Site Characterization
10-15%of exam
Soil Mechanics, Lab Testing, and Analysis
10-15%of exam
Construction Observation, Monitoring, QA/QC, and Safety
7.5-11.25%of exam
Earthquake Engineering and Dynamic Loads
6.25-10%of exam
Earth Structures, Ground Improvement, and Pavement
11.25-17.5%of exam
Groundwater and Seepage
5-7.5%of exam
Problematic Soil and Rock Conditions
5-7.5%of exam
Retaining Structures
12.5-18.75%of exam
Shallow Foundations
7.5-11.25%of exam
Deep Foundations
12.5-18.75%of exam
Quick Facts
- Exam owner
- NCEES
- Format
- 80 questions, computer-based
- Question types
- Multiple-choice and alternative item types
- Seat time
- 9-hour appointment, 8-hour exam
- Scheduled break
- 50 minutes, optional
- Availability
- Year-round at Pearson test centers
- Units
- SI and U.S. customary
- Supplied references
- Electronic handbook and listed standards
- NCEES exam fee
- $400
- Scoring
- Pass/fail, no wrong-answer penalty
- Topic blueprint
- Effective April 2024
- Standards update
- Effective April 2027
- Domain percentages
- Question ranges divided by 80
Seat, Then Count
Seat the sampler, then count the next two increments.
First 6 inches seatsNext 12 inches gives N
Field Test Picker
- Continuous soil behavior profile→CPT(Pairs tip and sleeve measurements)
- Need penetration pore pressures→Piezocone CPTu(Dissipation test tracks pressure decay)
- Blow count and disturbed sample→SPT with split barrel(Discrete sampling depths)
- Intact soft cohesive specimen→Thin-walled tube(Minimize disturbance)
- In-place soft clay strength→Field vane(Undrained response)
- Need rock quality and recovery→Rock coring(Log natural breaks)
Field Exploration
- Historical aerials
- Trace former fills and channels
- Exploration depth
- Capture weak layers and influence zone
- Hollow-stem auger
- Sample through the hollow stem
- Split-barrel sampler
- Disturbed sample during SPT
- Thin-walled tube
- Relatively intact cohesive soil
- SPT N-value
- Blows for final 12 inches
- N₆₀
- SPT adjusted to 60% energy
- CPTu
- Tip, sleeve, and pore pressure
- Field vane
- Undrained strength of soft clay
- Pressuremeter
- Radial pressure–deformation response
- Piezocone dissipation
- Track pore pressure after pausing
- Normalized SPT (N₁)₆₀
- N₆₀ corrected for overburden
Soil and Rock Classification
- USCS fines sieve
- No. 200, 0.075 mm
- USCS fine-grained
- ≥50% passes No. 200
- USCS sand–gravel split
- No. 4, 4.75 mm
- USCS high liquid limit
- LL ≥ 50
- USCS plasticity chart
- Plot liquid limit and PI
- Cᵤ, uniformity coefficient
- D₆₀/D₁₀
- Cc, curvature coefficient
- D₃₀²/(D₁₀ × D₆₀)
- Core recovery fraction
- Recovered core length/run length
- RQD percent
- 100 × qualifying length/run length
- Mechanical breaks in core
- Fit broken pieces back together
- RQD length criterion
- FHWA counts sound pieces >100 mm
- Rock discontinuities
- Orientation, spacing, persistence, infill
Drained vs Undrained
Drained response
- Drainage during load application
- Use c′, φ′ and effective stress
Undrained response
- Negligible drainage during loading
- Use sᵤ if φᵤ assumed zero
Compare loading time with drainage
Phase and Stress Formulas
- Water content w
- Water mass/dry solids mass
- Void ratio e
- Void volume/solids volume
- Porosity n as fraction
- e/(1 + e)
- Saturation S
- wGₛ/e, fractional w and S
- Solids specific gravity Gₛ
- Solids density/water density
- Dry unit weight γd
- γbulk/(1 + w), fractional w
- Total vertical overburden
- Sum bulk unit weight × thickness
- Effective stress
- σ′ = σ − u
- Hydrostatic pore pressure
- u = γw × pressure head
- Submerged unit weight
- γ′ = γsat − γw
- Plasticity index PI
- LL − PL
