40 Practice MCQs — NEC Civil License Exam

All questions below are original — written for this page, not copied from any source. Each tests one concept from the official syllabus. Answer key at the end.

A. Basic Civil Engineering (Q1–4)

1. As per IS 269, the initial setting time of ordinary Portland cement shall not be less than:

a) 10 minutes

b) 30 minutes

c) 60 minutes

d) 600 minutes

2. Bulking of sand is at its maximum when the moisture content is approximately:

a) 1–2%

b) 4–6%

c) 12–15%

d) 20–25%

3. The water absorption of a first-class brick, as a percentage of its dry weight, should not exceed:

a) 10%

b) 15%

c) 20%

d) 25%

4. A damp-proof course (DPC) in a load-bearing masonry building is generally provided at:

a) plinth level

b) sill level

c) lintel level

d) roof level

B. Soil Mechanics & Foundations (Q5–10)

5. A soil sample has a void ratio of 0.25. Its porosity is:

a) 15%

b) 20%

c) 25%

d) 30%

6. For a normally consolidated cohesionless soil with φ = 30°, Jaky’s coefficient of earth pressure at rest (K₀) is:

a) 0.33

b) 0.50

c) 0.67

d) 1.00

7. The quicksand condition develops in a cohesionless soil when the upward hydraulic gradient:

a) becomes zero

b) equals the critical hydraulic gradient

c) exceeds 2.0

d) acts downward

8. In Terzaghi’s bearing capacity equation, the bearing capacity factors Nc, Nq and Nγ are functions of:

a) cohesion only

b) the angle of internal friction φ only

c) both cohesion and φ

d) the depth of foundation only

9. The liquid limit of a soil is determined in the laboratory using:

a) the Casagrande apparatus

b) a pycnometer

c) the Proctor mould

d) a constant-head permeameter

10. For a purely cohesive soil (φ = 0), Terzaghi’s bearing capacity factor Nc is:

a) 3.14

b) 5.14

c) 5.7

d) 9.0

C. Hydraulics & Water Resources (Q11–15)

11. Water flows through a pipe at a certain discharge. If the pipe diameter is halved, the flow velocity becomes:

a) half

b) double

c) four times

d) eight times

12. Bernoulli’s equation is essentially a statement of the conservation of:

a) mass

b) momentum

c) energy

d) discharge

13. The major (friction) head loss in a pipe is computed using the:

a) Chezy formula

b) Darcy–Weisbach equation

c) Manning formula

d) Hazen–Williams formula only for minor losses

14. A hydraulic jump occurs when the flow changes from:

a) subcritical to supercritical

b) supercritical to subcritical

c) laminar to turbulent

d) uniform to gradually varied

15. The most economical rectangular channel section is the one in which:

a) depth equals the width

b) depth equals half the width

c) depth equals twice the width

d) depth equals one-fourth the width

D. Structural Mechanics (Q16–21)

16. At the point of contraflexure in a beam, the bending moment is:

a) maximum

b) zero

c) minimum

d) equal to the shear force

17. For a column with both ends pinned, the effective length in Euler’s formula is:

a) 0.5L

b) 1.0L

c) 2.0L

d) 0.7L

18. In the moment distribution method, the carry-over moment to a fixed far end of a prismatic member is:

a) zero

b) one-half of the distributed moment

c) equal to the distributed moment

d) twice the distributed moment

19. A propped cantilever beam is statically indeterminate to the:

a) first degree

b) second degree

c) third degree

d) fourth degree

20. The absolute (point) stiffness of a prismatic member with the far end fixed is:

a) EI/L

b) 2EI/L

c) 3EI/L

d) 4EI/L

21. The maximum ordinate of the influence line for bending moment at the midspan of a simply supported beam of span L is:

