Modified: September 8, 2011

About the Civil P.E. Exam and the Seismic Design Review Course

The CA Civil P.E. Exam

The California Civil Professional Engineers examination is offered twice a year, generally in mid-April and at the end of October. The exam consists of the following four parts:

  • Part I: General NCEES - eight hour examination administered on a Friday.
  • Part II: California P.E. State Laws and Board Rules - Take Home Examination.
  • Part III: California Special Civil - Seismic Principles Examination - two and one-half hours in length, all multiple choice. The next exam will be administered on Thursday October 27, 2011 (doors will open at 7:00 am).
  • Part IV: California Special Civil - Engineering Surveying Principles Examination - two and one-half hours in length, all multiple choice. The next exam will be administered on Thursday October 27, 2011 (doors will open at 11:30 am).

All four parts need to be successfully completed to be licensed as a Civil Engineer in the State of California, but you do not need to pass all parts at the same time (i.e., each part may be passed separately from the other parts).

The Seismic Design Review (SDR) Course

The Seismic Design Review course is presented in preparation for the two and one-half hour Special Civil Seismic Principles portion of the California Civil Professional Engineers Examination (i.e., Part III). The course is specifically tailored for individuals who do not possess a strong background in structural analysis and/or principles of earthquake resistant design.

The course covers seismic design, analysis, and retrofit principles that pertain to buildings and other structures using the 2009 International Building Code (IBC), 2010 California Building Code (CBC), ASCE 7-05, as well as other reference standards. Workbooks are distributed which include the lecture notes, many example problems, and over 400 multiple choice format problems.