Best Calculators for the PE Exam 2026: All NCEES-Approved Models Compared
Video
A construction project requires excavating 5,000 cubic yards of soil in its bank (in-place) state. The soil has a swell factor of 1.4 (1 bank cy expands to 1.4 loose cy when excavated). How many cubic yards of loose soil must be hauled away?
Pe Civil Construction
Question · Medium
OSHA fall heights, to scale
Short
Complete guide to every NCEES-approved calculator for the 2026 PE exam. Side-by-side comparison of TI-36X Pro, Casio fx-115ES Plus, fx-991CW, TI-30XIIS & more — with discipline-specific tips for Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, and Environmental PE exams.
Blog
What is 'bank volume' in earthwork, and how does it differ from loose volume after excavation?
Construction
Flashcard
According to OSHA 1926 Subpart C, what is the maximum allowable excavation depth before a protective system (sloping, shoring, or shielding) is required for Type C soil?
Question · Easy
Exam Overview & Discipline Selection
1.1 PE Civil Exam Structure and Format
Study guide
Cheat sheet
In a critical path method (CPM) schedule, Activity A has a duration of 5 days, Activity B has a duration of 8 days, and Activity C has a duration of 4 days. Activity C can only start after both A and B are complete. What is the early start (ES) for Activity C?
Engineering Exam Prep Podcast
Listen on Spotify
Podcast
FE Exam Study Guide 2026: Pass Rates by Discipline
A contractor excavates 10,000 bank cubic yards (BCY) with a swell factor of 1.25. How many loose cubic yards (LCY) must be hauled?
A concrete mix design requires 350 lbs of cement per cubic yard. For a 100 cubic yard pour with 8% waste factor, how many 94-lb sacks of cement are required?
FE exam pass rates vary by discipline (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Computer, Other). Free guide with NCEES study schedules and strategies to pass first try.
What is the primary purpose of a slump test for fresh concrete?
Where does this beam break first?
What is the shrinkage factor, and why is compacted volume usually LESS than bank volume?
A temporary excavation support system uses soldier piles with timber lagging. The lagging spans 8 feet horizontally between soldier piles. If the lateral earth pressure is 600 psf and the lagging is 3-inch thick Douglas Fir-Larch (Fb = 1,500 psi), is the lagging adequate?
Question · Hard
1.2 Choosing Your PE Civil Discipline
Which of the following is NOT typically included in a construction daily report?
In a CPM schedule, how do you calculate Total Float for an activity?
A horizontal curve on a construction site has a radius of 500 feet and a central angle of 30°. What is the length of the curve?
The modulus of elasticity for normal weight concrete is most accurately estimated by which formula?
How does Free Float differ from Total Float, and how is it calculated?
A project has an original contract amount of $2,000,000. To date, $1,200,000 of work has been completed and $1,000,000 has been paid. The scheduled value of work completed is $1,500,000. What is the cost performance index (CPI)?
Construction Operations & Materials
2.1 Earthwork Construction and Estimating
A soil sample has a liquid limit of 45% and a plastic limit of 20%. What is the plasticity index?
Pe Civil Geotechnical
What defines the 'critical path' in a CPM network?
A saturated soil sample weighs 2.0 lbs in its natural state and 1.6 lbs after oven drying. The specific gravity of solids is 2.65. What is the void ratio?
For a retaining wall with level backfill, what is the coefficient of active earth pressure (Ka) per Rankine theory for a soil with φ = 30°?
In Earned Value Management, define Planned Value (PV), Earned Value (EV), and Actual Cost (AC).
A clay slope has a height of 30 feet with a slope angle of 26.6° (2H:1V). The clay has cohesion c = 800 psf, φ = 0°, and unit weight γ = 120 pcf. Using Taylor stability charts for φ = 0° slopes, what is the approximate factor of safety?
2.2 Construction Scheduling and Project Control
A 10-foot thick clay layer experiences a consolidation settlement of 2 inches under a foundation load. If the preconsolidation pressure is exceeded, the compression index Cc is 0.3, and the recompression index Cr is 0.06, what type of consolidation is occurring?
How are Cost Performance Index (CPI) and Schedule Performance Index (SPI) calculated, and what does CPI below 1.0 mean?
A 3-foot wide square footing bears at 5 feet depth in sand with γ = 120 pcf, φ = 32°, and groundwater at 20 feet. Using Terzaghi bearing capacity factors (Nc = 44, Nq = 29, Nγ = 27), what is the ultimate bearing capacity?
Which soil type is most likely to exhibit quick conditions or liquefaction during seismic loading?
At what excavation depth does OSHA require a protective system such as shoring, sloping, or shielding?
What is the primary function of a geotextile installed at the base of a roadway embankment over soft soil?
2.3 Material Quality Control and Testing
A gravity retaining wall is 12 feet high with level backfill (γ = 120 pcf, φ = 30°). What is the approximate total active earth pressure force per foot of wall length?
Distinguish formwork, falsework, and shoring as temporary construction structures.
In a permeability test, water flows through a soil sample 6 inches long with cross-sectional area of 2 in² under a head difference of 12 inches. If 100 mL flows in 5 minutes, what is the coefficient of permeability?
Per ASCE 7, what is the basic wind speed used for design in a location with a 3-second gust speed of 140 mph?
Pe Civil Structural
Loading more…
