Skip to main content
ExamWize
Sign up

FE · 8% of the exam

Construction Engineering practice questions

10 free Construction Engineering questions for the FE Civil Exam (FE) exam, each with the correct answer and an explanation for every option.

Start the questionsFree 10-question FE quiz

What this domain covers

Managing and delivering projects: procurement and contracts, construction methods and safety, scheduling and cost control, estimating and reading drawings.

Exam weight
8%
On a real exam
≈ 9 questions
In our bank
47 questions

Topics that come up most

  • Critical path scheduling and float
  • Earned value and project cost control
  • Quantity take-offs and cost estimating
  • Equipment productivity and construction safety
  • Procurement methods and contract types

How to study it

Draw a small activity network and calculate early and late times and float by hand, then work an earned value example using the Handbook definitions.

Sample Construction Engineering questions

Try each one before opening the answer. Original questions written to the official exam objectives.

  1. Question 1

    Compared with a conceptual estimate, a definitive (detailed) cost estimate is:

    • APrepared before any design work begins
    • BLess accurate, since it uses rough factors
    • CMore accurate, based on detailed quantities
    • DNot used for bidding
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: C) More accurate, based on detailed quantities

    • AIncorrect. It needs detailed design.
    • BIncorrect. That's conceptual.
    • CCorrect. It's prepared later in design.
    • DIncorrect. It's used for bidding.

  2. Question 2

    An excavation yields 100 bank cubic yards (BCY) of soil. The soil has a swell of 25% and a shrinkage of 10%, both measured relative to bank volume. After the soil is placed and compacted in the embankment, its volume is most nearly:

    • A90 compacted yd³
    • B111 compacted yd³
    • C110 compacted yd³
    • D125 compacted yd³
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: A) 90 compacted yd³

    Compacted volume = bank volume × (1 − shrinkage) = 100 × 0.90 = 90 yd³. Swell gives only the loose hauling volume.

    • ACorrect. Shrinkage is measured relative to bank volume, so compacted volume = 100 × (1 − 0.10) = 90 yd³.
    • BIncorrect. 100 / 0.90 ≈ 111 is the number of bank yards needed to produce 100 compacted yards. It applies the shrinkage the wrong way round.
    • CIncorrect. 100 × 1.10 treats shrinkage as an increase in volume. Compaction makes the soil denser than in place, so the volume goes down.
    • DIncorrect. 100 × 1.25 = 125 yd³ is the loose (hauled) volume after swell, not the volume after compaction.

  3. Question 3

    An activity has an early start of day 5 and a late start of day 9. Its total float is:

    • A9 days
    • B14 days
    • C0 days
    • D4 days
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: D) 4 days

    • AIncorrect. Subtract the early start.
    • BIncorrect. Subtract, don't add.
    • CIncorrect. It isn't on the critical path.
    • DCorrect. TF = LS − ES.

  4. Question 4

    The main purpose of a constructability review performed during the design phase is to:

    • AConfirm that member sizes and details satisfy the governing building code loads
    • BUse construction expertise on the plans so the work is easier to build and has fewer field changes
    • CPrepare the engineer's cost estimate used to evaluate the contractors' bids
    • DApprove the contractor's site-specific safety plan before work begins on site
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: B) Use construction expertise on the plans so the work is easier to build and has fewer field changes

    A constructability review applies construction knowledge during design. It makes the project easier, safer and more economical to build and reduces changes during construction.

    • AIncorrect. That is a design check or code-compliance (plan) review done by engineers. A constructability review looks at whether and how the design can practically be built.
    • BCorrect. A constructability review brings construction knowledge (sequencing, access, methods, materials) into the design. The goal is to make the project easier, safer and cheaper to build and to reduce changes and RFIs during construction.
    • CIncorrect. Cost estimating is a separate design-phase service. A constructability review may affect costs, but its purpose is to improve how buildable the design is, not to set a benchmark for bids.
    • DIncorrect. Reviewing a safety plan happens after the contract is awarded and before work starts in the field. A constructability review happens during design and looks at the plans and specifications.

