Council of Registered Professional Engineers Registration (Mauritius)

Under the Registered Professional Engineers Council Act (RPEC Act), which person may lawfully use the title 'Registered Professional Engineer of Mauritius' (RPEM) and engage in the practice of professional engineering in Mauritius?

• AA graduate holding a Council-approved engineering degree who has received a Stage 1 Eligi…
• BA trainee engineer who has completed 24 months of supervised training and submitted a Tec…
• CA Chartered Engineer registered with the Engineering Council (UK) who is working in Mauri…
• DA person whose name has been entered on the register after the Council approved their reg…

A simply supported steel beam with a span of L = 6.0 m carries a central concentrated point load of P = 40 kN. Neglecting the self-weight of the beam, what is the maximum bending moment (M_max) developed in the beam?

• A30.0 kNm
• B120.0 kNm
• C240.0 kNm
• D60.0 kNm

A solid circular steel shaft of diameter d = 50 mm is subjected to an axial tensile force of F = 150 kN. What is the normal tensile stress (sigma) induced in the shaft?

• A19.1 MPa
• B60.0 MPa
• C76.4 MPa
• D305.6 MPa

Water flows through a circular pipe with an internal diameter of 100 mm at an average velocity of 2.0 m/s. What is the volumetric flow rate (Q) through the pipe?

• A0.0157 m^3/s (15.7 L/s)
• B0.00785 m^3/s (7.85 L/s)
• C0.0628 m^3/s (62.8 L/s)
• D0.00393 m^3/s (3.93 L/s)

For flow in a circular pipe, which Reynolds number (Re) criteria are commonly used to classify the flow as laminar or fully turbulent?

• ALaminar below about Re = 2,300; fully turbulent above about Re = 4,000, with a transition…
• BLaminar below about Re = 4,000; fully turbulent only above about Re = 100,000
• CLaminar below about Re = 500; fully turbulent above about Re = 1,000
• DLaminar below about Re = 2,300; turbulent immediately above it, with no transitional range

A three-phase 400 V (line-to-line), 50 Hz industrial induction motor draws an active power of P = 45 kW at a lagging power factor of 0.75. What rating of shunt capacitor bank is required to improve the overall power factor to 0.95 lagging?

• A14.8 kVAR
• B39.7 kVAR
• C54.5 kVAR
• D24.9 kVAR

In a TT earthing arrangement, where the supply neutral is earthed at the source and the consumer's installation is earthed through its own local earth electrode, why is a residual current device (RCD) normally relied on for protection against indirect contact?

• ABecause the TT system has no neutral conductor, so overcurrent devices cannot sense load…
• BBecause RCDs limit the prospective short-circuit current between line and neutral
• CBecause the earth fault loop passes through the soil, its impedance is high, and the faul…
• DBecause the consumer's electrode is bonded to the supply neutral, making earth faults ind…

During a tensile test on a structural mild steel specimen, what distinct phenomenon occurs immediately after the upper yield point?

• AThe stress drops to a lower yield point and the specimen yields at nearly constant stress…
• BThe material undergoes immediate brittle cleavage fracture without plastic deformation
• CThe elastic modulus increases with strain hardening up to the ultimate tensile strength
• DLocalized necking begins immediately at the centre of the gauge length

In coastal tropical environments such as Mauritius, what is the primary deterioration mechanism affecting reinforced concrete structures within marine exposure zones?

• AAlkali-silica reaction caused by reactive basalt aggregate
• BSulfate attack from dissolved sulfates in rainwater
• CChloride-induced depassivation of the reinforcement, leading to corrosion, expansive rust…
• DCarbonation of the cover concrete by atmospheric carbon dioxide, which dominates over chl…

A cantilever retaining wall with a stem height of H = 4.0 m retains dry cohesionless backfill with unit weight gamma = 18 kN/m^3 and an internal friction angle phi = 30 degrees. Using Rankine's theory, what is the total active thrust per metre run (P_a) on the wall?

• A48.0 kN/m
• B24.0 kN/m
• C72.0 kN/m
• D144.0 kN/m

A composite plane wall consists of two layers: Layer 1 (thickness L1 = 0.10 m, thermal conductivity k1 = 0.8 W/mK) and Layer 2 (thickness L2 = 0.05 m, thermal conductivity k2 = 0.04 W/mK). What is the total thermal resistance (R_total) per square metre of this wall?

• A0.125 m^2K/W
• B1.250 m^2K/W
• C1.375 m^2K/W
• D2.625 m^2K/W

What is the primary advantage of employing a closed-loop negative feedback control system over an open-loop system in automated industrial processes?

• AIt eliminates the need for sensors and signal conditioning electronics
• BIt ensures stability under all conditions regardless of loop gain or phase lag
• CIt automatically corrects for disturbances and parameter variations to maintain the desir…
• DIt guarantees zero response time and instantaneous settling

In limit state design (for example, to the Eurocodes), which factor is applied to characteristic material strengths to establish design strengths for the Ultimate Limit State (ULS)?

