The PE Civil Transportation exam is the final step toward your Professional Engineer license in transportation engineering. It demands deep knowledge of traffic operations, geometric design, pavement engineering, and transportation planning — all at a professional practice level. This practice exam book gives you 100 questions designed to match the format, depth, and topic coverage of the real NCEES exam, with detailed solutions that walk you through every calculation.
Whether you have been designing roadways for years or recently started preparing for the PE, this book helps you practice the types of problems you will face on exam day and build confidence in your reference material navigation.
Book Highlights
- 100 Practice Questions aligned to the current NCEES PE Civil Transportation exam specification
- Detailed Solutions with step-by-step calculations referencing standard design manuals
- Full Topic Coverage across traffic, geometric design, pavement, planning, and safety
- PE-Level Depth matching the professional practice complexity of the real exam
- Reference Guidance showing which manuals and tables to use for each problem type
What Topics Does This Book Cover?
Questions are distributed across the major NCEES PE Civil Transportation exam areas:
| Topic | Questions |
|---|---|
| Traffic Engineering & Operations | 22 |
| Geometric Design | 18 |
| Pavement Design & Materials | 15 |
| Transportation Planning | 13 |
| Traffic Safety | 10 |
| Construction & Maintenance | 8 |
| Drainage & Hydrology | 7 |
| Codes, Standards & Ethics | 7 |
| Total | 100 |
Sample Question
Question: A two-lane highway segment has a measured free-flow speed of 55 mph. During the peak hour, the analysis direction volume is 900 veh/hr with 10% trucks (ET = 1.5) and a peak hour factor of 0.92. What is the peak 15-minute flow rate in pc/hr?
(A) 870 pc/hr
(B) 942 pc/hr
(C) 1,044 pc/hr
(D) 1,130 pc/hr
View Solution
First, calculate the heavy vehicle adjustment factor:
fHV = 1 / (1 + PT(ET − 1)) = 1 / (1 + 0.10(1.5 − 1)) = 1 / (1 + 0.05) = 1 / 1.05 = 0.952
Then calculate the peak 15-minute flow rate:
vp = V / (PHF × fHV × fg)
Assuming fg = 1.0 (level terrain):
vp = 900 / (0.92 × 0.952 × 1.0) = 900 / 0.876 = 1,027 pc/hr
The closest answer is (C) 1,044 pc/hr.
Answer: (C)
How to Use This Book Effectively
The PE exam rewards engineers who can efficiently apply design standards to practical problems. Here is how to maximize your preparation:
- Organize your references first. The PE exam is open-book. Before you start solving practice problems, tab and organize your HCM, MUTCD, AASHTO Green Book, and other references. Efficient lookups save critical time on exam day.
- Solve problems with your references. Work through each practice problem using the same references you will bring to the exam. The solutions in this book tell you which manual and which table or figure to use, helping you build navigation habits.
- Focus on high-weight areas. Traffic engineering and geometric design together account for 40% of the exam. Make sure you are confident in LOS analysis, signal timing, horizontal and vertical curve design, and sight distance calculations.
- Practice at PE-level depth. PE questions require more analysis than FE questions. Expect multi-step problems that require combining information from multiple sources. Use this book to build comfort with that level of complexity.
- Time yourself on full sets. The PE exam gives you about 6 minutes per question. Practice working through blocks of 20+ questions at that pace to build your exam-day rhythm.
Get Your Copy
100 exam-realistic practice questions with detailed step-by-step solutions.
View on AmazonAlso available: Online practice with full exam simulation
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are on the PE Civil Transportation exam?
The PE Civil Transportation exam has 80 multiple-choice questions. You have 8 hours to complete it, which works out to about 6 minutes per question. The longer time per question reflects the depth and complexity expected at the PE level compared to the FE exam.
What references can I bring to the PE Civil Transportation exam?
The PE exam is open-book. You can bring bound reference materials including design manuals, textbooks, and binder-organized notes. Key references include the HCM, MUTCD, AASHTO Green Book, and the Highway Safety Manual. Tabbing and organizing your references before exam day is critical for quick lookups.
How is the PE Transportation exam different from the FE Civil exam?
The PE exam is significantly more advanced. While the FE tests breadth across all civil engineering topics, the PE Transportation exam focuses exclusively on transportation engineering at a professional practice level. Questions require deeper analysis, reference multiple design standards, and test the judgment expected of a practicing engineer.