FE Civil Ethics and Professional Practice

Knowledge area 2 of the FE Civil exam: 4–6 of the 110 questions. The subtopics NCEES lists, how they are tested and worked practice problems with solutions.

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110 questions on the real 5 hours 20 minutes clock, weighted to the NCEES specifications, with a score by knowledge area and a worked solution for every answer.

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What the specification lists

  • Codes of ethics (professional and technical societies)
  • Professional liability
  • Licensure
  • Contracts and contract law

From the NCEES FE Civil CBT exam specifications, knowledge area 2.

Line drawing of a professional engineer’s seal stamp, a signed drawing set and a balance scale

How Ethics and Professional Practice is tested

Ethics questions are scenarios. The answer that holds public health, safety and welfare paramount, stays within the engineer’s competence, discloses conflicts of interest and reports violations is almost always the key. Read the Reference Handbook section on ethics and professional practice once before exam day; it summarizes the NCEES Model Law and Model Rules.

On exam day the relationships you need are in the Reference Handbook section on Ethics and Professional Practice. The handbook is the only reference allowed, so practice finding each formula in it rather than memorizing a separate sheet.

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FE Civil Ethics and Professional Practice practice problems

Work each problem with your calculator and the handbook, then open the solution.

Problem 1 · Public health, safety, and welfare

Under the NCEES Model Rules and the codes of the major engineering societies, when an engineer's obligations to a client conflict with the safety of the public, which obligation governs?

  1. A.Protecting the public health, safety, and welfare
  2. B.Following the client's written instructions
  3. C.Protecting the employer's financial interests
  4. D.Keeping all client information confidential
Show the answer and solution

Answer: A: Protecting the public health, safety, and welfare

Every major engineering code states that engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public. Duties to clients and employers, including confidentiality, are honored only so far as they do not endanger the public.

Public health, safety, and welfare · Reference Handbook: Ethics and Professional Practice

Problem 2 · Contracts and contract law

An owner is choosing a construction contract type. Which type places the greatest risk of cost overruns on the contractor?

  1. A.Time and materials
  2. B.Cost plus a fixed fee
  3. C.Lump sum (fixed price)
  4. D.Cost plus a percentage fee
Show the answer and solution

Answer: C: Lump sum (fixed price)

Under a lump-sum contract the contractor agrees to complete the defined scope for a fixed price, so cost overruns reduce the contractor's profit. Cost-reimbursable and time-and-materials arrangements pass actual costs through to the owner.

Contracts and contract law · Reference Handbook: Ethics and Professional Practice

Problem 3 · Codes of ethics

Dana, a licensed PE at a consulting firm, is asked by a county client to evaluate contractor bids for a new pump station. One bidder is a company in which Dana's spouse holds a 30% ownership stake. Dana is confident she can evaluate the bids fairly. What should Dana do?

  1. A.Proceed with the evaluation without comment, since she is confident she can be impartial
  2. B.Advise her spouse's company to withdraw its bid, without informing the county of the relationship
  3. C.Disclose the relationship to the county before doing any evaluation work and let the county decide whether she should continue or step aside
  4. D.Proceed with the evaluation but score her spouse's company slightly lower to offset any possible bias
Show the answer and solution

Answer: C: Disclose the relationship to the county before doing any evaluation work and let the county decide whether she should continue or step aside

Engineering codes of ethics require engineers to disclose known or potential conflicts of interest that could influence, or appear to influence, their judgment. Dana's spouse's ownership stake is exactly such a conflict, so she must tell the county before evaluating and let the county decide. Her personal belief that she can be fair does not remove the duty to disclose.

Codes of ethics · Reference Handbook: Ethics and Professional Practice

Problem 4 · Professional liability

A county road designed by a licensed engineer develops pavement cracking within three years, and the county sues the engineer for negligence. Expert testimony shows the design was consistent with what reasonably competent engineers would have done under similar circumstances. What is the likely outcome of the negligence claim?

  1. A.The engineer is not liable for negligence, because the duty is to meet the standard of care, not to guarantee a perfect result
  2. B.The engineer is liable, because engineers implicitly warrant that their designs will perform perfectly
  3. C.The engineer is liable, because any defect in the finished work proves negligence
  4. D.The engineer is not liable, because a PE license provides immunity from lawsuits
Show the answer and solution

Answer: A: The engineer is not liable for negligence, because the duty is to meet the standard of care, not to guarantee a perfect result

Professional negligence requires a duty, a breach of the standard of care, causation, and damages. The standard of care is the skill and care ordinarily exercised by reasonably competent engineers under similar circumstances. Because the design met that standard, there is no breach, even though the pavement cracked.

Professional liability · Reference Handbook: Ethics and Professional Practice

More FE Civil practice problems from every knowledge area

Sit the full exam under the real clock

Take a full timed FE Civil practice exam

110 questions on the real 5 hours 20 minutes clock, weighted to the NCEES specifications, with a score by knowledge area and a worked solution for every answer.

Or start the free Ethics and Professional Practice drill

Common questions

How many Ethics and Professional Practice questions are on the FE Civil exam?

The NCEES FE Civil specification lists 4–6 questions on Ethics and Professional Practice, out of 110. Every examinee gets the same number per knowledge area.

What does Ethics and Professional Practice cover on the FE Civil exam?

Codes of ethics (professional and technical societies); Professional liability; Licensure; Contracts and contract law.

Where are the Ethics and Professional Practice formulas on exam day?

In the NCEES FE Reference Handbook, which appears on screen during the exam: the Ethics and Professional Practice section. Practice with your free copy from MyNCEES so you know where each relationship sits.

Original independent practice questions written to the published NCEES exam specifications. Not affiliated with or endorsed by NCEES (National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying).