Our Top Hits of 2024 for Passing Your Exam in 2025 ??

Happy New Year!

2024 is in the books, and I also know you’re probably still in the “holiday mood” — slowly catching up on everything and trying to look ahead to a successful 2025 (but not wanting to, like me. ??)

So here’s what I’ll do this week…

To help you hit the ground running, I’m sharing a list of our practice problems, videos, and interviews that civil engineers loved the most throughout the year to get an edge in their journey to crush their exam and career. ??

If you missed any of our top hits of 2024, you can check them out now. ??

Let’s get right into it. ??

The Top 5 Video Problems Civil Engineers Loved ??

I harp on this all the time, and I’ll do it again…

Practicing problems is the key to passing your exam! ??

So, here are the top video practice problems we published on our YouTube channel that civil engineers prepping for their exam loved the most. ??

1. Calculate the Steel Reinforcement for a Concrete Beam

This one is a nice reinforced concrete design problem for the PE Civil Structural Exam.

You’ll need to calculate the required steel reinforcement area for a simply supported beam that’s 18 feet long.

2. Find the Maximum Tensile Stress in a Composite Beam

Another nice practice problem if you’re taking the Civil PE Structural Exam.

It’s a beam design problem dealing with finding the maximum tensile stress in the steel of a simply supported wood-steel composite beam. ??

3. Find the Accumulated Equivalent Single-Axle Load (ESAL)

This is a topic for the Civil PE Transportation Exam one of our students was struggling with, so we decided to create this problem.

It’s a problem about pavement design.

You’ll have to use AASHTO’s GDPS to calculate the equivalent single-axle load for two trucks given the terminal serviceability index and the pavement structural number. ??

4. Find the Average Daily Traffic Volume (ADT)

And here’s another problem for the Civil PE Transportation Exam!

This one gives you the traffic volume counts per 24-hour intervals for a given street and asks you to calculate the average daily traffic (ADT) volume for a second street in the same city.

5. Determine the Greatest Peak Hour Factor (PHF)

And to wrap up our list of the top video practice problems of the year, we have…

Well, another problem for the Civil PE Transportation Exam! ??

In this one, you’re given the volume of vehicles in one hour broken down into 15-minute intervals for four different locations and need to find which location has the greatest peak hour factor (PHF).

Hint: You’ll need to use the Highway Capacity Manual! ??

Our 3 Most Loved Quick Tip Videos of the Year ??

Have you ever had a question about a particular NCEES Exam? You know, how to register? What's changing? ??

Maybe a few study tips to get the most out of the limited time you can put into studying given your busy life?

Well…that’s what we set out to help you with with our Quick Tip Videos! ??

The goal is to help you with some quick tips — no pun intended! — around studying, licensure, the NCEES exams, and even some career advice. ??

Here are the videos we published this year that civil engineers watched the most. ??

1. Big Changes to the PE Civil Exam Coming in April 2024?

This was our deep dive into the changes the NCEES made to all five civil PE exams back in April 2024.

In this video, I explained:

• What really changed (hint: it wasn’t just the removal of the breadth content!)
• What it says about the future of the civil engineering industry
• The pros and cons
• What it means to you as a test-taker

If you haven’t checked that out but plan on taking the Civil PE Exam in 2025, then this is a must! ??

2. The Top 14 Books to Crush the Water Resources PE Exam ??

If you’re taking the Civil PE Water Resources Exam without our review course for it, then this video is also a must.

In this one, I dive into the top 14 study resources that cover the three main areas of a good exam prep.

Inside this video, you’ll learn what are the…

• 4 manuals you can get to review all the water resources concepts
• 5 books that give you plenty of practice problems
• 5 resources that give you life-like practice exams to simulate the real deal

If passing the Civil PE Water Resources Exam is on your “2025 Goals” list, then this will help you a lot. ??

3. You'll CRUSH the PE Construction Exam With These! ???

While only the handbook and the codes are not enough for any of the NCEES exams, for the Construction PE Exam, this problem is even worse. ??

If you’ve checked my breakdown of what the easiest Civil PE Exam is, you can see that it’s not Construction. But…

That doesn’t mean you cannot do it.

The thing is, you’ll just need to go the extra mile and get extra prep material to really learn your Construction depth topics…

…and then a lot more resources to get a lot of practice under your belt. ?

After I did that breakdown I mentioned before, I knew I needed to dive in what this “extra prep material” would be. And that’s how this video came to be. ??

In this Quick Tip Video, I dive into the best 18 books and resources you can get to be over-prepared for this thing when the time comes. ??

