PRACTICE FE/EIT EXAM

CIVIL MORNING SESSION

HOSTED BY THE NORTH JERSEY ASCE YMG

DISCLAIMER

This exam is intended for PRACTICE ONLY. We are not affiliated with NCEES or
any other testing or exam preparation organization. This mock examination is in
no way sanctioned by NCEES and no guarantees are provided about the similarity
of these questions to those in the actual exam.

Practice problems have been compiled from a variety of published exam

preparation materials.
 PRACTICE FE/EIT EXAM

1. The partial derivative of 7. On average, a piece of machinery jams three times a week.
=5 − 12( + 9 ) is:
Assuming a Poisson distribution for the frequency of jams,
the probability that the machine will jam exactly five times
5 +9
in a given week is most nearly
(A)
(B) 5
(C) 10 − 12 (A) 0.0033
(D) 10 + 9 (B) 0.10
(C) 0.33
The sum of the series 1 − + − + ⋯ is:
(D) 0.40
2.
8. A computer program segment written in a generic
(A) 5/6 language is shown. For which input values X will the output
(B) 4/5 value of T be equal to X?
(C) 3/4
(D) 2/3 INPUT X

=
IF X < 5
3. A geometric interpretation of the first derivative of
( ) is:
T = X*X/(16-X)
ELSE IF T = X*5/(10-X)

(A) the area under the curve = ( )

END IF
OUTPUT T
(B) the volume found by rotating the area under
the curve = ( ) about the x-axis
(C) the slope of the normal to the curve =
(A) 0
( )
(B) 0, 5

(D) the slope of the tangent to the curve =

(C) 0, 5, 8

( )
(D) None

9. In a spreadsheet, Column A has the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16,

4. A determinant is given.
5 6 3
and 32 in rows 1-5 and Column B has number 3, 6, 12, 24,
6 7 6
and 48 in the same rows. The cell C3 contains the formula:
5 2 2
A3+$B3*B$1. The formula is copied to cell D4. The number
What is the determinant of the matrix? that appears in cell D4 is:
(A) -167
(B) 10 (A) 88
(C) 49 (B) 44
(D) 187 (C) 24
(D) 12
5. A bag contains 30 balls numbered 1 through 30. If one ball
is removed from the bag, what is the probability that the 10. Which statement regarding the low-bid competitive
ball is even or is less than 5? bidding process is NOT correct?
(A) 0.7
(B) 0.5 (A) It is a procurement method in which bids
(C) 0.75 from competing contractors, suppliers, or
(D) 0.2 vendors are invited by openly advertising
the scope, specifications, and terms and
6. A relationship between man-hours and excavation conditions of the proposed contract as well
earthwork was developed using regression analysis. For as the criteria by which the bids will be
man-hours ranging from 2 to 21 hours, the scatter diagram evaluated.
was fitted to y = 2 + 5x, where: (B) It is used to obtain goods and services at the
• x = No. of man hours required lowest prices by stimulating competition
• y = Excavation (yd3) and preventing favoritism.
Which of the following statemetns regarding the fitted line is (C) The bids are always opened in full view of all
NOT correct? who may wish to witness the bid opening.
(D) A major drawback of this method is the
(A) The y-intercept means that 2 man-hours are possibility of awarding a construction
need prior to excavation beginning. contract to a contractor who submits either
(B) It should take 22 man-hours to excavate 112 accidentally or deliberately, an
yd3 of material. unrealistically low bid price which, in turn,
(C) The average value of y for x = 3 is 17 yd3 promotes disputes, increased costs, and
(D) The slope of the fitted line means that one schedule delays.
man-hour of work yields 5 yd3 of excavation.

Page 2 of 9
 PRACTICE FE/EIT EXAM

11. What body has jurisdiction over an alleged ethics violation 15. The reaction at point A in the diagram is most nearly:
by a Registered Professional Engineer? (A) 208 N
(B) 1,625 N
(A) National Society of Professional Engineers (C) 500 N
(B) State Board of Registration for Engineers (D) 937 N
(C) National professional society (e.g., ASME,
IEEE) of the engineer involved
(D) Local district court

