School of PE Blog

The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam is a critical milestone on the journey to becoming a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in the United States. Administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), this 6-hour exam assesses competency in subjects like mathematics, statistics, ethics, engineering economics, and discipline-specific engineering principles. Passing the FE exam is usually the first step engineers take after college as they start their careers and build up the professional experience needed for their PE licensure.

Being such a crucial exam, an obvious concern is how should engineers and future engineers prepare for it, especially after NCEES transitioned it from pencil-and-paper to computer-based?

In recent years, the NCEES has done away with the traditional paper-and-pencil FE exam in exchange for a computer-based format to provide more flexibility for exam takers. This transition aimed to enable year-round testing opportunities at approved Pearson VUE test centers, compared to the old pencil-and-paper exams which were only offered twice per year. The computer-based format also allowed the NCEES to utilize updated exam questions and content on a more frequent basis and offered expedient results for examinees through the help of digital answer sheets.

The first exams to become computer-based were the FE Mechanical, Civil, Electrical and Computer, Chemical, and Environmental exams in 2014. Shortly after, all other FE exams also moved to the new computer-based testing (CBT) format. These transitions represented a major milestone in the delivery method of the FE exam, now all new discipline exams can be enabled quickly and the test taking experience becomes more standardized in the digital age.

The transition to CBT for the FE exams confers several notable benefits. The chief advantage is scheduling flexibility since approved Pearson VUE test centers offer hundreds of exam dates year-round. This provides more options for examinees to find a test date that fits their personal schedule and timing needs. The digital format also allows NCEES to update and refresh exam content and questions on a more frequent basis, ensuring the exam stays current.

An underappreciated benefit from this transition is that the reference guide also went digital. During both the practice and the real exam, the ability to use the search function digitally has greatly reduced the time needed to find exactly what you need to answer certain questions.

The NCEES is committed to leveraging computer-based testing to enhance convenience and accessibility for all future FE examinees. Staying up to date on this format change is critical knowledge for aspiring engineers embarking on the journey toward professional licensure.

Prepare for the FE exam with confidence after taking an exam prep course with School of PE! Register now!