Fundamentals of Engineering exam

Last updated
Fundamentals of Engineering exam
AcronymFE
TypeComputer-based exam
Developer / administrator National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying
Knowledge / skills testedAnalytical reasoning, quantitative reasoning, discipline-specific subjects
PurposeProfessional licensure
Year started1965 (1965)
Duration6 hours
Score / grade rangePass/fail
OfferedVaries
Prerequisites / eligibility criteriaVaries per state
FeeVaries per state
Scores / grades used byProfessional state licensing boards
Website ncees.org/engineering/fe/

The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, also referred to as the Engineer in Training (EIT) exam, and formerly in some states as the Engineering Intern (EI) exam, is the first of two examinations that engineers must pass in order to be licensed as a Professional Engineer (PE) in the United States. The second exam is the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam. The FE exam is open to anyone with a degree in engineering or a related field, or currently enrolled in the last year of an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology  (ABET) accredited engineering degree program. Some state licensure boards permit students to take it prior to their final year, and numerous states allow those who have never attended an approved program to take the exam if they have a state-determined number of years of work experience in engineering. Some states allow those with ABET-accredited "Engineering Technology" or "ETAC" degrees to take the examination. The exam is administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).

Contents

History and structure

In 1965, 30 states administered the first FE exam. The FE tests knowledge of what college graduates should have mastered during school. In 1966, a national uniform PE exam was offered. [1] As of 2014, the FE and FS exams are offered only via Computer Based Testing (CBT). The exam consists of 110 questions and is given during a 6-hour session, of which 5 hours and 20 minutes is designated as time for answering the questions. The remaining time includes a tutorial, presented at the beginning of the session, and an optional 25-minute break. Examinees must apply to be tested in one of seven fields: chemical, civil, electrical and computer, environmental, industrial and systems, mechanical, and other disciplines. Each examinee is provided with an electronic copy of a reference handbook compiled by NCEES, the only reference that may be used during the exam.

Prior to 2014, the exam was divided into two 4-hour sessions with a lunch break in between. The morning session consisted of 120 questions in a range of scientific/engineering subjects and had to be taken by all examinees, while the afternoon session consisted of 60 questions and could be taken either in a specific discipline or as a general engineering test. The reference handbook was distributed as a hard copy; examinees were not allowed to bring their own copies and had to return the provided ones at the end of each session.

In 2015, content changes in the exam were instituted to make it discipline-specific, with a plan of weaving general engineering subject matter (e.g. math and science fundamentals) throughout the exam. [2] Less of the "full breadth" of most traditional engineering undergraduate curricula will be captured with this approach - such as the broad math and science foundation spanning chemistry, physics, mechanics (i.e. statics and dynamics), materials science, computer science, electronics/circuits, engineering design, and the standard range of engineering mathematics (i.e. calculus, differential equations, statistics). A concern was that, while most undergraduate engineering students are in fact exposed to most of these subjects, they may not necessarily take courses in specialized topics such as thermodynamics and fluid mechanics.

Since July 2020, the NCEES has made updates across all FE exam disciplines. [3] For example, the topic "Computational Tools" was removed for the civil and mechanical disciplines. In other cases, topics and subtopics have been merged or combined. The NCEES also published an updated version of the tenth edition of the FE Reference Handbook. The handbook was revised incorporating a coherent single-page layout instead of a two-column layout, the addition and removal of a few new equations, and updated FE Exam Specifications.

License

Those who pass the exam are sometimes designated Engineer In Training or Engineer Intern depending on their state's licensure board's approach to recognizing those who are partway through the licensure process. Many engineering firms will judge an engineering job applicant based on whether they have passed the FE exam and registered as an EIT. Passing the FE Exam shows that an applicant has not forgotten the basic fundamental engineering principles they learned as an undergraduate student. [4] After obtaining a given amount of work experience (the length of which is set by state law and may be based on the type of degree received), an EIT/EI may qualify to take the Professional Engineer (PE) exam. Actual licensure can then be applied for and awarded upon successful completion of the PE exam. The standard time of work experience (which may need to be under a Professional Engineer) is four years in most US states, for graduates of an ABET-accredited engineering program. [5]

