Price Rewind: 2019 Prices for a Limited Time + Save Up to $300 in Early Registration Discounts! *Restrictions apply.

  • University
  • Corporate
    • Go to my cart
  • Login
School of PE LogoSchool of PE Logo White
  • Go to my cart
  • Clear my cart
  • Engineering
    • FE
    • PE
    • Surveying
    • University Students

    FE

    • FE Civil
    • FE Electrical
    • FE Mechanical
    • FE Other
    • FE Environmental
    • FE Chemical
    • FE Industrial

    PE

    • PE Civil
      • Construction
      • Geotechnical
      • Structural
      • Transportation
      • Water Resources and Environmental
    • CA Civil
      • Seismic
      • Surveying
    • PE Mechanical
      • HVAC & Refrigeration
      • Machine Design & Materials
      • Thermal & Fluid Systems
    • PE Electrical & Computer
      • Power
      • Computer
      • Electronics, Controls, & Communications
    • PE Structural (SE Exam)
      • Lateral Forces
      • Vertical Forces
    • All Other PE Courses
      • PE Environmental
      • PE Chemical
      • PE Architectural
      • PE Control Systems
      • PE Industrial
      • PE Petroleum
      • PE Fire Protection

    Surveying

    • Fundamentals of Surveying
    • Principles and Practice of Surveying

    University Students

    • FE Civil
    • FE Electrical
    • FE Mechanical
    • FE Other
    • FE Environmental
    • FE Chemical
    • FE Industrial
  • Project Management
    • PMI Certification
    • Project Management

    PMI Certification

    • PMP®
    • CAPM®
    • PMI-ACP®

    Project Management

    • Fundamentals of Project Management
    • Earned Value Management
  • Architecture
    • ARE® 5.0

    ARE® 5.0

    • ARE® 5.0 Ultimate Bundle
  • Self-Study
  • Question Bank
  • Continuing Education
    • PDHs
    • PDUs
  • More
    • About School of PE
    • Tutoring
    • Testimonials
    • FAQs
    • Contact Us
    • Blog
    • Podcast
  • University
  • Corporate
  • Login
Information
*Discounts and total savings vary by course and schedule. All discounts already shown on site. Offer valid on new registrations only.
Alert

There are no items in your cart

Alert

OK
ATTENTION

NCEES has released updated exam specifications for . These changes are effective with exams beginning on October 1, 2025.

Blog Banner

School of PE Blog

This blog includes a compilation of subject-matter expert-authored articles covering topics within engineering, project management, architecture, and more.

  1. Home
  2. Blog
  3. what is difference between pe civil breadth and pe civil depth exam

What is the difference between the PE Civil Breadth and the PE Civil Depth Exam?

May 07, 2020

Are you thinking about taking the PE Civil exam? If so, you may be wondering what the difference is between the breadth section of the exam and the depth section. We've broken down the differences below:
About the PE Civil Breadth Exam

What is the PE Civil breadth exam?
The breadth section of the PE Civil exam is a section that all examinees must take. It's often thought of as the "general" portion. The purpose of the breadth section is to test one's knowledge without going in depth into segmented specialties.
How many questions are on the PE Civil breadth exam?
The exam consists of 40 multiple choice questions.
What is the time limit for the PE Civil breadth exam?
The time limit is 4 hours.
Below are the topics that are found on the PE Civil breadth exam:
  1. Project Planning
  2. Means and Methods
  3. Soil Mechanics
  4. Structural Mechanics
  5. Hydraulics and Hydrology
  6. Geometrics
  7. Materials
  8. Site Development
From there, examinees then must take their chosen depth exam.
What is the difference between the PE Civil Breadth and the PE Civil Depth Exam?
About the PE Civil Depth Exam
What is the PE Civil depth Exam?
The depth portion of the PE Civil exam is considered the "specialty" portion of the exam. When registering for the exam, examinees must choose one depth to be tested on. The depth exam portion is given after the breadth portion.
How many questions are on the PE Civil depth exam?
The exam consists of 40 multiple choice questions.
What is the time limit for the PE Civil depth exam?
The time limit is 4 hours.
What are the different depths to choose from for the PE Civil exam?
There are 5 different depths one can choose from when registering for the exam: Construction, Geotechnical, Structural, Transportation, & Water Resources and Environmental.
Which depth to register for
It is recommended that examinees register for a depth exam that correlates with their career goals. For example, if one wants to focus on environmental civil engineering, they should register for the Water Resources and Environmental depth.
How to Prepare for Both Sections of the PE Civil Exam
We get that preparing for two different sections of an exam can be overwhelming, and we're here to help! If you're looking for a comprehensive review course that covers both the breadth and depth section of your choice, check out our PE Civil exam review course. This 84-hour review course is split into 2 sections. 56 hours of review is dedicated to the breadth exam and 28 hours are dedicated to the depth section of your choice.

