Professional Documents
Culture Documents
GUIDANCE BOOK
November 2020
THECIVILENGINEERINGEXAM.COM
Version Published Notes
1.0 20/03/2017 First Edition
2.0 28/11/2020 Second Edition. Updated sections on:
- Author’s Details
- Resits
- Written Exercise
- Appendix item on remote reviews
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The Civil Engineering Exam is not affiliated nor endorsed by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) or
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No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying form
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Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein,
the author and publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. No liability is assumed
for damages that may result from the use of information contained within.
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ICE Professional Review Exam
Guidance Pack i
The Civil Engineering Exam - TCEE
This Book is intended to provide the best holistic INDEPENDENT ADVICE to those aspiring Civil
Engineers who wish to become Professionally Qualified with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) -
whether that is an Incorporated (IEng) or Chartered (CEng) Engineer.
This Book has been written by Civil Engineers who have undertaken the process and aim to provide
Candidates with their perspectives during the Professional Review process, advice, tips and guidance.
Current Professional Reviewers have also reviewed the contents of this book and have additionally
provided their thoughts on the Professional Review for your interest.
TCEE are a small group of engineers who are passionate about sharing knowledge and helping others
in their professional development. Our aim is to help Candidates to prepare for and pass their
Professional Review exam. TCEE offer in-depth guidance, private tutoring and an active community
for like-minded engineers to provide a fantastic support network to those seeking Professional
Membership.
And a final word on copyright, If you didn’t buy this booklet for yourself, please note you this is against
the terms of purchase and as such is against copyright law. Please visit thecivilengineeringexam.com
to purchase your own copy.
Thanks
Tim Lai EUR ING Eng. MEng(Hons) CEng MICE MIMechE MIET
Founder, The Civil Engineering Exam and The Structural Exam Ltd.
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ICE Professional Review Exam
Guidance Pack ii
Contents
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ICE Professional Review Exam
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7.3 S Q e a e .................................................................................................................... 35
7.4 Other Application Form Tips & Advice ................................................................................................ 36
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11.5 Documentation for the Written Exercise ............................................................................................. 86
11.6 Written Exercise Approach During D-Day ........................................................................................... 87
11.7 Other Tips and Advice for the Written Exercise Recommended Reading ......................................... 89
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17.4 Attribute Review Preparation Template ........................................................................................... 121
17.4.1 Career Summary Overview ....................................................................................................... 122
17.4.2 Attribute Summary Overview ................................................................................................... 123
17.5 Professional Review Preparation Programme Example .................................................................... 124
17.6 CPD Example & Overview Template .................................................................................................. 126
17.7 TCEE Typical Written Exercise Questions .......................................................................................... 129
17.7.1 Management Written Exercise Topic Questions ...................................................................... 129
17.7.2 Financial Written Exercise Topic Questions ............................................................................. 130
17.7.3 Societal Written Exercise Topic Questions ............................................................................... 131
17.7.4 Commercial Written Exercise Topic Questions ........................................................................ 132
17.7.5 Technical Written Exercise Topic Questions ............................................................................ 133
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ICE Professional Review Exam
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1.0 Introduction
This Book is intended to provide INDEPENDENT ADVICE to those aspiring Civil Engineers who wish to
become Professionally Qualified with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) - whether that is
Incorporated (IEng) or Chartered (CEng).
Refer to Chapter 2.0 – “Differences between Incorporated (IEng) and Chartered (CEng) Engineers” to
distinguish the different attributes required for either path to Professional Membership.
TCEE aims to provide a Candidate's perspective to the ICE Professional Review with further tips and
guidance from renowned ICE Professional Reviewers and from those who have embarked on the
Professional Review journey. This Exam Guidance Book explains the Professional Review process from
the completion of the Initial Professional Development (IPD) Training Agreement or via the Career
Appraisal Route to the Professional Review Interview and Written Exercise - and all the preparation
requirements in between.
This guidance pack has been written for those who intend to sit an ICE Professional Review (whether
IEng or CEng) in the near future. TCEE recommends using this Exam Guidance Book as a reference for
your preparations, perhaps reading through the whole book first, but subsequently paying close
attention to the relevant chapters as you progress and tackle each particular stage of during the
application and preparation process.
This Exam Book provides substantially more examples, tips and guidance than the content provided
on the TCEE website alone, or any other book currently on the market. TCEE appreciates your support
as the purchase of your book enables us to develop future revisions and the TCEE website for future
generations.
Reading this book alone will not guarantee you to pass – that all is down to you to put all the hard
work that you need to complete to overcome the final hurdle.
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ICE Professional Review Exam
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1.3 About the TCEE Authors
This ICE Professional Review Exam Guidance Book and the website has been thoroughly written with
due care and diligence by Jonathan Han and Tim Lai in their own time, with the aim of providing the
best holistic INDEPENDENT ADVICE, tips and support for the advancement of the civil engineering
profession in the UK and abroad.