Passing rates

The NCEES posts passing rates biannually on their website with the following criteria: [6]

The passing rate based on the criteria spans from 63 to 76 percent as of 2021. [7] The organization also posts complete passing rates annually in their Squared: A Year In Numbers report, which includes all examinees. [8] These reports have been available since 2014. [9]

Passing scores

The exam results are based on the total number of correct answers with no reductions for wrong answers. [10] A scaled score is converted from the original number of correct answers. Examinees take a unique exam generated from a volunteer-sourced NCEES problem bank. The organization does not publish the passing score because it varies slightly based on the difficulty of the exam. If an examinee does not pass an exam, the organization provides a diagnostic report to help them identify the knowledge areas they need to improve before retaking the exam. [10]

U.S. Patent Office

Passage of the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, along with graduation with any Bachelor's degree or equivalent, satisfies the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)'s technical requirements for sitting for its registration examination to become either a registered patent attorney or patent agent. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Engineer</span> Professional practitioner of engineering and its subclasses

Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limitations imposed by practicality, regulation, safety and cost. The word engineer is derived from the Latin words ingeniare and ingenium ("cleverness"). The foundational qualifications of a licensed professional engineer typically include a four-year bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline, or in some jurisdictions, a master's degree in an engineering discipline plus four to six years of peer-reviewed professional practice and passage of engineering board examinations.

Construction engineering, also known as construction operations, is a professional subdiscipline of civil engineering that deals with the designing, planning, construction, and operations management of infrastructure such as roadways, tunnels, bridges, airports, railroads, facilities, buildings, dams, utilities and other projects. Construction engineers learn some of the design aspects similar to civil engineers as well as project management aspects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civil engineer</span> Engineering of infrastructure

A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructure that may have been neglected.

Regulation and licensure in engineering is established by various jurisdictions of the world to encourage life, public welfare, safety, well-being, then environment and other interests of the general public and to define the licensure process through which an engineer becomes licensed to practice engineering and to provide professional services and products to the public.

Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants. Their work takes account mainly of safety, technical, economic, and environmental concerns, but they may also consider aesthetic and social factors.

Software engineering professionalism is a movement to make software engineering a profession, with aspects such as degree and certification programs, professional associations, professional ethics, and government licensing. The field is a licensed discipline in Texas in the United States, Engineers Australia(Course Accreditation since 2001, not Licensing), and many provinces in Davao.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Engineering technologist</span>

An engineering technologist is a professional trained in certain aspects of development and implementation of a respective area of technology. An education in engineering technology concentrates more on application and less on theory than does an engineering education. Engineering technologists often assist engineers; but after years of experience, they can also become engineers. Like engineers, areas where engineering technologists can work include product design, fabrication, and testing. Engineering technologists sometimes rise to senior management positions in industry or become entrepreneurs.

The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) is an American non-profit organization dedicated to advancing professional licensure for engineers and surveyors. The Council’s members are the engineering and surveying licensure boards from all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These boards are divided into four geographic zones: Central, Northeast, Southern, Western. It is headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina.

Fire protection engineering is the application of science and engineering principles to protect people, property, and their environments from the harmful and destructive effects of fire and smoke. It encompasses engineering which focuses on fire detection, suppression and mitigation and fire safety engineering which focuses on human behavior and maintaining a tenable environment for evacuation from a fire. In the United States 'fire protection engineering' is often used to include 'fire safety engineering'.

Integrated Engineering is a multi-disciplinary, design-project-based engineering degree program.

In order to be registered as a patent agent or patent attorney in the United States, one must pass the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) registration examination, officially called the Examination for Registration to Practice in Patent Cases Before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and known informally as the patent bar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electrical engineering technology</span>

Electrical/Electronics engineering technology (EET) is an engineering technology field that implements and applies the principles of electrical engineering. Like electrical engineering, EET deals with the "design, application, installation, manufacturing, operation or maintenance of electrical/electronic(s) systems." However, EET is a specialized discipline that has more focus on application, theory, and applied design, and implementation, while electrical engineering may focus more of a generalized emphasis on theory and conceptual design. Electrical/Electronic engineering technology is the largest branch of engineering technology and includes a diverse range of sub-disciplines, such as applied design, electronics, embedded systems, control systems, instrumentation, telecommunications, and power systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Engineering education</span> Educational activity of teaching knowledge and principles of engineering

