PE Exam Schedule — In this post – I’m going to detail how COVID is affecting the PE exam schedule and discuss what changes are expected to the PE exams and the exam-taking process.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected just about every single aspect of society including the PE exam, specifically the cycle of civil engineering exams for professional licensure has changed, leaving many would-be test-takers with questions.
Just recently on November 24th, NCEES posted an update on its website, both a general update and an update for the PE civil exam. You can find it here, but here they are for your information:
With regards to the Pearson VUE test center operations, NCEES says:
Many state and local governments are implementing operational and capacity restrictions in response to the current COVID-19 surge throughout the country. In many cases, these restrictions limit testing to essential services only. All NCEES exams are designated as essential and will continue to be administered as allowed in accordance with state and local requirements. Appointment cancellations may be necessary to comply with reduced capacity requirements. Impacted examinees will receive notification and rescheduling information via email from Pearson VUE. Visit the Pearson VUE coronavirus update page for the most current information on test center operations.
With regard to the Regional pencil-and-paper exam administration for PE Civil examinees, NCEES posted this statement on the same date of November 24th, 2020:
NCEES is closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on the regional pencil-and-paper PE Civil exam administration, which is scheduled at select locations throughout the country on January 26, 2021. All exam site locations are currently proceeding in accordance with NCEES COVID-19 exam site procedures.
So for now, you are still good to go there, but subscribe here to our YouTube channel and I will keep you updated.
Now here are a few other important items to note based on information put out by NCEES:
Individuals who took the October exam will be unable to register for the January exam. Results from the October exam will not be released prior to the close of registration for the January exam, and examinees are unable to register for any exam when results are pending from a previous exam. The same is true for the January 2021 administration and being able to register for the April 2021 exam—results from January will not be released prior to the close of the April registration period. Registration deadlines cannot be changed.
Now if you tune in to our channel weekly, I’m going to help you make sure you pass the PE exam the first time, so you don’t have to worry about the schedule I just outlined, but I did want to make you aware of it.
Next, here’s some more guidance from NCEES (posted here) specifically around visiting exam sites, they say:
To help ensure the health, safety, and welfare of examinees and proctoring teams, NCEES is implementing the following measures for the January 2021 exam administration.
Examinees must review and satisfy the following requirements before being admitted to an exam site. No one will be admitted to the exam site if they have met any of the COVID-19 qualifications I am about to list.
- You tested positive for COVID-19
UNLESS symptom-free and fever-free for at least 72 hours without the use of fever reducing medicine AND at least 14 days have passed since your last exposure, or you have received two negative COVID-19 test results in a row, 24 hours apart. - You are experiencing (or have experienced) one or more associated symptoms the last fourteen (14) days: shortness of breath, cough, fever, chills, sore throat, loss of smell
UNLESS you have been symptom-free and fever-free for at least 72 hours without the use of fever reducing medicine OR these symptoms can be attributed to another health condition. - You live with or have had close contact with someone who has confirmed or suspected COVID-19
UNLESS at least 14 days have passed since your last exposure. - You have been or are currently under home quarantine or centralized observation by government or healthcare authorities
UNLESS at least 14 days have passed since your quarantine or centralized observation has been lifted by the government or healthcare authorities.
Now if you meet one of those conditions, but the 14 days have passed or the other exceptions kick in and you are admitted to the exam site, you must agree to follow the following guidelines on exam day.
- You will be seated alone and properly distanced from other tables.
- You and proctors are required to wear face masks at all times.
- You must practice social distancing at all times.
- You will be allowed to have hand sanitizer and wipes, extra face coverings, and disposable gloves in the exam room; however they must be placed on the floor during the exam.
- You will be dismissed from the exam and your exam score will be invalidated if you do not adhere to the COVID-19 safety requirements for this site.
- You will be allowed to lower masks to eat or drink for brief moments as defined by the proctors and proctors will issue a warning to examinees before you are dismissed.
I hope this video helps you to answer the questions about how COVID-19 has affected the PE exam schedule.
We publish videos weekly on our Pass the PE 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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