a) L/2

b) L/4

c) L/8

d) L

E. Design of Structures (Q22–27)

22. In the limit state method, the partial safety factor applied to concrete is:

a) 1.15

b) 1.50

c) 2.00

d) 3.00

23. As per IS 456, the minimum grade of concrete for reinforced concrete work is:

a) M10

b) M15

c) M20

d) M25

24. The maximum area of tensile reinforcement in an RCC beam is limited to:

a) 2% of the gross cross-section

b) 4% of the gross cross-section

c) 6% of the gross cross-section

d) 0.8% of the gross cross-section

25. As per IS 800, the maximum slenderness ratio for a steel member carrying compressive loads from dead and imposed loads is:

a) 180

b) 250

c) 350

d) 400

26. The minimum clear cover to main reinforcement in an RCC column is:

a) 20 mm

b) 25 mm

c) 40 mm

d) 50 mm

27. The development length of a reinforcing bar primarily depends on:

a) the bar diameter and the design bond stress

b) the span of the beam

c) the type of coarse aggregate

d) the water–cement ratio

F. Water Supply, Sanitation & Environment (Q28–30)

28. The standard BOD test is carried out at:

a) 20°C for 5 days

b) 25°C for 3 days

c) 37°C for 5 days

d) 20°C for 3 days

29. In chlorination, the point beyond which free residual chlorine begins to appear is called the:

a) saturation point

b) breakpoint

c) coagulation point

d) filtration point

30. The detention period usually adopted in the design of a septic tank is:

a) 2–4 hours

b) 6–8 hours

c) 12–36 hours

d) 48–72 hours

G. Irrigation & Drainage (Q31–32)

31. The correct relationship between duty D (ha/cumec), base period B (days) and delta Δ (m) is:

a) D = 8.64B/Δ

b) D = 8.64Δ/B

c) Δ = 8.64D/B

d) B = 8.64DΔ

32. Khosla’s theory is used in the design of:

a) lined canals

b) weirs founded on permeable soils

c) gravity dams

d) spillway gates

H. Hydropower (Q33–34)

33. A Pelton turbine is best suited for:

a) high head and low discharge

b) low head and high discharge

c) medium head and medium discharge

d) tidal power plants

34. The specific speed of a Francis turbine generally lies in the range:

a) 10–35

b) 60–300

c) 300–1000

d) above 1000

I. Transportation (Q35–37)

35. Super-elevation on a horizontal highway curve is provided mainly to counteract:

a) centrifugal force

b) braking force

c) pavement friction loss

d) vehicle overloading

36. Stopping sight distance on a highway primarily depends on:

a) vehicle speed and tyre–pavement friction

b) traffic volume

c) pavement thickness

d) the grade of bitumen used

37. The California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test is used to evaluate:

a) the crushing strength of aggregates

b) the strength of the subgrade soil for pavement design

c) the penetration grade of bitumen

d) the workability of concrete

J. Project Planning & Management (Q38–40)

38. In CPM scheduling, the critical path is the:

a) shortest path through the network

b) longest path through the network

c) path with the lowest cost

d) path with the most activities

39. A project is considered economically viable when its Net Present Value (NPV) is:

a) zero

b) negative

c) positive

d) equal to the IRR

40. In PERT, the expected time of an activity is given by:

a) (to + tm + tp) / 3

b) (to + 4tm + tp) / 6

c) (to + tp) / 2

d) tm

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Answer Key

Q	Ans	Q	Ans	Q	Ans	Q	Ans
1	b	11	c	21	b	31	a
2	b	12	c	22	b	32	b
3	c	13	b	23	c	33	a
4	a	14	b	24	b	34	b
5	b	15	b	25	a	35	a
6	b	16	b	26	c	36	a
7	b	17	b	27	a	37	b
8	b	18	b	28	a	38	b
9	a	19	a	29	b	39	c
10	c	20	d	30	c	40	b

Worked notes (for the numerics)

• Q5: n = e/(1+e) = 0.25/1.25 = 0.20 → 20%.
• Q6: K₀ = 1 − sin φ = 1 − sin 30° = 1 − 0.5 = 0.50.
• Q11: Q = AV; halving D quarters A, so V must quadruple.

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Prepared for eve-construction.com. Always verify against the latest official NEC notice before your exam date. Questions are original; code figures follow IS 456 / IS 800 / IS 269 conventions commonly referenced in NEC prep material.