FE Exam

Steps to Take When You Pass the FE Exam

February 8, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article, (and video above), I explain all the steps you need to take right after you pass your NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering exam to make the most of your achievement.

Here Is What You Will Need to do After Passing the FE Exam:

You will need to send your transcript to the state board where you want certification, and then wait to receive your EIT certificate in the mail. Here are some things we recommend you do once you receive your EIT certificate.
Place these credentials after your name wherever you can. For example, add EIT after your name on your LinkedIn profile. This is important because it shows potential employers that you are on track to receive your engineering license.
While it may be too early to start studying for the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam, it’s not too early to create an experience log and keep it up to date between now and when you take the PE exam, logging all of your experience. This is critically important, because when you go to apply for the PE exam, they will ask for a list of all of your experience which will include the projects and tasks that you worked on and which professional engineers you worked under. These professional engineers will need to sign the application for you. Too many engineers wait to try to prepare this list when they are applying for the exam and they forget all of the details of what projects they worked on.
Last but now least, you must gain engineering work experience as soon as possible. Get out there in the field and start working as soon as you can to build up your experience which will help you to be able to sit for the PE exam sooner in most states.

How Soon Can You Take the PE Exam After Passing the FE Exam?

FE Exam Prep: Ethics

January 11, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article (and video above), I solve an ethics question similar to one you might encounter during the FE Exam in the FE and Professional Practice category.

Question:

Why may it be difficult to apply codes of ethics to real-world situations?

(A) The codes are too idealized for real-world situations.
(B) Since few people follow such codes, doing so would put one at a great disadvantage.
(C) Corporations are profit oriented, and frown upon anything that may affect their bottom line.
(D) Sections of the code are vague or conflict with other sections.

Solution:

[Read more…] about FE Exam Prep: Ethics

FE Mathematics Exam Prep Question

December 28, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article (and video above), I solve a FE mathematics exam prep question similar to one you might encounter during the FE Exam, to give you a better understanding of what you can expect during the exam. These types of questions and answers will help you prepare for your FE Exam and help you get a better understanding of what to expect during the exam.

I also provide tips for how to visualize questions like this and how to to find the right equations in the reference handbook, which is critical to exam success.

Question:

Which of the following expressions is equal to the angle between two planes whose normals are given by V1 and V2?

Solution:

FE Exam Mechanical Practice Question: Continuity Equation

December 14, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article, (and video above), I solve a continuity equation question similar to one you might encounter on the mechanical section of the FE Exam.

Question:

Which of the statements is true concerning the following continuity equation?

FE Civil Exam Practice Problem (Spring Constant)

November 30, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this video (and article above), I solve a spring constant question similar to one you might encounter on the civil section of the FE Exam.

Question:

A long metal rod can be used as a very stiff spring. The deformation of a rod is given by the following expression:

Engineering Ethics Problem Question

November 17, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article, (and video above), I solve an engineering ethics problem that you may encounter as part of the Ethics and Professional Practice section of the FE Exam.

Question:

An Engineer-In-Training (EIT), is asked to review and stamp a set of civil engineering drawings by his or her supervisor. The EIT is working under a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) and has met the state requirements to obtain licensure. The EIT may seal the contract documents if :

(A) He or She has been given permission by their supervisor who is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE).

(B) He or She has a PhD in the area of Civil Engineering.

(D) He or She is a Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) and is competent in the area of Civil Engineering.

Solution:

What’s the BEST Calculator for the FE Exam?

November 2, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

To prevent unauthorized transcription and distribution of the exam questions, calculators with communicating and text editing capabilities have been banned by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (aka NCEES). You may love the reverse Polish notation of your HP calculator; however, you’ll have to get used to one of the calculators NCEES has approved.

You should start using one of these approved calculators at the beginning of your study preparation, so that you are familiar enough with it by the time of the exam. Please note that the list of approved calculators is reviewed annually. All of the articles we pulled information from for this post are listed at the bottom of this article.

The following calculator models are the only ones acceptable for use during the 2021 exams, as of the publication of this video:

Engineering Practice Quiz: Environmental Engineering & Water Resources

October 19, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article (And video above), I solve a problem related to the surface water system hydrologic budget that falls under the environmental engineering & water resources section of the FE exam, similar to what you may encounter during the exam.

Question:

A 7-acre surface area pond is located within a 520-acre watershed. Assume that the infiltration and the seepage are negligible. There is no plant biota around the pond. The watershed received 3.20 in of rainfall for the last 30-day month. The pond elevation at the beginning of the month is 520.5 ft with respect to mean sea level (MSL). By the end of the 30-day month, the pond had risen to 522.2 ft, MSL. Average stream flows into and out the pond during the month are 0.522 cfs and 0.22 cfs respectively. The amount of evaporation (in) of water that take place from the surface of the pond during the month is most nearly:

7.10
16.2
13.6
1.44

Solution:

Engineering Practice Quiz: Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics – Fluid Dynamics

October 5, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article (and video above), I solve a fluid dynamics question that would fall under the water resources and hydrology section of the FE exam, similar to what you may encounter during the exam.

Question:

A 500 mm circular pipe carries a flow of 0.28 m3/s of water under a pressure of 0.34 cm, mercury (Hg). If the pipe is laid at an elevation of 9.3 m above a reference datum, then the total head (m) with respect to the reference datum is most nearly:

9.45 m
9.37 m
9.66 m
9.71 m

Solution:

FE Exam Review: Surface Water Resources and Hydrology – Runoff Calculations

September 21, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article (and video above), I solve a new surface water resources and hydrology question by calculating the runoff volume, similar to what you may encounter on the FE exam.

Question:

A 53-acre watershed (curve number = 79) receives 122 mm of precipitation. The runoff volume (ac-ft) is most nearly:

4.11
11.62
18.15
4,615