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PE Exam

What Kind of Experience Qualifies for Qualifying Engineering Experience?

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In this article, (and video above), I respond to a question from one of our listeners about what qualifies as qualifying engineering experience for the PE exam.

Here is the Question:

“What kind of experience qualifies for work experience for being able to take the PE. Would surveying natural and built assets quality as work experience? Just curious how long I should expect to wait before being able to do my PE?”

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PE Environmental vs. PE Civil Water Resources and Environmental

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If you are considering a career in environmental engineering, and you want to pursue your professional engineering license, you may be stuck deciding which professional engineering exam to take.  You could take the PE Civil Exam with a Water Resources and Environmental depth option or you could take the PE Environmental. The National Council of Examiners and Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) offers both.

So how will you decide? Firstly, consider looking at the specifications of each exam, as below:

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How Can You Work Abroad as An Engineer? Global Engineering License Requirements

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In this article, (and video above), I respond to a question from one of our subscribers about whether or not the United States Professional Engineering License can be transferred and used in different countries and vice versa. 

Here is the Question:

“Can you do a video on international reciprocity, and how the us PE license compares and contrasts with engineering licenses from other countries. And for those who are not us residents and wish to take the PE exam and still work in their home countries, how would that work?”

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NCEES PE Exams Are Moving to CBT – This Is When & How It Affects You

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This week’s PE exam article (and video above) is in response to many questions we have received from engineers about when their specific FE or PE exam will be going to the computer-based testing (or CBT) format. 

What are the Benefits of CBT Exams?

The CBT format offers many benefits, such as enhanced security for exam content and more uniformity in testing conditions. For most exams, it also provides greater scheduling flexibility. All CBT exams are offered at approved Pearson VUE test centers and reasonable accommodations are available for examinees who meet certain eligibility criteria and sufficiently document their request.

Some CBT exams are administered year-round. NCEES constructs these exams using a linear-on-the-fly (also known as LOFT) algorithm. This means that all examinees for a particular exam are required to answer the same number of questions in the same topics; however, no examinees will have the same set of questions. The algorithm will assemble a unique exam within the same specification framework (for example, the same number of questions per topic area) and the same relative level of difficulty.

Other CBT exams that have a smaller examinee population use a different high-stakes testing model and are administered on a single day each year. All examinees taking these exams receive the same questions. The question formats used on both types of exams are the same, independent of the statistical model employed.

Let’s take a look at the CBT Schedule:

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Should I Take the PE or FE Exam?

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In this week’s Pass the PE Exam article (and video above), I answer a question I get often from engineering students and recent graduates that ask: “Should I take the PE or FE exam?”

If you are an engineering student and this is something you have been wondering about, then this video is for you. Remember that right now, at this very point in history, you control the direction of your career more than ever. So it’s important to make the right decisions today, and I hope this video will help you do just that! 

Let’s Define the Two Different Exams:

The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam

This exam is designed for recent engineering graduates and students who are close to finishing an undergraduate engineering degree from an EAC (or Engineering Accreditation Commission )/ABET (or Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology)-accredited program. The FE exam is a computer-based exam administered year-round at NCEES-approved Pearson VUE test centers. It includes 110-questions and the exam appointment time is six hours long with about five hours and twenty minutes of that time being actual exam time. If you take and pass the FE exam, you have the choice after roughly four years of progressive experience as an Engineer-in-Training (EIT) to take the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam (PE exam)

The PE Exam or The Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam

This exam is the examination required for one to become a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in the United States, and is the second exam required, coming after the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, created and scored by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). As a general rule, a professional engineer who has number one an approved four-year engineering degree, number 2 – four years of qualifying engineering experience, and number 3 who successfully completes (3) the eight-hour Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination can take the  PE exam.  That being said, you should confirm these items with your local state education board as some states do vary on these experience and timeline requirements.  You can register for the exam through the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) website at NCEES.org. 

Here Are Some of the Advantages of Having an EIT Certificate:

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Does It Matter Which Civil PE Exam I Take?

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In this article (and video above), I answer a question from one of our listeners who asks whether or not he needs to choose a specialty for the Civil PE Exam. 

So, Does It Matter Which Civil PE Exam You Take?

Yes! You are indeed required to choose between one of the five depth exams to take. The PE Civil exam is broken up into two sections: the breadth and the depth. The breadth portion is held in the morning and is the same for every examinee, and the depth portion is held in the afternoon and is structured around areas of specialty, one of which each examinee must select. 

The five depths are construction, geotechnical, structural, transportation, and water resources and environmental. 

If you are struggling to decide which depth to sign up for, consider looking into the pass rates, potential job responsibilities, and average salaries for each of the five depth options to help you with your decision. 