12. A factory that manufactures chairs costs $180,000 per year

to operate, including rent, depreciation charges on
equipment, and salaries. Each chair costs $31 to make, and
sells for $59. What is the factory’s break-even sales
volume?
16. A composite beam-slab section is shown in the figure
(A) 5300 chairs/yr below. The concrete is 5,000 psi and the steel section is a
(B) 5600 chairs/yr W14x48 beam (Fy = 60 ksi). The distance from the bottom
(C) 6400 chairs/yr flange to the centroid of the composite section is most
(D) 6900 chairs/yr nearly:

13. A machine is covered by the manufacturer’s warranty for (A) 16.50

the first year. After this, the repair cost is expected to be as (B) 15.00
follows: (C) 14.1
(D) 7.05
Cost Amount
At the end of year 2 $1,000 (Figure on Next Page)
At the end of year 3 $2,000
At the end of year 4 $3,000
At the end of year 5 $4,000

If the interest rate is 8%, the annual equivalent repair cost

is most nearly:

(A) $1,800
(B) $2,000
(C) $2,200
(D) $2,400

14. Equipment selection has been narrowed to:

Equipment
Parameters
1 2
Initial Cost $50,000 $75,000
Annual Maintenance $15,000 $10,000
Life Expectancy (yrs.) 10 15
Salvage Value $5,000 $12,000

If the expected rate of return is 8%, the most economical

alternative is:

(A) Equipment 1 is a better choice because it saves

nearly $8,000.
(B) Equipment 1 is a better choice because it saves
nearly $1,200.
(C) Equipment 2 is a better choice because it saves
nearly $800.
(D) Equipment 2 is a better choice because it saves
nearly $1,200.

Page 3 of 9
 PRACTICE FE/EIT EXAM

17. Cantilever AB is being propped by cable BC, as shown in the

figure below. The tension in the cable is 9 kN. If
counterclockwise (CCW) moment is considered positive,
the moment the force exerts about support A (kN-m) is
most nearly:

(A) 49
(B) -49
(C) 81
(D) -81

20. A disk rolls along a flat surface at a constant speed of 10

m/s. Its diameter is 0.5 m. At a particular instant, point P
on the edge of the disk is 45° from the horizontal. What is
the velocity of Point P at that instant?

(A) 10.0 m/s

(B) 15.0 m/s
(C) 16.2 m/s
(D) 18.5 m/s

21. The 20.0-kilogram ball shown in the diagram below is

attached to an inextensible cord. The ball swings in a
vertical plane, and air resistance is negligible. When θ =
18. The tension in cable AC, shown in the diagram below, is 40°, the speed of the ball is known to be 2.0 meters per
most nearly: second. What is the tension in the cord at this instant?

(A) 806.5 N (A) 160.9 N

(B) 714 N (B) 181.2 N
(C) 1414 N (C) 170.3 N
(D) 600 N (D) 45.4 N

19. Two springs are used to support a load P, as shown in the

figure below. The natural period of vibration (sec) of the
system is most nearly:

A. 0.92
B. 1.09
C. 6.1
D. 18.1

Page 4 of 9
 PRACTICE FE/EIT EXAM

22. What is the maximum magnitude of the bending moment 25. A stepped fixed-free column carries two 15,000-lb
in the beam shown in the diagram below? The bending concentric loads, as shown in the figure below. The cross-
moment at each end of the beam is 0, and there are no sectional area of segment AB in 100 in2 and the cross
concentrated couples along the beam. sectional area of segment BC is 150 in2. The maximum
normal stress (psi) in the column at plane B in segment BC
(A) 96 kN • m is most nearly:
(B) 48 kN • m
(C) 24 kN • m (A) 100
(D) 40 kN • m (B) 150
(C) 200
(D) 300

23. Consider the frame shown in the figure below. The bending
moment at Point C (kip-ft) is:

(A) 704
(B) 384
(C) 32
(D) 0

Problems 26 & 27 refer to the following diagram.

24. A point is subjected to a 5-ksi biaxial load in tension. The

maximum shear stress (ksi) for the state of stress is most
nearly: 26. What test is represented by the illustration?

