Iran Nezam Civil Design Exam

It is aimed at civil engineering graduates who want a professional design licence and the right to take design responsibility for building works. Structural designers and engineers moving into consultancy roles are the typical candidates. Requirements for eligibility are set by the official licensing body, so confirm your degree and experience status on its website before registering.

The exam is multiple choice. Questions are applied rather than purely theoretical, with a large share requiring calculation, code lookup or interpretation of design provisions. Expect a mix of conceptual questions and numerical problems across structural analysis, concrete, steel, geotechnical, seismic, materials, management, regulations, surveying and building services.

The number of questions and the time allowed are set by the official licensing body and can change between administrations. Rather than relying on second-hand figures, check the current announcement on the official body's website. Practise under timed conditions using the published format so your pacing matches the real sitting.

The passing threshold is determined by the official licensing body and is not fixed permanently. Consult its current regulations or the exam announcement for the applicable criterion. Do not plan your preparation around a rumoured percentage; aim to be comfortably accurate across every domain, including the lower-weight ones that are easy to neglect.

It is a serious professional exam. The difficulty comes less from obscure theory than from applying code provisions correctly and quickly under time pressure. Candidates who know the codes but have not practised calculations often run out of time. Those who work through design examples and past-style problems until the procedures are automatic tend to find it manageable.

Retake rules, waiting periods and any limits on attempts are set by the official licensing body and may be revised. Check its website for the current policy before you register. In practice, most candidates who fail do so on a small number of weak domains, so a retake plan should target those domains specifically rather than repeating general revision.

Start with structural analysis, then reinforced concrete and steel design, since these carry the most weight and share foundational concepts. Add geotechnical and seismic design next, then materials, management and regulations, and finish with surveying and building services. Cover the low-weight domains too; they are often the cheapest marks to secure.

Slow calculation, unfamiliarity with code clause locations, misreading units, and neglecting low-weight domains are the usual culprits. Another frequent problem is studying theory without solving problems. Build a habit of working full design examples end to end, checking units at each step, and reviewing errors rather than just reading solutions.

Base your preparation on the current editions of the Iranian national building regulations and the relevant design codes, since exam questions are framed around them. Supplement these with textbooks and worked examples for structural analysis and design. Always confirm which code editions the official body currently references, as superseded editions can mislead you on details.

No. This is independent study material prepared for candidates and is not endorsed by or connected to the licensing authority. For registration, eligibility, fees, dates and results, use the official body's website. Use this page only as a guide to what the exam covers and how to prepare for it.