- Liquidity index
- (w − PL)/PI, consistent units
Strength and Lab Tests
- Effective-stress shear strength
- τf = c′ + σ′ₙtanφ′
- UU triaxial
- No consolidation or shear drainage
- CU triaxial
- Drain consolidation, close during shear
- CD triaxial
- Drain consolidation and shear
- CU with pore pressure
- Obtain effective-stress strength parameters
- Saturated clay, φᵤ = 0
- sᵤ = qᵤ/2 in unconfined compression
- Direct shear
- Shear on an imposed plane
- Oedometer
- One-dimensional compression and stress history
- Constant-head lab test
- Typically higher-conductivity granular soils
- Falling-head lab test
- Suited to lower conductivity
- Hazen conductivity estimate
- k ∝ D₁₀² for clean sand
Compaction vs Relative Density
Relative compaction
- Field dry density versus Proctor
- Reference specified compaction effort
Relative density
- Granular soil packing index
- Use minimum and maximum densities
Identify the reference density
Compaction and Field Checks
- Proctor curve peak
- Maximum dry unit weight
- Optimum moisture content
- Water content at Proctor peak
- Modified Proctor
- Higher effort than Standard Proctor
- Zero air voids
- 100% saturation curve
- Relative compaction
- 100 × γd,field/γd,max
- Sand cone
- Excavated hole volume from sand
- Nuclear gauge
- In-place density and moisture
- Proof rolling
- Reveals yielding or pumping zones
Monitoring and Trench Safety
- Inclinometer
- Lateral movement versus depth
- Settlement plate
- Vertical movement beneath fill
- Piezometer
- Pore pressure at instrument tip
- Trench egress at ≥4 ft
- ≤25 ft lateral travel
- Cave-in protection exceptions
- Entirely stable rock or shallow exception
- Excavation <5 ft exception
- Competent person finds no cave-in potential
- Excavation inspections
- Daily, before work, after rain
- Excavation inspector
- Competent person when exposure anticipated
- Spoil setback or restraint
- ≥2 ft or retaining device
- Riprap scour protection
- Filter retains underlying soil
Pseudostatic vs Newmark
Pseudostatic slope analysis
- Represent shaking with inertial force
- Compute slope safety factor
Newmark sliding block
- Find acceleration that initiates sliding
- Estimate permanent displacement
Match method to required output
Seismic Analysis Picker
- Need seismic stiffness profile→Measure shear-wave velocity(Use governing site-class criteria)
- Loose saturated granular deposit→Liquefaction triggering analysis(Compare CRR with CSR)
- Need seismic slope safety factor→Pseudostatic limit equilibrium(Horizontal inertia kₕW)
- Need permanent sliding displacement→Newmark sliding-block analysis(Use yield acceleration)
Seismic Demand and Resistance
- Site class
- Apply governing edition’s profile criteria
- Vₛ₃₀
- 30 m / summed layer travel times
- Small-strain shear modulus
- Gmax = ρVₛ²
- PGA
- Peak ground acceleration
- Liquefaction susceptibility
- Screen loose saturated granular soils
- CSR
- Cyclic stress ratio, shaking demand
- CRR
- Cyclic resistance ratio, soil capacity
- Liquefaction factor of safety
- CRR/CSR on same basis
- Liquefaction lateral spreading
- Lateral ground displacement after triggering
- Simplified CSR equation
- 0.65(amax/g)Rσrd
- CSR stress ratio Rσ
- Initial total/effective vertical stress
- CSR factor rd
- Depth-dependent stress reduction
- CSR acceleration ratio amax/g
- Peak ground acceleration/gravity
Ground Improvement Picker
- Slow consolidation in soft clay→Preload with wick drains(Monitor pore pressure and settlement)
- Loose clean granular deposit→Consider vibrocompaction(Densify granular soil)
- Reduce added embankment stress→Consider lightweight fill(Lower applied dead load)
