Engineering Professional Examination — Chemical Engineering

Sample Chemical Engineering practice questions

Try these 12 questions from different topics. Open "Show answer" to check yourself and read the explanation.

1. Question 1 · Process Safety & Hazard Analysis

   Before a significant change is made to a highly hazardous chemical process, what safety action is essential?

   1. A.Evaluate the hazards and manage the change before start-up
   2. B.Wait for an incident before reviewing hazards
   3. C.Update records only after several years
   4. D.Rely solely on personal protective equipment
   Show answer

   Answer: A. Evaluate the hazards and manage the change before start-up

   Process safety requires systematic hazard evaluation, documented change control and pre-start-up readiness.

2. Question 2 · Material & Energy Balances

   For a continuous process at steady state with no reaction or accumulation, how are total mass inflow and outflow related?

   1. A.Outflow must always be zero
   2. B.Total mass inflow equals total mass outflow
   3. C.Inflow must be twice the outflow
   4. D.Mass balance does not apply
   Show answer

   Answer: B. Total mass inflow equals total mass outflow

   At steady state without reaction or accumulation, conservation of mass requires total input to equal total output.

3. Question 3 · Exposure Control & Professional Duty

   Which control is generally preferred for a toxic process stream when it is feasible?

   1. A.Provide PPE as the only control
   2. B.Post a warning after exposure occurs
   3. C.Eliminate the hazardous material or substitute a safer one
   4. D.Rotate workers without changing the hazard
   Show answer

   Answer: C. Eliminate the hazardous material or substitute a safer one

   Elimination and substitution act at the source and rank above administrative controls and PPE.

4. Question 4 · Process Control & Instrumentation

   In a PID controller, the integral action mainly:

   1. A.Anticipates future error from the rate of change
   2. B.Increases noise
   3. C.Eliminates steady-state offset
   4. D.Turns the controller off
   Show answer

   Answer: C. Eliminates steady-state offset

   Proportional-only control leaves an offset.

5. Question 5 · Petroleum, Gas & Ghana Process Industries

   Ghana's Jubilee oil field began production in:

   1. A.1998
   2. B.2017
   3. C.2022
   4. D.2010
   Show answer

   Answer: D. 2010

   It was discovered in 2007 offshore Western Region.

6. Question 6 · Ethics, Competence & Public Safety

   The paramount duty of a professional engineer is to:

   1. A.Hold public safety, health and welfare paramount
   2. B.Maximise profit for the employer on every project
   3. C.Complete projects as quickly as possible
   4. D.Please the client at any cost
   Show answer

   Answer: A. Hold public safety, health and welfare paramount

   Public safety overrides commercial pressure.

7. Question 7 · Occupational Health & Safety

   In the hierarchy of controls, the most effective measure is:

   1. A.Personal protective equipment for every worker
   2. B.Administrative controls such as signs
   3. C.Training only
   4. D.Elimination of the hazard
   Show answer

   Answer: D. Elimination of the hazard

   Order: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, PPE.

8. Question 8 · Risk & Project Controls

   The four common responses to a negative project risk are avoid, transfer, mitigate and:

   1. A.Ignore it completely and hope it never happens
   2. B.Celebrate
   3. C.Accept
   4. D.Duplicate
   Show answer

   Answer: C. Accept

   Transfer includes insurance and contract allocation.

9. Question 9 · Engineering Economics

   The net present value of a project is:

   1. A.The total of all undiscounted cash inflows
   2. B.Discounted inflows minus discounted outflows
   3. C.Profit after tax in year one
   4. D.The payback period
   Show answer

   Answer: B. Discounted inflows minus discounted outflows

   A positive NPV adds value at the chosen discount rate.

10. Question 10 · Professional Review & Quality

    The PDCA cycle for continuous improvement stands for:

    1. A.Prepare, Design, Construct, Approve
    2. B.Price, Deliver, Collect, Audit
    3. C.Project, Document, Commission, Archive
    4. D.Plan, Do, Check, Act
    Show answer

    Answer: D. Plan, Do, Check, Act

    It is associated with W. Edwards Deming.

11. Question 11 · Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics

    The first law of thermodynamics for a closed system is expressed as:

    1. A.ΔS = Q ÷ T for any process
    2. B.PV = nRT
    3. C.ΔU = Q − W
    4. D.ΔG = ΔH − TΔS only
    Show answer

    Answer: C. ΔU = Q − W

    Energy is conserved.

12. Question 12 · Fluid Mechanics & Heat Transfer

    The Reynolds number for water (ρ = 1,000 kg/m³, μ = 0.001 Pa·s) flowing at 1 m/s in a 0.05 m pipe is:

    1. A.500
    2. B.5,000
    3. C.5,000,000
    4. D.50,000
    Show answer

    Answer: D. 50,000

    Re = ρvD/μ; flow is turbulent.