What is on the PE Civil Transportation exam?

Eighty questions from ten knowledge areas. The NCEES specification allocates 10-15 questions to Traffic Engineering (capacity, planning and safety); 8-12 each to Drainage, Horizontal Design and Vertical Design; 7-11 each to Intersection Geometry and Roadside and Cross-Section Design; 6-9 each to Geotechnical and Pavement and to Project Management; and 5-8 each to Traffic Control Design and Traffic Signals. The ranges are wide deliberately. They sum to between 70 and 107 against an exam of 80, so no single exam hits every maximum.

Is the PE Civil Transportation exam mostly traffic engineering?

No. Four areas are geometric design (Horizontal, Vertical, Intersection Geometry, and Roadside and Cross-Section), and together they carry 30 to 40 of the 80 questions. The three traffic areas carry 20 to 30. Those totals are our arithmetic on NCEES's ranges: the minimums of all the areas already take 70 of the 80 questions, so no group can go more than 10 above its own minimums. Geometry outweighs traffic by about half again. Candidates who picture this depth as capacity analysis and signal timing are preparing for the smaller half of it.

Why is there drainage on a transportation exam?

Because highway engineers size culverts and stormwater systems. Drainage is 8-12 questions, exactly as large as Horizontal Design, and it covers hydrology with runoff and water-quality mitigation plus hydraulics with culverts, inlet capacities, pipe flow, energy dissipation, detention and open-channel flow. It is the same body of material the Water Resources and Environmental depth examines, appearing here as roughly an eighth of the exam.

How long is the PE Civil exam and how many questions?

Eighty questions in a 9-hour appointment, of which 8 hours is exam time; the 50-minute scheduled break does not come out of those 8 hours. Across 80 questions that is 6 minutes each, our own arithmetic rather than a figure NCEES publishes. It is roughly double the FE's time per question, because PE questions are longer and more design-like, not because the exam is more generous.

What reference material do you get?

The exam is closed book with an on-screen searchable reference: the NCEES PE Civil Reference Handbook, together with the design standards the specification lists. For this depth that means AASHTO's Green Book, Roadside Design Guide and Highway Safety Manual, TRB's Highway Capacity Manual (6th edition, 2016) and FHWA's MUTCD (2009 edition with Revisions 1 and 2), among others. For exams from April 2027, NCEES has posted an updated list that moves the HCM to its 7th edition (2022) and the MUTCD to its 11th edition (2023). You cannot bring your own copy. Practicing against a searchable PDF rather than printed books matters more than candidates expect, because locating a table under time pressure is a distinct skill from knowing it exists.

PE Civil Transportation: what the exam actually covers

Most candidates picture this depth as capacity analysis and signal timing. By the NCEES specification, geometric design carries 30–40 of the 80 questions and the three traffic areas carry 20–30. Geometry outweighs traffic by about half again. And Drainage, at 8–12, is exactly the size of Horizontal Design.

Updated October 6, 2026 · by the FE → PE Prep team

Questions

Exam time

Knowledge areas

~6 min

Per question

It is a geometry exam with a hydrology block in it

Group the ten areas into three families and the shape of the exam changes. Geometric design (horizontal, vertical, intersection, roadside and cross-section) is the biggest of the three. Traffic engineering, control and signals together are smaller. The third family is drainage, geotechnical and pavement, and project management: material that is not transportation-specific at all.

Geometry: 30–40 of 80. Four areas, and the only family holding two of the four largest allocations. Curves, sight distance, superelevation, interchanges, roundabouts, clear zones, barriers, cross-sections.
Traffic: 20–30 of 80. Capacity and safety analysis is the single biggest area at 10–15, but Traffic Control Design and Traffic Signals are 5–8 each, the two smallest on the exam.
Drainage is 8–12, the same as Horizontal Design and bigger than either Traffic Signals or Traffic Control Design. Hydrology, culverts, inlets, detention, open-channel flow. If you are choosing this depth to avoid water, it is an eighth of the exam anyway.
It is six minutes a question, not three. Eight hours of exam time across 80 questions is about double the FE's time per question, because the questions are longer and expect fluent movement between the handbook and the design standards.

Three practice problems

One from Horizontal Design, one from Drainage, one from Traffic Signals: one from each family. All from our free PE Civil Transportation set. Read the distractor notes rather than just the answer. On a depth exam the wrong options are engineered, and on the first one below all three are correct answers to questions nobody asked.

1. Length of a simple circular curve

Horizontal Design is 8 to 12 questions and this is its most basic quantity. The curve comes the way a plan gives it, by two stations and a deflection angle, and two of the three wrong options are real lengths of this same curve.

