engineering

What Kind of Experience Qualifies for Qualifying Engineering Experience?

November 24, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

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?”

How To Pass The FE Exam The Second Time

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

In this article (and video above), we talk to Mahbub Robin about his experience taking the FE exam. He tells us how, despite going through a lot of diversity and failing the exam the first time, he decided to take the exam a second time, and what he did differently this time around.

Here Are Some of the Questions We Ask Mahbub:

Tell us more about your educational background, and what field of engineering you are in?
An article called: Cab driver. Harvard dad. Covid-19 victim tells the story about your family, and how tragically, both your parents passed away. How did this experience influence your career?
What was it that you did differently the second time when taking the exam?
How can you study to learn the concepts as opposed to just memorizing equations?
Can you talk about the mental challenges of taking the FE exam a second time?
What kept you going through all of the adversity you faced in your career and life?

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed in This Episode:

FE Exam: Vertical Curve Question and Solution

April 8, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this week’s Pass the FE Exam article (and video above), I give you a refresher on how to answer vertical curve questions for your Civil Engineering Transportation Exam.

PrepFE is one of the most effective FE exam self-study prep services out there and happens to be one of the most affordable too. It is an app that gives you access to countless sample FE problems to bolster your self-study efforts.

You can visit PrepFE here and use the discount code in the description of this video here to receive 10% off and get some great FE practice problems.

How Much Money Does a Licensed Professional Engineer Make?

March 17, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

If you achieve your engineering license, will you get a pay raise? If so, how much can you expect and how much more does a licensed Professional Engineer make? You will get answers to all of these in this week’s Pass the PE Exam article (and video above).

It can be uncomfortable to ask your supervisor or company’s HR staff about a salary increase or raise, because you don’t want people to think you are only in it for the money.

How To Organize Your 4 Years of Progressive Engineering Work Experience

February 24, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

In this article (and video above), I explain how you can document and organize your progressive engineering work experience while applying for the PE Exam. You must detail your engineering experience in a very specific way to get accepted to take the PE Exam, and if you do it the right way, it will significantly improve your chances of being accepted to sit for the Engineering Principles and Practice or PE Exam.

Following are 5 tips to help you navigate the preparation of your PE Exam application, specifically how to list your progressive engineering work experience on the application. But you should remember that every state may review experience differently, and the following are general tips from my experience and my conversations with other engineers. Your State may require more or less than 4 years of experience. [Read more…] about How To Organize Your 4 Years of Progressive Engineering Work Experience

How to Prep the Week of Your FE Exam

February 2, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

After weeks of studying and preparing for the FE Exam, the final week before the exam has arrived. You’re ready to ace your upcoming exam, but you might be feeling stressed out and not sure if you prepared well enough. The last week prior to the FE exam is extremely important and that is why in this week’s Pass the FE Exam video, you will be provided with five actions you should take during that last week that might be the difference between you passing the FE Exam or not.

Angle of Rotation Problem (Practice and Solution)

January 26, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

Angle of rotation problems can come up in several NCEES FE Exams: Civil, Mechanical, and Other Disciplines. In mathematics, the angle of rotation is a measurement of the amount, of namely angle, that a figure is rotated about a fixed point, often the center of a circle.

A clockwise rotation is considered a negative rotation, so that, for instance, a rotation of 310 degrees (counter clockwise) can also be called a rotation of negative 50° (since 310 degrees + 50 degrees = 360 degrees, a full rotation ( or turn)).

A counter clockwise rotation of more than one complete turn is normally measured modjulo 360 degrees, meaning that 360 degrees is subtracted off as many times as possible to leave a non-negative measurement less than 360 degrees.

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.

How to Answer Difficult PE Questions During the Exam

January 20, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

The biggest challenge in passing the PE exam for most people is not having enough time to answer difficult PE questions. You can be proficient in every technical concept on the exam, but if you’re not fast enough, you may not answer enough questions to pass the PE exam. The best possible way to feel less anxious about the PE exam is to be prepared.

My wife is a licensed professional engineer, and she struggled with this. She was really good at the technical concepts, and could answer any question if she had unlimited time, but when she got into a pressure type exam situation with limited time, she really struggled. So I helped her to create a process for tackling the exam questions with a focus on time management and I want to share that process with you in this video.

With regard to tackling difficult PE questions, I have to acknowledge that some of the PE exams, depending on discipline, have already gone to the CBT or computer based testing format. And the biggest change with CBT is that you cannot bring in personal reference materials, you can only use the digital handbook that NCEES provides. So the approach in answering questions may be different depending on whether or not your test is computer based. However, if your exam is CBT, it should go without saying that you must know the NCEES reference handbook inside-out.

How To Approach Exam Problems From Both a CBT and Non-CBT Perspective?

What PE Exam Questions to Expect and How Many of Each?

January 6, 2021 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

So, you have to prepare for the PE exam and you are wondering what types of PE Exam Questions (and how many of them) will be asked on the PE exam? What will be the breakdown of the possible questions?

In this week’s edition of Pass the PE Exam, I will walk you through exactly how to find out what types of PE Exam Questions (and how many of each) you will encounter.

Firstly, If you are not familiar with the PE Exam let me introduce you to what the PE exam is. The Principles and Practice of Engineering exam is the examination required for one to become a licensed Professional Engineer (or PE) in the United States. It is the second exam required, coming after the Fundamentals of Engineering exam and is created and scored by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (or NC double E S).

As a General Rule, a Professional Engineer Who Has the Following Experience Can Take the PE Exam:

What Kind of Qualifying Engineering Experience Is Needed for the PE Exam?

December 23, 2020 by Anthony Fasano, P.E. Leave a Comment

One of the least understood areas of the engineering licensure process relates to the question of: What constitutes acceptable qualifying engineering experience for the purposes of licensure?

In this week’s edition of Pass the PE Exam, I’m going to talk about the qualifying engineering experience requirements you will need to satisfy to take the PE Exam. I also cover how to know you are on the right track with your experience, before it’s too late and you realize that you missed out on what could have been years of experience towards your PE license.

This is a VERY important aspect of seeking your PE License, because if the current experience you are getting is not acceptable in your state, then you will need to work additional years before you can sit for the exam, so understanding this topic can truly impact how soon you get your PE license.