(A) 0 (A) Resilience test

(B) 5 (B) Rotating beam test
(C) 5√2 (C) Ductility test
(D) 10 (D) Tensile test

27. What is the percent elongation at failure?

(A) 14%
(B) 19%
(C) 25%
(D) 28%

Page 5 of 9
 PRACTICE FE/EIT EXAM

28. The stress at which a material will experience permanent 32. Two pressure gages are attached on the inside of a tank
deformation is called: filled with a liquid. The first gage is located 5 m from the
bottom of the tank and it reads 80 kPa. The second gage is
(A) Yield Stress located 8 m from the bottom, and it reads 57.4 kPa. The
(B) Ultimate Stress density of the liquid (kg/m3) is most nearly:
(C) Elastic Limit
(D) Proportional Limit (A) 393
(B) 768
29. The two major ways Portland cement manufacturing (C) 1179
contributes to CO2 emissions are: (D) 7530

(A) Limestone decomposition and burning of
fuel
(B) Burning of fuel and carbonation
(C) Carbonation and cement hydration
(D) Cement hydration and limestone
decomposition
30. The pressure in vessel B shown in the diagram below is
most nearly:
Problems 33 and 34 are based on the following information.
A store property has an 8 ha asphalt parking lot with a runoff
coefficient of 0.85, a 2 ha building roof with a runoff coefficient of
0.75, and 1.5 ha of lawn with a runoff coefficient of 0.20. The time of
concentration for the watershed is 30 min. A 30 min, 20-year storm
with an intensity of 80 mm/h occurs. A concrete sewer pipe, flowing
full at peak runoff, carries the runoff from the site at a velocity of 10
m/s.

(A) 2,268 Pa
(B) 684 Pa
33. The peak runoff for the store property is most nearly:
(C) 433 Pa
(D) 767 Pa
(A) 0.50 m3/s
(B) 0.75 m3/s
(C) 1.9 m3/s
(D) 22 m3/s

34. The minimum pipe diameter to handle this flow is most

nearly:

(A) 0.50 m
(B) 0.84 m
(C) 1.4 m
(D) 1.7 m

35. A 1 ft diameter, 1,200 ft long galvanized steel pipe

31. What is the approximate volumetric flow rate through
tube a in the diagram on the top right corner of the page?
connects two reservoirs as shown in the figure below. Its
roughness factor is 0.0005 ft. The pipe discharge rate is 2
cfs at a water temperature of 57°F. Neglecting pipe entry
and exit losses, the friction loss in the pipe (Ft) is most
nearly:

(A) 32
(A) 40 ft3/sec
(B) 4.6
(B) 20 ft3/sec
(C) 2.2
(C) 50 ft3/sec
(D) 0.9
(D) 30 ft3/sec

Page 6 of 9
 PRACTICE FE/EIT EXAM

36. A symmetrical open channel is shown in the figure below.

Its hydraulic radius (ft) is most nearly: Problems 39 & 40 are based on the following information and
illustration. The span length and cross section of a reinforced
(A) 2.4 concrete beam are shown. The beam is under-reinforced. The
(B) 4.8 concrete and reinforcing steel properties are f’c = 3000 lbf/in2, fy =
(C) 13.0 40,000 lbf/in2, and As = 3 in2.
(D) 41.0

37. The arch shown in the figure below is:

(A) unstable 39. Neglecting beam self-weight and based only on the
(B) stable and statically determinate allowable moment capacity of the beam as determined
(C) stable and statically indeterminate using ACI strength design specifications, the maximum
(D) redundant allowable live load is most nearly

(A) 23,000 lbf

(B) 29,000 lbf
(C) 35,000 lbf
(D) 50,000 lbf

40. The beam supports a concentrated live load of 50,000 lbf.

Neglect beam self-weight. The minimum amount of shear
reinforcement required for a center-to-center stirrup
spacing of 12” under ACI strength design specifications is
most nearly

(A) 0.18 in2

(B) 0.36 in2
(C) 0.67 in2
38. A frame is carrying a 24-kip point load, as shown in the (D) 0.78 in2
figure below. All members have equivalent Young’s moduli
and moments of inertia. The carryover moment (kip-ft) at
support C is most nearly:

(A) 60
(B) 30
(C) 20
(D) 0

Page 7 of 9
 PRACTICE FE/EIT EXAM

41. A rectangular singly-reinforced concrete beam shown in 44. A silty soil sample is tested for permeability at a
the figure below has 3 #9, grade 60 as its bottom temperature of 20°C using the constant head method. The
reinforcement. The concrete strength is 5,000 psi. The sample is 4 cm in diameter and 100 cm in height. One liter
section is tension controlled. The ultimate moment of water was collected in 15 minutes under a constant
capacity, M (ft-kips) of the section is most nearly: head of 2 m. The average diameter of the soil grains is 0.35
mm. Based on the Reynolds number, the flow type is:
(A) 240
(B) 270 (A) Laminar
(C) 300 (B) Transitional
(D) 3,000 (C) Partially turbulent
(D) Fully turbulent

Problems 45 through 47 are based on the following information.

