Construction Engineering
8–12 of 110 itemsNCEES draws between 8 and 12 of the 110 from this area on any legal paper. Its outline lists 5 sub-topics; the bank holds 46 verified templates against them, which expand to 1,286 questions.
Sub-topics, from the NCEES outline
- AProject administration (e.g., documents, management, procurement, project delivery methods)
- BConstruction operations and methods (e.g., safety, equipment, productivity analysis, temporary erosion control)
- CProject controls (e.g., earned value, scheduling, allocation of resources, activity relationships)
- DConstruction estimating
- EInterpretation of engineering drawings
5 worked problems
Real questions from the bank, at the depth the exam asks them. Pick an answer first: the reasoning opens when you do, along with why each wrong answer is tempting.
Question 1 of 5
A network starts with activity A (10 days). Two parallel paths then run: B1 (13 days) followed by B2 (5 days), and C1 (18 days). Both merge into activity D (11 days). The project duration is most nearly:
Activity-on-node network starting with activity A of 10 days, branching into two parallel paths and rejoining at activity D of 11 days; the critical path is the longer branch. Show the answer and the reasoning
Why C
Given: A 10; parallel B1 13 + B2 5 and C1 18; then D 11 days. Relation: duration = A + max(parallel chains) + D. Substitute: 10 + max(18, 18) + 11. Result: 39 days.
Why A is tempting
Counted only the parallel section, omitting the activities before and after it.
Why B is tempting
Left the parallel section out entirely.
Why D is tempting
Summed every activity. Parallel paths run at the same time, so only the longest counts.
Source NCEES FE Reference Handbook 10.6 — Civil Engineering, Construction; standard estimating practice
Question 2 of 5
A haul cycle consists of 6.0 min loading, 12 min hauling, 2 min dumping and 8 min returning. To keep the loader working continuously, the number of trucks required is most nearly:
Show the answer and the reasoning
Why B
Given: load 6.0, haul 12, dump 2, return 8 min. Relation: trucks = cycle time/loading time, rounded up so the loader never waits. Substitute: cycle = 28.0 min; 28.0/6.0 = 4.67. Result: 5 trucks.
Why A is tempting
Halved the travel time before dividing.
Why C is tempting
Divided by the dump time rather than the loading time.
Why D is tempting
Reported the cycle time in minutes rather than a truck count.
Source NCEES FE Reference Handbook 10.6 — Civil Engineering, Construction; standard estimating practice
Question 3 of 5
A contractor estimates direct costs of $500,000. Overhead is applied at 30% of direct cost, and profit at 10% of the overhead-loaded cost. The bid price is most nearly:
Show the answer and the reasoning
Why C
Given: direct cost $500,000, overhead 0.3 on direct cost, profit 0.1 on the overhead-loaded cost. Relation: bid = direct(1 + overhead)(1 + profit); the rates apply in sequence. Substitute: 500,000(1 + 0.3) = 650,000; x (1 + 0.1). Result: $715,000.
Why A is tempting
Left the profit out.
Why B is tempting
Added the two percentages. Applying them in sequence compounds the profit onto the overhead-loaded cost.
Why D is tempting
Marked up on the selling price rather than on cost, which is a different and larger calculation.
Source NCEES FE Reference Handbook 10.6 — Civil Engineering, Construction; standard estimating practice
Question 4 of 5
A machine costs $200,000, has a salvage value of $30,000 and a useful life of 7 years at 2,000 hours per year. Its straight-line depreciation is most nearly:
Show the answer and the reasoning
Why A
Given: cost $200,000, salvage $30,000, 7 years x 2,000 hr/yr. Relation: hourly depreciation = (cost - salvage)/(life x hours per year). Substitute: 170,000/14,000. Result: $12.1/hr.
Why B is tempting
Ignored the salvage value. Only the portion of the purchase price actually consumed is depreciated.
Why C is tempting
Added the salvage value instead of subtracting it.
Why D is tempting
Counted a single year of operation.
Source NCEES FE Reference Handbook 10.6 — Civil Engineering, Construction; standard estimating practice
Question 5 of 5
An 8-in sewer leaves a manhole at invert elevation 415.00 ft and runs 475 ft at a slope of 0.02 ft/ft. The invert at the downstream manhole is most nearly:
Show the answer and the reasoning
Why D
Given: upstream invert 415.00 ft, 475 ft at 0.02 ft/ft. The 8-in diameter does not change an invert-to-invert fall. Relation: downstream invert = upstream invert - slope x length. Substitute: fall = 0.02(475) = 9.50 ft; 415.00 - 9.50. Result: 405.50 ft.
Why A is tempting
Reported the fall rather than the resulting elevation.
Why B is tempting
Slipped a decimal place in the slope, so the fall came out ten times too large.
Why C is tempting
Subtracted the pipe diameter as well, as if the upstream elevation were the crown. It is the invert, so only the fall comes off.
Source NCEES FE Reference Handbook 10.6 — Civil Engineering, Construction; standard estimating practice
Four mistakes that cost the question
Each of these lands on an answer that is offered, so it costs the question outright. The minutes are our estimate of the time each one burns on top, against an average of 2.9 minutes a question (320 minutes for 110).
Costs the question and about 3 min
Taking the shortest path as the project duration
Project duration is the longest path through the network, and the critical path is the chain of activities with zero total float. Adding parallel paths together, or picking the shortest, gives values that are offered.
Costs the question and about 1 min
Rounding the truck count down
Trucks needed to keep a loader busy is the truck cycle time divided by the loading time, and a fraction of a truck is a whole truck, so round up. Rounding down leaves the loader idle; both numbers are offered.
Costs the question and about 2 min
Applying markup to the wrong base
When profit is a percentage of direct cost plus overhead, the markups compound: direct cost times (1 + overhead) times (1 + profit). Adding the two percentages to the direct cost gives a smaller number that is offered. Read what each percentage is applied to.
Costs the question and about 2 min
Swapping swell and shrinkage
Excavated soil swells: loose volume is bank volume times (1 + swell). Compacted fill shrinks from bank: bank volume is compacted volume divided by (1 − shrinkage). Using one factor where the other belongs, or multiplying where you should divide, gives the distractor.
Questions about Construction Engineering
What is in Construction Engineering on the FE?
Five sub-topics: project administration, including documents, procurement and delivery methods; construction operations and productivity; project controls, including earned value and scheduling; estimating; and interpreting engineering drawings.
Do I have to draw a CPM network by hand?
Usually the network is given or described in the stem. The work is a forward and backward pass: early and late starts and finishes, total float as late start minus early start, and the critical path as the chain with zero float.
What do CPI and SPI mean?
They are earned value measures. The cost performance index is earned value over actual cost and the schedule performance index is earned value over planned value: above 1 is under budget or ahead of schedule, below 1 over budget or behind. Cost variance is earned value minus actual cost, and schedule variance earned value minus planned value.
Which project delivery method puts design and construction under one contract?
Design-build. In design-bid-build the owner holds separate contracts with the designer and the builder; under construction manager at risk the construction manager joins during design and guarantees a maximum price for the work.
How many study hours this area is worth · Using the handbook under the clock