Plans Reading

Overview

The Plans Reading competition challenges the Student Chapter’s ability to read and interpret various sets of engineering and construction plans.

Points will be awarded for each correct answer (all questions will be weighted equally unless otherwise noted), and the placement of the competing teams will be based on the highest number of correct answers received in the shortest amount of time. This ability shall be demonstrated during a timed test in which the team attempts to correctly answer as many questions as possible.

Competition Teams

Each Student Chapter will be allowed one student to complete in the Plans Reading competition. All members must be current undergraduate students enrolled in the civil engineering program at their respective university.

Resources

Each team will be allowed to bring the following items into the competition room:  

• Up to three (3) competing team members   (1) student member per chapter (updated 11/29/2022)
• Engineering scale  
• Up to two (2) calculators
• Stop watch or other timing device. Note: the judges will maintain the official timing for the competition.  
• Paper and pencils will be provided. All paper, including calculations, drawings, sketches, etc. must be turned in at the end of the competition. Correct calculations are not required to support answers provided.  
• Cell phones will not be allowed into the competition room.  
• Laptops, tablets, netbooks, etc. will not be allowed into the competition room.  

Timing

A maximum time of one (1) hour will be allowed to complete the competition. Time will begin as stated by the judges and will end based on the official judges’ time. Any work that is observed to continue after the team has been advised to stop work will result in a deduction of points. No partial points will be given for incomplete solutions or answers. 

Scoring

Teams’ scores will be based on a combination of time completed and number of questions answered correctly. Scores will first be ranked by the highest number of correct answers and then by the shortest amount of time. 

Example:

• School “A” gets 19 out of 20 questions complete in 30 minutes
• School “B” gets 18 out of 20 questions complete in 30 minutes  
• School “C” gets 19 out of 20 questions complete in 45 minutes  
• School “A” would be first followed by School “C” and then School “B”. 

Additional Details

• Questions are in the form of “fill in the blank.”  
• When units are specified for the answer format, answers in other units will be considered incorrect.  
• Unless otherwise specified, numerical answers should be stated in whole numbers (no decimal points).  
• All answers should be rounded up to the nearest whole number.  
• Answers that are, in the opinion of the judges, illegible will not be counted. Neatness counts! 

Competition FAQ