CALIFORNIA CERTIFIED ENGINEERING
GEOLOGIST (CEG) EXAM 2026/2027
TEST BANK: 300 REAL EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT VERIFIED
ANSWERS & RATIONALES | ALREADY
GRADED A+ | INSTANT DOWNLOAD
PDF
Which law governs geologist licensing in California?
A) CEQA
B) Professional Engineers Act
C) Geologist and Geophysicist Act
D) California Environmental Law
Answer C. The Geologist and Geophysicist Act regulates the licensing of professional
geologists and geophysicists in California.
What is the primary purpose of the Certified Engineering Geologist (CEG)
license?
A) Allow engineers to perform geology
B) Certify expertise in geotechnical engineering
C) Demonstrate advanced practice in applied geology for engineering works
D) Qualify for federal contracts
Answer C. The CEG credential identifies geologists who specialize in engineering
applications, certifying advanced competency in applied geology.
What is the minimum education requirement for the CEG exam?
A) High school diploma
B) Associate degree
C) Bachelor's degree in geology
,D) Master's degree in engineering geology
Answer C. A bachelor's degree in geology is required, along with work experience.
Under the Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act, a fault is considered
'active' if it has experienced surface displacement within which timeframe?
A) The last 100 years of recorded history
B) The Pleistocene epoch (last 2.6 million years)
C) The Holocene epoch (approximately the last 11,000 years)
D) The last 500,000 years
Answer C. The Alquist-Priolo Act defines an active fault as one that has ruptured the
ground surface within Holocene time, roughly the last 11,000 years. This definition was
established by the California Geological Survey and governs which faults trigger
regulatory fault zones.
What event most directly prompted the California Legislature to pass the
Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act in 1972?
A) The 1906 San Francisco earthquake
B) The 1971 San Fernando (Sylmar) earthquake
C) The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
D) The 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake
Answer B. The 1971 San Fernando earthquake (M6.6) produced extensive surface fault
rupture that destroyed structures built directly across the trace, motivating the 1972
Alquist-Priolo Act. The Act's primary goal is to prevent construction of habitable
structures astride active fault traces.
The standard structural setback distance from an active fault trace generally
applied under the Alquist-Priolo Act, absent site-specific data, is approximately:
A) 10 feet
B) 200 feet
C) 500 feet
D) 50 feet
Answer D. In the absence of more detailed fault-location data, a setback of
approximately 50 feet from a well-defined active fault trace is the generally applied
,minimum for structures for human occupancy. Site-specific investigation may justify a
different distance.
The Seismic Hazards Mapping Act of 1990 was enacted primarily in response to
which earthquake?
A) The 1971 San Fernando earthquake
B) The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
C) The 1994 Northridge earthquake
D) The 1933 Long Beach earthquake
Answer B. The Seismic Hazards Mapping Act was passed in 1990 following the 1989
Loma Prieta (M6.9) earthquake, which caused widespread liquefaction and ground-
failure damage. The Act addresses non-surface-rupture hazards such as liquefaction
and earthquake-induced landslides.
Which two ground-failure hazards are the primary focus of the California
Seismic Hazards Mapping Act's Zones of Required Investigation?
A) Surface fault rupture and tsunami inundation
B) Liquefaction and earthquake-induced landslides
C) Volcanic ashfall and subsidence
D) Expansive soils and karst collapse
Answer B. The Seismic Hazards Mapping Act directs the California Geological Survey to
map zones where liquefaction and earthquake-induced (seismically triggered)
landslides are likely. Within these Zones of Required Investigation, site-specific
geotechnical study is required before development.
The San Andreas Fault represents the boundary between which two tectonic
plates?
A) The Juan de Fuca Plate and the North American Plate
B) The Pacific Plate and the Cocos Plate
C) The Pacific Plate and the North American Plate
D) The Farallon Plate and the Pacific Plate
Answer C. The San Andreas Fault is a continental transform fault that forms the
boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate.
, A CEG evaluates a slope underlain by interbedded sandstone and claystone. The
claystone beds dip out of the slope at 20°, and a persistent joint set strikes
parallel to the slope face and dips 60° into the slope. Which type of slope
failure is most likely to control stability?
A) Wedge failure on intersecting joints
B) Planar failure along the claystone bedding
C) Circular failure through the rock mass
D) Toppling failure of sandstone blocks
Answer B. The claystone bedding planes dip out of the slope at a shallow angle,
creating a potential plane of weakness for planar sliding. While the joint set dips into
the slope and does not daylight, planar failure along claystone is the kinematically
feasible mode. Wedge failure requires two intersecting discontinuities that daylight;
toppling would require steeply dipping planes into the slope, not out of it.
According to the California Building Code, a geotechnical investigation for a
structure assigned to Seismic Design Category D must include an evaluation of:
A) Liquefaction potential and lateral spreading
B) Wind-borne debris impact
C) Snow load drifting
D) Thermal expansion of concrete
Answer A. In high seismic design categories, the code mandates assessment of
liquefaction, lateral spreading, and other seismic hazards. Wind debris and snow loads
are structural considerations but not the primary focus of the geotechnical seismic
evaluation. Thermal expansion is a material design issue.
A standard penetration test (SPT) sampler driven in a dense sand yields 50
blows for the second 6-inch increment and 55 blows for the third. What N-
value should be recorded?
