Scheduling, estimating, earned value, equipment productivity and site safety.
NCEES lists these Construction Engineering topics for the FE Civil: project administration: documents, submittals, close-out; construction operations and methods: safety, equipment, productivity; project controls: earned value, scheduling, resources, activity relationships; construction estimating; interpretation of engineering drawings.
Choose any section below to get a free FE Civil practice problem. Work it with the FE Reference Handbook open, tap your answer, then check the solution.
In a CPM network, the forward pass gives early start (ES) and early finish (EF = ES + duration); an activity's ES is the largest EF of its predecessors, plus any finish-to-start lag.
A project has these activities (duration; predecessors): A (4 d; none), B (6 d; A), C (3 d; A), D (5 d; B), E (4 d; C, with a 3-day finish-to-start lag after C for curing), F (3 d; B and E), G (2 d; D and F). What is the project duration?
Forward pass: A 0–4; B 4–10; C 4–7; E starts 7 + 3 (lag) = 10, finishes 14; D 10–15; F starts max(10, 14) = 14, finishes 17; G starts max(15, 17) = 17, finishes 19 d. The critical path is A-C-(lag)-E-F-G = 4 + 3 + 3 + 4 + 3 + 2 = 19 d.
Common trap: (B) Ignores the 3-day lag, so A-B-D-G looks like the longest path.
CPMCritical PathFloatCrashingThat was 1 of 4 problems in this section. The full course has the lesson, a worked example and every problem. Start your 3-day free trial →
A quantity takeoff converts the drawings to units: volume in cubic yards = ft³/27.
A slab-on-grade is 40 ft × 25 ft and 6 in thick, with a thickened edge all around the perimeter that is 12 in wide and extends 12 in below the bottom of the slab. Allowing 5% waste, how much concrete should be ordered?
Slab: 40(25)(0.5) = 500 ft³. Edge (inside the slab outline, corners once): length = 2(40 + 25) − 4(1) = 126 ft; extra volume = 126(1)(1) = 126 ft³. Total = 626 ft³ = 23.19 CY. Order = 23.19(1.05) = 24.3 CY.
Common trap: (B) Takes the edge length as the full perimeter, so the four corners are counted twice.
Quantity TakeoffProductivityLearning CurveMarkupThat was 1 of 4 problems in this section. The full course has the lesson, a worked example and every problem. Start your 3-day free trial →
Earned value compares three numbers: planned value PV (BCWS), earned value EV (BCWP, the budget of the work actually done = percent complete × budget) and actual cost AC (ACWP).
A $1,200,000 project has a planned value of $520,000, an earned value of $480,000 and an actual cost of $540,000. If the current cost performance continues, how much more money will it take to finish the project?
CPI = 480,000/540,000 = 0.8889. EAC = 1,200,000/0.8889 = $1,350,000. ETC = EAC − AC = 1,350,000 − 540,000 = $810,000.
Common trap: (B) That is the estimate at completion; the $540,000 already spent must be subtracted.
Earned ValueCost Performance IndexSchedule VarianceThat was 1 of 4 problems in this section. The full course has the lesson, a worked example and every problem. Start your 3-day free trial →
Equipment production = capacity per cycle × cycles per hour × efficiency, where cycles per hour = 60/cycle time (min) and a loader's bucket load = heaped capacity × fill factor.
A truck hauls 12 CY per load with a 24 min cycle and a 50-minute working hour. What is its hourly production?
Cycles = 60/24 = 2.5 per hour. Production = 12(2.5)(50/60) = 25.0 CY/h.
Common trap: (B) Ignores the efficiency.
Equipment ProductionEarthwork HaulingExcavation SafetyFormwork PressureThat was 1 of 4 problems in this section. The full course has the lesson, a worked example and every problem. Start your 3-day free trial →
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