The RBQ 1.5 subclass - Contractor - Civil engineering structures - authorizes its holder to act as the designated person (répondant) for construction work on civil engineering structures in Québec. Anyone who assumes legal responsibility for this work under a contractor's licence issued by the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) must pass this exam. It is a demanding, generalist civil-engineering licence that spans bridges, dams and power plants alike. Prof-RBQ.ca prepares you for it fully in English.
This subclass authorizes construction work involving civil engineering structures in reinforced concrete, steel or other materials, as well as works related to electricity generation. In concrete terms, it covers bridges, viaducts, interchanges and pedestrian walkways; retaining walls, dikes, reservoirs and railway structures; dams and power plants (hydraulic, thermal, wind, solar, nuclear, geothermal, tidal); the electrical substations located inside a power plant and cogeneration plants. When they concern a targeted civil engineering structure, it also encompasses the work of subclasses 3.1 (concrete structures), 4.1 (masonry), 5.1 (steel structures and prefabricated elements) and 6.1 (wood framing), and it allows the holder to have executed the underwater work of subclass 1.6.
The RBQ 1.5 exam is closed-book: no document is provided on site - only a calculator, a ruler, paper and a pencil. The documents below are the material to study and memorize before the exam. That is why Prof-RBQ.ca emphasizes understanding and structured memorization rather than lookup.
Soil classification and the management of contaminated soils; shallow and deep foundations and soil reinforcement; temporary works; concrete types, formwork, reinforcement and pouring; aggregates, fills and asphalt mixes; and structure types (concrete, masonry, steel, wood, composite).
Retaining structures, bridges and viaducts, and the full range of electricity-generation works - dams, power plants, wind, solar, nuclear, electrical substations and cogeneration - as well as the exact scope of the 1.5 licence.
The Building Act and qualification, the Civil Code and the Criminal Code, the Professional Engineers Act and Act R-20, the Environment Quality Act and its regulations, the road and railway acts, and the structural requirements, WHMIS and concrete pumps.
Sustainable development and design; start-up, permits and planning; quality assurance and quality control; site layout, preparation and protection; and coordination, procurement and execution management.
Material concepts and properties; the base disciplines (geotechnics, strength of materials, statics, stability); the load-calculation rules and transfer mechanisms; bracing; and the execution of structural work and heavy-load lifting.
Reading and interpreting the plans and specifications of civil engineering structures; quantity take-off and estimating (with its calculations); and managing health and safety prevention specific to civil engineering work.
A retaining structure resists water pressure in three ways: by its mass (gravity dam), by its shape (arch dam, which transfers the thrust onto the abutments) or by a large mass of material with a watertight core (embankment or rockfill dam). The exam expects you to link the dam type to the foundation ground and the valley, and to distinguish a high-capacity structure governed by the Dam Safety Act.
In a hydraulic power plant, water descends through the penstock, turns a turbine (Francis, Kaplan, Pelton or propeller depending on the head) that drives an alternator; the step-up substation then raises the voltage for transmission. Knowing how to match the turbine to its head and to distinguish a reservoir plant from a run-of-river plant is an exam classic.
A structure conducts loads from the point of application down to the foundation and the ground along a continuous load path. Vertical loads travel down through the beams, columns and foundations; lateral loads (wind, earthquake) are resisted by bracing. Identifying the critical elements and locations of load transfer is a directly assessed skill.
A shallow foundation (footing, raft) bears on good soil near the surface; a deep foundation (piles, drilled shafts) transfers the load down to a firm layer; soil reinforcement improves the soil in place. The choice depends on the bearing capacity revealed by the geotechnical report - a reading the exam requires.
A bridge consists of a deck carried by girders, resting on abutments at the ends and intermediate piers, with bearings and foundations. The 1.5 contractor builds the structure; the sizing is the engineer's responsibility under the CSA S6 standard. Knowing the vocabulary and the structural systems (girder, arch, cable-stayed, suspension) is essential.