Engineering education is the activity of teaching knowledge and principles to the professional practice of engineering. It includes an initial education, and any advanced education and specializations that follow. Engineering education is typically accompanied by additional postgraduate examinations and supervised training as the requirements for a professional engineering license. The length of education, and training to qualify as a basic professional engineer, is typically five years, with 15–20 years for an engineer who takes responsibility for major projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Gleason College of Engineering</span> Engineering college at Rochester Institute of Technology

The Kate Gleason College of Engineering (KGCOE) is the engineering college at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The college is home to all of RIT's engineering programs except for software engineering, which is part of the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. Entering the 2023-24 academic year, the student body consisted of 2,947 students, with 400 graduate students. About 23% of the students were female.

Engineer in training, or EIT, is a professional designation from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) used in the United States to designate a person certified by the state as having completed two requirements:

The Principles and Practice of Engineering exam is the examination required for one to become a Professional Engineer (PE) in the United States. It is the second exam required, coming after the Fundamentals of Engineering exam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architectural engineer (PE)</span> Engineer specializing in the design and operation of buildings

Architectural Engineer (PE) is a professional engineering designation in the United States. The architectural engineer applies the knowledge and skills of broader engineering disciplines to the design, construction, operation, maintenance, and renovation of buildings and their component systems while paying careful attention to their effects on the surrounding environment.

The Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge is a body of knowledge, set forth in a proposal by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) entitled Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge for the 21st century. This proposal seeks to identify and implement improvements to the education and licensure process for civil engineers in the United States of America. The proposal is intended to increase occupational closure by increasing the requirements to become a licensed engineer. Some have identified this joint effort with the Raising the Bar as not necessary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architectural engineering</span> Engineering discipline of engineering systems of buildings

Architectural engineering or architecture engineering, also known as building engineering, is a discipline that deals with the engineering and construction of buildings, such as environmental, structural, mechanical, electrical, computational, embeddable, and other research domains. It is related to Architecture, Mechatronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and Civil Engineering, but distinguished from Interior Design and Architectural Design as an art and science of designing infrastructure through these various engineering disciplines, from which properly align with many related surrounding engineering advancements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power plant engineering</span> Energy Field

Power plant engineering, abbreviated as TPTL, is a branch of the field of energy engineering, and is defined as the engineering and technology required for the production of an electric power station. Technique is focused on power generation for industry and community, not just for household electricity production. This field is a discipline field using the theoretical basis of mechanical engineering and electrical. The engineering aspects of power generation have developed with technology and are becoming more and more complicated. The introduction of nuclear technology and other existing technology advances have made it possible for power to be created in more ways and on a larger scale than was previously possible. Assignment of different types of engineers for the design, construction, and operation of new power plants depending on the type of system being built, such as whether it is fueled by fossil fuels, nuclear, hydropower, or solar power.

References

  1. "Exams". Celebrating 100 Years of NCEES. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  2. "The Evolution of the FE - National Society of Professional Engineers". National Society of Professional Engineers.
  3. "NCEES FE exam information". National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying.
  4. "Are your undergraduate studies preparing you for the FE exam?". DirectHub. March 24, 2021.
  5. "How to get a Professional Engineer (PE) license in the US?". A candidate for a PE license needs to complete a four-year ABET-accredited engineering program and take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination first. After graduation, you need four years of qualifying engineering experience in most US states before taking the PE test.
  6. "NCEES FE exam information". NCEES. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  7. "Squared: A Year in Numbers" (PDF). NCESS. 2021. p. 8-9. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  8. "NCEES archived annual reports and Squared". NCEES. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  9. "Is the FE Exam hard?". PrepFE. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  10. 1 2 "NCESS Examinee Guide" (PDF). NCESS. November 1, 2022. p. 13, 19. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  11. "General Requirements Bulletin for Admission to the Examination for Registration to Practice in Patent Cases Before the United States Patent and Trademark Office" (PDF). United States Patent and Trademark Office. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 26, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2021.