flag questions. Literally everything that the normal exam has for you, this thing will have for you as well. And to be honest with you, it's one of the resources inside our own PE review courses that our students have loved the most and they end up usually taking this exam in their final weeks of their exam prep to get a real look and fill for what the exam is like before they take the real thing.

(20:03): So if you are a student that's setting this thing on your own and you're going solo, which is just fine, I want you to do me a favor, get this thing on your calendar to take our CBT exam simulator for this exam so you can be fully prepared before your exam day. I promise you it's going to help you get a look and fill of the exam well before the real deal. It's going to be awesome. We're super excited. We want to make sure you're aware of it. Alright, let's go ahead and wrap this thing up. That's it for this video. The construction PE exam is definitely a brutal exam and really they all are. I know they are. But as you know, the resources that you get are going to be what's going to help prepare you for that exam and walk into the exam knowing you're fully prepared for the real deal.

(20:45): And now the best books to brush up on your construction topics, the best resources to get practice problems in, and the best, most realistic practice exams to take. Now it's simply just doing the work, right? Putting your pencil to paper, getting this stuff done. And with that, thank you for watching. I hope this video has been helpful for you. Don't forget to hit the button and subscribe to the channel if you want to get more tools, tips, and resources that we have here on our channel to help you on your journey to pass your PE exam. Again, I'm Isaac Kuson with Civil Engineering Academy helping you to crush your professional civil engineering exams. Good luck with your studies if you're preparing for this thing. And I'll see you in the next one. Bye.