Let’s talk a little more about the NCEES PE exam pass rates, the overall PE exam difficulty, and what these numbers really tell us about the Civil PE exam.
For many engineers preparing for licensure, understanding the PE exam statistics, PE exam format, PE exam structure, and the overall level of difficulty is an important part of building an effective study plan for PE exam success.
Below, we provide a table that was last updated in January 2026, representing first-time exam takers and repeat takers for the period from July 2025 to December 2025. An updated table will likely follow once the data for January 2026 to June 2026 becomes available so we can compare trends.
| PE Exam | 1st Time Volume | 1st Time Pass % | Repeat Volume | Repeat Pass % | Last Updated |
| Civil: Construction | 767Â | 56% | 343 | 36% | Jan-26 |
| Civil: Geotechnical | 409Â | 61% | 195 | 41% | Jan-26 |
| Civil: Structural | 1,505Â | 58% | 735 | 37% | Jan-26 |
| Civil: Transportation | 1,816Â | 55% | 1,017 | 42% | Jan-26 |
| Civil: Water Resources and Environmental | 2,264Â | 68% | 811 | 47% | Jan-26 |
| 6,761Â | 60% | 3,101 | 41% |
From this data, nearly 7,000 first-time candidates sat for the exam during that six-month period, and approximately 60% passed. At the same time, nearly 3,000 repeat takers attempted the exam, with only 41% passing. This brings the total to nearly 10,000 Civil PE candidates every six months, or roughly 20,000 candidates per year.
When looking at the PE exam pass rate for each discipline, I can certainly notice improvements compared to previous years. Compared to the 2023 update, candidate numbers have nearly doubled while PE exam pass rates have improved. To me, this shows that more engineers are pursuing licensure, understanding the PE exam registration process, and taking preparation more seriously.
| PE Exam | 1st Time Volume | 1st Time Pass % | Repeat Volume | Repeat Pass % | Last Updated |
| Civil: Construction | 767 | 47% | 219 | 33% | Jan-23 |
| Civil: Geotechnical | 413 | 46% | 219 | 33% | Jan-23 |
| Civil: Structural | 1,318 | 57% | 295 | 39% | Jan-23 |
| Civil: Transportation | 1,480 | 60% | 276 | 41% | Jan-23 |
| Civil: Water Resources and Environmental | 1,524 | 63% | 223 | 40% | Jan-23 |
| 5,502 | 57% | 1,232 | 37% |
Let’s dig a little deeper into these PE exam statistics and better understand the difficulty level of each discipline.
The Construction Civil PE Exam
The NCEES Civil Construction PE Exam used to have one of the lower passing rates, despite having fewer candidates compared to some other disciplines.
The Construction exam is characterized by its broadness. It covers many engineering topics across multiple disciplines.
For example, you need knowledge of structural engineering concepts such as stress relationships, strength of materials, structural analysis, temporary structures such as scaffolding and formwork, quantity takeoffs, cost estimating, scheduling, and project management.
Safety also plays a major role in this exam, especially OSHA standards, excavation safety, lifting operations, rigging safety, crane operations, and construction procedures.
What many candidates underestimate is the amount of reference material involved. Currently, the Construction exam includes approximately 5,025 pages of codes and references. You can also refer to the list of required references and the update to these references for the 2027 intake here.
The Geotechnical Civil PE Exam
The Geotechnical discipline is highly specialized and much more in-depth.
Unlike Construction, this exam is not broad. It requires deep technical understanding of soil behavior, foundations, retaining walls, slope stability, settlement, and site investigations.
Many engineers sometimes look at PE exam difficulty and try switching disciplines in search of an easier exam.
Very few engineers switch into Geotechnical. One reason is specialization. The second reason is references.
The Geotechnical exam currently contains approximately 9,845 pages of codes and reference materials. You can also refer to the list of required references and the update to these references for the 2027 intake.
This alone should tell you how demanding the exam can be.
The Geotechnical exam is heavily conceptual. I have received numerous feedback from exam takers, where nearly 60% of the exam focuses on conceptual understanding rather than calculations.
Again, familiarity with references is absolutely critical. It is not enough to know the concept. You must understand where information is located inside the references and be able to locate answers quickly during the exam.
This further confirms something important: very few people take this exam unless they are practicing geotechnical engineers.
The Structural Civil PE Exam
The NCEES Civil Structural PE Exam is, in my opinion, the most demanding exam of all disciplines.
It is an extremely in-depth exam and requires strong knowledge of structural engineering principles before even considering taking it.
This is why engineers with more general experience rarely choose this discipline.
The exam covers five major technical knowledge areas. Candidates must understand loading, structural analysis, material behavior, code provisions, design methodologies, steel design, concrete design, and other detailed structural concepts.
The PE structural exam content is very demanding.