A) 50
B) 105
C) 105 (refusal)
D) 55
Answer B. SPT N-value is the sum of blows for the last two 6-inch increments (6 to 18
GEOLOGIST (CEG) EXAM 2026/2027
TEST BANK: 300 REAL EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT VERIFIED
ANSWERS & RATIONALES | ALREADY
GRADED A+ | INSTANT DOWNLOAD
Which law governs geologist licensing in California?
A) CEQA
B) Professional Engineers Act
C) Geologist and Geophysicist Act
D) California Environmental Law
Answer C. The Geologist and Geophysicist Act regulates the licensing of professional
geologists and geophysicists in California.
What is the primary purpose of the Certified Engineering Geologist (CEG)
license?
A) Allow engineers to perform geology
B) Certify expertise in geotechnical engineering
C) Demonstrate advanced practice in applied geology for engineering works
D) Qualify for federal contracts
Answer C. The CEG credential identifies geologists who specialize in engineering
applications, certifying advanced competency in applied geology.
What is the minimum education requirement for the CEG exam?
A) High school diploma
B) Associate degree
C) Bachelor's degree in geology
,D) Master's degree in engineering geology
Answer C. A bachelor's degree in geology is required, along with work experience.
Under the Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act, a fault is considered
'active' if it has experienced surface displacement within which timeframe?
A) The last 100 years of recorded history
B) The Pleistocene epoch (last 2.6 million years)
C) The Holocene epoch (approximately the last 11,000 years)
D) The last 500,000 years
Answer C. The Alquist-Priolo Act defines an active fault as one that has ruptured the
ground surface within Holocene time, roughly the last 11,000 years. This definition was
established by the California Geological Survey and governs which faults trigger
regulatory fault zones.
What event most directly prompted the California Legislature to pass the
Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act in 1972?
A) The 1906 San Francisco earthquake
B) The 1971 San Fernando (Sylmar) earthquake
C) The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
D) The 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake
Answer B. The 1971 San Fernando earthquake (M6.6) produced extensive surface fault
rupture that destroyed structures built directly across the trace, motivating the 1972
Alquist-Priolo Act. The Act's primary goal is to prevent construction of habitable
structures astride active fault traces.
The standard structural setback distance from an active fault trace generally
applied under the Alquist-Priolo Act, absent site-specific data, is approximately:
A) 10 feet
B) 200 feet
C) 500 feet
D) 50 feet
Answer D. In the absence of more detailed fault-location data, a setback of
approximately 50 feet from a well-defined active fault trace is the generally applied
,minimum for structures for human occupancy. Site-specific investigation may justify a
different distance.
The Seismic Hazards Mapping Act of 1990 was enacted primarily in response to
which earthquake?
A) The 1971 San Fernando earthquake
B) The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
C) The 1994 Northridge earthquake
D) The 1933 Long Beach earthquake
Answer B. The Seismic Hazards Mapping Act was passed in 1990 following the 1989
Loma Prieta (M6.9) earthquake, which caused widespread liquefaction and ground-
failure damage. The Act addresses non-surface-rupture hazards such as liquefaction
and earthquake-induced landslides.
Which two ground-failure hazards are the primary focus of the California
Seismic Hazards Mapping Act's Zones of Required Investigation?
A) Surface fault rupture and tsunami inundation
B) Liquefaction and earthquake-induced landslides
C) Volcanic ashfall and subsidence
D) Expansive soils and karst collapse
Answer B. The Seismic Hazards Mapping Act directs the California Geological Survey to
map zones where liquefaction and earthquake-induced (seismically triggered)
landslides are likely. Within these Zones of Required Investigation, site-specific
geotechnical study is required before development.
The San Andreas Fault represents the boundary between which two tectonic
plates?
A) The Juan de Fuca Plate and the North American Plate
B) The Pacific Plate and the Cocos Plate
C) The Pacific Plate and the North American Plate
D) The Farallon Plate and the Pacific Plate
Answer C. The San Andreas Fault is a continental transform fault that forms the
boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate.
, A CEG evaluates a slope underlain by interbedded sandstone and claystone. The
claystone beds dip out of the slope at 20°, and a persistent joint set strikes
parallel to the slope face and dips 60° into the slope. Which type of slope
failure is most likely to control stability?
A) Wedge failure on intersecting joints
B) Planar failure along the claystone bedding
C) Circular failure through the rock mass
D) Toppling failure of sandstone blocks
Answer B. The claystone bedding planes dip out of the slope at a shallow angle,
creating a potential plane of weakness for planar sliding. While the joint set dips into
the slope and does not daylight, planar failure along claystone is the kinematically
feasible mode. Wedge failure requires two intersecting discontinuities that daylight;
toppling would require steeply dipping planes into the slope, not out of it.
According to the California Building Code, a geotechnical investigation for a
structure assigned to Seismic Design Category D must include an evaluation of:
A) Liquefaction potential and lateral spreading
B) Wind-borne debris impact
C) Snow load drifting
D) Thermal expansion of concrete
Answer A. In high seismic design categories, the code mandates assessment of
liquefaction, lateral spreading, and other seismic hazards. Wind debris and snow loads
are structural considerations but not the primary focus of the geotechnical seismic
evaluation. Thermal expansion is a material design issue.
A standard penetration test (SPT) sampler driven in a dense sand yields 50
blows for the second 6-inch increment and 55 blows for the third. What N-
value should be recorded?
A) 50
B) 105
C) 105 (refusal)
D) 55
Answer B. SPT N-value is the sum of blows for the last two 6-inch increments (6 to 18
