PE Civil: Transportation

Geometric design, traffic capacity and safety, signals, pavement, and drainage.

Practice questions: 1,600+
Study topics: 12
Study topics: …
Study concepts: 63
Difficulty levels: 3
Mock exams: Unlimited

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What's inside

12 study topics, weighted to the NCEES blueprint — tap any topic to drill it.

Project Management

Quantity take-off and cost estimating, CPM schedules with activity sequencing and float, and engineering-economic comparison of alternatives (present worth, EUAC, lifecycle, benefit-cost).Traffic Capacity & LOS

Uninterrupted and interrupted flow: peak-hour factor, flow rate, density and speed relationships, freeway/segment level of service, and signalized-intersection and roundabout capacity.Traffic Analysis & Safety

Volume and speed studies, trip generation and modal split, traffic forecasting, crash rates and severity, collision analysis, and Highway Safety Manual crash modification factors and predicted crashes.Roadside & Cross-Section Design

10%

Forgiving-roadside clear zone and recoverable slopes, barrier length-of-need and crash cushions, cross-section elements (lanes, shoulders, side slopes), and nonmotorized/ADA design.Horizontal Design

11%

Circular-curve elements (T, L, M, E, LC, degree of curve) and PC/PT stationing, superelevation rate and side friction, superelevation runoff, minimum radius, sight-distance offset, and compound/reverse curves.Vertical Design

11%

Equal-tangent parabolic curves: elevations and offsets, high/low points, PVI/PVC/PVT stationing, and crest/sag curve lengths from stopping and passing sight distance and the rate of vertical curvature K.Intersection Geometry

10%

Intersection sight distance and sight triangles, at-grade and roundabout layout geometry, and interchange/ramp design including acceleration and deceleration lane lengths and gap acceptance.Traffic Signals

Signal timing kinematics: yellow change and all-red clearance intervals, pedestrian crossing time, cycle length and green splits, lost time and capacity, left-turn phasing, and signal warrants.Traffic Control Design

Permanent signs and pavement markings, sign placement and legibility, and temporary traffic control: work-zone taper lengths, buffer space, and channelizing-device spacing.Geotechnical

Soil classification, CBR/R-value and resilient-modulus correlations, phase relationships and soil properties, compaction and relative compaction, and earthwork cut/fill mass balance with shrinkage and swell.Pavement

Traffic characterization and ESALs, flexible-pavement AASHTO structural number, rigid-pavement slab design parameters, and pavement evaluation and rehabilitation procedures.Drainage

11%

Highway hydrology (rational method, time of concentration, runoff) and hydraulics: gutter and inlet capacity, storm-drain pipe flow, open-channel flow, culvert headwater, energy dissipation, and detention.

See a real question

Straight from the PE Civil: Transportation bank — 1,600+ questions, every one with a full worked solution.

medium

A. Clear zone, slopes & barrier length-of-need

A rural arterial on a 1,500-ft-radius curve has a design speed of 60 mph and a design-year volume of 6,000 veh/day. For that speed-and-volume cell the agency's clear-zone table (adapted from the Roadside Design Guide) gives 30 ft where the roadside is a fill foreslope of 1V:6H or flatter, 36 ft where it is a fill foreslope of 1V:5H to 1V:4H, and 26 ft where it is a backslope in cut. The agency's curve-adjustment factor for this curve's radius and design speed is

K_{cz}=1.3

. On the outside of the curve the roadside is a 1V:6H fill foreslope running down to a ditch. The section is drawn schematically (not to scale). The clear-zone distance to be provided on the outside of the curve is most nearly:

30 ft
33.8 ft
39 ft (correct answer)
46.8 ft

Worked solution

The outside roadside is a 1V:6H fill foreslope, so the 1V:6H-or-flatter fill column governs: 30 ft on a tangent. On the outside of the curve that distance is widened by the curve-adjustment factor:

CZ = 30\times1.3 = 39

ft, measured from the edge of the traveled way. Distractors: stopped at the tangent value and FORGOT the curve adjustment (30 ft); read the backslope (cut) column, which this roadside is not, and widened that (33.8 ft); and read the 1V:5H to 1V:4H fill column, which this roadside is not, and widened that (46.8 ft).

Difficulty mix

How this bank splits by our own difficulty rating, from quick wins to multi-step problems.

Easy21%
Medium49%
Hard30%

Study handbook

63 concepts — worked theory, key equations, and common pitfalls for every topic.

Sample concept

Engineering Economics & Benefit-Cost

Move cash flows to one date with the interest-factor family, compare alternatives by present worth and EUAC, and justify a project with the benefit-cost ratio.

Almost every transportation decision is a money-over-time decision: a roundabout that costs more to build but slashes crash costs, a longer-lasting pavement, an ITS upgrade that buys back travel-time delay year after year. Engineering economics is the language that puts those alternatives on equal f…

F = P(1+i)^n, \qquad P = F(1+i)^{-n}

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The PE Civil: Transportation exam at a glance

Sourced from NCEES — the numbers, not the folklore.

Questions: 80; scored and pretest, one sitting
Exam time: 8h; in a 9h appointment · about 6 min per question
First-time pass rate: 59%; 42% for repeat takers · NCEES Squared 2025 (FY2024-25)
NCEES fee: $400; per attempt, paid to NCEES; your state board's fees are separate
Retakes: 3 per 12 months; at most one attempt per testing window
Reference on screen: PE Civil Reference Handbook + AASHTO standards (Green Book 7th ed., HSM, Roadside Design Guide, pedestrian and pavement guides), HCM 6th ed. (TRB), MUTCD 2009 (FHWA), FHWA HDS-5, for exams through March 2027; closed book: no notes or references of your own

What NCEES says is on it

Every knowledge area in the official PE Civil: Transportation specification, with the number of questions NCEES says each one gets. The four heaviest are about 48% of the exam. Share is our arithmetic, not an NCEES figure: each range's midpoint as a percentage of all the midpoints.

