PE Exam

Should I Take the PE or FE Exam?

September 29, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

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:

Does It Matter Which Civil PE Exam I Take?

September 15, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

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)

September 1, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

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:

Strategies to Pass the PE Exam in 3 Months

August 18, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

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

J’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.

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)

August 4, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

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.

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

July 22, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

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

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

A Step by Step Guide to Apply For the PE Exam (Part 1 of 2)

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

In the previous article, I covered the requirements needed to apply for the PE exam. In this article, I will take you through the first 5 steps of a 10 step process of applying for the PE exam, and show you how to complete your application in an easy-to-follow step-by-step process.

There will be slight differences in the process depending on which US state you are applying to. Most states provide application process checklists on their respective state board websites, so be sure to check with your State Board for specific information. Please note that the information in this article was taken from various sources including PE Exam Coach.

The General Process to Apply for the PE Exam (in Most States) Is As Follows:

Qualifications Required To Apply For the PE Exam in October 2021

July 7, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article (and video above), which is the first in a two-part series, I take you through the requirements and qualifications needed to apply for the PE Exam.

Registration for the October 2021 pencil-and-paper PE exams opened on June 14 and will close on August 26th at 3:00 pm EST. Registration for the computer-based PE exams is however open all year-round.

States regulate professional engineering licensing in the US. Each state’s requirements are different, but the application process is generally the same. Each state has an engineering board that regulates the practice of engineering in that state. They are who you will apply to for your engineering license and are the ultimate authority on the specific rules and requirements of your state.

The first step, before you officially apply for the PE exam, is to make sure you meet the qualifications to be eligible to be licensed. The next step will be to submit all documentation and information to your state board for approval, and that second step I will cover in the next video.

Minimum Qualifications Required To Apply For the PE Exam:

How to Utilize Your PE License Outside The USA

June 23, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article (and video above), I explain how you can utilize your US PE license outside the USA and what steps you need to take to get there.

If you are currently licensed as a professional engineer (or PE) in the United States and seeking recognition to practice in another country then this video is for you. The NCEES International Registry for Professional Engineers (also known as IRPE) assists U.S.-based professional engineers who are seeking recognition in countries that are members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) or the International Engineering Alliance (IEA), formerly the Engineers Mobility Forum (EMF).

The Countries Include:

How To Pass The Civil PE Exam (In 2021)

June 9, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article (and video above), I talk to Connor Adamsick, an EIT and bridge engineer at HDR in Denver Colorado who recently took the Civil Structural PE exam in April. He talks about his experience taking the exam, and how he thinks gymnastics correlates with studying for your PE Exam. He is also going to provide some very specific study prep tips that you won’t want to miss.

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Connor:

You recently wrote an article on LinkedIn called: All-American to PE Hopeful where you talked about how while competing for your University, you also were studying for a degree in Civil Engineering. What has this experience taught you and how does gymnastics correlate with studying for your PE Exam?
Take us through the preparation process, from the moment you decided to take the exam up to where you started to study for the exam. Are there any set guidelines, schedules, or procedures you used to determine how you will study for the exam?
Why did you decide to take the exam a year early?
How long did it take you to study for the Civil Structural PE exam?
While studying for the exam, did you set goals for yourself, and if so, how did the goals help you along the way?
Tell us more about exam day. Was it everything you expected, and how do you think you did in the exam?
What advice can you give engineers out there considering taking the Civil Structural PE exam?