PE Study Books

Students have asked Dr. Friebel to put together a list of what he believes is necessary to study, take and pass the Civil PE exam.  There is a lot of material out there and none of it comes cheap. Therefore, we have created this list to help you with your decision making process. Harry will continually update this page, so please check back often.

 

Review Course

If you can afford it, we highly recommend taking a review course!!!  Some colleges offer review courses but they are stretched out over 15 weeks and many students forget what they learned +4 months ago.  That’s why we recommend an intensive review course.  Choose the type of course that best fits your character.

School of PE – Our favorite, Dr. Friebel is a current instructor after all!

Testmasters – Another well respected option.

 

Must-Have Books

This is our list of must-have books if you are planning to take the PE Civil Exam.  We recommend that every student should have these four (4) general books (as a minimum) when studying and taking the PE Civil exam.  We recommend:

1. Reference Manual (e.g., Civil Engineering Reference Manual for the PE Exam)
2. NCEES Sample Exam (for your afternoon  discipline, see below.)
3. Dictionary (e.g., Dictionary of Civil, Water Resources & Environmental Engineering)
4. Set of Practice Problems (for your afternoon  discipline, see below.)  Please note, there will be other must-have books specific to your afternoon discipline.

 

Reference Manuals

In our opinion, there are two main reference manuals.  This is the main book you will use when studying and taking the exam.  You only need to buy one.

Civil Engineering Reference Manual for the PE Exam by Michael R. Lindeburg PE, the most cited review manual of the two and commonly called the CERM.  This is the manual Dr. Friebel uses when instructing PE Civil review courses.

Civil Engineering All-In-One PE Exam Guide: Breadth and Depth 2/E by Indranil Goswami, a very good resource that does not get as much attention as it deserves.

 

Sample Exam

We cannot stress enough how important it is buy one of the exams below because they are made by NCEES – the same people that make the actual PE Civil exam. It is the best way to determine the difficulty of exam problems.  Please note the morning questions are the same for all five of the books below, so only buy the appropriate book for your afternoon discipline:

PE Civil: Water Resources and Environmental Sample Questions and Solutions

PE Civil: Geotechnical Sample Questions and Solutions

PE Civil: Construction Sample Questions and Solutions

PE Civil: Structural Sample Questions and Solutions

PE Civil: Transportation Sample Questions and Solutions

You might also want to get your hands on previous editions of NCEES sample exams:

PE Civil Sample Questions and Solutions by NCEES

 

Dictionary

A Dictionary of Civil, Water Resources & Environmental Engineering  The first and only dictionary written exclusively for the PE Civil exam.  It will help you, no matter what discipline (i.e., Construction, Structures, Geotechnical, Transportation or Water Resource & Environmental Engineering) you are taking.

• Hardcover: 468 pages
• Author: Harry C. Friebel
• Publisher: Golden Ratio Publishing; 1 edition (January 1, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN: 978-0983908500
• LCCN: 2012952387
• Size: 9 x 6 inches

 

Practice Problems

We recommend buying a Six-Minute practice problem book, again specific to your afternoon discipline.

Six-Minute Solutions for Civil PE Exam Water Resources and Environmental Problems

Six-Minute Solutions for Civil PE Exam Geotechnical Problems

Six-Minute Solutions for Civil PE Exam Construction Problems

Six-Minute Solutions for Civil PE Exam Structural Problems

Six-Minute Solutions for Civil PE Exam Transportation Problems

 

Other Must Have Books (related to afternoon discipline)

For Water Resources and Environmental Engineering:

Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and Reuse

 

Optional Books

You might also want to get your hands on previous editions of NCEES sample exams or sample exams made by other authors:

Civil Engineering Practice Examination #1 by Tim Nelson of EngineeringVideos.net

Civil Engineering Practice Examination #2 by Tim Nelson of EngineeringVideos.net

Civil PE Sample Examination (Most Realistic Practice for Civil Pe Exam) by PPI (Lindeburg)

Civil Engineering PE Practice Exams: Breadth and Depth by Goswami

Quick Reference for the Civil Engineering PE Exam

Practice Problems for the Civil Engineering PE Exam: A Companion to the Civil Engineering Reference Manual If you start studying +6 months in advance and are looking for even more additional material, then try the practice problems below.  Please note, problems in this book are much harder than what you’ll experience on the exam.  Be careful this book does not become overload.  We recommend taking a review course instead.

Water Resources Practice Problems by Tim Nelson of EngineeringVideos.net

 

 

Webhost

Finally, after you pass your exam and open your own multi-million dollar consulting firm, you’ll need a good host for your company website.  I recommend Inmotion Hosting.