A 30-Day Plan to Prepare for the
Civil Engineering Geotechnical PE Exam

Click HERE for more Civil Engineering Geotechnical PE Crunch Time Resources

Checklist:

1. Graduated from an ABET accredited engineering program … check
2. Passed the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam … check
3. Worked under the supervision of a licensed professional engineer for at least 4 years … check
4. Applied for and received approval from your state’s engineering board to sit for the examination … check
5. Registered with NCEES to take the Civil Engineering PE Exam … check
6. Studied and prepared diligently for the past 2 to 3 months … oops!

Items 1 thru 5 were relatively easy.
You went to college, got your engineering degree, and passed the FE Exam in your senior year.
You then took an engineer-in-training position and put in your 4 years learning to be a practicing engineer.
Your supervisors and co-workers began encouraging you to pursue professional licensing.
So you filled out the paperwork, contacted to your local board, and got approved for the exam.
You applied to NCEES, paid the fees, and have a reserved spot on exam day.
But then something happened.

Life. Work. Stuff.

No matter how hard you tried; no matter how dedicated you meant to be; you just haven’t been able to prepare.
And the exam is in little over a month.

Panic.

But there’s still time if you’re willing to put in the effort and commit to giving it your best effort.

• This plan is aggressive.
• You won’t have much of a life outside of work for the next month but that’s a small price to pay to prepare for the exam.
• You will have to work hard.

If this is your situation and you’re ready to make this happen, let’s get started …

Each day is listed below with specific topic(s) to study.

Each topic will require:

• Research
• Resource gathering
• Problem solving
• Organization into your Test-Prep Resource Library^©

Some of the topics are hot-links to:

• useful information (i.e. Research and Resource gathering)
• sample or practice problems (i.e. Problem solving)

I highly encourage you to print what you find (information, examples, charts, sample problems, etc.) and organize into binders for easy retrieval for exam prep.

It’s Civil Engineering Geotechnical PE Crunch Time

PROJECT PLANNING

Day 1

• Quantity Take-Off Methods
• Cost Estimating
• Project Schedules
• Activity Identification and Sequencing

MEANS AND METHODS

Day 2

• Construction Loads
• Construction Methods
• Temporary Structures and Facilities

SOIL MECHANICS

Day 3

• Lateral Earth Pressure
• Soil Consolidation
• Effective and Total Stresses

Day 4

• Bearing Capacity
• Foundation Settlement
• Slope Stability

STRUCTURAL MECHANICS

Day 5

• Dead and Live Loads
• Trusses
• Bending
• Shear

Day 6

• Axial
• Combined Stresses
• Deflection
• Beams

Day 7

• Columns
• Slabs
• Footings
• Retaining Walls

HYDRAULICS AND HYDROLOGY

Day 8

• Open-Channel Flow
• Stormwater Collection and Drainage

Day 9

• Storm Characteristics
• Runoff Analysis
• Detention/Retention Ponds

Day 10

• Pressure Conduit
• Energy and/or Continuity Equation

GEOMETRICS

Day 11

• Basic Circular Curve Elements
• Basic Vertical Curve Elements
• Traffic Volume

MATERIALS

Day 12

• Soil Classification and Boring Log Interpretation
• Soil Properties
• Concrete

Day 13

• Structural Steel
• Material Test Methods and Specification Conformance
• Compaction

SITE DEVELOPMENT

Day 14

• Excavation and Embankment
• Construction Site Layout and Control

Day 15

• Temporary and Permanent Soil Erosion and Sediment Control
• Impact of Construction on Adjacent Facilities
• Safety

SITE CHARACTERIZATION

Day 16

• Interpretation of available existing site data and proposed site development data
• Subsurface exploration planning
• Geophysics
• Drilling techniques

Day 17

• Sampling techniques
• In situ testing
• Description and classification of soils
• Rock classification and characterization
• Groundwater exploration, sampling, and characterization

SOIL MECHANICS, LABORATORY TESTING, AND ANALYSIS

Day 18

• Index properties and testing
• Strength testing of soil and rock

Day 19

• Stress-strain testing of soil and rock
• Permeability testing properties of soil and rock
• Effective and total stresses

FIELD MATERIALS TESTING, METHODS, AND SAFETY

Day 20

• Excavation and embankment, borrow source studies, laboratory and field compaction
• Trench and construction safety
• Geotechnical instrumentation

EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND DYNAMIC LOADS

Day 21

• Liquefaction analysis and mitigation techniques
• Seismic site characterization, including site classification using ASCE 7
• Pseudo-static analysis and earthquake loads

EARTH STRUCTURES

Day 22

• Slab on grade
• Ground improvement
• Geosynthetic applications
• Slope stability and slope stabilization

Day 23

• Earth dams, levees, and embankments
• Landfills and caps
• Pavement structures
• Settlement

GROUNDWATER AND SEEPAGE

Day 24

• Seepage analysis/groundwater flow
• Dewatering design, methods, and impact on nearby structures
• Drainage design/infiltration
• Grouting and other methods of reducing seepage

PROBLEMATIC SOIL AND ROCK CONDITIONS

Day 25

• Karst; collapsible, expansive, and sensitive soils
• Reactive/corrosive soils
• Frost susceptibility

EARTH RETAINING STRUCTURES (ASD OR LRFD)

Day 26

• Lateral earth pressure
• Load distribution
• Rigid retaining wall stability analysis

Day 27

• Flexible retaining wall stability analysis
• Cofferdams
• Underpinning
• Ground anchors, tie-backs, soil nails, and rock anchors for foundations and slopes

SHALLOW FOUNDATIONS (ASD OR LRFD)

Day 28

• Bearing capacity
• Settlement, including vertical stress distribution

DEEP FOUNDATIONS (ASD OR LRFD)

Day 29

• Single-element axial capacity
• Lateral load and deformation analysis
• Single-element settlement
• Downdrag

Day 30

• Group effects
• Installation methods/hammer selection
  
• Pile and drilled-shaft load testing
• Integrity testing methods

Click HERE for more Civil Engineering Geotechnical PE Crunch Time Resources

Civil Engineering Geotechnical PE Crunch Time