- Need stiffer treated ground→Consider deep soil mixing(Trial mix verifies binder response)
- Weak shallow pavement subgrade→Consider undercut and replacement(Verify replacement support and drainage)
- Need separate soil and aggregate→Consider separator geotextile(Check filtration and installation survivability)
Slopes and Earth Structures
- Slope factor of safety
- Available strength/mobilized shear demand
- Infinite slope
- Shallow plane parallel to slope
- Simplified Bishop
- Circular slip surface
- Spencer
- Force and moment equilibrium
- Rapid drawdown
- External support drops before drainage
- Toe berm
- Adds resistance near slope toe
- Landfill liner interface
- Check interface shear strength
- Embankment staging
- Track settlement and pore pressure
Ground Improvement and Pavement
- Wick drains
- Shorten drainage path, accelerate consolidation
- Preloading
- Induce settlement before service
- Deep soil mixing
- Blend binder with in-place soil
- Lightweight fill
- Reduces stress on weak soils
- Geotextile filtration
- Pass water, retain soil
- Geosynthetic separation
- Limits mixing of adjacent layers
- Flexible pavement
- Asphalt over supporting layers
- Rigid pavement
- Concrete slab distributes loads
- CBR
- Penetration resistance relative to standard
- Resilient modulus
- Repeated-load stiffness of subgrade
- Geogrid reinforcement
- Mobilizes tensile resistance
- April 2027 geosynthetics reference
- Adds FHWA-NHI-07-092
Darcy vs Seepage Velocity
Darcy velocity
- Q divided by gross area
- Equals ki
Seepage velocity
- Q divided by pore area
- Equals ki/n for saturated flow
Use porosity for pore velocity
Dewatering Picker
- Shallow drawdown in permeable soil→Consider wellpoints(Suction lift limits each stage)
- Deep drawdown with high flow→Consider pumped deep wells(Set submersible pumps below drawdown)
- Deep drawdown with small flows→Consider jet eductors(Useful in silty fine sands)
- Artesian uplift below excavation→Pressure relief wells(Check basal uplift separately)
- Drawdown near sensitive structures→Monitor head and settlement(Consider cutoff or recharge)
Head and Flow Formulas
- Seepage head h
- z + u/γw
- Head symbols z and γw
- Elevation and water unit weight
- Hydraulic gradient i
- Head loss/flow length
- Darcy discharge Q
- kiA, area normal to flow
- Seepage velocity
- Q/(An), saturated flow
- Isotropic flow net
- Flow per width = kΔhNf/Nd
- Flow-net counts
- Nf channels, Nd equipotential drops
- Head loss per drop
- Total head loss/Nd
- Critical upward gradient
- ic = γ′/γw
- Exit heave safety factor
- Critical gradient/local exit gradient
- Piping
- Seepage carries soil particles
- Permeability k
- Hydraulic conductivity, length per time
Frost Heave Ingredients
Frost heave needs cold, water, and susceptible soil.
Freezing temperaturesAvailable waterFrost-susceptible soil
Expansive vs Collapsible
Expansive soil
- Wetting can cause heave
- Measure swell or swell pressure
Collapsible soil
- Wetting under load causes settlement
- Measure inundation strain in oedometer
Compare wetting-induced volume changes
Ground Hazards
- Karst
- Dissolution cavities and sinkholes
- Peat and organic deposits
- High compressibility and creep
- Sensitive clay
- Strength loss when remolded
- Clay sensitivity
- Intact/remolded undrained shear strength
- Frost heave
- Ice lenses lift ground
- Thaw weakening
- Thaw reduces support
- Corrosivity indicators
- Resistivity, pH, chlorides, sulfates
- Rock slope kinematics
- Compare joints with slope face
- Rockfall catch ditch
- Intercepts falling rock
Wall Load Shapes
Uniform surcharge makes a rectangle, hydrostatic water a triangle.
