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SCE FE Civil Part Syllabus: 9 Topics and 50 Questions
The 9 topics of the SCE FE civil part with questions per topic, what each tests and how to prepare, including the 28 questions in structures, geotechnical and water.
- Questions and time
- 50 questions · 180 minutes
- Pass mark
- You must pass both the general part and your discipline part
- Exam fee
- SAR 400 for the general part and SAR 400 for the discipline part
Start with 10 free questions to find what needs more work. No sign-up, with answer explanations.
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Start with 10 free questions to find what needs more work. No sign-up, with answer explanations.
Try 10 free questions and see your levelLast checked: 1 November 2026. See the Civil Engineering Standards, the Civil Engineering Exam Study Guide and the SCE frequently asked questions before you start.
The civil part is a separate sitting of 50 questions in 3 hours, and you must pass it together with the general part (90 questions); a good score in one does not cover the other. Registration, fees and the exam date are on the general part page, so we do not repeat them here. The topics and question counts come from the table of specifications in the study guide, and the indicators from the standards document, both the 2014 edition.
The exam at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Questions | 50 in the civil part |
| Time | 3 hours (180 minutes), about 3.6 minutes per question |
| Language | English |
| Calculator | Approved models allowed. Formula sheets, code extracts and tables are handed out in the hall; books and notes are not allowed |
| Result | You must pass both the general part and your discipline part |
The 9 topics, what each tests and how to prepare
| Topic | Questions | Share | What it tests | How to prepare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structural Analysis | 7 | 14% | Axial, torsional, bending and shear stresses, combined loading and Mohr's circle, buckling (Euler load, effective length), code loads (dead, live, wind), internal forces in beams, frames and trusses, influence lines, deflections and slopes, and indeterminate beams and frames. | Eleven indicators for seven questions, mostly calculations. Start with shear and moment diagrams for determinate beams and frames, the most common type, then practise choosing the right method for deflections (double integration or virtual work) and finding the degree of indeterminacy before picking an analysis method. |
| Structural Design | 7 | 14% | Load factors and combinations, reinforced concrete beams, columns and slabs and their flexural and shear strength, footings and stairs, steel members, connections and tension members, durability requirements, and the role of building codes. | The most common calculation is the rectangular reinforced concrete beam, so master it first: minimum and maximum steel and the strength reduction factor. Then move to steel beams, columns and connections. Durability and code questions are conceptual and are won by reading the requirements, not by calculating. |
| Materials | 4 | 8% | Concrete constituents, fresh and hardened concrete, mechanical properties of concrete and steel, testing and result analysis, mix design (water-cement ratio), factors affecting strength and durability, statistical quality control, and mixing, placing and curing. | Most questions here are conceptual, so review it after concrete design, which it explains. Spend two hours on its calculations: ACI mix design, the required average strength f'cr from the standard deviation, and converting test results. |
| Geotechnical Engineering | 7 | 14% | Engineering geology, soil properties and classification (Atterberg limits, USCS and AASHTO), effective stress, seepage and shear strength, consolidation, lateral earth pressure and slope stability, stress distribution, compaction, bearing capacity of footings and piles, settlement, and retaining walls. | Calculations start from the three-phase relations, so know them well, since every later topic builds on them. Then effective stress, Terzaghi bearing capacity and consolidation settlement, and checking a retaining wall for overturning and sliding. Treat SPT, CPT and plate load tests as conceptual questions. |
| Water Resources Engineering | 7 | 14% | Fluid properties and hydrostatics, continuity, Bernoulli and momentum, flow in pipes, networks and pumps, open channels (Manning, specific energy, hydraulic jump), hydrology (unit hydrograph, rational method), groundwater, and design of channels, networks and hydraulic structures. | Almost all calculations. Make Bernoulli with Darcy-Weisbach and Hazen-Williams your base, then open channels: Manning, specific energy, critical depth and the jump. Solve a Hardy Cross problem at least once so it does not surprise you. Add the rational method for hydrology. |
| Environmental Engineering | 6 | 12% | Pollution and health, sources, pathways, limits and control technologies, ecosystems and environmental assessment, water supply and network design, wastewater treatment (sedimentation, aeration, sludge age), BOD and COD analysis, selecting treatment technologies, and water, sanitary and storm system requirements. | Half of this topic is conceptual and won by reading (pollution, control, environmental assessment, requirements), the other half is calculations on demand and peak factors, BOD and treatment tanks. Start with the calculations, then skim the remaining indicators once. |
| Transportation Engineering | 6 | 12% | Driver and vehicle characteristics and stopping distance, traffic flow, capacity and level of service, pavement layers, materials and traffic loads (ESALs), geometric design (horizontal and vertical curves), intersections, signals, traffic data collection, and travel demand forecasting. | Start with what has a short formula: stopping distance, the flow, speed and density relation, horizontal and vertical curve design, and ESAL accumulation. Add the four-step demand model. Review pavements and intersections as concepts. |
| Construction Management | 4 | 8% | Engineering economics (present and annual value), cost estimating and scheduling, contracts and bidding, resource allocation and leveling, deviations and claims, formwork design, network diagrams and the critical path, earned value (CPI and SPI), cash flow, and feasibility analysis (NPV and IRR). | The critical path is the most frequent here, so practise the forward and backward pass and float. Then earned value, and present value and NPV on your calculator. Contracts, claims and drawing-versus-specification priority are learned as definitions. |
| Surveying | 2 | 4% | Distance measurement and corrections, photogrammetry, remote sensing and GPS, cross-sectional areas and earthwork volumes, circular and vertical curves, contour maps and coordinates, leveling and total stations. | Only two questions, so give it no more than a day. Focus on cross-section area and earthwork volume by the average-end-area method, then learn the circular curve elements, the likeliest to be calculated. |
Where to put your time
Structures, geotechnical and water resources (structural analysis, structural design, geotechnical, water resources) carry 28 of the 50 questions, 56% of the exam, and almost all of them are calculations. Behind them come environmental and transportation with six each. Surveying (two questions), materials and construction management (four each) carry 10 questions together, mostly concepts or short calculations, so they open your quick review in the last weeks.
Start with the 10 free questions to find your weakest topics, then follow the 5-week study plan.
Finished reading? Try a set of questions
Start with 10 free questions to find your weakest units. Keep practising with the full question bank and mock exams from SAR 26.