Here Are the 5 Depth Exam Options:

1. PE Civil: Construction 

  • For the June 2021 exam, the pass rates for the construction depth exam were 53% for first-time takers and 26% for repeat takers 
  • Duties for professionals in this discipline could include residential and commercial site planning and designing and managing infrastructure 
  • The Average Annual Pay (AAP) for a civil engineer in this discipline is approximately $91,370 US dollars

2. PE Civil: Geotechnical 

  • For the June 2021 exam, the pass rates for the geotechnical depth exam were 66% for first-time takers and 48% for repeat takers 
  • Duties for geotechnical engineers could include monitoring worksite conditions, foundation design, and earthwork 
  • The Average Annual Pay (AAP) for a geotechnical engineer is approximately $94,240 US dollars

3. PE Civil: Structural 

  • For the June 2021 exam exam, the pass rates for the structural depth exam were 56% for first-time takers and 35% for repeat takers 
  • Duties for structural engineers could include designing and managing buildings or bridges. 
  • The Average Annual Pay (AAP) for a structural engineer is approximately $84,770 US Dollars

Please note that the PE Civil: Structural depth exam is NOT the same exam as the SE Exam.

4. PE Civil: Transportation 

  • For the June 2021 exam, the pass rates for the transportation depth exam were 70% for first-time takers and 51% for repeat takers 
  • Duties for transportation engineers could include planning urban transportation, designing roadways, and operating transportation facilities 
  • The Average Annual Pay (AAP) for a transportation engineer is $84,770 US Dollars

5. PE Civil: Water Resources & Environmental 

  • For the June 2021 exam, the pass rates for the water resources and environmental depth exam were 67% for first-time takers and 44% for repeat takers 
  • Duties for an engineer in water resources or the environmental field could include designing and managing human water equipment and implementing air pollution, radiation, and recycling control 
  • The Average Annual Pay (AAP) for an engineer in water resources or environmental is approximately $86,800 US Dollars

Reference: Information for the pass rates and average salaries in this video were taken from NCEES and School of PE, which we will include the links of, below this video. 

Another great way to determine which depth you should take is to check out NCEES’ PE Civil exam specifications that we will link to in the comments of this video. The exam specifications outline the topics that will be covered on each depth exam.

Also, check out the video we did called: What’s The Hardest PE Exam? where we talk about the difficulty level of the different PE Exams.

I hope you found this article helpful. In upcoming articles, I will solve some more PE exam practice problems and answer other questions from our subscribers. Pass the PE Exam videos will publish weekly, so be sure to click the subscribe button so you don’t miss something that could make a substantial difference in your exam result.

Lastly, I encourage you to ask questions in the comments of this video, or on this page and I’ll read and respond to them in future videos. So, if there’s a specific topic you want me to cover or answer, we have you covered.

I’ll see you next week… on Pass the PE Exam

Anthony Fasano, P.E.
Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success

What to Expect on PE Exam Day (2021)

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In this article (and video above), I talk to Connor Adamsick, PE, a bridge engineer at HDR in Denver Colorado who recently took the Civil Structural PE Exam in April and passed the exam. Connor was previously seen on one of our videos called “How To Pass The Civil PE Exam In 2021“, where he provided some very specific study prep tips, and in this video he takes us through the actual exam process, describing in detail how it works from start to finish so you can get a full sense of what to expect on the actual PE exam day.

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Connor:

  • How did you feel the night before the exam, and what advice would you give listeners for their approach to the night before the exam?
  • How did you feel the morning of the exam? Did you arrive early and were you feeling nervous? 
  • How was the exam environment?
  • How was the morning breadth portion of the exam?
  • What did you do during that lunch break to mentally prepare for the afternoon portion of the exam? 
  • Was the afternoon portion of the exam more difficult, as I have heard people say it includes more “in-depth” questions?
  • How long did you have to wait to get your exam results?
  • What final advice or tips would you like to give listeners out there to prepare themselves for PE exam day?

Here Are the Key Points Discussed in the Episode:

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Strategies to Pass the PE Exam in 3 Months

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In this week’s Pass the PE Exam article, I talk to a professional engineer, J’Que C. Jones, PE who is also the author of Pass The PE Exam In 3 Months: Strategies & Mindset For The Non-Test Taker. J’Que will discuss the strategies and mindset you need to be able to achieve that same success and pass the PE Exam yourself!

Here Are 8 Tips That Can Help You to Pass the PE Exam in 3 Months:

J’Que wrote the book, “Pass The PE Exam In 3 Months: Strategies & Mindset For The Non-Test Taker” so that people who are not “test takers” have a resource to help them pass the PE exam. He also wants to encourage diverse groups of people to believe that they too can pass the PE exam as he did.

1. Know Your Reasons for Becoming a PE

You must be sure and clear of your motivating reasons why you won’t become a PE. It is not easy and you must put in a lot of time and effort into your preparations to become a PE.