Rectangle at midheightTriangle toward deeper endIntegrate soil pressure separately
Active vs Passive Pressure
Active
- Wall moves away from soil
- Pressure drops toward active limit
Passive
- Wall moves toward soil
- Pressure rises toward passive limit
Passive generally requires more movement
Wall Pressure Picker
- Wall restrained against movement→At-rest K₀(Use stress history)
- Wall moves away enough→Active Kₐ(Movement away from backfill)
- Wall moves into soil enough→Passive Kₚ(Verify mobilization and available soil)
- Multilevel bracing or anchors→Applicable apparent pressure envelope(Account for excavation stages)
- Water behind wall→Add separate pore pressure(Check expected drainage conditions)
Earth Pressure Formulas
- Basic Rankine assumptions
- Smooth vertical wall, level cohesionless backfill
- Rankine active Kₐ
- tan²(45° − φ′/2)
- Rankine passive Kₚ
- tan²(45° + φ′/2)
- Normally consolidated K₀ estimate
- 1 − sin φ′
- Cohesionless lateral pressure
- Kσ′ᵥ + u
- Uniform surcharge increment
- Δσₕ = Kq
- Triangle resultant per width
- ½ × height × peak pressure
- Triangle force location
- H/3 from high-pressure end
- Uniform surcharge force location
- H/2 above base
- K in Kσ′ᵥ + u
- Coefficient selected by wall movement
Wall and Excavation Checks
- Wall sliding
- Compare horizontal resistance and demand
- Bearing and eccentricity
- Check base resultant and pressure
- Global stability
- Trial surface beyond wall footprint
- MSE internal stability
- Reinforcement rupture and pullout
- MSE external stability
- Treat reinforced fill as block
- Braced cut support loads
- Use applicable apparent pressure envelope
- Ground anchor bond zone
- Locate beyond potential failure surface
- Cofferdam base stability
- Check uplift and seepage exit
- Underpinning
- Transfers existing foundation loads
- Soil nail
- Passive reinforcement mobilized by movement
- Tieback anchor
- Prestressed tendon transfers tensile load
Two Drains, Half Path
Two drainage faces halve the vertical drainage path.
Time scales with path squaredSame final settlement, other inputs fixed
ASD vs LRFD
ASD
- Compare service demand and allowable resistance
- Apply safety factor to resistance
LRFD strength
- Compare factored demand and resistance
- Apply load and resistance factors
Use one framework consistently
Settlement Method Picker
- Short-term sand settlement→Consider Schmertmann method(Strain influence and stiffness)
- Loading below preconsolidation stress→Use recompression index Cr(Overconsolidated stress range)
- Stress crosses preconsolidation→Use Cr then Cc(Split stress interval)
- Loading normally consolidated clay→Use compression index Cc(Virgin compression range)
- Time to target consolidation→Use longest drainage path(Single drainage uses full thickness)
Bearing and Eccentricity
- Basic drained strip bearing
- qult = c′Nc + q′Nq + ½γBNγ
- Bearing surcharge q′
- Effective overburden at footing base
- Bearing γ term
- Use groundwater-adjusted unit weight
- Net ultimate pressure
- Gross ultimate minus base overburden
- Uniaxial eccentricity
- e = M/V
- Meyerhof effective width
- B′ = B − 2|e|
- Linear full-contact pressure
- q = V/A ± M/S
- Section modulus S
- Use base area about bending axis
- Rectangular no-tension limit
- |e| ≤ B/6, uniaxial loading
- Basic strip bearing geometry
- Centered vertical load, level ground
Bearing vs Settlement
Bearing capacity
- Soil shear failure limit
- Check strength or safety factor
Settlement
- Vertical movement under service loads
- Check total and differential movement
Evaluate strength and serviceability
Footing Settlement
- Immediate settlement
- Initial soil deformation under load
- Primary consolidation
- Excess pore pressure dissipation
- Secondary compression
- Time-dependent soil skeleton creep
- Overconsolidation ratio OCR
- Preconsolidation stress/current vertical effective stress
- Recompression index Cr
- Recompression e–log₁₀ stress slope magnitude
- Compression index Cc
- Virgin e–log₁₀ stress slope magnitude
- Primary settlement from void loss
- H₀Δe/(1 + e₀), Δe positive
- Consolidation time factor
- Tᵥ = cᵥt/Hdr²
- Double drainage, uniform layer
- Hdr = half layer thickness
- Single drainage, uniform layer
- Hdr = full layer thickness
- 2-to-1 stress estimate
- Net applied load/spread area
- 2-to-1 spread area
- (B+z) × (L+z)
- 2-to-1 depth z
- Measure below footing base
- Compression range void loss
- Δe = Cc log₁₀(σ′f/σ′i)
- Recompression range void loss
- Δe = Cr log₁₀(σ′f/σ′i)
- Stress ratio σ′f/σ′i
- End/start stress for each segment
Side, Toe, Drag
Side and toe resist, settling ground can drag.