1
medium
A. Circular curve geometry & stationing
On a mountain two-lane highway, the PC of a simple circular curve is at Sta 24+63.90 and its PI is at Sta 28+00.00, where the tangents deflect $\Delta=70^\circ$ . The length of the curve is most nearly:
1. 672.2 ft
2. 586.4 ft
3. 550.6 ft
4. 410.6 ft
Show the answer & worked solution
Answer: B.586.4 ft
The PC lies on the back tangent, so the station difference is the tangent distance: Sta 28+00.00 − Sta 24+63.90 gives $T=336.10$ ft. From $T=R\tan(\Delta/2)$ (NCEES PE Civil Reference Handbook 5.2.1), $R=\dfrac{336.10}{\tan 35^\circ}=480$ ft, and the length of curve is $L=R\Delta\dfrac{\pi}{180}=480(70)\dfrac{\pi}{180}=586.4$ ft. Check: it falls between the long chord 550.6 ft and the tangent path $2T=672.2$ ft, as an arc must. Distractors: reported the LONG CHORD $C=2R\sin(\Delta/2)=550.63$ ft, the straight line from PC to PT, instead of the arc; measured PC $\to$ PI $\to$ PT along both TANGENTS, $2T=672.2$ ft, the path the curve replaces; and used the tangent distance as if it were the RADIUS, $T\Delta\tfrac{\pi}{180}=410.62$ ft.

What the distractors teach

The station difference is not the curve. The PC sits on the back tangent, so 28+00.00 − 24+63.90 = 336.10 ft is the tangent T. T = R tan(Δ/2) gives R = 336.10/tan 35° = 480 ft, and L = RΔπ/180 = 480 × 70 × π/180 = 586.4 ft. 550.6 ft is the long chord, 2R sin(Δ/2), the straight line from PC to PT. 672.2 ft is the two tangents together, 2T, the path from PC to PI to PT that the curve replaces. 410.6 ft puts the tangent into the arc formula as if it were the radius. The arc must fall between the chord and the tangent path (550.6 < 586.4 < 672.2), and that bracket rules out all three. Re-checking your arithmetic will not, because the arithmetic in each is correct.

2. Peak discharge by the rational method

Drainage is 8 to 12 questions, exactly the size of Horizontal Design and bigger than either Traffic Signals or Traffic Control Design (5 to 8 each). This is hydrology, and it is worth as much to you as curve geometry.

2
medium
A. Highway hydrology & runoff
An interchange ramp catchment drains 2 acres of asphalt ramp pavement ( $C=0.9$ ) and 6 acres of turf infield ( $C=0.2$ ). The design rainfall intensity for the catchment's time of concentration is $I=4.2$ in/hr. By the rational method, the peak discharge at the outlet is most nearly:
1. 7.56 cfs
2. 12.6 cfs
3. 18.5 cfs
4. 30.2 cfs
Show the answer & worked solution
Answer: B.12.6 cfs
Rational formula with an area-weighted runoff coefficient (NCEES PE Civil Reference Handbook §6.5.2.1): $C_w=\dfrac{0.9(2)+0.2(6)}{8}=0.375$ , which sits between the two covers' coefficients and nearer the one with more area; then $Q=C_wIA=0.375(4.2)(8)=12.6$ cfs, taking 1 acre-in./hr as 1 cfs. Distractors: took the PLAIN average of the two coefficients, $(0.9+0.2)/2=0.55$ , ignoring the areas, $18.48$ cfs; let the pavement's $C=0.9$ govern the whole 8 ac, $30.24$ cfs; and counted only the 2 paved acres, as if the turf infield contributed nothing, $7.56$ cfs.

What the distractors teach

Two covers, so the coefficient is weighted by area: C = (0.9 × 2 + 0.2 × 6)/8 = 0.375, and Q = 0.375 × 4.2 × 8 = 12.6 cfs. 18.5 cfs averages the two coefficients, which treats the covers as equal halves when the turf has three times the pavement's area. 30.2 cfs lets the pavement's 0.9 govern all eight acres. 7.56 cfs counts only the paved acres, as if the infield shed nothing, but turf at C = 0.2 still sends a fifth of its rain to the outlet. Every wrong answer is a weighting error, and the check is quick: the composite C must fall between the two covers' values, nearer the one with more area. 0.375 sits between 0.2 and 0.9, closer to the turf.

3. Pedestrian crossing interval

Traffic Signals is 5 to 8 questions, one of the two smallest areas, and signal timing is the core of it. This one is two intervals added together, the walk interval and the pedestrian clearance time, and every wrong answer mishandles the clearance.

