The California Seismic Principles (CSP) examination is one of the most technically demanding licensure tests in structural engineering — open-book, yet unforgiving of candidates who haven't internalized the logic behind ASCE 7-16 and the 2022 CBC. Most candidates underestimate it. They assume proximity to daily practice is enough. It isn't.

The CSP tests seven distinct domains, from mapped hazard parameters and site classification to nonbuilding structure design forces, seismic detailing across every material type, and construction quality control. If you're covering those domains with scattered notes and a stack of code books and nothing else, you're preparing to be surprised.

This guide was built to close that gap.

California Seismic Principles Exam Prep delivers 12 focused learning chapters and 2,100 practice questions across 21 full-length simulation exams — each one domain-weighted to the 2022 CSP Test Plan and formatted exactly like the actual 55-question open-book CBT administered by BPELSG through PSI Services. You practice the way the exam actually works.

• 12 learning chapters covering all seven CSP domains: seismic hazard and site response, ELF base shear and period, vertical force distribution, diaphragm behavior, nonbuilding structures and components, seismic analysis procedures, and detailing requirements for concrete, steel, masonry, and wood
• 2,000+ practice questions with full answer explanations — not just the right answer, but the code provision and the reasoning behind it
• 21 full-length simulation exams built to the 2022 CSP Test Plan domain weightings — the same proportions BPELSG uses for the scored exam
• Open-book format practice using ASCE 7-16, 2022 CBC, ACI 318, AISC 341, TMS 402, and SDPWS — so you build the reference navigation skills the actual exam demands
• Full Answer Explanations for every question, reinforcing the underlying principles rather than isolated facts
• Online Exam Simulator — additional exams hosted digitally via QR code for practice beyond the printed volume

Whether you're sitting for the CSP for the first time or returning after a previous attempt, the path to the PE license runs through this exam. Put the right preparation behind you.

Get your copy and start building the exam-day confidence that only serious practice delivers.