[Professional Engineer, Construction Division] Secondary Examination Study Methods | How to Proceed with Self-Study and Learning Roadmap

Recommended for people like this

• Those who are taking the Professional Engineer Construction Division secondary examination through self-study but cannot decide where to start

• Those who are reading reference books from page one but do not feel like they can write an answer

• Those who are unsure about the order in which to prepare for Compulsory Subject I and Elective Subjects II-1/II-2/III

• Those who want to know how to overcome the disadvantage of self-study without anyone to correct their work

What you will learn in this article

• The reason why descriptive exams are determined by the two pillars of "structure" and "content," and how to build them up

• The order of preparation for self-study that avoids waste, based on the characteristics of each subject

• A 4-step learning roadmap for self-study, from grasping trends to full answers and corrections

The Professional Engineer Secondary Examination for the Construction Division is centered on descriptive questions, and success or failure is determined more by "how to construct an answer" and "the content that serves as the basis for the argument" than by the amount of specialized knowledge. That is precisely why self-study that involves reading reference books from the first page tends to be a roundabout way.

This page is an introductory article that organizes the order for mastering Compulsory Subject I and Elective Subjects II-1/II-2/III through self-study as a learning roadmap. Each point will be linked to the corresponding article on the site.

The Construction Division is the largest examination division in the Professional Engineer Secondary Examination, and the recent pass rate is around 10% based on examinees, making it a difficult exam that generally passes one in ten people (Source: The Institution of Professional Engineers, Japan, Professional Engineer Secondary Examination Statistics).

Even so, because the questions are repeated from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's priority measures and white papers, the direction of preparation can be sufficiently narrowed down even through self-study.

The two pillars of secondary examination study methods are "structure" and "content"

Descriptive exam preparation is ultimately made up of two axes.

One is "structure." This is how to assemble an answer by breaking down the question, specifying perspectives, narrowing down the points, and fitting it into the specified character count. The other is "content." This refers to materials such as white papers, priority measures, and standards that serve as the basis for issues and solutions.

Neither one alone will result in a passing answer. Without structure, knowledge will spin its wheels, and without content, it will end in abstract theory. In self-study, the shortcut is to consciously separate and build up these two pillars.

How to create the structure is covered in detail in How to Write Secondary Examination Essays, and the overall picture of the content is covered in Compulsory Subject I Frequently Appearing Themes.

Characteristics of each subject and order of preparation

The Construction Division consists of Compulsory Subject I and Elective Subjects II-1, II-2, and III. Since the skills required for each differ, you should prepare in an organized manner rather than blindly.

The characteristics of each subject are summarized as follows:

• Compulsory Subject I (1,800 characters, 3 answer sheets) tests task execution ability. It is common to all examinees, and questions are sourced from white papers and priority policies.

• Elective Subject II-1 (600 characters, 1 sheet) tests professional knowledge. It asks for the ability to concisely explain the basics of your chosen subject.

• Elective Subject II-2 (2 sheets) tests application ability. It is the ability to demonstrate the procedures for planning and executing work.

• Elective Subject III (3 sheets) tests problem-solving ability. It asks for the ability to solve issues in your specialized field from multiple perspectives.

The recommended order for self-study is to first build a foundation with Elective Subject II-1 (professional knowledge), while simultaneously working on the structure for Compulsory Subject I. The professional knowledge solidified in II-1 can be repurposed as the basis for II-2 and III, as well as for concrete examples in Compulsory Subject I.

You can avoid redundant study by focusing on the application ability of II-2 and the problem-solving ability of III only after II-1 is solidified.

The first thing you must do is decide on one elective subject. The Construction Division has 11 elective subjects, such as Roads, River and Sabo, Urban Planning, Railways, Tunnels, and Construction Planning; if your subject is not fixed, your past exam practice and material gathering will be scattered.

Using the professional knowledge of II-1 as an axis, you will expand into the structure of Compulsory I, the procedures of II-2, and the solutions for III.

Learning Roadmap (4 Steps for Self-Study)

You will not get lost if you follow these 4 steps for your annual self-study plan.

1. Trend Analysis — Read the most recent years of your chosen subject and Compulsory Subject I to grasp the question structure and how they are asked.

2. Material Gathering — Organize arguments by theme, such as disaster prevention and national resilience, securing human resources and improving productivity, carbon neutrality, and infrastructure aging and maintenance.

3. Drafting Outlines — Mass-produce outlines for past exam questions following the structure of 'Issue Extraction -> Solution -> Risk -> Ethics/Sustainability'.

4. Full Answers and Correction — Write full answers while timing yourself, and fill in the gaps with third-party corrections.

If you skip the outline stage and write full answers immediately, you will not notice logical flaws. Solidify the structure with outlines before proceeding to the final draft.

