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Structural Engineering Exam (SE) Syllabus
NCEES 16-hour exam for engineers seeking licensure or specialization as a Structural Engineer.. The complete Structural Engineering Exam (SE) outline — 6 subjects, 24 chapters and 103 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
Structural Engineering Exam (SE) subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
4 chapters · 18 topics · 25 sub-topics
Vertical Forces (Gravity/Other) — Buildings Depth4 chapters · 20 topics · 28 sub-topics
Vertical Forces (Gravity/Other) — Bridges Depth4 chapters · 16 topics · 15 sub-topics
Lateral Forces (Wind/Earthquake) — Breadth4 chapters · 17 topics · 16 sub-topics
Lateral Forces — Buildings Depth4 chapters · 16 topics · 13 sub-topics
Lateral Forces — Bridges Depth4 chapters · 16 topics · 6 sub-topics
Structural Engineering Exam (SE) flashcard decks
364 question-and-answer cards across 6 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
- Vertical Forces (Gravity/Other) and Incidental Lateral — Breadth — 59 cards
- Vertical Forces (Gravity/Other) — Buildings Depth — 51 cards
- Vertical Forces (Gravity/Other) — Bridges Depth — 75 cards
- Lateral Forces (Wind/Earthquake) — Breadth — 62 cards
- Lateral Forces — Buildings Depth — 64 cards
- Lateral Forces — Bridges Depth — 53 cards
How to work through the Structural Engineering Exam (SE) syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Vertical Forces (Gravity/Other) — Buildings Depth carries 20 topics while Lateral Forces — Bridges Depth carries 16. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for Structural Engineering Exam (SE).
The ~100 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
Structural Engineering Exam (SE) syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the Structural Engineering Exam (SE) syllabus?
Structural Engineering Exam (SE) covers 6 subjects: Vertical Forces (Gravity/Other) and Incidental Lateral — Breadth, Vertical Forces (Gravity/Other) — Buildings Depth, Vertical Forces (Gravity/Other) — Bridges Depth, Lateral Forces (Wind/Earthquake) — Breadth, Lateral Forces — Buildings Depth and Lateral Forces — Bridges Depth. Together they contain 24 chapters and 103 named topics.
How many topics does the Structural Engineering Exam (SE) syllabus contain?
The full Structural Engineering Exam (SE) outline breaks down into 24 chapters, 103 topics and 103 sub-topics. Vertical Forces (Gravity/Other) — Buildings Depth is the largest single subject with 20 topics across 4 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole Structural Engineering Exam (SE) syllabus?
Roughly 100 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 5 weeks.
Are there Structural Engineering Exam (SE) flashcards?
Yes — 364 question-and-answer flashcards across 6 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this Structural Engineering Exam (SE) syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the Structural Engineering Exam (SE) syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in United States and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
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