
Inside the Seismic and Survey Exams to Get Licensed in California With Taylor Austin
From The Civil Engineering Academy Podcast by Isaac Oakeson
March 13, 2026 · 30 min · Episode 329
About this episode
Taylor Austin shares her experience preparing for the California Seismic and Survey exams after passing the PE Exam.
If you want to practice in California, the journey isn’t quite over after you pass the PE Exam. 😅 There are two extra tiny little things standing between you and the PE license in the Golden State. 👇 In this episode, Taylor Austin jumps back on the show, but now to talk about her experience tackling these California-specific hurdles — the Seismic and Surveying Principles exam. After passing the Water Resources PE Exam with our review course, she had to face these two exams to advance her career in California. The problem? Her background is environmental engineering with no in-depth structural engineering training…which made the seismic portion a whole new ball game. 😯 In our chat, she spills the beans on everything you can expect when prepping for and taking the CA exams. From the top-notch study resources to use and prep time you should give yourself…all the way to what the exam experience is like (and how it differs from the PE!) If you’re planning to get licensed in California — or even thinking about it down the road — this episode breaks down the nuts and bolts of the process with helpful, real-world tips from someone who’s walked the walk. 👍 Go give it a listen to see…
People in this episode
Host: Isaac Oakeson
Guest: Taylor Austin
Topics covered
- California licensing
- Seismic exam
- Surveying exam
- Environmental engineering
- Exam preparation
- Professional engineering
Keywords
- California
- Seismic exam
- Surveying exam
- PE license
- exam preparation
- environmental engineering
- study resources
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: PE Exam, Water Resources PE Exam, CA Seismic & Survey Exams
Places: California
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