PE Exam

PE Civil Exam Depth: Transportation

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

In our previous three videos, I discussed three of the PE depth areas that you can take for your Civil PE Exam, geotechnical, construction, and structural, and in this week’s article, (and video above) I review in detail the transportation depth portion of the Civil PE Exam to help you decide if this might be the right option for you. You can find links to the first three videos below.

The Five Different Areas That You Can Choose From When Taking the PE Civil Exam Are:

PE Civil: Geotechnical
PE Civil: Construction
PE Civil: Structural
PE Civil: Transportation
PE Civil: Water Resources & Environmental

Remember that the PE Civil Structural exam is a breadth and depth examination. The breadth items (typically known as the morning section) cover topics from all areas of civil engineering. However, the depth items (also known as the afternoon section) focus more closely on a single area of practice, like structural engineering.

What Is Transportation Engineering?

PE Civil Exam Depth: Structural

April 27, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In our previous two videos, I discussed two of the depth areas that you can take for your PE Exam, Geotechnical and Construction, and in this article (and video above), I review, in detail, the structural depth portion of the Civil PE Exam to help you decide if this might be the right option for you.

The Five Different Areas That You Can Choose From When Taking the PE Civil Exam Are:

PE Civil: Geotechnical
PE Civil: Construction
PE Civil: Structural
PE Civil: Transportation
PE Civil: Water Resources & Environmental

Please note that the PE Civil: Structural exam is not the same as the SE (Structural Engineering) exam. The PE Civil: Structural exam is to obtain your Professional Engineering license, while the SE Exam is one you would take to obtain your structural engineering license.

What Is Structural Engineering?

PE Civil Exam Depth: Construction

April 13, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In the previous article, I talked about one of the five depth areas of the Civil PE Exam, Geotechnical, and in this article (and video above), I review, in detail, the construction depth portion of the Civil PE Exam to help you decide if this might be the right option for you.

The Five Different Areas That You Can Choose From When Taking the PE Civil Exam Are:

PE Civil: Geotechnical
PE Civil: Construction
PE Civil: Structural
PE Civil: Transportation
PE Civil: Water Resources & Environmental

Remember that the PE Civil exam is a breadth and depth examination. The breadth items (typically known as the morning section) cover topics from all areas of civil engineering. However, the depth items (also known as the afternoon section) focus more closely on a single area of practice, like construction engineering

What Is Construction Engineering?

PE Civil Exam Depth: Geotechnical

March 29, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

Are you struggling to decide what depth exam you should take for your Civil PE Exam? Where do you start when trying to figure this out? Passing the PE exam is the last milestone in the journey towards your professional engineering license, so you must make the right decision.

In the next 5 articles, we will cover each of these Civil PE depth exams in detail, outline which topics show up on each exam, what the pass rates are for each topic, and provide some valuable information that will help you in your decision.

Let’s Look at the PE Civil: Geotechnical Depth Section of the PE Exam:

There are five different areas that you can choose from when taking the PE Civil exam which are:

PE Civil: Geotechnical
PE Civil: Construction
PE Civil: Structural
PE Civil: Transportation
PE Civil: Water Resources & Environmental

Remember that the PE Civil exam is a breadth and depth examination. The breadth items (typically known as the morning section) cover topics from all areas of civil engineering. However, the depth items (also known as the afternoon section) focus more closely on a single area of practice, like Geotechnical Engineering.

What Is Geotechnical Engineering?

Are you TOO Old to Take The PE Exam?

March 15, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

I get so many listeners that ask me whether they should bother taking the PE exam after the age of 30, 40, or even 50. Does age really matter? And when are you too old to take the PE Exam? You are never too old for professional development, especially adding the PE license to your resume, and in this article, I talk about the benefits of studying towards your engineering license when you are older.

If you have been practicing as an engineer from some time now, and for whatever your reason, you never pursued your PE license, or maybe you couldn’t pass the exam earlier in your career and now you’re considering pursuing your license, but you’re unsure whether or not it is the right choice for someone your age, then the video above is the right video for you.

Although a lot of people believe that obtaining a PE license is for early career engineers, obtaining your PE license can be beneficial to engineers of all ages. Whether you’ve never studied before or you’re looking to add to your qualifications, there are some incredible reasons to obtain a PE license.

Here Are Some of the Benefits of Seeking Licensure When You Are Older:

Self Study vs. Review Courses for the PE Exam

March 1, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article, (and video above), I discuss the difference between self study and review courses when preparing for the PE Exam to help you decide which option would work best for you.

There are usually two ways people go about studying for the PE exam. Either they purchase materials including a reference manual and prepare on their own, or they take a structured review course, either online or locally. Both options can be effective, but you should consider your goals and circumstances to choose the best option for you.

Here are Some of the Factors You Should Consider:

What to Bring to the CBT Exam

February 15, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

Bring This to the CBT Exam:

Appointment confirmation letter
Your ID
Your Calculator
A sweater or sweatshirt and/or eyeglasses (if needed)

For all CBT (Computer Based Test) exams, the testing center will provide pencils, papers, erasers and ear plugs. For more information, review each one of these items in detail:

1. Appointment Confirmation Letter

How Hard Is the Civil PE Exam?

February 1, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

Is the Civil PE Exam Difficult to Pass? After completing a college degree, passing the FE exam, and getting at least four years of experience working in engineering (in most states), candidates can sit for the PE exam. The PE exam is one of the last steps in becoming a licensed professional engineer. But how hard is it? In this article (and video above), I answer that question and also take a look at the PE Pass rates.

FE Exam Prep: Strength of Materials

January 25, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article (and video above), I solve a strength of materials 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.

Question:

A steel bar (E = 200 GPa) is stretched with a force of 50 N. If the bar is 4 m long and has a cross-sectional area of 0.5 square meters , what is the approximate elongation?

(A) 1 nm
(B) 2 nm
(C) 3 nm
(D) 4 nm

Solution:

Does a Master’s Degree Help You Take the PE Exam Quicker?

January 18, 2022 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

Does a master’s degree help you take the PE Exam quicker? In this article (and video above), I answer that question and also cover some of the other benefits of getting your master’s degree.

To get right to the point here, in many states, you reduce the amount of qualifying engineering experience, which is typically 4 years for a PE license, by one year with a Master’s Degree in engineering. However, you will likely need to complete your degree before it will count, you will not get credit for a degree that you are working towards. It is very important that you check your state board’s website to be certain, though, because every State has their own requirements related to the Master’s degree credit.