  • 1
  • 2

Latest Blogs

25 May

A Chronology of Improvements in the Building Code for Seismic Design

18 May

My Personal Experience in Preparing for the CA Seismic Exam

14 May

Why It's So Important to Take the FE Exam in Undergrad

11 May

The Truth About Sustainability

Blogs by Year/ Month

2025 (24)
  • June (2)
  • May (5)
  • April (4)
  • March (4)
  • February (4)
  • January (5)
2024 (52)
  • December (4)
  • November (5)
  • October (4)
  • September (4)
  • August (5)
  • July (4)
  • June (4)
  • May (5)
  • April (4)
  • March (5)
  • February (4)
  • January (4)
2023 (54)
  • December (4)
  • November (5)
  • October (5)
  • September (5)
  • August (5)
  • July (5)
  • June (6)
  • May (4)
  • April (5)
  • March (6)
  • February (3)
  • January (1)
2022 (52)
  • December (5)
  • November (4)
  • October (4)
  • September (5)
  • August (4)
  • July (5)
  • June (4)
  • May (4)
  • April (5)
  • March (4)
  • February (4)
  • January (4)
2021 (63)
  • December (5)
  • November (4)
  • October (4)
  • September (5)
  • August (4)
  • July (4)
  • June (3)
  • May (1)
  • April (8)
  • March (9)
  • February (8)
  • January (8)
2020 (57)
  • November (2)
  • October (4)
  • September (4)
  • August (5)
  • July (4)
  • June (5)
  • May (6)
  • April (9)
  • March (9)
  • February (7)
  • January (2)
2019 (34)
  • December (4)
  • November (7)
  • September (1)
  • August (8)
  • July (5)
  • June (1)
  • May (4)
  • February (1)
  • January (3)
2018 (61)
  • December (4)
  • November (10)
  • October (12)
  • September (12)
  • August (11)
  • July (8)
  • June (1)
  • May (1)
  • March (1)
  • February (1)
2017 (28)
  • August (1)
  • June (4)
  • May (4)
  • April (5)
  • March (5)
  • February (5)
  • January (4)
2016 (41)
  • December (4)
  • November (5)
  • October (6)
  • September (7)
  • August (7)
  • May (1)
  • April (4)
  • March (3)
  • February (1)
  • January (3)
2015 (15)
  • December (3)
  • November (1)
  • September (2)
  • August (3)
  • July (1)
  • June (1)
  • May (1)
  • March (1)
  • February (2)
2014 (3)
  • December (1)
  • November (1)
  • October (1)

We use cookies that are necessary to operate this website and to offer you a better experience. By proceeding, you acknowledge that you accept these cookies. To learn more, visit our Privacy Policy.

Subscribe

Keep up to date with the latest School of PE news and current offers.

  • School of PE Logo White
Our Company
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Partnerships
  • Become an Affiliate
  • Companies Served
  • Corporate
  • Universities
  • Work with Us
Resources
  • Affirm Financing
  • Blog
  • Corporate Terms and Conditions
  • DMCA
  • Engineer in Training
  • Errata
  • FAQs
  • Pass Guarantee Policy
  • Money-Back Guarantee
  • Podcast
  • Return Policy
  • Site Map
Promotions
  • Discounts
  • University Students

Copyright © 2025 Privacy Policy

Copied to clipboard