2. Select the Appropriate Test for You

Be sure that the test you are taking is correct for you. Do not select a test because of what people are telling you, or because people you know selected a certain test. When selecting your test, look at your previous education, training, and work experiences, to see which test will work the best for you. Look at the exam specifications, the number of questions in different disciplines, and your knowledge of the questions, and conclude which exam will have the flattest learning curve possible for you. Do not select the test based on things you want to learn more about. Stick to what you already know.

3. Create a Study Plan

Having a study plan is crucial to ensure that you allow yourself adequate time to prepare. It helps you to lay out some structure and keep yourself accountable. Ensure that you have paid your preparation dues in advance. No plan equals failure. You will not be able to cover all the topics needed to write the exam which will cause you to miss questions.

4. Form Winning Habits

Human beings are creatures of habit and most of what we do daily is devoted to habits. Habits are extremely powerful and it takes 21 days to create or break habits. You have to control your habits and decide which habits you are going to feed. A winning habit is a habit that will help you to achieve the desired result. You must cut back on the non-winning habits, and try to create or adopt many winning habits when you are preparing for the exam.

5. Build Your Speed

You have approximately 6 minutes to answer a question on the test. Work on improving your speed by using repetition and practicing. Only allow yourself 6 minutes to answer each question or to solve a problem. Doing this will give you a better chance of passing because you will be able to answer all the questions in time. Also. when it comes to building speed, you must have an in-depth knowledge of the subject. There are many questions in the exam that you can answer quickly if you have a good understanding of the subject.

6. Learn From the Experiences of Others

Approach your studies with a razor-sharp focus and embrace any advantage that you can gain. Ask other engineers specific questions about how they prepared for the exam, what their experiences were, if they passed on the first try, what they did differently during the times they did not pass, and so on. Learn from the answers you get and incorporate them into your studying approach. You can either be smart or wise. A smart person makes mistakes, recognizes his mistakes, and learns from them. A wise person learns from the mistakes of others.

7. Prepare Your Body for Battle

Mimic the test environment as close as possible while you study. Study hard for long periods and aim for 2 hours at a time. Keep yourself accountable for any time you do not study in the 2 hours. The PE exam is a long test. It is 8 hours of sitting, thinking analytically and controlling your stress. You must get your mind and your body ready to endure the entire test.

8. Have a Test-Taking Strategy and Execute It

A test-taking strategy is not a one-size-fits-all parameter. Look for a few different strategies that you can practice and find what works best for you. It must allow you to answer all the questions and problems in the allocated time, and get positive results from it. There are many different test-taking strategies that you can follow such as focusing on the questions you know first, work the exam from front to back, and first answering the questions based on the structural problems. The strategy you follow is dependent on what works for you. Practice the strategy until it becomes like autopilot for you so that you can focus on the problems and not the logistics. Stick to the strategy you practiced and execute it when you write the test.

About J’Que C. Jones, PE

Strategies and Mindset to Pass the PE ExamJ’Que is a licensed engineer, who struggled with standardized tests his entire life. Through perseverance and dedication, his goal of attaining licensure came to fruition. His aim is to help other non-test takers and repeat takers of the PE exam attain their professional engineer’s license, by providing anecdotes and proverbs from his own experiences as well as the experiences of others in a non-conventional and relatable way.

Books Mentioned in This Article

Pass The PE Exam In 3 Months: Strategies & Mindset For The Non-Test Taker

Atomic Habits

I hope you found this article helpful. In upcoming articles, I will solve some more PE exam practice problems and answer other questions from our subscribers.

Pass the PE Exam videos will publish weekly, so be sure to click the subscribe button so you don’t miss something that could make a substantial difference in your exam result.

Lastly, I encourage you to ask questions in the comments of this video, or on this page and I’ll read and respond to them in future videos. So, if there’s a specific topic you want me to cover or answer, we have you covered.

I’ll see you next week… on Pass the PE Exam

Anthony Fasano, P.E.
Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success

Applying For the PE Exam (Part 2 of 2)

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In the previous article we covered the first 5 steps that you will need to take when applying for the PE exam, and in this article, I am going to take you through the final 5 steps, and show you how to complete your application.  

Please note that the information in this article was taken from various sources including PE Exam Coach. There will be slight differences in the process depending on which state you are applying to.  Most states provide detailed checklists indicating the process as well as application process checklists on their respective state board websites.

The Next 5 Steps when Applying for the PE Exam (in Most States) Is As Follows:

To review the first 5 steps please click here. 

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Three Tips to Pass the Civil PE Exam (From Someone Who Just Did!)

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This is a guest blog by author Nick Heim, PE, EMI’s Civil Engineering Collective Coordinator

Civil PE Exam

As engineers progress in their careers, it is necessary for most to obtain their Professional Engineering (PE license) on their way to becoming an Engineering Manager. At EMI, we understand the importance of obtaining professional licensure, and the opportunities that it can provide. Therefore, I would like to share three tips that helped me pass the Civil PE exam:

1. Know and Respect the Exam

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