FREE ASBOG FG & PG Exam Guide 2026: Blueprint, Fees, Study Plan

ASBOG FG and PG exams in 2026: start with your state board

The Fundamentals of Geology (FG) and Practice of Geology (PG) are separate national examinations developed by the Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG). FG emphasizes geology learned in an academic program; PG emphasizes applying geology in professional practice. Passing an exam is not itself a professional license. Your state board decides whether you are eligible to test, what education and experience count, whether it requires a separate state-specific examination, and what remains before licensure. Start with that board's instructions before paying for a course or scheduling a test.

This guide uses ASBOG's candidate handbook updated September 2026 for format, blueprint, scoring, and test-room policy. ASBOG's candidate page and state board directory are the starting points for your jurisdiction. The study examples below are original illustrations, not released ASBOG questions.

FG versus PG: the facts that change your plan

These are two separate exams. The 70-point standard is a scaled score, not 70% correct or a fixed number of questions. ASBOG adjusts scoring for form difficulty, reports 100 as the highest scaled score, and gives no penalty for guessing. Answer every item. The handbook says FG items principally recall factual information while PG items require applying basic principles, mainly from work experience. Treat that as a difference in reasoning demands, not a promise that every FG question is easy or every PG question is a long case.

The ASBOG examination schedule shows fall 2026 testing on October 1–2 and spring 2027 testing on March 18–19. Those are national testing windows; state application deadlines can be earlier. If you are reading near a test window, contact your board rather than assuming a seat or eligibility remains available. ASBOG's September handbook names Prometric as its examination administrator for 2026–2028.

The eight tested domains, with FG and PG weights

The September 2026 handbook's Appendix 2 publishes the following blueprint. These are percentages of each exam blueprint, not a prediction of your exact item count by topic. Both columns total 100%.

FG devotes 34% of its blueprint to F, G, and H together; PG devotes 56%. This is why a PG candidate with strong undergraduate mineralogy but little recent groundwater or engineering-geology practice should shift study time toward applied site problems. It does not justify dropping Domains A–E: a weighted plan still covers all eight, and the published percentages describe the blueprint as a whole.

What to do within each domain

A — Investigations. Practice reading a geologic map and cross-section together. Ask whether observed contacts, bedding attitudes, and well or boring locations support a proposed interpretation. In a PG-style scenario, identify what additional observation would reduce uncertainty before a design decision.

B — Earth materials. For FG, pair diagnostic properties with geologic context instead of memorizing mineral names alone: for example, hardness and cleavage distinguish different candidate minerals. For PG, ask how mineralogy or weathering changes the behavior of a rock mass at a site.

C — Depositional history. Trace which unit overlies another, then test the interpretation against unconformities, fossils, and sedimentary structures. If a proposed aquifer crosses several mapped units, stratigraphic correlation matters more than remembering a single formation name.

D — Surface processes. Match the landform and sediment evidence to a process: stream migration, slope movement, coastal change, or glaciation. On a real parcel, the presence of an old landslide deposit is a reason to investigate stability, not proof of current movement.

E — Structure and tectonics. Sketch hanging wall, footwall, movement direction, and the resulting repetition or omission of strata. Separate observations, such as offset beds, from inferences about activity or seismic risk; those need additional evidence.

F — Hydrogeology. Be comfortable with hydraulic head, gradient, conductivity, transmissivity, and contaminant pathways. A conceptual model should state flow direction and its evidence, identify uncertain boundaries, and say which well or test could challenge the model.

G — Engineering geology. Decide what the boring logs, groundwater levels, and surficial geology can and cannot establish about a foundation or slope. Recognize that a few borings do not erase lateral variability; the next investigation should target the decision's main uncertainty.

H — Resources. Relate a deposit or petroleum system to its geologic setting and evidence. Resource evaluation depends on geology plus economics, access, and constraints; an observed mineral occurrence is not automatically an economic reserve.

A small calculation example: reason before substituting

Suppose hydraulic head is 112 m in an upgradient well and 108 m in a downgradient well 200 m apart along the flow direction. The magnitude of the hydraulic gradient is head difference divided by distance: (112 − 108) / 200 = 0.02 (dimensionless). Flow is toward lower head under this simplified interpretation. A gradient alone is not a discharge rate: Darcy's relation also needs hydraulic conductivity and an area perpendicular to flow. Before using two wells to describe an entire site, ask whether they screen the same connected unit and whether the measured heads represent the relevant time and conditions.

For more calculation practice, see our five worked geology examples. Keep a separate page of units and assumptions for every problem you miss. If a number is dimensionally impossible, diagnose that before looking at the answer key.

A study plan that differs for FG and PG

First session: diagnose. Use the eight-domain table to mark each domain as strong, uncertain, or weak. Work a short mixed set without notes and record the actual error: missing fact, misread diagram, wrong unit, ignored condition, or time pressure. Our ASBOG practice set has 200 locally available practice questions as of this review; that is an Open Exam Prep inventory, not the number of questions on either real exam. The official handbook also includes sample questions and answer keys. Neither source should be treated as a copy of the live item pool.

Build phase: alternate learning and retrieval. An FG candidate may need more cycles on mineral and rock identification, stratigraphic principles, maps, and surface processes. A PG candidate should spend more of the same time on how multiple data types change a recommendation: for example, how a boring log, well hydrograph, and nearby slope together affect a site model. Write a one-sentence reason for each correct and incorrect option instead of tallying raw scores alone.