• AThe partial factor for actions (gamma_f), which multiplies the characteristic strength
• BA single global factor of safety applied to the working load, as in permissible stress de…
• CThe ratio of mean to characteristic strength, by which the characteristic strength is inc…
• DThe partial factor for materials (gamma_m), where design strength equals characteristic s…

An engineer designs an earth embankment on soft saturated clay. Which laboratory test provides the compression index (C_c) and coefficient of consolidation (c_v) needed to estimate the magnitude and rate of long-term settlement?

• AStandard Proctor compaction test
• BCalifornia Bearing Ratio (CBR) test
• COne-dimensional oedometer (consolidation) test
• DDirect shear box test under rapid shearing

In thermodynamic power cycles, which idealized cycle achieves the maximum possible theoretical thermal efficiency operating between two fixed thermal reservoirs at temperatures T_high and T_low?

• ABrayton cycle with intercooling and reheat
• BRankine cycle with superheat
• CCarnot cycle composed of two reversible isothermal and two reversible adiabatic processes
• DDiesel cycle operating at maximum compression ratio

A structural steel column has an actual length of L = 5.0 m and is rigidly fixed at both ends (fixed-fixed boundary condition). What is its effective length (L_e) for Euler buckling analysis?

• A2.5 m
• B3.5 m
• C5.0 m
• D10.0 m

A centrifugal pump running at N1 = 1,450 rpm delivers Q1 = 50 L/s against a total head of H1 = 20 m. If the speed is increased to N2 = 1,740 rpm with the same impeller, what is the new flow rate Q2 according to the affinity laws?

• A55 L/s
• B72 L/s
• C86 L/s
• D60 L/s

Which non-destructive testing (NDT) method is most effective for detecting subsurface internal volumetric defects (such as slag inclusions or porosity) in thick full-penetration butt welds?

• ALiquid dye penetrant inspection (PT)
• BMagnetic particle inspection (MT)
• CVisual inspection (VT)
• DUltrasonic testing (UT) or radiographic testing (RT)

A balanced three-phase delta-connected load has an impedance of Z = (12 + j16) ohms per phase. If it is connected to a 400 V, 50 Hz three-phase supply, what is the magnitude of the line current (I_line) drawn by the load?

• A11.5 A
• B20.0 A
• C34.6 A
• D60.0 A

In an embedded control system, what is the role of an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) peripheral?

• AIt amplifies low-level sensor voltages into high-power driving signals
• BIt generates pulse-width modulated (PWM) outputs to drive power transistors
• CIt converts parallel data into an asynchronous serial stream
• DIt samples continuous analog sensor signals and quantizes them into discrete binary value…

What is the primary physical cause of cavitation in centrifugal pumps and hydraulic turbines?

• AFriction between the shaft seal and the impeller sleeve
• BAir drawn in through leaking suction-pipe joints
• CLocal static pressure falling below the vapour pressure of the liquid, forming vapour bub…
• DPressure surges from rapid closure of a discharge valve

Since the Construction Industry Authority Act 2023 (which repealed the Building Control Act) came into force, which body issues the Building and Land Use Permit (BLUP) for a new building in Mauritius?

• AThe Construction Industry Authority, after its Registration Panel reviews the plans
• BThe local authority for the area (municipal or district council), on an application made…
• CThe Council of Registered Professional Engineers, once a registered engineer certifies th…
• DThe Ministry responsible for the environment, when it issues a PER or EIA licence for the…

A steel tie bar of length L = 2.5 m and cross-sectional area A = 500 mm^2 carries an axial tensile force of P = 100 kN. Taking Young's modulus E = 200 GPa, what is the elastic elongation of the bar?

• A0.0025 mm
• B2.50 mm
• C1.00 mm
• D25.0 mm

In electrical machines, what is the synchronous speed (N_s) of a 4-pole, three-phase synchronous motor connected to the 50 Hz power grid in Mauritius?

• A750 rpm
• B1,000 rpm
• C1,500 rpm
• D3,000 rpm

On an S-N (stress-life) curve, what does the 'fatigue limit' (endurance limit) of a material represent?

• AThe stress amplitude below which the material can, in principle, withstand an unlimited n…
• BThe ultimate tensile stress at which necking begins under a single static load
• CThe minimum crack growth rate under sustained stress in a corrosive environment
• DThe yield strength under high-strain-rate impact loading

In Critical Path Method (CPM) scheduling, what is 'Total Float' for an activity?

• AThe time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start of any immediate suc…
• BA time buffer placed at the end of the schedule to absorb weather delays
• CThe time an activity can be delayed from its early start without delaying the project com…
• DThe difference between the pessimistic and optimistic duration estimates in a PERT network

A civil engineering task has an early start ES = Day 4, early finish EF = Day 10, late start LS = Day 7 and late finish LF = Day 13. What is the Total Float of this task?

• A3 days
• B0 days
• C6 days
• D9 days

In a PERT schedule, an activity has an optimistic duration a = 4 days, a most likely duration m = 7 days and a pessimistic duration b = 16 days. What is the expected duration (t_e)?

