Structural

The PE Structural exam tests for a minimum level of competency in structural engineering.

This computer-based exam, administered at Pearson VUE test centers, uses separate vertical and lateral components to test your ability to safely design buildings or bridges, especially in areas of high seismicity and high wind.

NCEES considers the Structural exam to be a Principles and Practices of Engineering exam. However, not all jurisdictions accept it as such. Examinees should check with their licensing board directly to determine whether the Structural exam is accepted as part of that jurisdiction’s licensure requirements.

Register for the exam by logging in to your MyNCEES account and following the onscreen instructions. Prepare for your exam by

Reviewing the exam specifications, fees, and requirements
Reading the reference materials
Understanding scoring and reporting
Viewing the most up-to-date exam pass rates

Exam Fees

A $350 exam fee is payable directly to NCEES for each breadth and depth section. Some licensing boards may require you to file a separate application and pay an application fee as part of the approval process to qualify you for a seat for an NCEES exam. Your licensing board may have additional requirements. Familiarize yourself with your state licensing board’s unique registration procedures before registering for a PE exam by returning to the primary PE page and choosing your location on the map.

Passing Requirements

The exam is composed of two components—vertical and lateral. Each component includes a breadth section and a depth section. Breadth and depth sections are taken separately and at different times and receive independent results. Acceptable results must be obtained on both components to pass the exam. Once acceptable results are obtained on a component, those results do not expire. Examinees who have received acceptable results on one component before the transition to computer-based testing must take and achieve acceptable results on the two sections for the remaining component only.

Testing Opportunities

The PE Structural breadth sections are administered year-round. Each PE Structural depth section is administered two times per year. Examinees may reserve their seats up to a year in advance at a Pearson VUE test center once they are registered with NCEES and approved by their board. Candidates are encouraged to reserve their seat for biannual events as early as possible.

Vertical Breadth and Lateral Breadth:
Year-round beginning April 1, 2024

Vertical Depth and Lateral Depth:
Twice per year; next test dates:
Vertical Depth
April 15, 2025 and October 9, 2025
Lateral Depth
April 16, 2025 and October 8, 2025

Exam Format

All exams include a limited number of pretest items that will not be scored and will not have an impact on your results. This is common practice within high-stakes testing and allows NCEES to evaluate the pretest items for potential use in future exams. These items are randomly placed within the exam and are not identifiable as pretest items.

Breadth sections
Breadth section exams contain 55 questions—45 scored and 10 pretest. The exam appointment time is 6 hours and includes:

Nondisclosure agreement (2 minutes)
Tutorial (8 minutes)
Exam (5.5 hours)
Scheduled break (20 minutes)

All exam questions are multiple-choice, single-response items graded by computer. Content includes both buildings and bridges.

Depth sections
Depth section exams contain 60 questions—40 scored and 20 pretest. The exam appointment time is 5.5 hours and includes:

Nondisclosure agreement (2 minutes)
Tutorial (8 minutes)
Exam (5 hours)
Scheduled break (20 minutes)

Each depth section includes five scenarios. Four of the scenarios contain 12 items—10 scored and 2 pretest. The remaining scenario includes 12 pretest items to develop the exam bank.

Depth sections are offered in two areas—buildings and bridges. Examinees must select and pass the same depth area (buildings or bridges) for each component. Depth questions are graded via computer and include only alternative item types (AITs).

Learn more at the NCEES YouTube channel.

Exam Specifications and Design Standards

For details on the format and length of the exam, the topics covered, and applicable design standards, review the exam specifications. Changes to PE exam specifications and design standards are posted 6 months before their effective date. Exam specifications change once every 6–8 years. Design standards change more frequently.

Breadth – Vertical Forces

Depth – Vertical Forces

Breadth – Lateral Forces

Depth – Lateral Forces

Exam Resources

Exam Prep Materials

NCEES will provide an electronic reference handbook and all specified design standards during the exam. This handbook and the standards listed on the exam specifications are the only reference materials that can be used during the exam. You will not be allowed to bring personal copies of any material into the exam room. Register or log in to MyNCEES to access a copy of the handbook.

NCEES does not sell printed copies of the handbook or provide design standards. Design standards are available through the publisher, typically as both an electronic and printed copy.

The handbook and the design standards used on the exam are searchable PDF files with linked chapters for easy navigation. Learn more about how to search the handbook and design standards with our YouTube video.

The NCEES Examinee Guide is the official guide to policies and procedures for all NCEES exams. Download your free copy to find out more about registering for exams and what to expect on exam day.

NCEES Examinee Guide

Prep materials for the Structural exam can be found within the NCEES portal.

Exam Prep Material

Reasonable Accommodations

Reasonable accommodations are available for examinees who meet certain eligibility criteria and sufficiently document their request.

ADA Exam Accommodations

Military Accommodations

Scoring & Pass Rates

Results for the breath sections for both components will be available in 7–10 days. Initially, results for the depth sections will require standard setting evaluations and be available in 10–13 weeks. Once the item bank is sufficiently populated, results will be available in 7–10 days.

The PE Structural Exam has transitioned to computer-based testing. The PE Structural breadth sections are administered year-round, and the pass rates are shown for the January–June or July–December population (updated in July and January, respectively).

Each PE Structural depth section is administered two times per year, once in April and once in October. For these exams, the pass rates are updated in July and January, respectively. The following results represent the pass rates for the April 2024 administration.

Exam	First-Time Volume	First-Time Pass Rate	Repeat Volume	Repeat Pass Rate	Format	Availability	Last Updated
Lateral Breadth	197	45%	N/A	N/A	CBT	Year round	July 2024
Lateral Depth Bridges	61	48%	N/A	N/A	CBT	Twice per year	July 2024
Lateral Depth Buildings	198	16%	N/A	N/A	CBT	Twice per year	July 2024
Vertical Breadth	279	51%	N/A	N/A	CBT	Year round	July 2024
Vertical Depth Bridges	39	28%	N/A	N/A	CBT	Twice per year	July 2024
Vertical Depth Buildings	281	14%	N/A	N/A	CBT	Twice per year	July 2024

If you are concerned about exam misconduct or an exam security issue, there are options for contacting NCEES about this.