Integration phase: use the blueprint. Rotate domains rather than finishing one textbook end-to-end. For FG, preserve coverage across all domains while giving extra review to weak areas with substantial blueprint weight. For PG, devote repeated applied sets to F, G, and H, then revisit Domain A's field investigation and mapping skills. The emphasis is supported by the blueprint; any hours-per-domain target is your own planning choice, not an ASBOG rule.

Final phase: simulate conditions. Do at least one four-hour, closed-book practice session for the exam you will sit. FG pacing is about 35 questions per hour; PG pacing is about 27–28 per hour. Use a permissible calculator model, practice flagging uncertain items for a final pass, and answer every question. Review the underlying geologic reasoning after the simulation. A practice percentage does not convert directly to ASBOG's scaled 70.

A useful error log has four columns: item/topic, why your answer seemed plausible, evidence that changes the answer, and a follow-up action. For example: “I treated a higher hydraulic head as a higher elevation regardless of datum; redraw head measurements on one datum before inferring flow.” That fixes a transferable mistake. Repeating a bank item until its wording feels familiar does not.

Eligibility and registration: follow the board-to-test-center sequence

1. Choose the jurisdiction where you seek a license. Read its board's education, experience, application, and possible state-specific exam rules. ASBOG supplies national exams; the board decides eligibility and licensure.
2. Apply through that board's process. The handbook says the board or its administrator approves and pre-registers candidates before they can schedule. It specifically notes an additional Prometric preregistration step for Georgia, Illinois, and Utah candidates; follow your board's current directions.
3. After approval, use the registration message and candidate portal to pay and schedule. Check that your name matches the government-issued photo ID you will present. Reserve a test-center appointment within the authorized window.
4. Confirm the current cost at checkout. The September 2026 handbook lists national exam fees of $200 FG and $250 PG, plus a $75 seat fee per part, yielding $275 FG or $325 PG before any state fee. ASBOG's live, undated registration page instead lists a $78 seat fee, implying $278 FG or $328 PG. These official pages conflict on the seat amount. Treat the figures as source-attributed estimates, check your actual checkout, and ask the board or ASBOG if the discrepancy affects payment. State fees vary; this guide does not invent a universal total.
5. Check your confirmation and policy. The handbook allows cancellation or rescheduling until five days before the exam, lists a $50 fee for either action, while ASBOG's undated registration page lists $35. Both sources describe a five-day cutoff and emergency exceptions. Confirm the current charge in the scheduling portal; no-shows forfeit exam and seat fees under the handbook.

Do not assume that every graduate can take FG immediately, that a fixed number of years qualifies everyone for PG, or that passing either exam automatically confers a GIT or PG designation. The handbook describes PG knowledge as typically developed after about five years of employment, but jurisdictional rules govern the experience that counts and any designation issued. Verify your board's definitions before using experience or licensure language on an application or résumé.

Test-day and scoring checklist

The September handbook calls the exams closed-book. Print and bring your Candidate Admission Letter, along with the required government-issued photo ID bearing your signature, and arrive at least 30 minutes early. The handbook says candidates without the letter will be denied entry and forfeit their fees. It permits a non-QWERTY calculator without its cover; an on-screen scientific calculator is also available. Its allowed-items list does not include a protractor, straightedge, scale, personal paper, or notes. The current, undated ASBOG examination page still describes some of those physical tools, creating an official-source conflict. Confirm permitted aids with IQT and your current admission instructions before test day; do not infer the live page is older solely because it lacks a date.

At the computer, read the question's requested outcome before scanning the choices. For a calculation, label units and sign conventions. For an applied scenario, distinguish what the site data show from the remedy they might support; if several remedies are plausible, identify the missing condition that makes one defensible. Flag questions that require extended work, keep pace, and return after collecting clearer points. Because unanswered items receive no credit and guessing carries no extra penalty, select an answer for every item before time ends.

ASBOG supplies separate FG and PG scores through the board process. The handbook's passing standard is scaled 70 and explicitly rejects a fixed raw-score percentage. A failed candidate receives content-area feedback; use it to target the next study cycle and ask the board about its retake approval and timing. Avoid comparing a practice-set percentage with the scaled score as though they were the same measure.

Original practice prompts to test your reasoning

FG-style prompt: A map shows parallel sedimentary beds above an irregular erosional surface cut into older parallel beds. What evidence would distinguish a disconformity from a conformable contact? A defensible answer points to the erosion surface, truncated beds, soil horizon, or missing biostratigraphic interval; parallel bedding alone cannot prove continuous deposition.

PG-style prompt: A site model assumes groundwater flows east because one monitoring round shows declining head from west to east. A second round after pumping shows a different pattern. Before recommending a containment alignment, compare well-screen intervals, datum, timing, pumping influence, and the hydraulic connection between units. The professional task is to test whether the initial model remains valid, not to force the new measurements into it.

These examples train evidence-to-decision reasoning without reproducing official exam questions. If you can explain what observation would change your answer, you are doing more than memorizing vocabulary.

Official resources and next step

• September 2026 ASBOG Candidate Handbook: current format, rules, blueprint, scoring, and official sample questions.
• ASBOG state board directory: jurisdiction-specific eligibility and deadlines.
• ASBOG candidate resources: official candidate starting point and free geology references.
• ASBOG examination schedule: national testing windows; confirm your board's earlier deadlines.
• ASBOG registration page: current public payment description, including the seat-fee discrepancy noted above.

Choose your jurisdiction first. Then make a study plan from the correct FG or PG blueprint, practice the reasoning your exam emphasizes, and reserve a test seat only after board approval. Our free ASBOG practice questions and worked calculation examples can supplement the official handbook; they are independent study materials and are not endorsed by ASBOG.