Establishment of the complete text of 22 articles, promulgated on July 6, 2015 as per Examination Yuan Kao-Tai-Zu-(1)-Yi-Zi Order No. 10400006191.

Deletions of Articles 20 and 21, replacement of Article 20 with Article 22, promulgated on March 24, 2017 as per Examination Yuan Kao-Tai-Zu-(1)-Yi-Zi Order No. 10600015091.

Amendment promulgated on October 1, 2019 as per Examination Yuan Kao-Tai-Zu-(1)-Yi-Zi Order No. 10800024521.

The text of these Regulations is as follows:

Article 1

These Regulations are established as per Article 11, Paragraph 1 of the Professional and Technical Personnel Examinations Act.

Article 2

Senior Professional and Technical Examination for Geotechnical Engineers (hereinafter “the Examination”) is administered in two stages.

Article 3

The Examination is administered annually and may be held at other times when necessary.

Article 4

Those who are disqualified from practicing as engineers according to the Professional Engineers Act or who are ineligible to take national examinations according to other laws and regulations may not take the Examination.

Article 5

R.O.C. citizens who meet any of the following eligibility requirements may take the stage one exam:

1.Having graduated from a division, department, institute, or degree program in civil engineering or construction at a public or a registered private junior college or above of the Republic of China or at a foreign junior college or above recognized by the R.O.C. Ministry of Education.

2.Having graduated from a public or a registered private junior college or above of the Republic of China or a foreign junior college or above recognized by the R.O.C. Ministry of Education and having completed courses related to geotechnology as listed in Appendix 1 with documents proving the study.

3.Having passed a Qualifying Examination for Senior Examination of a relevant category.

Article 6

R. O. C. citizens who meet any of the following eligibility requirements may apply for a partial exemption from stage one exam:

1.Holding an equivalent certificate issued by a foreign government agency that is recognized by the Ministry of Examination (MOEX) with documents proving the eligibility.

2.Are eligible as per Article 5, Subparagraphs 1 or 2 and having worked in the field of geotechnical engineering for at least 15 years with documents proving the service.

Applications for exam exemptions as per the preceding paragraph should be submitted through the online registration system for national examinations and documents proving the eligibility should also be submitted as listed in Appendix 2. A review procedure will be implemented to determine if the exemption should be granted.

Candidates who are granted an exemption from stage one exam as per Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 2 may sit for stage two exam without the need to present documents proving professional experience.

Article 7

Candidates meeting the following requirements may sit for stage two exam:

1.Having passed stage one exam or been granted an exemption from stage one exam.

2.Having worked in a full-time position related to geotechnical engineering for more than two years and meeting the practical work requirements listed in Appendix 4 with documents issued by the MOEX, Taiwan Geotechnical Society, Taiwan Professional Geotechnical Engineers Association, or any other professional entities recognized by the MOEX proving the practical work experience.

The seniority of the practical work experience in the preceding subparagraph 2 is calculated until the time the candidate is qualified for stage one exam.

Article 8

The practical work experience in Article 7, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 2 refers to the experience being coached by qualified engineers in geotechnical engineering, civil engineering, hydraulic engineering, structure engineering, soil and water conservation, applied geology or mining engineering technology at the business entity where the candidate is employed. However, no coaching is allowed during the time when the qualified engineer is suspended from practice.

If the business entity where the candidate is employed is unable to assign a qualified engineer as a coach, the direct supervisor of the candidate may act as the coach and the candidate’s seniority of practical work experience should therefore be calculated as 50% of his/her length of service with the business entity.

The period of service on the job without certification from the coach will not be counted as seniority of practical work experience.

If the coach is the candidate himself/herself, his/her spouse or ex-spouse, or blood relatives within the fourth degree, or in-laws or ex-in-laws within the third degree, the candidate’s length of service with the business entity will not be counted as seniority of practical work experience.

Article 9

The Examination is administered in written format.

Stage one exam subjects include:

1.Mechanics of materials.

2.Engineering material and soil mechanics.

3.Reinforced concrete.

4.Plane surveying and construction management.

Stage two exam subjects include:

1.Soil mechanics and soil dynamics (including earthquake engineering).

2.Foundation works and design.

3.Engineering geology and site investigation.

4.Rock mechanics, tunnel driving & slope area engineering (including soil and water conservation).

Exam subject format and session durations:

1.Subjects in stage one exam are tested in both essay and multi-question formats. Duration 2 hours.

2.Subjects in stage two are all tested in the essay question format. Soil mechanics and soil dynamics (including earthquake engineering) and engineering geology and site investigation: 3 hours each. Foundation works and design and Rock mechanics, tunnel driving & slope area engineering (including soil and water conservation): 4 hours each.

Subject weightings:

1.Stage one exam:

(1)Mechanics of materials: 20%

(2)engineering material and soil mechanics: 30%

(3)Reinforced concrete: 30%

(4)Plane surveying and construction management: 20%

2.Stage two exam: Scores are calculated as the average of all subjects tested.

Article 10

The passing score for stage one exam is 60 points across all exam subjects. However, in situations where the number of exam takers with a score higher than 60 points is less than the top 33% of all examinees that do not miss any exam session, the number of passing examinees should be the top 33% of examinees who receive an average score of no less than 50 points with no grade of zero on any exam subject.

The passing score for stage two exam is 60 points across all exam subjects. However, in situations where the number of exam takers with a score higher than 60 points is less than the top 50% of all examinees that do not miss any exam session, the number of passing examinees should be the top 50% of examinees who receive an average score of no less than 50 points with no grade of zero on any exam subject.

Exam takers who receive a grade of zero on any exam subject will not pass. Absence from an exam session will result in a grade of zero for that subject.

The number of passing examinees should be rounded to the nearest whole number.

Article 11

Foreign candidates who meet eligibility requirements set out in Article 5, Subparagraphs 1 or 2 may take the Examination and may apply for the stage one exam exemption in accordance with Article 6.

Article 12

A review committee will be designated by the MOEX for the review of stage one exam exemption applications. The results of the review will be approved by the MOEX and submitted to the Examination Yuan for record.

Candidates who are granted the exemption from stage one exam will receive a document from the MOEX proving the eligibility.

Article 13

Foreign candidates with a professional certificate issued by their nations and who are recognized by the professional competent authority of the R.O.C. on the reciprocal basis may apply for an exemption from stage one and a partial exemption from stage two exam.

Exam subject for foreign candidates who have been granted an exemption is foundation works and design; the exam method may include the written exam, the oral exam, educational and professional experience review or other appropriate methods based on the concept of reciprocity.

In situation where questions of the test subjects are originally in Chinese, English version should be provided and the candidates may choose to answer in Chinese or English.

Article 14

Candidates passing stage one exam will receive a qualification document from the MOEX. The list of candidates passing stage two exam will be submitted by the MOEX to the Examination Yuan for the issuance of qualification certificates and sent to competent authorities by writing for reference.

Article 15

These Regulations shall come into effect upon promulgation.

In case of any discrepancy between the English version and the Chinese version, the latter shall prevail.