Construction Engineering accounts for 4 to 6 questions on the 110-question FE Civil exam. It is a small area, but the problem types are narrow and highly repeatable: build a CPM network and find float, run earned value indicators, convert earthwork between bank and compacted volumes, or price a quantity off a takeoff.
That predictability is what makes these questions worth points. A CPM problem takes two passes and about ninety seconds once the procedure is automatic. The problems below are solved that way, showing the forward pass, the backward pass, and where the float actually lands, instead of jumping straight to a lettered answer.
Exam weight: NCEES lists Construction Engineering at 4-6 questions (4-6%) of the 110-question FE Civil exam. Work each problem below on paper first, then reveal the worked solution — reading a solution you have not attempted builds recognition, not recall.
What NCEES Tests in Construction Engineering
The NCEES outline covers construction operations and methods, project scheduling, estimating, interpretation of plans and specifications, construction control, materials handling, and temporary structures. Scheduling is the heaviest single piece: activity-on-node networks, early and late start and finish times, total float and free float, identifying the critical path, and the effect of crashing an activity on both project duration and total cost.
Estimating and control bring in quantity takeoff, unit costs, equipment productivity and cycle times, and earned value indicators including cost variance, schedule variance, CPI, and SPI. Temporary structures appear as formwork pressure, shoring, and bracing. Safety questions stay conceptual, usually trench protective systems and excavation depth thresholds rather than detailed OSHA citations.
5 Free Construction Engineering Practice Problems
Each problem below comes from the PECivilClick FE Civil question bank and matches the style, difficulty and format of the real exam. Attempt each one under a three-minute limit — roughly the pace the exam demands.
Problem 1
A cut quantity is \( 8{,}500 \,\mathrm{yd^3} \) measured in bank volume. If the swell is \( 20\% \) when excavated, what loose volume (\( \mathrm{yd^3} \)) must be hauled?
A) \( 7{,}080\,\mathrm{yd^3} \)
B) \( 8{,}500\,\mathrm{yd^3} \)
C) \( 10{,}200\,\mathrm{yd^3} \)
D) \( 10{,}700\,\mathrm{yd^3} \)
Answer: C) \( 10{,}200\,\mathrm{yd^3} \)
Step 1 – Identify given information: Bank volume \( V_{\text{bank}} = 8{,}500 \;\text{yd}^3 \), swell \( = 20\% \).
Step 2 – Swell relationship: When soil is excavated from its natural (bank) state, it expands (swells) to a larger loose volume:
\( V_{\text{loose}} = V_{\text{bank}}(1 + \text{swell}) \)
Step 3 – Substitute and solve:
\( V_{\text{loose}} = 8{,}500 \times 1.20 = 10{,}200 \;\text{yd}^3 \)
Step 4 – Answer: \( V_{\text{loose}} = 10{,}200 \;\text{yd}^3 \). The loose volume determines truck capacity requirements. Option (A) \( 7{,}080 \) incorrectly divides by \( 1.20 \), and (B) \( 8{,}500 \) ignores swell entirely.
Correct answer: (C)
Problem 2
Which project delivery method generally provides a single point of responsibility for both design and construction and can allow fast-tracking?
A) Design-Bid-Build
B) Construction Manager at Risk
C) Integrated Project Delivery
D) Design-Build
Answer: D) Design-Build
Step 1 – Identify given information: The question asks which project delivery method provides a single point of responsibility for both design and construction and allows fast-tracking (overlapping design and construction phases).
Step 2 – Project delivery methods: The four common delivery methods are:
| Method | Single Entity? | Fast-Track? |
|---|---|---|
| Design-Bid-Build (DBB) | No (separate contracts) | No |
| CM at Risk | No (CM + Designer) | Yes |
| IPD | Multi-party agreement | Yes |
| Design-Build (DB) | Yes | Yes |
Step 3 – Evaluate each option: Design-Build (DB) combines design and construction under one contract entity, giving the owner a single point of responsibility. Construction can begin before design is fully complete (fast-tracking).
Problem 3
A \( \\)2{,}000{,}000 \( contract has retainage of \) 10\% \( until \) 50\% \( complete, then \) 5\% \( thereafter (applied to amounts over \) 50\% \(). Previously, earned value was \) \\(900{,}000 \) and retainage held to date was \( \\)90{,}000 \(. This period, the contractor earns \) \\(300{,}000 \) (total earned to date \( \\)1{,}200{,}000 \(). What is the net payment this period (\) \mathrm{USD} $), ignoring taxes?
A) \( \\)270{,}000 $
B) \( \\)280{,}000 $
C) \( \\)285{,}000 $
D) \( \\)290{,}000 $
Answer: B) \( \\)280{,}000 $
Step 1 – Total retainage to date:
\(= 0.10(1{,}000{,}000) + 0.05(200{,}000) = 100{,}000 + 10{,}000 = 110{,}000\)
Step 2 – Additional held this period:
\(= 110{,}000 - 90{,}000 = 20{,}000\)
Step 3 – Net payment:
\(= 300{,}000 - 20{,}000 = \\)280{,}000$
Correct answer: (B)
Problem 4
A project has uncertain quantities of excavation but unit prices can be established. Which contract type is most appropriate?