Jonathan Han
CEng MICE MBA MEng (Hons)
He has been heavily involved with the ICE since 2007 at local and
national levels and developed the highly successful voluntary
LinkedIn Written Exercise Group around the UK and Online along
with Peter Hallsworth since 2010. He was formerly an ICE
Supervising Civil Engineer and Mentor.
Tim Lai
EUR ING Eng. CEng MICE MIMechE MIET MEng (Hons),
ICE Reviewer
He had previously worked as an Offshore Structures Engineer for Shell in The Netherlands, and now
runs his own businesses.
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ICE Professional Review Exam
Guidance Pack 2
EUR ING Mike Rogers CEng FICE CGeol FGS,
Supervising Civil Engineer and ICE Reviewer
EUR ING Peter Hallsworth CEng FICE FCInstCES MIHT MAManE BEng DipTE,
ICE Reviewer
1.4 Acknowledgements
TCEE gives acknowledgements to Mike Rogers and Peter Hallsworth for their input and review of this
book and to enable us to provide the best holistic INDEPENDENT ADVICE for our readers. TCEE also
acknowledges the patience of our loved ones for allowing us to create this book and the TCEE website
for the betterment of the profession.
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2.0 Difference between CEng and IEng
It is important to remember that Incorporated Engineers and Chartered Engineers are both
Professionally Qualified Engineers. Within the ICE both grades are full Members (it is worth noting
that since mid-2016, Engineering Technicians are recognised as ICE Members following a By-Law
change). The difference between the two grades is not as wide a gulf as many would initially believe.
The Engineering Council licenses the ICE to award these two grades of registration and define their
base characteristics within their publication UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence
(http://www.engc.org.uk/standards-guidance/standards/uk-spec/) - known as UK-SPEC. The current
(Fourth) edition was published in August 2020. The ICE Attributes which set the benchmark standard
for the Professional Review are checked against the UK-SPEC document to ensure that all of the areas
are adequately addressed. The ICE Attributes were updated in 2015 following a review against the
revised UK-SPEC document.
A definition of Incorporated Engineer and a Chartered Engineer is presented below, extracted from
UK-SPEC.
Incorporated Engineers maintain and manage applications of current and developing technology and
may undertake engineering design, development, manufacture, construction and operation.
The theoretical knowledge to solve problems in developed technologies using well proven
analytical techniques
Successful application of their knowledge to deliver engineering projects or services using
established technologies and methods
Responsibility for project and financial planning and management together with some
responsibility for leading and developing other professional staff
Effective interpersonal skills in communicating technical matters
Commitment to professional engineering values
The ability to specify and operate to safe systems of work and to demonstrate appropriate
consideration of the principles of sustainability.
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ICE Professional Review Exam
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2.2 Chartered Engineers
Chartered Engineers develop solutions to engineering problems using new or existing technologies,
through innovation, creativity and change and/or they may have technical accountability for complex
systems with significant levels of risk.
Chartered Engineers are able to demonstrate:
The theoretical knowledge to solve problems in new technologies and develop new analytical
techniques
Successful application of the knowledge to deliver innovative products and services and/or
take technical responsibility for complex engineering systems
Accountability for project, finance and personnel management and managing trade-offs
between technical and socio-economic factors
Skill sets necessary to develop other technical staff
Effective interpersonal skills in communicating technical matters
Understanding of the safety and sustainability implications of their work, seeking to improve
aspects where feasible.
Commitment to professional engineering values
The last six pages of the UK-SPEC document provide a summary of the competencies of the grades.
This can be useful comparison to understand the differences when read in conjunction with the table
stating the Attributes of both grades presented within Appendix A of the ICE Professional Review
Guidance (http://www.ice.org.uk/my-ice/membership-documents/professional-review-guidance).
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The fundamental difference between an Incorporated and Chartered Engineer can be examined by
looking at the descriptors within the Attributes. Some examples of this are presented below for
comparison:
You will recall from Appendix A of the ICE Professional Review Guidance that the Chartered Engineer
Attributes are additional to the Incorporated Engineer Attributes - hence a Chartered Engineer will
need to demonstrate both sets of competencies.
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Guidance Pack 6
10.0 Re ie e Pe pec i e of he P ofe ional Re ie
Your Reviewers are volunteers and are not paid to perform the Review. In this regard, they work on
behalf of the ICE and the Profession to assess the application and undertake the Professional Review.
Your reviewers will be trained Members of the ICE who are able to make an informed assessment of
your competencies. In effect, they are the 'Gatekeepers' of the Institution and it is up to you to ensure
that you are in a position to demonstrate the Attributes. The Interview will offer the platform for this
but you should remember that you are seeking to prove to people like you (your peers) that you are
competent.
Taking this on board, you should look to make the job of the Reviewers as easy as possible by thinking
carefully about the specification and ensuring that your preparation allows you to demonstrate your
competencies.