3
medium
A. Signal timing, clearance intervals & warrants
A pedestrian phase is being timed for a marked crosswalk across a four-lane undivided arterial with no median refuge. The crosswalk is 60 ft long, curb to curb. The design uses a walk interval of 7 s and a walking speed of 3.5 ft/s for the pedestrian clearance time. The minimum pedestrian phase — the walk interval plus the pedestrian clearance time (flashing DON'T WALK) — is most nearly:
Figure — drag or pinch to move around
1. 15.6 s
2. 22 s
3. 24.1 s
4. 27 s
Show the answer & worked solution
Answer: C.24.1 s
The pedestrian clearance time must carry a pedestrian who leaves the curb at the end of WALK across the whole crosswalk at the clearance walking speed: FDW $=L/S_p=60/3.5=17.14$ s. The phase is the walk interval plus that clearance: $7+17.14=24.14$ s. Distractors: sized the clearance on HALF the crosswalk, $\tfrac{L/2}{S_p}$ , which only works where a median refuge lets the pedestrian stop (15.57 s); timed the clearance at 4.0 ft/s — the faster speed MUTCD allows only where an extended pushbutton press adds the time — instead of the 3.5 ft/s this crossing is given (22 s); and timed the clearance at 3.0 ft/s — the slower speed MUTCD uses to check the TOTAL crossing time — instead of the 3.5 ft/s this crossing is given (27 s).

What the distractors teach

The clearance has to carry someone who leaves the curb at the end of WALK all the way across: 60 ft at 3.5 ft/s is 17.1 s, and 7 + 17.1 = 24.1 s. 15.6 s sizes the clearance on half the crosswalk, which only works when there is a median refuge to stop on. 22 s times it at 4.0 ft/s, the faster speed the MUTCD allows only where an extended pushbutton press gives slower pedestrians more time, and 27 s times it at 3.0 ft/s, the slower speed the MUTCD uses for a different check (WALK plus clearance must get a pedestrian from the push button to the far side). The MUTCD carries three walking speeds for three situations, and the question tells you which one it wants.

Where the 80 questions come from

NCEES publishes a question range for every knowledge area. The ranges are wide and sum to between 70 and 107 across the ten areas against an exam of 80, so no single exam hits every maximum. The minimums alone take 70 questions and leave 10 to share out, which means no group of areas can go more than 10 above its own minimums. The ordering holds, though, and it is the best guide there is to where your hours belong.

PE Civil Transportation knowledge areas and question counts, per the NCEES specification effective April 2024
Knowledge area	Questions
Traffic Engineering (capacity, planning and safety)trafficThe largest single area. Intersection capacity at grade, signalized, roundabout and interchange; volume and speed studies, peak hour factor, modal split, trip generation, traffic impact studies; conflict analysis, crash rates and collision diagrams; nonmotorized facilities; forecasts; and Highway Safety Manual crash modification factors.	10–15
Drainagenot transport-specificExactly as large as Horizontal Design. Hydrology including runoff and water-quality mitigation, and hydraulics including culverts, inlet capacities, pipe flow, energy dissipation, detention and open-channel flow. This is water engineering, on a highways exam.	8–12
Horizontal DesigngeometryCircular curve elements (middle ordinate, length, chord and radius definitions, centerline stationing), plus sight distance, superelevation rate and transitions, and the special cases: compound and reverse curves, curve widening, coordination with the vertical.	8–12
Vertical DesigngeometryVertical alignment geometrics and clearance, and stopping and passing sight distance across both crest and sag curves.	8–12
Intersection GeometrygeometryIntersection sight distance, interchange design including freeway merges and entrance and exit design, and at-grade layout including roundabouts.	7–11
Roadside and Cross-Section DesigngeometryForgiving-roadside concepts (clear zone, recoverable slopes, obstacles), barrier types with end treatments and crash cushions, cross-section elements from lane widths to sidewalks, and nonmotorized design including ADA compliance and traffic calming.	7–11
Geotechnical and Pavementnot transport-specificSoil classification and testing, resilient modulus, CBR and R-values, slope stability, soil properties and phase relations, compaction and mass balance, and flexible and rigid pavement design and rehabilitation.	6–9
Project Managementnot transport-specificQuantity and cost estimating, schedules with activity identification and sequencing, and economic analysis including present worth and lifecycle costs.	6–9
Traffic Control DesigntrafficPermanent signs and pavement markings, and temporary traffic control: work-zone tapers, phasing and devices.	5–8
Traffic SignalstrafficSignal timing including clearance intervals, phasing, pedestrian crossing timing and railroad preemption; signal warrants; and signal design.	5–8

Areas and ranges are NCEES's, verbatim. The three-family grouping is our own reading of the published subtopics, not an NCEES label, and so are the family totals worked out from it.