Side along shaftToe at baseDrag above neutral plane
Load Test vs Integrity Test
Load testing
- Measures response or estimates resistance
- Static or high-strain dynamic
Integrity testing
- Screens for material or geometry anomalies
- Sonic or thermal methods
Match test to measured property
Pile and Shaft Test Picker
- Need measured load–movement curve→Static load test(Specify loading direction)
- Need driven-pile resistance estimate→High-strain dynamic test(Interpret force and velocity signals)
- Check shaft concrete between tubes→Crosshole sonic logging(Compare wave travel and energy)
- Check shaft via curing temperatures→Thermal integrity profiling(Look for thermal anomalies)
- Need lateral head displacement→p–y analysis or lateral test(Account for group effects)
Axial and Lateral Pile Response
- Axial compression resistance
- Side resistance plus toe resistance
- Shaft resistance by layer
- Unit side resistance × side area
- Toe resistance
- Unit toe resistance × toe area
- α method
- αsᵤ, total-stress unit side resistance
- β method
- βσ′ᵥ, effective-stress unit side resistance
- Drag load
- Settling soil pulls pile downward
- Neutral plane
- Pile and soil settlements equal
- p–y curve
- Soil reaction/length versus lateral displacement
- t–z curve
- Shaft transfer versus axial displacement
- q–z curve
- Toe transfer versus axial displacement
- Group p-multiplier
- Scales lateral soil reaction
- Downdrag
- Foundation settlement from drag load
- Deep foundation structural check
- Check axial force and bending
- Scour allowance
- Exclude soil above scour line
Deep Foundation Installation
- Driven pile
- Driven with impact or vibration
- Restrike
- Check time-dependent driven-pile resistance
- Pile setup
- Resistance increases after driving
- Pile relaxation
- Resistance decreases after driving
- Wet drilled shaft
- Maintain stabilizing fluid head
- Tremie placement
- Keep outlet embedded in concrete
- Micropile
- Small-diameter drilled, grouted element
- Continuous-flight auger pile
- Pump grout/concrete during auger withdrawal
- Foundation standard before April 2027
- NAVFAC DM-7.02
- Foundation standard from April 2027
- UFC 3-220-20
Common Traps
Sample Quality
High core recovery ≠ High rock quality designation
Stress Accounting
Total stress from layer weights ≠ Effective stress carried by skeleton
Drainage
Hydrostatic pore pressure ≠ Pore pressure under seepage
Excavation Support
Trench shield protects workers ≠ Shoring supports excavation sides
Seismic Checks
Liquefaction triggering ≠ Post-trigger deformation
Backfill
Effective soil pressure ≠ Total pressure including water
Footing Contact
Meyerhof equivalent uniform pressure ≠ Peak linear contact pressure
Consolidation
Layer thickness for settlement ≠ Drainage path for consolidation time
Pile Groups
Sum of individual pile resistances ≠ Group block resistance
Code Editions
ASCE 7-16 before April 2027 ≠ ASCE 7-22 from April 2027
Last Minute
- 1.Use standards for your exam date
- 2.Match SI or U.S. customary units
- 3.Identify soil layers and groundwater
- 4.Subtract pore pressure from total stress
- 5.Match strength to drainage conditions
- 6.Compare dry density with Proctor maximum
- 7.Compare cyclic resistance with shaking demand
- 8.Check seepage exit gradient and uplift
- 9.Select earth pressure by wall movement
- 10.Add water and surcharge pressures
- 11.Check footing bearing and settlement
- 12.Check pile resistance and drag load
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