Knowledge area	Questions	Share
Traffic Engineering (Capacity Analysis, Transportation Planning, and Safety Analysis)	10–15	14%
Drainage	8–12	11%
Horizontal Design	8–12	11%
Vertical Design	8–12	11%
Intersection Geometry	7–11	10%
Roadside and Cross-Section Design	7–11	10%
Geotechnical and Pavement	6–9	8%
Project Management	6–9	8%
Traffic Control Design	5–8	7%
Traffic Signals	5–8	7%

Sources: NCEES PE Civil: Transportation exam specification (April 2024) · pass rate: NCEES Squared 2025 (FY2024-25) · fee and retake policy: ncees.org, read 2026-09-15. Your state board sets its own fees and deadlines.

How to prepare for PE Civil — Transportation

Four steps, in the order that pays off — each one built from this exam's own blueprint.

1
Study to the blueprint, not the textbook
Traffic Engineering (Capacity Analysis, Transportation Planning, and Safety Analysis), Drainage, Horizontal Design, and Vertical Design are about 48% of the exam. Give them that share of your hours — Traffic Signals is only 5–8 questions.
See every area's question range
2
Practice one area at a time, then mix
Work a knowledge area until its worked solutions stop surprising you, then switch to mixed sets so recognizing the problem type becomes the skill.
Practice PE Civil — Transportation questions
3
Sit timed mock exams at the real pace
The real exam gives you about 6 minutes per question. Full-length timed mocks are the only way to find out whether you can hold that pace for 8h.
Take a mock exam (with a pass)
4
Read what the exam actually asks
Geometric design carries 30 to 40 of the 80 questions against traffic engineering's 20 to 30, and Drainage is exactly as large as Horizontal Design.
The PE Civil Transportation exam

Questions, answered

How hard is the PE Civil: Transportation exam?

NCEES reports a 59% pass rate for first-time takers of PE Civil: Transportation and 42% for repeat takers in NCEES Squared 2025 (FY2024-25). It is 80 questions in 8h, about 6 minutes per question, so pacing matters as much as knowledge. The heaviest areas are Traffic Engineering (Capacity Analysis, Transportation Planning, and Safety Analysis), Drainage, Horizontal Design, and Vertical Design.

What topics are on the PE Civil: Transportation exam?

NCEES's PE Civil: Transportation specification lists 10 knowledge areas with a question range for each. The heaviest are Traffic Engineering (Capacity Analysis, Transportation Planning, and Safety Analysis) (10–15 questions), Drainage (8–12 questions), Horizontal Design (8–12 questions), and Vertical Design (8–12 questions) — together about 48% of the exam. The full list is in the exam-at-a-glance table on this page.

How long is the PE Civil: Transportation exam?

The PE Civil: Transportation exam is 80 questions in 8h of exam time, inside a 9h appointment that also covers the nondisclosure agreement, the tutorial and a scheduled break. It is a closed-book, computer-based test offered year-round at Pearson VUE test centers.

What reference material do you get on PE Civil: Transportation exam day?

The PE Civil: Transportation exam is closed book. NCEES provides an electronic reference on screen (PE Civil Reference Handbook + AASHTO standards (Green Book 7th ed., HSM, Roadside Design Guide, pedestrian and pavement guides), HCM 6th ed. (TRB), MUTCD 2009 (FHWA), FHWA HDS-5, for exams through March 2027). NCEES has posted updated design standards for exams from April 2027. No notes, books or references of your own come into the room; you may bring one NCEES-approved calculator, and an on-screen TI-30XS calculator is also available during the exam. Practicing with that same reference in front of you, so you already know where each method lives, is half the preparation.

How much does the PE Civil: Transportation exam cost, and can you retake it?

The NCEES fee for the PE Civil: Transportation exam is $400, paid per attempt when you register through your MyNCEES account; some state licensing boards also charge their own application fee. NCEES allows one attempt per testing window and no more than three attempts in a 12-month period.

What do I get with PE Civil: Transportation on FE → PE Prep?

1,600+ PE Civil: Transportation practice questions, every one with a step-by-step worked solution; unlimited full-length timed mock exams weighted to the NCEES blueprint; a 63-concept study handbook, 570+ flashcards, and an AI tutor. Access is a one-time pass for 1, 3, 6 or 12 months — no subscription, no auto-renew — and the free sample questions need no account. Within 7 days, with little or no paid content used, you can ask for a refund, which we consider under the Refund Policy.

Can you help with the PE experience requirement?

Yes — a built-in PE Experience Tracker helps you record and organize the qualifying engineering experience and references your state board needs for licensure, right alongside your exam prep.

Free reading for PE Civil — Transportation

No account needed — pass rates, worked problems, and what the exam actually asks.

Free PE Civil — Transportation practice problemsReal questions from the bank, with the figures and full worked solutions.Free PE Civil — Transportation formula sheet101 key equations by exam topic, each with what it is for and its handbook reference.How hard is the PE Civil exam? Structural vs Transportation vs Water ResourcesNCEES's own pass rates for all five PE Civil depths, what each specification actually weights, and how to pick your depth from the numbers rather than the folklore.The PE Civil Transportation examGeometric design carries 30 to 40 of the 80 questions against traffic engineering's 20 to 30, and Drainage is exactly as large as Horizontal Design.Do you need a prep course to pass the FE or PE?Nothing in NCEES's rules asks for one, and the handbook is free. What a course adds, who gains from one, and a ten-problem test to run before paying anyone.

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