The allocation mistake worth avoiding is the mirror of the one candidates make on the Water Resources depth. There, a water engineer under-prepares for the construction sitework that is the largest area. Here, a traffic engineer under-prepares for the geometry that outnumbers traffic 30–40 to 20–30, and for the drainage block that is as large as any curve topic on the exam.

Choosing between Transportation and Water Resources

Since April 2024 each PE Civil depth has been its own 80-question exam with its own specification; there is no shared breadth section. These two overlap more than their names suggest, and the overlap is drainage: hydrology, culverts, inlet capacity, detention and open-channel flow appear on both: 8 to 12 questions here, and a larger share of the Water Resources exam.

The real difference is what surrounds that shared block. Transportation surrounds it with geometric design; Water Resources surrounds it with treatment processes and, in its largest single area, construction sitework. Neither is the exam its title implies, and both reward reading the specification before the textbook.

The companion page covers that depth in the same detail: what the PE Civil Water Resources exam actually covers.

Common questions

What is on the PE Civil Transportation exam?: Eighty questions from ten knowledge areas. The NCEES specification allocates 10-15 questions to Traffic Engineering (capacity, planning and safety); 8-12 each to Drainage, Horizontal Design and Vertical Design; 7-11 each to Intersection Geometry and Roadside and Cross-Section Design; 6-9 each to Geotechnical and Pavement and to Project Management; and 5-8 each to Traffic Control Design and Traffic Signals. The ranges are wide deliberately. They sum to between 70 and 107 against an exam of 80, so no single exam hits every maximum.
Is the PE Civil Transportation exam mostly traffic engineering?: No. Four areas are geometric design (Horizontal, Vertical, Intersection Geometry, and Roadside and Cross-Section), and together they carry 30 to 40 of the 80 questions. The three traffic areas carry 20 to 30. Those totals are our arithmetic on NCEES's ranges: the minimums of all the areas already take 70 of the 80 questions, so no group can go more than 10 above its own minimums. Geometry outweighs traffic by about half again. Candidates who picture this depth as capacity analysis and signal timing are preparing for the smaller half of it.
Why is there drainage on a transportation exam?: Because highway engineers size culverts and stormwater systems. Drainage is 8-12 questions, exactly as large as Horizontal Design, and it covers hydrology with runoff and water-quality mitigation plus hydraulics with culverts, inlet capacities, pipe flow, energy dissipation, detention and open-channel flow. It is the same body of material the Water Resources and Environmental depth examines, appearing here as roughly an eighth of the exam.
How long is the PE Civil exam and how many questions?: Eighty questions in a 9-hour appointment, of which 8 hours is exam time; the 50-minute scheduled break does not come out of those 8 hours. Across 80 questions that is 6 minutes each, our own arithmetic rather than a figure NCEES publishes. It is roughly double the FE's time per question, because PE questions are longer and more design-like, not because the exam is more generous.
What reference material do you get?: The exam is closed book with an on-screen searchable reference: the NCEES PE Civil Reference Handbook, together with the design standards the specification lists. For this depth that means AASHTO's Green Book, Roadside Design Guide and Highway Safety Manual, TRB's Highway Capacity Manual (6th edition, 2016) and FHWA's MUTCD (2009 edition with Revisions 1 and 2), among others. For exams from April 2027, NCEES has posted an updated list that moves the HCM to its 7th edition (2022) and the MUTCD to its 11th edition (2023). You cannot bring your own copy. Practicing against a searchable PDF rather than printed books matters more than candidates expect, because locating a table under time pressure is a distinct skill from knowing it exists.

Build your study plan

Tell us how long you have. We'll budget your hours across every knowledge area using the official NCEES question weights. The heaviest areas get the most time, which is the opposite of how most people study.

Work through seven more

Ten free PE Civil Transportation problems in total, among them clear-zone adjustment, vertical curve elevation, work-zone taper, freeway demand flow rate, relative compaction, design-lane ESALs and present worth, every one with the full worked solution. No signup.

Try the free PE Civil Transportation set Explore PE Civil Transportation

Knowledge areas, question counts and format are from the NCEES PE Civil: Transportation CBT exam specification effective beginning April 2024; design standards from its April 2024 list and the April 2027 list NCEES posted in 2026. The per-question time and the three-family grouping of the ten areas are our own, not NCEES figures. NCEES's pass rates for every PE Civil depth are compared in how hard is the PE Civil exam?. Specifications and fees change over time, so confirm current specifics at ncees.org. Independent study resource; not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NCEES.