The quantity take-off (metré) translates the structure into quantities: excavation and concrete volumes, soil swell of excavated ground to estimate hauling, and conversion of an aggregate volume into tonnes using the density. Forgetting the soil swell or getting the units wrong is a point loss the exam targets - Prof-RBQ.ca drills it with worked numerical calculations.
Work through the material in the order of the exam: first build the terminology, the materials and the types of works, lock in the legal and regulatory framework, understand the execution phases and the strength of materials, practise reading real plans and specifications, then master the quantity take-off and its calculations. Because the exam is closed-book, structured memorization is decisive: nothing will be provided on site. The 27 lessons, the 242-question bank, the visual quiz and the flashcards of Prof-RBQ.ca follow exactly this progression.
Prof-RBQ.ca is built by tying each lesson and each question to the RBQ's official competency profile and by anchoring the content to the exact clauses of the CSA S6 standard, the Structures Design Manual, the CCDG and the Québec laws cited by their official title. Nothing is generic: the calculations, the types of works and the references to the legal framework are the ones the exam truly demands. It is the complete English preparation set for the RBQ 1.5.
The RBQ 1.5 subclass - Contractor - Civil engineering structures - authorizes construction work on civil engineering structures in reinforced concrete, steel or other materials, as well as electricity-generation works: bridges and viaducts, retaining walls, dams and power plants, electrical substations and cogeneration plants. When they concern a targeted civil engineering structure, it also encompasses the work of subclasses 3.1, 4.1, 5.1 and 6.1, and it allows the holder to have executed the underwater work of subclass 1.6. Prof-RBQ.ca ties its 27 lessons directly to the RBQ competency profile for this subclass.
The RBQ 1.5 qualification exam lasts 3 hours and is multiple choice. Prof-RBQ.ca builds your speed and accuracy with a 242-question bank and a 12-question demo so you are comfortable within the allotted time.
The pass mark is 60%. The exam is multiple choice. The 242-question bank and the 12-question demo from Prof-RBQ.ca are designed to push you well beyond that threshold before exam day.
It is closed-book: no document is provided at the exam, only a calculator, a ruler, paper and a pencil. All the content - definitions, legal framework, execution rules and quantity take-off calculations - must be studied and memorized. Prof-RBQ.ca is designed for this reality: the lessons emphasize understanding and memorization rather than looking up a code.
Yes. The 1.5 authorizes works related to electricity generation: dams and hydraulic power plants, thermal, nuclear, wind, solar, geothermal and tidal plants, generating sets and gas turbines, electrical substations located inside a power plant and cogeneration plants. Prof-RBQ.ca devotes several lessons to these works, anchored to the documentation of Hydro-Québec, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and the Dam Safety Act.
On the technical side: the CSA S6 standard (Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code), the Structures Design Manual, the General conditions and standard specifications (CCDG) and the volumes of the Standards - Road works from the Ministère des Transports. On the legal side: the Building Act (B-1.1), the Civil Code of Québec, the Criminal Code (s. 217.1), the Professional Engineers Act (I-9), Act R-20, the Environment Quality Act (Q-2) and its regulations, the Dam Safety Act (S-3.1.01), the Act respecting the Ministère des Transports (M-28), the Roads Act (V-9), the Railways Act (C-14.1) and the Safety Code for the construction industry (S-2.1, r. 4). Prof-RBQ.ca cites each one by its official title.
Expect quantity take-off calculations: excavation and backfill volumes, soil swell of excavated ground and number of truck trips, aggregate tonnage from the density, concrete volume and quantities of bituminous mix. Prof-RBQ.ca includes a fully worked quantity take-off lesson and calculation questions in the bank and the demo.
Yes. The RBQ offers this exam in English or French. Prof-RBQ.ca provides a complete English version - 27 lessons, a 242-question bank, a visual quiz and flashcards - aligned with the official titles of the Québec standards and laws.
Work in the order of the exam: first build the terminology, the materials and the types of works, master the legal and regulatory framework, understand the execution phases and the strength of materials, practise reading plans and specifications, then master the quantity take-off and its calculations. Because the exam is closed-book, structured memorization is decisive. Prof-RBQ.ca structures its 27 lessons, its 242-question bank, its visual quiz and its flashcards exactly in this order.