The 5 Most Listened Interviews of 2024 ???

1. A Structural Engineer's Guide with Vince Marvin, PE, SE

This episode with Vince Marvin, P.E., S.E. is a goldmine for everyone interested in a career in Structural Engineering.

He answers questions every aspiring Structural Engineer has, based on his own journey in the field.

From his early work experience just fresh out of college to switching to a leadership role in Structural Engineering…all the way to getting his PE and SE licenses.

If you want to learn things like:

• How do you learn the ropes as a Structural Engineer out of college?
• Do you need a master’s degree?
• Is the PE really needed?
• Should you go for the SE license?

If you’ve asked yourself any of those questions when planning your career in Structural Engineering, then this episode is for you. ??

You can check it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts as well.

2. Building the World's Largest Waterpark with Muhammad Abrar

What is it like to work on big, headline-making projects? ??

You know, the big stadiums, the tallest buildings, the one-of-a-kind structures?

Well, this interview with Muhammad Abrar has the answers!

He’s a Structural Engineer working at a global firm and designing some cool and complex stuff in Dubai…including what will be the world’s largest project of its kind after completion! ??

Again, if you’re leaning towards a career as a Structural Engineer, or are already on this path, then you need to listen to this. Here’s why… ??

He goes deep into what he’s learned over the years to help you shorten your path to success in the field. ??

He dives into 5 tips every Structural Engineer should live by, how to approach the complexity of structural designs…and the scary topic of how AI will impact you as a Structural Engineer. ??

Again, you can check it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts as well.

3. How Hannah Thomas Crushes it as a Geotechnical Engineer

This was an awesome interview with none other than the wonderful Hannah Thomas on all things Geotechnical Engineering! ?? ??

The TLDR? ??

If you think Geotech Engineers only “play in the dirt,” think again!

The field has many paths you can choose from, from field work to office work…all the way to sales and software! ??

Here are a few things we discuss on this interview:

• How to find the right career path for you
• What a career in Geotech looks like
• Common misconceptions about what Geotechnical Engineers do
• The rewarding and challenging aspects of the field
• Why so few civil engineers take the PE Geotech Exam
• Using LinkedIn the right way to grow professionally

If you’re inclined to pursue a career in Geotech, especially as a woman, you’ll want to watch the interview with her on YouTube, or listen to it on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

4. Depth Exam Dilemma: A PE Exam Journey of Change with Grant Junghans

If you’ve failed a few times, you may be considering changing your PE Civil Exam, right? ??

That’s what Grant Junghans, P.E. , a past student of our PE Review Course, did to get over the hump of passing the PE once and for all! ? ??

He failed the Construction PE exam twice, changed to the Water Resources PE exam, and then was able to make it.

In this episode, he dives into his journey switching exams and spills the beans on all he learned about it the hard way in case you’re thinking of doing the same. ??

This includes the challenges of taking a different Civil PE Exam, the two things you need to pay attention to before making the switch, and a lot more!

Go give it a listen on Spotify or Apple podcasts, or watch it on YouTube…now! ??

5. Crushing the PE Construction Exam and Project Management with PJ Rosowski

To wrap up our list for the top five interviews of the year, I have proof that no matter how scary the pass rates for the Construction PE Exam are, you can do it! ??

Paul Rosowski, P.E., CAPM was another student of our PE Review Course who passed this brutal PE Exam…with a Geotech background and specialized in Renewable Energy instead. ??

In this interview, he dives into his exam prep to help you pass this brutal exam too — plus some tips if you want to go down the Project Management route based on his own experience. ??

He touches on key topics for any test-takers, including:

• How long should you study for the PE Exam
• His tips on how to study for the Construction PE Exam specifically
• A study tip to predict questions the NCEES may send your way
• How many theory and AIT questions you can expect on the Construction PE Exam
• And a lot more!

If you prefer to listen on the go, then you can check it out on Spotify and Apple Podcasts as well.

Let’s Make 2025 The Year You Pass Your Exam! ??

All right. That's it for our 2024 recap.

This is a compilation of our most watched and listened to videos and interviews to help you on your journey to ace your exam.

I’m featuring them here because thousands of civil engineers out there loved and used them to get ahead in 2024…and no way I’ll let you fall behind in your career! ??

I hope you had a wonderful New Year’s, and I wish you a 2025 full of joy, prosperity, and achievement — one of them being knocking out the FE, PE, or CFM? exam once and for all. ? ??

Don't forget to follow Civil Engineering Academy to check out everything we publish across all our platforms to help you crush your professional civil engineering exams.