A) Lump sum
B) Cost plus fixed fee
C) Time and materials
D) Unit price
Answer: D) Unit price
Step 1 – Identify given information: The project has uncertain excavation quantities but unit prices can be established. We need to select the most appropriate contract type.
Step 2 – Contract types overview:
| Contract Type | Best For |
|---|---|
| Lump Sum | Well-defined scope, fixed total price |
| Cost Plus Fixed Fee | Undefined scope, owner bears cost risk |
| Time and Materials | Small or emergency work, hourly rates |
| Unit Price | Uncertain quantities, known unit rates |
Step 3 – Evaluate: When quantities are uncertain but unit prices can be established, the unit price contract pays for actual quantities measured in the field at pre-agreed rates per unit (e.g., \( \\)/\text{cy} $ of excavation).
Step 4 – Answer: The correct answer is (D) Unit price. Option A (Lump sum) requires well-defined quantities. Option B (Cost plus) is used when scope is highly uncertain and unit prices cannot be established. Option C (T&M) is typically for small-scale or emergency work.
Problem 5
If work zones account for \( 2\% \) of roadway fatalities and a state records \( 920 \) roadway fatalities in a year, approximately how many occur in work zones?
A) \( 9 \)
B) \( 18 \)
C) \( 46 \)
D) \( 92 \)
Answer: B) \( 18 \)
Step 1 – Identify given information: Work zone share \( = 2\% \), total roadway fatalities \( = 920 \).
Step 2 – Simple proportion:
\( \text{Work zone fatalities} = \text{percentage} \times \text{total} \)
Step 3 – Substitute and solve:
\( \text{Work zone fatalities} = 0.02 \times 920 = 18.4 \approx 18 \)
Step 4 – Answer: Approximately \( 18 \) work zone fatalities. Work zone safety is a major concern in transportation engineering, and these statistics are used to justify safety improvements such as temporary barriers, reduced speed limits, and increased enforcement.
Correct answer: (B)
Using the FE Reference Handbook for Construction Engineering
The Construction chapter is short, and that works against candidates who assume nothing is there and start deriving from scratch. Before exam day, locate the earned value definitions and the formwork pressure equations so you recognize the exact variable names used. Scheduling has no formula to look up, so the CPM procedure has to live in your head rather than in the handbook.
Four Mistakes That Cost Points
- Confusing total float with free float Total float is how long an activity can slip without delaying the project; free float is how long it can slip without delaying any successor. Questions ask for free float precisely because candidates compute total float on autopilot. Read which one is wanted before you start the backward pass.
- Applying swell and shrinkage to the wrong volume Swell converts bank volume to loose volume for hauling; shrinkage converts bank volume to compacted volume for fill. Multiplying a compacted quantity by a swell factor yields a number that looks reasonable and is wrong. Label every volume bank, loose, or compacted before applying any factor.
- Reversing the earned value sign convention Cost variance is earned value minus actual cost, and schedule variance is earned value minus planned value. Negative means over budget or behind schedule, and indices below 1.0 say the same thing. Subtracting in the other order flips every conclusion, and a distractor is always waiting for exactly that.
- Crashing without rechecking the critical path Compressing the critical path only helps until a parallel path becomes critical. After each crashing step, recompute the duration of every path. Multi-step questions are built so the cheapest activity stops being worth crashing partway through, and the total cost answer depends on catching that switch.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many construction questions are on the FE Civil exam?
NCEES specifies 4 to 6 questions for Construction Engineering out of 110, roughly 4 to 6 percent. It is one of the smaller knowledge areas, but the question types are limited enough that a few focused hours on CPM networks and earned value usually turns the entire area into reliable points on exam day.
Do I need field experience to answer construction questions?
No. These questions are quantitative and procedural rather than experience-based. A CPM network, an earned value calculation, or an earthwork conversion can be worked entirely from the numbers given in the problem. The few conceptual items, such as contract delivery methods or trench protection, are recognition questions rather than judgment calls about a real jobsite.
How is CPM tested if the handbook has no scheduling formulas?
It is tested as a procedure you bring with you, applied to the network diagram printed in the problem. Forward pass for early start and early finish, backward pass for late start and late finish, then float as the difference between them. Work enough networks that you stop pausing to recall which pass runs which direction.
What earthwork shows up here versus in surveying?
Construction items focus on volume conversion and haul: bank, loose, and compacted volumes, shrinkage and swell factors, truck capacity, and equipment productivity per hour. Computing cross-section volumes by the average end area method is more often grouped with surveying. Expect to be handed areas or a stripped volume rather than deriving them from field notes.
Keep Going
Work through the other FE Civil knowledge areas with more free practice problems, review the full FE Civil exam topic breakdown, or plan your preparation with our FE exam study guide and study timeline.