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:
- Graduated from an ABET accredited engineering program … check
- Passed the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam … check
- Worked under the supervision of a licensed professional engineer for at least 4 years … check
- Applied for and received approval from your state’s engineering board to sit for the examination … check
- Registered with NCEES to take the Civil Engineering PE Exam … check
- 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
MEANS AND METHODS
Day 2
SOIL MECHANICS
Day 3
Day 4
STRUCTURAL MECHANICS
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
HYDRAULICS AND HYDROLOGY
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
GEOMETRICS
Day 11
MATERIALS
Day 12
Day 13
SITE DEVELOPMENT
Day 14
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
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
Day 23
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
EARTH RETAINING STRUCTURES (ASD OR LRFD)
Day 26
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
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