Furthermore, Compulsory Subject I of the Construction Division repeatedly uses a 4-question structure: 'Multi-faceted issue extraction -> Solution for the most important issue -> New risks and countermeasures -> Engineer ethics and social sustainability.' If you internalize this structure, you will not be confused by the framework of your answer even if the year changes.

The organization of macro themes by year for Compulsory Subject I is summarized in Compulsory Subject I Frequently Asked Themes, and the impact of the FY2026 competency revision is summarized in FY2026 Competency Revision.

How to use past exam questions and organize keywords

Use past exam questions not to 'solve' them, but to 'extract the pattern.' By breaking down the questions and writing out the perspectives from which you established the issues, you will begin to see question patterns that repeat across different years.

For example, in the 2025 Compulsory Subject I, questions were asked about 'Sustainable Construction Industry (Regional Guardians and Bearers)' and the '5th Social Infrastructure Development Priority Plan,' both of which were extensions of priority policy measures.

In parallel, if you organize keywords from white papers and priority measures into a single sheet linked to 'Issues,' 'Solutions,' and 'Effects/Risks,' it will be easier to draw out arguments during the actual exam. You can check the themes for each year in the article on frequently appearing themes for Compulsory Subject I.

Correction and Time Management are the Turning Points of Self-Study

The biggest weakness of self-study is the inability to objectively evaluate your own answers. Even if you progress on your own through the patterns, material, and outlines, at the full-answer stage, you should incorporate a process of having a third party review your work to check if you are 'answering the question' and if the 'logic is consistent.'

Time management is also often neglected in self-study. Measure the speed of writing a 600-character answer sheet in about 20 minutes from the outline stage to internalize the pace.

This is where the client's perspective makes a difference. The operator of this site, as a former civil engineering official (client) for a local government, was engaged in construction ordering, supervision, and cost estimation review, and passed the Construction Division exam in three subjects: roads, rivers, and urban planning.

If you can incorporate one point into your answer that candidates on the contractor side often overlook—such as resident relations, legal compliance, comprehensive coordination, cost estimation review, or administrative coordination—the description of solutions and risks will gain depth.

Passing through self-study is fully possible. The key is to separate and build up the process: patterns, material, outlines, full answers, and corrections. The shortest route is to switch from self-study that involves reading through reference books to self-study that works backward from past exam questions.

To Learn More Deeply

In this article, I have organized the methods and order for self-study. From here on, the best shortcut to actually writing out Compulsory Subject I is to read model answers for past exam questions.

This is a collection of model answers that includes everything from question breakdown to full model answers for Compulsory Subject I from 2021 to 2025 and predicted questions for 2026.

You can re-experience year by year how to incorporate points based on the client's perspective, and the consistent framework from issue extraction to solutions, risks, and ethics.

After building up 'patterns' and 'material' through self-study, proceeding to the step of comparing your own answers with model answers can significantly reduce the handicap of self-study without a correction partner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can I pass the Professional Engineer Construction Division secondary examination through self-study?

A. It is possible to pass through self-study. The secondary examination is a written test, and it is determined by two pillars: 'the pattern of the answer that addresses the question' and 'material from white papers and priority measures,' rather than the amount of memorization.

The weakness of self-study is that you cannot objectively evaluate your own answers, so if you grasp the patterns through past questions, write outlines and full answers, and create a flow of filling in the gaps through third-party corrections, you can minimize the handicap of self-study.

Q. Where should I start studying?

A. First, decide on one elective subject you wish to take, read the past exam questions for the most recent year for both Compulsory Subject I and your elective subject, and start by grasping the question structure and how the questions are asked.

The compulsory subject I for the Construction Division follows a recurring four-question structure: 'identifying multifaceted issues -> solutions for the most critical issue -> new risks and countermeasures -> professional ethics and social sustainability'.

Once you have internalized the format, proceed to gather material on specific themes such as disaster prevention, securing human resources, and carbon neutrality.

Q. Which should I prioritize, compulsory subject I or the elective subjects?

A. Given the weighting and versatility, it is most efficient to first solidify your foundation with elective subject II-1 (specialized knowledge) while simultaneously working on the structure for compulsory subject I.

Since compulsory subject I is common to all examinees and is sourced from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's priority policies and white papers, you can directly apply the concrete examples gained from your specialized elective studies as evidence.

It is most efficient to begin full-scale preparation for the application ability required in II-2 and the problem-solving ability required in III only after your knowledge for II-1 is firmly established.

Q. What is the pass rate for the Construction Division's second stage examination?

A. In recent years, the pass rate for the Construction Division has been around 10% of examinees, meaning roughly one in ten people pass (Source: The Institution of Professional Engineers, Japan, Professional Engineer Second Stage Examination Statistics).

The Construction Division is the largest category in the Professional Engineer examination and is highly competitive, but because the exam themes are repeated from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's priority policies, the direction of your preparation can be narrowed down.

You can view a list of other articles and model answers by subject for the Construction Division from the 'Construction Division Table of Contents'.