The General Engineering (A) Exam: Format, Topics, and Passing Score
The current General Engineering (A) exam is a closed-book, computer-based multiple-choice exam with four choices per question. CSLB gives you 3.5 hours for each examination, and its current A study guide lists eight approximate topic sections. CSLB does not publish a fixed A question count or a single public passing percentage in that guide; the percentage needed to pass is provided at the test site. (CSLB A study guide; CSLB exam procedures).
The exam at a glance
Here is the current exam information you can verify before scheduling:
| Exam detail | Current CSLB answer |
|---|---|
| Fixed question count | Not published in the current public A study guide |
| Time | 3.5 hours for each examination |
| Format | Closed-book, computer-assisted multiple choice; four choices per question |
| Calculator | A calculator is provided for questions that require computation |
| Where | PSI testing locations |
| Passing score | The needed percentage is provided at the test site; CSLB does not state one fixed percentage in the public guide |
| After a failed exam | Wait 21 calendar days before paying and rescheduling |
CSLB says trade examinations are multiple choice and that applicants are told at the test site what percentage of correct answers is needed to pass. This lets us explain the A format and blueprint without inventing a question count or passing score. (CSLB studying for the examination).
The eight A exam topic areas
The current A guide is marked for examinations scheduled on or after February 1, 2025. Its percentages are approximate, so use them to allocate study time, not to predict the exact number of questions.
| Topic | Approx. share | What CSLB lists |
|---|---|---|
| Planning and Estimating | 15% | Plans and specifications, code compliance, job-site evaluation, coordination, and estimating material, equipment, and labor costs. |
| Structural Principles | 6% | Structures, seismic requirements, and basic engineering. |
| Earthwork and Surveying | 15% | Site surveying and preparation, soil conditions, compaction, and expansion. |
| Subsurface, Surface, and Above-Ground Piping Work | 21% | Excavation support, erosion, tunneling, drilling, boring, pipelines, system testing, and dry utilities. |
| Foundation and Concrete Construction | 11% | Forms and falsework, concrete placement and finishing, pilings, and foundations. |
| Buildings, Structures, and Related Work | 9% | Mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems, demolition, disposal, and recycling. |
| Roadwork and Paving | 5% | Bases for highways, roads, and parking lots. |
| Safety | 18% | Personnel and job-site safety, PPE, and hazardous-material safety. |
How to study the A blueprint
Planning and estimating
Pair plans, specifications, code compliance, site evaluation, coordination, and cost estimating in one drill. Take a project description and identify the work, the site questions, the people who must coordinate, and the cost inputs before you calculate.
Structural principles
This is a smaller approximate section, but do not skip it. Review basic engineering, structural behavior, and seismic requirements. The goal is to explain why a construction choice works, not to memorize disconnected terms.
Earthwork and surveying
Practice the chain from measurement to preparation to soil behavior. Include compaction and expansion in your notes. When a problem includes a quantity, write the units first and check whether the answer should be square feet, cubic feet, or cubic yards.
Piping work
This is the largest approximate section. Study shoring and sloping, erosion, tunneling, drilling, boring, pipelines, system connections and testing, and dry utilities. Use a site sequence: protect the excavation, install the system, connect it, test it, and document the result.
Foundations and concrete
Review forms, falsework, placement, finishing, pilings, and foundations as a sequence. Ask what failure the construction step prevents. That question turns a list of terms into a field decision.
Buildings and related work
Refresh the mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems that connect to a larger fixed-work project. Include demolition, disposal, and recycling so the section does not become only an installation review.
Roadwork and paving
Study the base beneath highways, roads, and parking lots. Draw a small cross-section from memory and label the layers you are studying. Then explain what the base must accomplish before surfacing.
Safety
Safety is a meaningful approximate section. Include personnel protection, PPE, hazardous materials, and job-site controls in every practice block rather than leaving them for the last night.
A worked example
A rectangular excavation is 10 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 0.5 feet deep. Approximately how many cubic yards of material does it contain?
- A. 1.85 cubic yards
- B. 3.70 cubic yards
- C. 5.00 cubic yards
- D. 10.00 cubic yards
Correct answer: B. 3.70 cubic yards. The volume is 10 × 20 × 0.5 = 100 cubic feet. Divide by 27 cubic feet per cubic yard: 100 ÷ 27 is about 3.70. This is an original practice question, not a CSLB exam question.
How to practice without guessing at the score
Use a three-pass loop:
- Read the official CSLB guide and mark each of the eight sections you can explain without looking.
- Use Peerless General Engineering (A) Study Guide Book to study the weak topics and write the unit or field reason behind each calculation.
- Use General Engineering A Online Practice Exam under timed, closed-book conditions. Review every missed answer and repeat the loop until practice results are consistently 85% or better.
The public guide is a map, not a promise about the exact test form. Your goal is flexible recall across the eight sections, careful reading of four choices, and enough calculation practice that units stay visible under pressure.
FAQ
How many questions are on the A exam?
The current A study guide does not publish a fixed question count. Prepare from the eight public topic areas and the exam format rather than trusting an unverified number.
What is the passing score for the A exam?
CSLB says the test site tells applicants the percentage of correct answers needed to pass each examination. The public A guide does not state one fixed percentage, so this article leaves it unguessed.
How long is the A exam?
CSLB gives 3.5 hours for each examination. Read all four choices, use the provided calculator when needed, and reserve time to check marked questions.
Can I use reference materials during the A exam?
No. The A guide calls the examination closed book. Study the concepts, calculations, and safety decisions until you can apply them without a code book.
How should I use the approximate topic percentages?
Use them to plan emphasis across the eight sections and then adjust that plan with practice results. The percentages are approximate blueprint guidance, not a fixed question count for your examination.
Sources
- CSLB: A General Engineering Study Guide
- CSLB: Examination Study Guides
- CSLB: Studying for the Examination
- CSLB: My Original Exam Application Was Accepted
Peerless Institute has helped Californians prepare for CSLB exams since 1953. Use Peerless General Engineering (A) Study Guide Book to learn the A topics, then use the General Engineering A Online Practice Exam to practice with instant grading until you are consistently at 85% or better.