School of PE Blog

As an exam review course provider, we often get asked about the best time to take the FE exam. Our answer: during senior year of college. That may seem daunting, as many undergraduate seniors in college are extremely busy with final projects and internships. We get it: being an undergraduate student is stressful.

Since undergraduates, especially engineer students, are so busy, why would we recommend taking the FE exam during a student's senior year of college? The main advantage college students have when taking the FE exam is that the information is very fresh in their minds. Many topics on the FE exam are based on concepts learned in undergraduate engineering classes.

If you are planning on taking the FE exam during your senior year of undergrad and are stressed about balancing your course load and study schedule, check out some FE exam tips and strategies to ease as much stress as possible below:

1. Create a Schedule

Determine when you are going to work on your school work and when you are going to study for the FE exam. Hopefully, many of your undergrad engineering courses will cover similar topics that are on the FE exam specifications, so this should take some stress off of your shoulders. Either way, try to block out two to three hours a day to specifically dedicate to the FE exam and leave the rest of your time for class work. If you begin preparing 3 months before the FE exam, you will have more than enough time to prepare.

2. Review the FE Reference Handbook in Your Free Time

The FE Reference Handbook is the only reference material you can use during the FE exam. You can download a free copy from MyNCEES. It is very important to have a good understanding of this handbook so you won't spend too much time during the exam trying to find specific formulas, charts, or tables. During lunch or between classes, flip through the manual to make sure you are familiar with its content and layout.

3. Watch Review Videos On-The-Go

Whether you are riding a campus bus or running on a treadmill at the gym, watching interactive FE exam prep course videos are the perfect tool to study with. You can watch videos on your phone, but don't forget to bring a pair of headphones!