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Timing of FE and PE Exams

  • 1.  Timing of FE and PE Exams

    Posted 08-16-2021 01:40 PM

    Over two weeks ago, I took the FE Civil Exam for the first time and passed.

    Having graduated from Ohio State the spring semester before, that meant one of my priorities for the summer was more studying to pass the exam. Having already obtained, completed and reviewed an example FE Exam with paper and pencil a year earlier, I knew I needed to find more resources for studying a compilation of my major. To that end, I paid for an online class from Georgia Tech that had eight weeks worth of content to review, and watched online video on everything else in the days leading up to the date and time I picked.

    How soon does everyone take their FE and PE exams after obtaining their degrees? How have you made the time and what resources did you use?



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    Alexander Granato A.M.ASCE
    Student
    Bexley OH
    granato.3@...
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  • 2.  RE: Timing of FE and PE Exams

    Posted 08-17-2021 10:53 AM
    I went to the University of Florida, where it is a requirement to take to FE before we graduate. I took the FE in November 2019 one month before graduating in December 2019. I did not pay for a class, but I found a series of Youtube videos that was an FE review and it was actually very thorough. I also bought the practice exam and did that before taking the actual exam. 

    I knew I wanted to take the PE exam soon after graduating, but not too soo. I wanted a break from all the studying I did in college, so I had planned to take it in October 2020, less than a year after taking my FE. I knew the PE was going to be harder and more extensive than the FE so I signed up for an On-demand School of PE class in the Summer of 2020 (June). 

    I think an important part of studying for the PE is time management, there is a lot of material to review and it can become overwhelming. Some people use their weekends to fit in 12 hours of studying or some people like me spend time on weekdays at night to fit in studying and some people take a class where attendance is mandatory and you have to sit through hours of lectures. It's important to be realistic with yourself about when you can and when you want to make the time to study. I spread out my studying over 4 months at a slower pace compared to the live classes which is spread out over two months at a faster pace. So while I spent a longer amount (months) of studying I probably spend the same amount of hours studying as someone who decided to take a live or onsite class. 

    I ended up finding out I passed the PE exam in December 2020, one year after graduating from college and on my first time trying. There is a lot of discussion of when to take the exam since you don't have to wait four years anymore (in Florida). I've heard people say you should wait and get the experience and I've had colleagues tell me to not wait so you don't forget all the material from college. I could see the two sides of this because I do think experience could help when taking the in-depth portion of the exam but I think not forgetting all the material from college from the first half of the exam is important too. 

    Best of luck to all the people planning to take the exam this October!

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    Deziree Ramirez A.M.ASCE
    Shalimar FL
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Timing of FE and PE Exams

    Posted 08-19-2021 12:05 PM
    Which PE exam did you take? Also do you know if any other states wavier the 4 years of experience? Thanks!

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    Leon Sullivan S.M.ASCE
    Student
    Purcellville VA
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Timing of FE and PE Exams

    Posted 08-19-2021 12:59 PM
    More and more states are dropping the requirement to have 4 years experience before you sit for the exam. You still have to get that experience before you can apply for your license. 

    Some other states besides Florida that have waived the experience requirement before examination based on the March 28, 2016 "The Zweig Letter" (Issue 1145):
    - Oklahoma (This is where I took mine early) 
    - Texas
    - Oregon
    - Nevada
    - New Mexico
    - Kentucky
    - Louisiana 
    - Illinois 
    - Nebraska
    - South Carolina
    - Wyoming 
    - North Carolina

    Each state licensure board should have their requirements listed clearly on their website for you to check.

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    Heidi C. Wallace, P.E., M.ASCE
    Tulsa, OK
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Timing of FE and PE Exams

    Posted 08-19-2021 04:54 PM
    I took the Civil Engineering: Water Resources and Environmental PE. I do not know how many states waive the 4 years of experience before sitting for the exam, but if you go to the NCEES they will have registration information requirements on every state (I've put a link below). If it is not clear on the description, they also link the website for every states licensing board. 

    https://ncees.org/engineering/

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    Deziree Ramirez A.M.ASCE
    Shalimar FL
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Timing of FE and PE Exams

    Posted 08-17-2021 12:08 PM
    FE thoughts
    I took the FE during my senior year of college in the Fall of 2012. I bought some large yellow book (that is how I remember it, I forget which company made it), and found every problem in there extremely difficult to solve. I took a practice test offered by Rutgers University and found those questions much more solvable. Finally, I bought a small book of practice problems (from the NCEES), and those were the closest to what I saw on the FE. I probably studied for 3 months after school and during weekends.

