Seismic Design Review

In order to be licensed as a Civil engineer in the State of California, applicants must take and pass all of the following:

1. NCEES Principles & Practice of Engineering (PE) Examination – computer-based test (CBT) format, 80 questions, multiple-choice, 8 hours in length

2. California P.E. State Laws & Board Rules Exam (Take Home Exam)

3. Civil Engineering Surveying (CES) Principles Exam – computer-based test (CBT) format, 55 questions, multiple choice, 2.5 hours in length

4. Civil Seismic Principles (CSP) Exam – computer-based test (CBT) format, 55 questions, multiple choice, 2.5 hours in length

Exams do not have to be passed concurrently; they may be passed separately. Applicants licensed as a Civil PE in another State may apply for comity, and typically are only required to take and pass the CA Special Civil Engineer exams (i.e., CES and CSP exams), and the Take Home exam.

On 7/10/2026, BPELSG posted on their homepage that they will begin testing on the 2025 CBC & ASCE 7-22 in 2027 (i.e., January 1, 2027).

Because BPELSG does not allow you to take the CSP exam in the same quarter that you pay for the exam in BPELSG Connect, we recommend that you take the CSP exam NO LATER than August 31, 2026. You will receive the exam results in mid-September and "IF" you did not pass, you will be able to pay for the re-take in BPELSG Connect by the end of September which will allow you to re-take the CSP exam in 2026-Q4 (i.e., October, November, or December).

Besides the SDR Workbook and SDR Practice Exams, it is recommended that participants also have access to ASCE 7-16 - Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures; ASCE 7-16 - Supplements 1, 2 & 3; and either the 2021 International Building Code (IBC) or the 2022 California Building Code (CBC) - Volume 2.

Yes, BUT be aware that some questions on the CSP exam may refer to 2022 CBC sections, tables or figures. These are essentially identical to the very same sections, tables and figures found in the 2021 IBC, BUT they DO NOT necessarily share the same page numbers. The advantage to using the 2021 IBC is that it is simpler (i.e., one volume instead of two volumes) and it is nearly half the cost of the 2022 CBC.

You can certainly attempt to pass the CSP exam using the previous SDR Workbook. But if you do not pass the exam, you should consider purchasing the new SDR Workbook. Also, do not use the previous SDR Workbook with the 2024 SDR Live Webinars or 2024 SDR On-Demand Webinars since the material will not match up.