PE exam day guide

The PE is a computer-based exam at a Pearson VUE test center. For PE Civil, the 9-hour appointment includes a 2-minute nondisclosure agreement, an 8-minute tutorial, 8 hours of exam time and a 50-minute scheduled break. You can’t bring any reference materials: NCEES provides an electronic reference handbook and the required design standards on screen.

Source: NCEES PE Civil page and Examinee Guide, checked October 11, 2026. Other disciplines have different appointment lengths (for example 9.5 hours for Nuclear); check your discipline.

What to know

• References are on screen only: a searchable reference handbook and the design standards listed in your exam specification. Get familiar with searching them before exam day.
• Question types: multiple choice plus alternative item types (such as fill-in or point-and-click).
• No personal materials in the testing room.
• Read the NCEES Examinee Guide for ID, calculator and conduct rules.