PE Civil Exam Pass Rates 2026: First-Time and Retake Data by Discipline

Civil Engineering subdisciplines show distinct pass rate patterns

The most recent NCEES data (January–June 2025 testing window, the second full release under the April 2024 specification) reveals important variations within civil engineering specializations. Civil: Water Resources and Environmental leads with a 68% first-time pass rate, while Civil: Transportation now trails at 55% — a 13-percentage-point spread across the five PE Civil disciplines.

Civil Engineering subdiscipline breakdown:

• Water Resources and Environmental: 68% first-time / 47% repeat (largest first-time cohort: 2,264 candidates)
• Geotechnical: 61% first-time / 41% repeat
• Structural: 58% first-time / 37% repeat
• Construction: 56% first-time / 36% repeat (smallest first-time cohort: 767 candidates)
• Transportation: 55% first-time / 42% repeat

Year-over-year shifts (Jul–Dec 2024 → Jan–Jun 2025):

Four of the five PE Civil disciplines saw first-time pass-rate decreases between the prior NCEES release and the current one: Water Resources & Environmental dropped from 70% to 68% (−2 points), Geotechnical from 63% to 61% (−2 points), Construction from 61% to 56% (−5 points), and Transportation from 65% to 55% (−10 points, the largest single-discipline shift). Structural was unchanged at 58%. Transportation's decline is the most consequential: it moved from second-highest to lowest in a single cycle, a pattern worth watching as the April 2024 specification beds in across more candidate cohorts.

This variation reflects complexity differences between subdisciplines and shifts in candidate composition under the April 2024 specification. Water Resources & Environmental's higher success rate benefits from straightforward hydraulic calculations and topics that align closely with undergraduate coursework. Transportation's decline likely reflects the discipline's expanded scope under the April 2024 specification — geometric design, traffic engineering, drainage, pavement, and site development now combined into a single 80-question exam without the breadth/depth split. Structural's stability at 58% suggests the discipline-specific format hasn't shifted that cohort's preparation patterns.

For context, PE Civil pass rates fall in the middle range across all NCEES PE disciplines. Engineering disciplines as a whole span roughly the 40s to 80s in first-time pass percentage; Civil sits comfortably in the middle of that band.

Pass-rate trends respond to structured preparation. PEwise builds PE Civil exam prep courses around the post-2024 specifications for Geotechnical, Water Resources & Environmental, and Construction.

Computer-based testing transformed civil engineering pass rates

The transition from pencil-and-paper to computer-based testing between 2020-2024 significantly improved civil engineering performance. Civil: Structural saw the most dramatic improvement, with pass rates increasing from approximately 45% to 58% - a 13 percentage point jump. Other civil subdisciplines experienced similar gains of 8-15 percentage points.

This improvement reflects several advantages specific to civil engineering practice. Electronic reference materials replaced the cumbersome transportation of multiple code books, design manuals, and reference guides that civil engineers previously carried to exam sites. The searchable electronic format particularly benefits structural engineers navigating complex building codes and steel/concrete design standards.

Civil-specific advantages of computer-based testing include:

• Instant access to current building codes and design standards
• Searchable AISC, ACI, and AASHTO references
• Elimination of 40+ pounds of reference materials
• Year-round scheduling flexibility accommodating project cycles
• Faster results (7-10 days versus 8-10 weeks)

For comparison, the transition benefited all engineering disciplines, with increases ranging from 10-30 percentage points. The Civil Engineering improvement falls in the middle range, suggesting steady benefits without the dramatic changes seen in disciplines like Power Engineering (31-point increase).

Strategic recommendations for civil engineering first-time success

Since April 2024 there is no breadth section — you sit a single 80-question exam in your own discipline. That makes focused, discipline-specific preparation the highest-leverage choice: every hour you study goes toward the exact topics you'll be tested on, not a broad civil-engineering survey.

What first-time passers tend to do:

• Take the exam while the material is fresh — commonly within 3–5 years of graduation, once you have enough project experience to reason through applied problems.
• Study your discipline, not "civil engineering" broadly. Cover every topic on your discipline's NCEES specification and skip what isn't on it.
• Spend most of your time on problems, not lectures. Working problems and full-length, timed practice exams is what actually builds exam readiness — get through the content efficiently so you have time for it.
• Practice with the on-screen references. Learn where the key tables and formulas live in the NCEES reference set for your discipline so you can find them fast under time pressure.
• Simulate exam day. Take at least one full-length practice exam under real timing and the actual question formats before the real thing.

Where each discipline needs extra attention:

• Geotechnical: soil mechanics, foundation design, and in-situ testing (SPT/CPT).
• Water Resources & Environmental: hydrology, open-channel and closed-conduit hydraulics, and treatment processes.
• Construction: project scheduling and cost, means and methods, materials, earthwork, and OSHA safety.
• Structural: steel and concrete design codes and multi-step calculations.
• Transportation: geometric and highway design, traffic engineering, and drainage.

Across every discipline the data points the same way: first-time success is far more likely than passing on a retake. So the goal isn't to study longer — it's to be genuinely ready the first time: thorough coverage of your own discipline, plenty of timed practice, and no rushing an unprepared attempt.

Conclusion

Civil Engineering PE exam first-time pass rates reflect the complex, interdisciplinary nature of civil practice, with subdiscipline variations from 55% (Transportation) to 68% (Water Resources & Environmental) under the January–June 2025 NCEES release, highlighting different preparation requirements by discipline. The transition to computer-based testing improved success rates across all civil subdisciplines while maintaining professional competency standards; the April 2024 specification consolidation is now layering on top of that, with year-over-year shifts that vary by discipline. Success correlates strongly with structured discipline-specific preparation, optimal timing around four years of experience, and first-time focus — making strategic preparation choices critical for civil engineering career advancement.

The data clearly demonstrates that disciplined preparation covering your specific subdiscipline and strategic timing outweigh raw experience in determining PE exam success, providing actionable insights for civil engineers pursuing licensure.

For a deeper look at exam-related decisions: our PE Civil exam cost guide for 2026 walks through NCEES, state, and licensure fees discipline by discipline, and our PE exam requirements by state covers experience, references, and application timelines for all 50 jurisdictions.