But what makes this exam particularly difficult is the amount of references involved.
Currently, the Structural exam contains nearly 8,067 pages of codes and references. Refer to the list of required references and the update to these references for the Structural exam 2027 intake.
That is enormous.
I have personally seen candidates take multiple PE practice exams, solve hundreds of structural problems, and still fail. You may need to refer to the best ways of studying for the PE exam.
In my opinion, the issue often comes down to conceptual understanding.
But beyond that, reference familiarity is one of the biggest deciding factors.
This is an open-book CBT exam. Candidates often ask: Is the PE exam open-book?
Technically yes.
But having access to references means nothing if you do not know where information is located.
You must know these references extremely well and be able to move through thousands of pages quickly.
I believe this is one of the biggest reasons candidates fail this exam.
The Water Resources and Environmental Civil PE Exam
The NCEES Civil Water Resources and Environmental PE Exam is currently the most popular discipline based on the numbers below.
It is often considered one of the easier exams, but I personally disagree, or at least I think this perception is often misunderstood.
Many candidates select this discipline simply because they believe the PE exam difficulty is lower.
I always encourage engineers to choose the exam based on their own expertise rather than perceived difficulty.
This discipline is broad.
Candidates need an understanding of chemistry, hydraulics, hydrology, environmental systems, water treatment processes, wastewater treatment technologies, fluid mechanics, pumps, pipeline systems, and many environmental engineering concepts.
The water resources PE exam content is very extensive and requires a strong technical understanding. However, one thing I have noticed is that the civil breadth portion is much more present in this discipline compared to others. Nearly 35% of this exam includes more general civil engineering topics, such as project management, quantity takeoffs, basic engineering economics, and general soil mechanics.
In my opinion, these questions tend to be somewhat easier compared to the more specialized depth questions found in disciplines such as Geotechnical or even Construction.
I believe this may be one of the main reasons why many candidates perceive this exam as one of the easier disciplines. But I would argue that this applies mostly to the breadth side of the exam, not the actual depth portion. Once you move into the core Water Resources and Environmental topics, the exam becomes far more technical. Water treatment and wastewater treatment processes alone require understanding chemistry, biological treatment systems, environmental regulations, hydraulics, hydrology, and process design.
The discipline itself is certainly not easy.
Unlike some of the other disciplines, Water Resources currently has only two major references.
However, starting next year, the number of references will increase significantly based on the upcoming changes discussed in our separate blog discussing the updated references for next year.
Candidates should pay close attention to these changes.
The Transportation Civil PE Exam
Finally, let’s talk about Transportation.
The NCEES Civil Transportation PE Exam is not the easiest exam, but in my opinion, it is the most structured.
The transportation PE exam content follows a more organized pattern compared to some of the other disciplines. Questions generally cannot be as broad as Construction or Water Resources, and they usually are not as technically demanding as Structural or Geotechnical.
That said, do not underestimate this exam.
There are geometric design questions, roadway design, MUTCD interpretation, traffic engineering problems, capacity analysis, horizontal and vertical alignment design, and surveying problems that can sometimes completely surprise candidates if they are not prepared.
Transportation currently contains approximately 6,575 pages of codes and references. Refer to the list of required references and the update to these references for the 2027 intake.
Again, a lot.
What I like most about this discipline is how structured the references are.
But candidates still need to know these manuals extremely well. Success often depends on how quickly you can navigate references. Knowing where information is located is one of the biggest factors in passing.
Final Thoughts on PE Exam Difficulty and NCEES PE Exam Pass Rates
In conclusion, I do not believe there is such a thing as a universally easy PE exam.
The easiest exam is the one that matches your background, your professional experience, and the discipline you genuinely understand.
Many candidates spend too much time comparing exam difficulty, asking how hard the PE exam is, looking at NCEES PE exam pass rates, or choosing disciplines based only on PE exam pass rates.
That can be a mistake.
The reality is that every discipline is difficult in its own way. Some exams are more conceptual. Some are calculation heavy. Some require specialized knowledge, and some require navigating thousands of pages of technical references. One thing remains constant across all disciplines.
Reference familiarity is absolutely critical.
Whether you are working through PE exam topics, understanding the PE exam syllabus, building a PE exam study schedule, taking realistic PE test prep, or practicing with NCEES civil PE practice exams, you must become comfortable with the references.
This becomes even more important for disciplines with heavy reference material, such as Structural, Geotechnical, Construction, and Transportation.
Passing this exam is not simply about solving engineering problems. It is about understanding engineering concepts, building strong technical fundamentals, learning how to navigate references efficiently, and developing an effective study plan for PE exam success.
Petro Publications provides trusted exam prep guides and online practice exams to help engineering professionals prepare for licensure exams with confidence. Strengthen your knowledge, assess your readiness, and take the next step toward earning your professional engineering license.
