Is this roadmap free?

Costs you can't avoid

• FE Civil exam

  Paid to NCEES. Required for everyone.

  $225

  Year ~2

• PE Civil exam + state license

  NCEES exam fee plus your state board's application fee.

  Several hundred $

  Year ~6+

• FE-approved calculator

  TI-36X Pro or Casio fx-115ES PLUS.

  ~$20

  Now

FE fee checked on ncees.org, Sept 2026. Fees change, so check before you register.

Optional costs (you can skip all of these)

• NCEES official FE practice exam

  Small fee. The closest thing to the real exam, so it's worth buying once near exam time.

• OSHA 30, ACI, NICET certificates

  Help you get hired. Employers often pay for these, so ask first.

• Autodesk certification exam

  Not needed. A portfolio proves the same skill for free.

• Printed textbooks (Hibbeler, Das, McCormac…)

  Nice to have. Every subject here has a free textbook or video course instead.