• A7.0 days
• B9.0 days
• C10.0 days
• D8.0 days

At the end of Month 6, an infrastructure project has a Planned Value PV = MUR 12,000,000, an Earned Value EV = MUR 10,000,000 and an Actual Cost AC = MUR 11,500,000. What are the Cost Variance (CV) and Schedule Variance (SV)?

• ACV = -MUR 1,500,000; SV = -MUR 2,000,000
• BCV = +MUR 1,500,000; SV = +MUR 2,000,000
• CCV = -MUR 2,000,000; SV = -MUR 1,500,000
• DCV = +MUR 500,000; SV = -MUR 500,000

An engineering project has a Cost Performance Index CPI = 0.80 and a Schedule Performance Index SPI = 1.15. How should the project manager interpret these indices?

• AThe project is under budget and behind schedule
• BThe project is over budget and behind schedule
• CThe project is over budget and ahead of schedule
• DThe project is under budget and ahead of schedule

A water treatment plant construction contract has a total Budget at Completion BAC = MUR 50,000,000. At the current progress checkpoint, EV = MUR 20,000,000 and AC = MUR 25,000,000. Assuming future work will proceed at the same cost efficiency experienced to date, what is the Estimate at Completion (EAC)?

• AMUR 45,000,000
• BMUR 55,000,000
• CMUR 62,500,000
• DMUR 75,000,000

What is the primary purpose of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in engineering project management?

• ATo decompose the total project scope hierarchically into manageable, deliverable-oriented…
• BTo show the calendar sequence and resource loading of activities
• CTo assign approval authority for each deliverable to a named individual
• DTo list identified risks together with their owners and responses

What does the '100% Rule' state about a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)?

• AEvery activity must be 100% complete before any successor can start
• BEach work package should be sized at no more than 100 hours of effort
• CThe WBS must be 100% approved by the client before design work begins
• DThe WBS must include 100% of the project scope, and each level of breakdown must add up t…

In project cost management, what is the difference between a 'contingency reserve' and a 'management reserve'?

• AThe contingency reserve covers identified risks ('known-unknowns') and is part of the cos…
• BThe contingency reserve is held by the contractor, whereas the management reserve is held…
• CThe contingency reserve covers the contractor's profit margin, whereas the management res…
• DThe contingency reserve is released automatically at each milestone, whereas the manageme…

Under a FIDIC-based construction contract, the Engineer issues an instruction that the Contractor believes changes the scope and entitles it to additional payment, but the instruction is not identified as a Variation. What should the Contractor do?

• ARefuse to carry out the instruction until the Employer signs a priced variation order
• BComply with the instruction, keep contemporary records, and give written notice of its cl…
• CCarry out the work and add the cost to the final account without prior notice, because th…
• DRaise the matter orally at the next monthly progress meeting and rely on the minutes

What is the primary objective of Value Engineering (VE) during design development?

• ATo reduce cost by lowering material specifications and safety margins across the board
• BTo confirm that the design complies with codes before it is issued for construction
• CTo analyze the functions of systems and components so that the required performance, reli…
• DTo select the option with the lowest initial capital cost for each building element

In cash-flow forecasting for an engineering project, what is the main reason cumulative expenditure typically follows an 'S-curve'?

• ASpending is spread evenly over the contract period
• BFront-loaded tender pricing inflates the early valuations
• CRetention is released in two halves at the end of the project
• DSpending starts slowly during mobilization, peaks during full-scale construction and tape…

When appraising an engineering capital investment, which metric is the discount rate at which the Net Present Value (NPV) of the project's cash flows equals zero?

• AInternal Rate of Return (IRR)
• BPayback Period
• CAccounting Rate of Return (ARR)
• DBenefit-Cost Ratio (BCR)

A concrete casting activity has a planned duration of 10 days. The project manager crashes the activity to 6 days at an additional direct cost of MUR 80,000. What is the cost slope per day for this crashing exercise?

• AMUR 8,000 per day
• BMUR 13,333 per day
• CMUR 20,000 per day
• DMUR 80,000 per day

Under a formal change control process, who has authority to approve or reject a change request that alters the project's baseline scope, budget or milestone dates?

• AThe site manager, provided the change is recorded in the daily site diary
• BThe design engineer who identified the need for the change
• CThe contractor, provided the change stays within the contingency allowance
• DThe Change Control Board or other authority designated in the project governance plan

An activity in a CPM network has an Early Start of Day 12 and an Early Finish of Day 18. Its only successor has an Early Start of Day 21. What is the Free Float of this activity?

• A0 days
• B6 days
• C3 days
• D9 days

Under the Public Procurement Act 2006 of Mauritius, what is the principal statutory role of the Central Procurement Board (CPB)?

• ATo hear applications for review from unsatisfied bidders and order corrective measures
• BTo issue standard bidding documents and procurement directives for mandatory use by publi…
• CTo register contractors in classes and grades for public works
• DTo approve the award of major contracts by public bodies

What is 'fast-tracking' a project schedule, and what is its main inherent risk?

• APerforming in parallel, or overlapping, activities originally planned in sequence, which…
• BAdding overtime or extra resources to critical activities, which increases direct cost wi…
• CReducing the scope of deliverables to finish earlier
• DMoving non-critical activities later to level resource demand