    I should note that I was in the second to last exam to be offered on paper.

    PE thoughts
    I probably studied for closer to 6-9 months for the PE. I took it in 2018. Like before, there are plenty of questions you can study from resources like the school of PE, but I found those to be much more difficult than those offered by the NCEES themselves. In many ways, the questions between both the FE and the PE are very similar in scope and complexity, at least for Civil/Water Resources.  

    In NJ, I still had to wait for 4 years to take the exam. Is this not the case anymore? Personally, based on the questions asked, I do not see much value in waiting to take it. I relied on more of what I learned in school than I did from what I use in my job.

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    Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
    Civil Engineer
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Timing of FE and PE Exams

    Posted 08-17-2021 07:04 PM
    The last I checked, people need at least four years worth of experience to take the PE exam, not to mention five professional references who can vouch for being ready for it.

    After reading this, it sounds like I better take the PE exam as soon as I can.

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    Alexander Granato A.M.ASCE
    Student
    Bexley OH
    granato.3@...
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Timing of FE and PE Exams

    Posted 08-18-2021 09:31 AM
    Send me a private message if you want to discuss it further. I may have some resources you can look at to help you make a decision.

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    Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
    Civil Engineer
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Timing of FE and PE Exams

    Posted 08-18-2021 03:42 PM
    I took the FE during winter break of my last year of college. I studied for 3 days mostly becoming familiar with the reference manual that is available with the computer based test and then reviewing a couple other subjects that aren't covered in the reference manual. It was nice to get it out of the way before senior design started.
    (Here is another good thread on the FE you may want to check out)

    I graduated from college in spring of 2016 and took the PE in spring of 2019. I passed the exam using the School of PE review course, which I highly recommend. I did the on-demand course and studied for about 3 months. I recommend taking the PE exam 1 to 2 years out of school if you have that option where you're wanting to get licensed. 
    (Here is an extensive thread with PE experiences that you may want to check out)

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    Heidi C. Wallace, P.E., M.ASCE
    Tulsa, OK
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    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Timing of FE and PE Exams

    Posted 08-20-2021 09:42 AM

    Great topic Alex!

    I took the FE exam while on doing my masters degree. I think generally the FE is taken while on senior year or after graduation, and because I had to validate my foreign college it took me a little longer to get to it. I remember I studied for it during the winter break, for about 1.5 months and that was sufficient. There are benefits of taking the FE as you are student, since the content is more fresh in your head and you are also into the habit of studying. 


    For the PE, I recommend taking it as soon as you have met all the requirements for your state. Requirements vary from state to state and you can apply to a state even if you don't reside there. The PE exam is a lot more intense in terms of studying so definitely make sure to not procrastinate your application. Try setting aside 2-3 months depending on how confident you feel about the material. While important, I don't recommend spending too much time on the theory (1 month at most). The main focus should be on practice problems, since you will also learn theory as you go through the solutions. I used a studying plan schedule that was really helpful to guide me through the process and know what to study each day.

    Hope the above is helpful for everyone!
    Salvador




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    Salvador Bentolila P.E., ENV SP, M.ASCE
    AECOM
    New York NY
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    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Timing of FE and PE Exams

    Posted 08-21-2021 07:31 PM
    Here's my experience in California:

    FE:
    I took the FE in Spring 2013 (still paper at the time).  It was a month or so before my official graduation but I finished all my technical courses in December 2012.  I seem to remember thinking I could have taken it closer to my junior year and been okay but that may depend somewhat on how your program is structured.  I'm pretty sure I did the NCEES practice problems and some online as preparation.

    PE:
    California removed the experience requirement prior to taking the national (8-hour) exam a couple years ago, and it just so happened to line almost to the day with my experience accumulation.  I was finally able to take in March 2019 and definitely wish I'd been able to take it closer to graduation.  Most of the questions both morning and afternoon (I took geotech) felt very much in line with what I'd done in school, and a couple of my textbooks were more useful than the PE-specific reference materials I had (I took the ASCE review course).  If I'd gone straight into civil work out of school it might have been better, but I had a couple year gap that certainly didn't help.  If I had the opportunity to do it again under the new rules I would have taken the 8-hour during my non-civil work period to get it out of the way (I wasn't doing constant 40-hour weeks then).  Provided your state allows it, I'd take it within 2 years maximum of graduation.

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    Gavin Finley P.E., M.ASCE
    Associate Civil Engineer
    San Mateo CA
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    Original Message


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