An undisturbed sample of clay has a weight of 29 kg, a dry weight of

26 kg, and a total volume of 0.014 m3. Clay solids have a specific
gravity of 2.65.

45. What is most nearly the water content of the sample?

(A) 1.2%
(B) 4.3%
(C) 12%
(D) 81%

42. A W10x45 steel column is 20-ft tall. Its weak axis is braced 46. The degree of saturation is most nearly
at its mid-length, as shown in the figure below. Its
controlling slenderness ratio is most nearly: (A) 19%
(B) 24%
(A) 5 (C) 62%
(B) 60 (D) 75%
(C) 65
(D) 120 47. The void ratio is most nearly

(A) 0.2
(B) 0.3
(C) 0.4
(D) 0.7

48. A truck is carrying gravel from a stone pit. The truck has
three axles. The axle loads (lb) are as follows:

Front Axle Middle Axles Rear Axle

(Single) (Tandem) (Single)
Fully-
Loaded 18,000 30,000 ea. 20,000
Truck
Empty Truck 10,000 12,000 8,000

43. A retaining wall is 12 ft high. The backfill weighs 120 pcf The truck factor for the full loaded truck is most nearly:
and is saturated below 5 ft from the grade. The angle of
internal friction for the backfill is 30°. The resultant active (A) 1.0
lateral force (lb) behind the wall per unit wall length is most (B) 3.2
nearly: (C) 3.8
(D) 7.0
(A) 2,900
(B) 3,900
(C) 4,900
(D) 8,800

Page 8 of 9
 PRACTICE FE/EIT EXAM

49. A one-lane rural road has a 10° curve extending for 230m
along its centerline. The road is 5 m wide with 3 m wide
shoulders. The design speed for this road is 75 km/h. The
superelevation needed so that side friction is not needed is
most nearly

(A) 0.00050
(B) 0.034
(C) 1.1
(D) 1.9

50. The initial density of bacteria is 1,000 cells per liter. After
20 generations of exponential growth during the growth
phase, without any decay or microbial death, the number 54. A surveyor takes several level readings. The instrument is
of bacteria in a liter is most nearly: on (HI) is 5.15 ft. To determine the elevation of the
underside of a beam, an inverted sight (IS) reading of 3.13
(A) 20,000 ft is obtained. To determine the elevation of a point on a
(B) 40,000 slope a reading, of 4.32 ft is obtained. The elevations of the
underside of the beam and the point on the slope (ft) are
(C) 1 Million
respectively most nearly:
(D) 1 Billion
(A) 128.60, 126.58
51. A continuous flow stirred tank reactor treats 0.25 m3/s of
(B) 131.73, 124.28
settled wastewater having 250 mg/L BOD5 at 20°C. The
(C) 125.47, 132.92
design mean cell resistance time, ϴdc, is 10 d.
(D) 121.43, 113.98
Y = Vss,mg/BOD5,mg
= 0.5
55. What is the southern azimuth of a line with a bearing of S
The effluent BOD5 is 6.2 mg/L. MLVSS = 3500 mg/L. The
12° 34’ 36” E?
endogenous decay coefficient is Kd = 0.06 d-1. The reactor
capacity is most nearly
(A) 12° 34’ 56”
(B) 77° 25’ 04”
(A) 3000 m3/d
(C) 167° 25’ 04”
(B) 3300 m3/d
(D) 347° 25’ 04”
(C) 4700 m3/d
(D) 5000 m3/d

52. The law “to provide for liability, compensation, cleanup,

and emergency response for hazardous substances
released into the environment and the cleanup of inactive
hazardous waste disposal sites” is called:

A. The National Contingency Plan Act

B. Superfund
C. Title III
D. EPA’s Cradle to Grave Hazardous Waste Management
Act

53. An arrow diagram created using the critical path method

(CPM) is shown in the figure below. The minimum number
of days to complete the project is:

A. 20
B. 30
C. 36
D. 51

Page 9 of 9