  5. Question 5

    A project has earned value of $90,000 and planned value of $80,000. The schedule performance index indicates the project is:

    • AOver budget
    • BBehind schedule (SPI 0.89)
    • CExactly on schedule (SPI 1.000)
    • DAhead of schedule (SPI 1.125)
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: D) Ahead of schedule (SPI 1.125)

    • AIncorrect. SPI measures schedule, not cost.
    • BIncorrect. That's PV/EV, inverted.
    • CIncorrect. EV exceeds PV.
    • DCorrect. SPI = EV/PV > 1.

  6. Question 6

    Under a typical design-bid-build contract, which responsibility normally belongs to the construction contractor rather than to the owner's design professional?

    • AVerifying that the structural design meets the governing building code
    • BPreparing the plans and specifications that define the completed work
    • CSelecting construction means, methods, sequences, and job-site safety measures
    • DReviewing shop drawings for conformance with the design intent
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: C) Selecting construction means, methods, sequences, and job-site safety measures

    Design documents define the finished product. The contractor is responsible for how it is built: the means, methods, sequencing, and job-site safety.

    • AIncorrect. Code compliance of the design is the job of the licensed design professional (the engineer or architect of record), not the contractor.
    • BIncorrect. In design-bid-build, the owner's designer prepares the contract documents before bidding. The contractor builds to them.
    • CCorrect. The contract documents define what is to be built. The contractor decides how to build it and controls the site, including safety. OSHA treats an employer with general supervisory authority over the worksite as a controlling employer that must take reasonable care to prevent and detect safety violations.
    • DIncorrect. The contractor prepares and submits shop drawings, but the designer reviews them for conformance with the design intent.

  7. Question 7

    A contingency in a construction cost estimate is included to cover:

    • ATaxes only
    • BThe contractor's guaranteed profit
    • CKnown, quantified line items
    • DUncertain or unforeseen costs
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: D) Uncertain or unforeseen costs

    • AIncorrect. It covers unforeseen costs.
    • BIncorrect. That's markup.
    • CIncorrect. Those are estimated directly.
    • DCorrect. Risks not yet identified in detail.

  8. Question 8

    A project has 10 identical footings, each 2 m × 2 m × 0.5 m. The total concrete volume is:

    • A40 m³, doubling the depth
    • B2 m³, a single footing
    • C20 m³
    • D4.5 m³
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: C) 20 m³

    • AIncorrect. That isn't the calculation.
    • BIncorrect. There are 10 footings.
    • CCorrect. 2 × 2 × 0.5 × 10.
    • DIncorrect. That isn't the calculation.

  9. Question 9

    In critical path scheduling, the project duration equals the:

    • ALongest path through the network
    • BShortest path from start to finish
    • CSum of all activity durations
    • DAverage activity duration
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: A) Longest path through the network

    • ACorrect. Its activities have zero total float.
    • BIncorrect. The longest path controls.
    • CIncorrect. Parallel activities overlap.
    • DIncorrect. The longest path controls.

  10. Question 10

    Standard concrete acceptance tests generally evaluate compressive strength at:

    • A1 day only
    • B28 days
    • C1 year
    • D6 months
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: B) 28 days

    • AIncorrect. That's too early for acceptance.
    • BCorrect. Earlier tests track strength gain.
    • CIncorrect. That isn't standard acceptance.
    • DIncorrect. That isn't standard acceptance.

Construction Engineering: FAQs

How much of the FE exam is Construction Engineering?

Construction Engineering is 8% of the FE exam by the official exam guide's weighting, which on a 110-question form works out to roughly 9 questions. The real exam's exact split varies by form.

What does the Construction Engineering domain cover?

Managing and delivering projects: procurement and contracts, construction methods and safety, scheduling and cost control, estimating and reading drawings.

How should I study Construction Engineering for FE?

Draw a small activity network and calculate early and late times and float by hand, then work an earned value example using the Handbook definitions.

Where can I practise more Construction Engineering questions?

This page has 10 free Construction Engineering questions with answers. The ExamWize FE question bank has 47 questions in this domain. Every practice exam result breaks your score down by domain, and Review Mode re-drills the questions you missed.

Other FE topics

Also: 15 free questions across all topics, the FE cheat sheet and the study guide.

Get Construction Engineering exam-ready

The full FE bank has 47 Construction Engineering questions. Timed practice exams match the real exam's length and domain weights, every result shows your score per domain, and Review Mode re-drills the questions you missed.

See the full FE practice examsTake the free diagnostic

Not affiliated with NCEES; questions are original, written from the official exam outline, and never copied from the real exam.