Civil Engineering PE Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Civil Engineering PE facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. What does a low Geometric Dilution of Precision (GDOP) value indicate in GPS surveying? → Favorable satellite geometry yielding higher positional accuracy
2. ASCE 7 seismic site classification (Site Classes A–F) is primarily determined by: → Average shear wave velocity in the upper 30 m (VS30)
3. A six-sided closed traverse has a total angular misclosure of 1°30". Distributing the error equally, what is the correction applied to each interior angle? → 15"
4. The NRCS Curve Number (CN) method estimates: → Direct runoff depth from storm rainfall depth
5. For a shallow foundation design, the allowable bearing capacity is determined by considering two primary criteria. What are these two criteria? → Shear failure of the soil and excessive settlement [1]
6. Convert the bearing S 45° W to an azimuth. → 225°
7. Which American university was the first to offer a course in civil engineering? → Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
8. A dry detention basin is designed primarily to: → Attenuate peak flows by temporarily storing runoff
9. Choose the appropriate statement from the list below: → All of the above
10. Bishop's simplified method of slices assumes that: → Interslice shear forces are zero
11. A surveyor measures a slope distance of 200.0 ft along a 5% grade. What is the horizontal distance? → 199.75 ft
12. The minimum acceptable factor of safety against sliding for a retaining wall is typically: → 1.5
13. Which of these structures is the oldest engineering creation? → Egyptian pyramids
14. Where did this class originate? → King's College London
15. Two cross-sections 100 ft apart have areas of 120 sq ft and 180 sq ft. Using the average end area method, what is the earthwork volume in cubic yards? → 555.6 cy
16. The efficiency of a pile group in cohesionless soil (sand) is often greater than 1.0. What is the primary reason for this phenomenon? → The vibration from driving adjacent piles densifies the soil between the piles. [16]
17. For a soil with friction angle φ = 30°, Rankine's active earth pressure coefficient Ka equals: → 0.33
18. The modified Proctor compaction test (ASTM D1557) delivers approximately how many times more compactive energy than the standard Proctor (ASTM D698)? → 4.5×
19. When a body is in equilibrium, it means → None of the above
20. Hydraulic radius R in Manning's equation is defined as: → Cross-sectional flow area divided by wetted perimeter
21. An SPT N-value of approximately 25 in clean sand most likely indicates: → Medium dense condition (Dr = 40–65%)
22. Soil liquefaction during an earthquake is most likely to occur in: → Loose, saturated, fine sand
23. Aquifer transmissivity T is related to hydraulic conductivity K and saturated thickness b by: → T = K × b
24. Which of the following conditions would MOST significantly decrease a steel I-beam's resistance to lateral-torsional buckling (LTB)? → Increasing the distance between lateral braces on the compression flange.
25. The cone of depression around a pumping well describes: → The drawdown of the water table forming a funnel-shaped depression
26. In situ air sparging remediates contaminated groundwater by: → Injecting air below the water table to volatilize dissolved contaminants for SVE capture
27. Primary consolidation settlement for a normally consolidated clay is calculated using: → S = Cc/(1+e₀) × H × log(σ′f/σ′i)
28. For a cohesionless infinite slope under drained conditions, the factor of safety simplifies to: → FS = tan φ′/tan β
29. According to the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM), which performance measure is primarily used to determine the Level of Service (LOS) for a basic freeway segment? → Density (passenger cars per mile per lane)
30. A closed traverse has a linear misclosure of 0.42 ft and a total perimeter of 1,260 ft. What is the precision ratio? → 1:3,000