Mike Rogers
Reviewer Thoughts
The Training and development the Reviewers receive is established to the allow the Candidate to show
how they can demonstrate the competencies. The Reviewers will use the Interview as a platform for
you to demonstrate how you have become a Professionally Qualified Engineer. The Reviewers are
interested in what you have become and looking at the potential you have rather than the journey
you took to arrive at the Professional Interview - in other words they measure OUTPUT not INPUT.
At the Interview, the Reviewers will be interested in but not dictated by the University you went to
and how you completed your Training and Development. It is also interesting to know that that
Reviewers are interested in you as a potential Engineer rather than the company you work for or the
projects you have presented.
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11.0 The Written Exercise
The Written Exercise should not be neglected by Candidates during the preparation stage and actual
Review itself. The Written Exercise is important and could be the deciding factor in regards to the
overall communication element of the Review, notably it is the one piece of written work that is
produced entirely by you. Candidates must not be complacent thinking that they could easily pass the
Written Exercise without any prior research, knowledge building or practice. It is possible to fail a
whole Professional Review on a Written Exercise alone, though thankfully this is quite a rare
occurrence.
The Written Exercise involves the Candidate producing an essay within an allocated 2-hour window
after your Interview. Each Candidate is given two questions set by the Reviewers. The Reviewers will
typically set the two questions based on their experience, sector, discipline as outlined by the content
in their Professional Review Report. The Candidate only needs to answer one of the two questions.
The Candidate could choose to respond by using a laptop or writing. After the two-hour period, the
Candidate submits their Written Exercise via a USB Flash Drive provided by the ICE Exam Invigilator or
the Candidate submits their written paper response by hand to the Invigilator.
TCEE recommends for you to select the laptop option on the Application Form. If you change your
mind, you are able to revert to writing; but this would not be possible if the other way around (i.e.
Paper ==> Laptop is not possible) due to the potential unavailability of sockets and space.
Thorough preparation for the Written Exercise is seriously advantageous. It will instil you with the
knowledge required to achieve Professional Qualification, provide you confidence and reinforce your
competencies and experiences in preparation for the Professional Review Interview and Written
Exercise.
A a f he P fe a Re e ce
Candidates must demonstrate their
Communication Skills in this case through the
Written Exercise. Candidates must demonstrate
not only their Knowledge but also their ability to
communicate in English and their ability to
marshall their thoughts and express them clearly
in writing
Pe e Hall o h
Reviewer Thoughts
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17.1 Differences between a Remote Review and an In-person Review
Owing to the Covid-19 global pandemic the ICE has made remote reviews much more widespread,
and as at the time of writing (November 2020) all reviews are scheduled to be conducted remotely
for the whole of . This situation remains fluid and you should check ICE’s review dates page for
any updates to the situation.
Despite the most obvious difference that your interview being performed over Microsoft Teams, the
procedure is remarkably similar. You still have a 15 minute presentation, which will be a screen
share your slide pack, followed by 45 or 60 minutes of interview time depending on whether you are
applying for an MPR, CPR or CPRP, followed by 2 hours of Written Exercise.
You will need to make sure your computer is capable of running this, taking into account many
corporate laptops do not allow you to install unauthorised software and/or hardware like
webcams and microphones.
You will be told when your Written Exercise is scheduled to begin (usually 14:00hrs UK time),
which may be as much as a few hours after your interview. The question will be sent to you
via email, and you will have a short amount of time after your Written Exercise to save and
email back your submission.
Obviously it will be a necessity to be connected to the internet so that you can receive and
send back your Written Exercise submission, but do not be tempted to be searching the
internet during the 2 hours of your writing time. Supervision regulations are constantly being
tweaked so by the time you do your review there may be an enforced screen-share mode by
a remote invigilator.
The usual 2xA4 page limit is rather difficult for ICE to enforce! You can work this to your
advantage by sticking pieces of paper to the wall beside your screen, or maybe post-it notes
on the bezel of your monitor. You should still prepare yourself as if you are only permitted
those two pages in case remote reviews are stopped by the time you apply.
If at any point there are technical difficulties (e.g. internet connection drops), the Reviewers
are obligated to ask whether you are “OK to continue”, or feeling distracted. If you give any
indication that you are totally OK point this effectively waives yours right to an appeal in
case you fail. You should therefore offer to continue but ask the reviewers to record the fact
you are not happy and distracted. You can still pass but in the case of a fail you may have
grounds for a free re-sit. Make sure you notify the ICE by email that there was a technical
difficulty on the day of the review so you have a time-stamped record in case of a need to
appeal. The ICE will be obliged to corroborate this against the Reviewers’ notes.
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18.0 Good Luck
Good luck and if you require any additional support, tips and consulting – refer to
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ICE Professional Review Exam
Guidance Pack 134