PE Civil Transportation

Where points go — The largest area: level of service and capacity on freeway, multilane, two-lane highway and urban street facilities, intersection and roundabout capacity, volume and speed studies, peak-hour factor, trip generation, crash rates and Highway Safety Manual crash prediction. The capacity half runs through the Highway Capacity Manual and the safety half through the Highway Safety Manual, so knowing which chapter holds which facility or method is half the work.

Your reps — Capacity, LOS and safety problems on state highways, urban arterials, roundabouts and access roads, with HCM-based problems set on the 7th edition and labelled for the April 2027 window. Ask the tutor which HCM procedure applies and why.

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Where points go — Circular-curve geometry and stationing, chord versus arc definition, sight distance around obstructions on the inside of a curve, superelevation rates and runoff, spirals, and compound and reverse curves.

Your reps — Curve layout and superelevation problems from stakeout notes to runoff on divided highways, plus drag-and-drop items where you place each curve element or superelevation point on the drawing.

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Where points go — Vertical-curve geometry, high and low points, clearance under structures, and the crest lengths that stopping and passing sight distance require, and the sag lengths that headlight sight distance and comfort require.

Your reps — Crest and sag curves drawn as profiles, including clearance at overpasses and headlight sight distance on unlit sags, so you practice reading the profile the exam gives you.

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Where points go — Rational-method and synthetic-hydrograph runoff, water-quality measures, gutter spread and inlets, culverts in inlet and outlet control, open channels, energy dissipation and detention.

Your reps — Culvert, inlet and gutter-spread problems drawn as profiles and plans, worked with HDS-5 and the Green Book the way the exam supplies them.

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Where points go — Clear zones and recoverable slopes, barrier selection, deflection, placement and end treatments, lane, shoulder and curb choices, retaining-wall offsets, and sidewalks, bike lanes and shared-use paths.

Your reps — Roadside and cross-section problems set beside culverts, ponds and walls, including select-all items on barrier placement and point-and-click items on the drawing.

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Where points go — Intersection sight distance, turn-lane and speed-change-lane lengths, ramp and interchange design, lane balance, and at-grade and roundabout layout.

Your reps — Approach sight triangles, entrance and exit ramps and turn-lane problems drawn as plans, with a tutor you can ask to walk the Green Book table you'd use.

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Where points go — Quantity take-offs and cost estimates, activity networks, float and the critical path, earned value, and comparing alternatives on present worth and lifecycle cost.

Your reps — Estimating, scheduling and economic-comparison problems set on real road projects (shoulder paving, ramp reconstruction, rail-crossing alternatives), so planning practice stays on the exam's ground.

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Where points go — Soil classification and testing, phase relationships and permeability, compaction, earthwork and borrow volumes, asphalt mix properties, subgrade strength (CBR, R-value, resilient modulus), traffic loading, and flexible and rigid pavement design and rehabilitation.

Your reps — Lab-data, earthwork and pavement-design problems, from shrink and swell on borrow to the AASHTO-93 structural number and the mechanistic-empirical guide.

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Where points go — Yellow change and red clearance intervals, pedestrian timing, cycle length and green splits, signal warrants including the intersection-near-a-grade-crossing warrant, railroad preemption, and signal-head design.

Your reps — Signal-timing and warrant problems from yellow intervals on grades to four-hour volume warrants, with the tutor available to check your interval before you commit.

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Where points go — Permanent signs and pavement markings, including sign sizes, advance warning distances, line colors and speed zoning, and temporary traffic control through work zones: tapers, buffers and sign spacing.

Your reps — Signing, marking and work-zone layout problems drawn as plans, where you place, size and space the devices rather than just recall a rule.

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