So you need to study for the FE exam, and you are wondering what subjects will be on the exam? What is the breakdown of the possible FE exam questions that you will see.
In this week’s edition of Pass the FE Exam, I will walk you through exactly how to find out what types of problems (and how many of each) you will encounter.
Before I move ahead, let me remind you that the FE EXAM or fundamentals of engineering – is the first step to getting your professional engineering license, and through the videos on this channel, including this one, you will learn not only how to properly prepare for the exam, but how to ensure you PASS THE FE EXAM!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel here, as our weekly videos will help you Pass the FE Exam. Leave your FE questions in the comments below and we will answer them in future videos.
Here Are a Few Basic Things About the FE Exam:
The exam 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. You can register for the exam through the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (or NCEES) here.
The FE exam is a computer-based exam administered year-round at NCEES-approved Pearson VUE test centers.
So, what is the breakdown of the possible FE exam questions that you will see? To figure this out, you should visit the NCEES website, specifically here.
There you will see the seven disciplines that the FE exam is offered:
- Chemical
- Civil
- Electrical and Computer
- Environmental
- Industrial and Systems
- Mechanical
- Other Disciplines.
If you click on the discipline that you are planning to take, you will be taken to a document that lists the different knowledge areas for example, some of them for the Civil Transportation Depth Exam are Vertical Design and Intersection Geometry, to name a few.
You will also see next to each knowledge area, the number of questions that will be on the exam for each area, for example, for the Civil Transportation Depth Exam, it shows that there will be 4 questions on Vertical Design, and 4 questions on Intersection Geometry, however there will be 11 questions on Traffic Engineering.
Being aware of this breakdown prior to beginning your study preparation can help you to really ensure you are dedicating enough time and energy to each knowledge area.
So Essentially, This Is a Two Step Process:
Step 1 – Decide on which discipline of the PE Exam you plan to take.
Step 2 – Visit the NCEES website and review the problem breakdown for that specific discipline in the exam specifications. And remember, if you take one of the disciplines that has both a breath and depth exam, you will need to also select which depth topic you plan to take.
I hope you found this week’s video helpful. In upcoming videos, I will share some more studying strategies and also cover some more problems including engineering economics practice problems.
We publish videos weekly on our Pass the FE Exam YouTube Channel. Be sure to visit our page here and click the subscribe button as you’ll get expert tips and tricks each week – to ensure your best success – that you can’t get anywhere else. Believe me, you won’t want to miss a single video.
Lastly, I encourage you to ask questions in the comments of the videos or here 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…
Anthony Fasano, P.E.
Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success
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