To Test, or Not to Test? Steps to Prepare to Take the FE Exam
As a senior in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Program at Brigham Young University, I've helped out dozens of students in their preparation to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam. Often times, students don't know when's the right time to take the FE Exam or they don't feel confident to take it. My hope for this article is to provide some suggestions to help students and young professionals decide when is the best time to take the FE Exam for them. These suggestions may not fit every future-engineer, but I hope it sheds some light for them to move forward with confidence.
Why take the FE Exam?
According to NCEES, the FE Exam is typically the first step in the process leading to the Professional Engineer (P.E.) license. It is designated for recent graduates and students who are close to finishing an undergraduate engineering degree.
After passing the FE Exam, an individual earns the title of Engineer In Training (E.I.T.) or Engineering Intern, a title reserved for those who have passed the FE Exam and who have completed a minimum of three years of post-secondary school at an ABET accredited engineering program, or related science curriculum approved by the NCEES Board. In many cases, the bearer of the title E.I.T. can qualify for a slight increase in pay from their employer, which is left to the discretion of the employer.
Do your homework
If you want to take the FE Exam, check out www.ncees.org. Here you will find information about the FE Exam, including the schedule of the exam, the price, and find materials to help you prepare for the exam. Prior to 2014, the FE Exam was a paper based test offered twice a year, in April and October. Effective January 2014, the FE Exam is offered nearly year round offered at Computer Testing Centers. Consider these questions and you should feel 90% more confident about the FE Exam:
- When is the FE Exam offered?
- What is the cost of the FE Exam?
- How long is the test?
- How many questions are on the FE Exam?
- What subjects are covered on the FE Exam?*
*Be sure to look up the appropriate test related to your field of study. For example, if you are seeking to become a Civil Engineer, then take the Civil FE Exam.
Pick a test date and stick to it
Returning to the question "When should I take the FE Exam?" I would suggest taking the exam towards the end of your collegiate career. From my previous experience with taking the FE Exam and talking to others, the best timing for taking the test is about a year before graduation. Pick a date to take the test and work towards taking the test on that date. Don't fall into the trap of "I'll take it next month" or "Maybe next semester." As Professor Harold Hill from The Music Man said, "You pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays." Don't make the mistake of delaying the FE Exam for too long.
How will I know that I'm ready?
This is up to you. My suggestion, which is not fool proof, is that you will be most ready after you have taken a majority of the introductory courses related to your major. At BYU, most of the introductory engineering classes are offered as 300-level classes. Personally, I took the FE Exam, even though I hadn't taken all the introductory classes. I can't guarantee that this applies for all disciplines but most students are ready after completing 75% of their coursework.
What score do I need in order to pass?
That's a great question. I wasn't on the committee for creating the FE Exam, so I don't not know what percentage of questions you need to answer correctly to pass. What I am confident about is that you don't need to be able to answer every question correctly. You should be prepared to use the FE Reference Manual and to work through the problems using your engineering judgement. In other words, don't sweat it.
The national passing rates for the NCEES Exams are posted on the NCEES website.
How should I prepare for the Exam?
First, do your homework (see the first section at the beginning of this article). Learning about the test will help you feel more confident about taking the test.
Second, go to school. As you attend an ABET accredited post-secondary school, your classes should be adequate for helping you prepare to take the FE Exam. I felt that I was able to learn some great tips and tricks just from class work.
Out of school? Check out my YouTube playlist for some FE Preparation Videos.
Third, try some practice problems and review the FE Reference Handbook. These are available on the NCEES website. The great thing about the FE Reference Handbook is that you get a PDF version of the handbook when you take the test! Don't delay to download it for free and review it before your test day.
Lastly, register for the FE Exam. You'll have to create a MyNCEES account. Registering to take the test is a two step process: First, you have to pay the fee. Paying the fee will give you the right to take the test within one year of paying the fee. Second, once your payment has cleared (which should be done in minutes), then you can choose your appointment time. Be sure to register as early as you can, since appointment times and slots can fill up quickly. Even though the FE Exam is offered through the week, appointment times can fill up quickly. Don't delay to sign up for the test.
Go take the FE Exam
I hope you have found a little confidence from this article as you prepare to take the FE Exam. Make sure you do your homework, go to school, try some practice problems, review the FE Reference Manual, and register for the FE Exam. I'll finish with what I tell my peers who are preparing to take the FE Exam, "Don't worry. You've got this."
Thank you for reading this post. If you have questions, feel free to contact me and I'd be happy to give you a boost of confidence. If you notice grammatical errors or broken hyperlinks, please let me know so I may correct my mistake. [email protected] -Samuel Mineer
(The items listed in this article are personal suggestions, not a 100% flawless guarantee.)