Lecture 5 - FE Exam

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FE Exam Fundamentals

W. J. Wilson

Dept of Engineering & Physics

University of Central Oklahoma

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BENEFITS OF BECOMING A PE Stamp and seal designs

Bid for government contracts

Be principal of a firm

Perform consulting engineering services Offer engineering services to the public

Additional Employment Opportunities

Increased Job Security Promotion / Career Advancement

Added Respect / Self-Satisfaction2


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PE Licensure Process

1. Earn a degree from an ABET-accreditedengineering program.

2. Pass the FE exam.

3. Gain acceptable work experience (typically a

minimum of four years). In most cases, this mustbe completed under the supervision of a P.E.

4. Pass the PE exam in the appropriate discipline.

5. PE License Awarded

6. Continuing Education and ProfessionalDevelopment Hours (PDH) - Typically, 30 PDHevery two years

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State Regs for Becoming a P.E.

Governed by State Registration Board ofeach state and U.S. territory

Specific requirements vary by State, butvirtually all require passing FE and PEexams

Continuing Education and Professional

Development Hours (PDH) to maintain PElicense

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Typical State Requirements

Graduate from an ABET-accreditedengineering program

Pass FE exam Obtain four to six years of applicable

engineering experience

Pass PE Exam Ability to apply for and obtain licensure in

other states by reciprocity

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FE Exam Administration

The National Council of Examiners for Engineeringand Surveying (NCEES) is the exam administrator.Volunteers from all over the U.S. help write examquestions.

NCEES Address:National Council of Examiners for Engineering & Surveying

280 Seneca Creek Road

Seneca, SC 29678

Tel: 800-250-3196

Web: www.ncees.org

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Oklahoma FE Exam

Administration & Registration

Oklahoma State Board of Licensure for ProfessionalEngineers and Land Surveyors

Address:

Oklahoma State Board of Licensure for ProfessionalEngineers and Land Surveyors

Oklahoma Engineering Center, Room 120

201 NE 27th Street

Oklahoma City, OK 73105

Tel: (405) 521-2874 Web: www.pels.ok.gov

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How do I register for the FE

Exam?1. Apply to the Oklahoma State Board of

Licensure for Professional Engineers and

Land Surveyors for approval to sit for theexam in Oklahoma.

2. After the board has notified you of your

approval, register online with NCEES toregister for the exam.

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When Can I Take the FE Exam?

FE Exam Date Application Deadline

Oct 29-30, 2010 August 1, 2010

(Deadline has Passed)

April 8-9, 2011 February 1, 2011

FE exam is given twice each year. Application

deadline and exam date varies slightly from year toyear but exam is usually in October and April.

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Where Can I Take the Exam?Location Exams Offered

University of Central Oklahoma FE, PE, FS, PS

Oklahoma State University (Current

Students Only) FE

University of Oklahoma(Current Students Only) FE

University of Tulsa(Current Students Only) FE

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How Much Does it COST?

EXAM COST

FE Application Fee $25

Exam Fee $55

PE Application Fee $100Exam Fee $195

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What to Expect on the FE Exam

8 Hours long

AM and PM Sessions (Each 4 hours)

Multiple Choice Format

Is a test of Engineering Fundamentals

Given twice per year

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FORMAT Morning (AM) Part

120 questions in 4 hours, 2 minutes per question General subjects covered in the lower division courses

The morning session is the same for everyone

Afternoon (PM) Part

60 questions in 4 hours, 4 minutes per question Concepts covered in the upper division courses

Choice of discipline specific exam in Chemical, Civil,Electrical, Environmental, Industrial, Mechanical,

Other Disciplines Other Disciplines exam is a general exam similar to

the one in the morning. This is intended for studentswho do not fall under any of the disciplines covered inthe other discipline speific exams

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AM Part - General SubjectsArea # of Questions

Mathematics 19Engineering Probability & Statistics 8

Chemistry 11

Computers 8

Ethics and Business Practices 8Engineering Economics 10

Statics and Dynamics 13

Strength of Materials 8

Materials Properties 8Fluid Mechanics 8

Electricity and Magnetism 11

Thermodynamics 8

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PM Part

Choose One Discipline Specific Exam from

Chemical

Civil Industrial

Electrical

Mechanical Other Disciplines (General)

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PM P t Oth Di i li


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PM Part - Other Disciplines(General)

Area # of Questions

Advanced Engineering Mathematics 6Engineering Probability and Statistics 5

Biology 3

Engineering Economics 6Application of Engineering Mechanics 8

Engineering of Materials 7

Fluids 9Electricity and Magnetism 7

Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer 9

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PM Part - ME Discipline SpecificArea # of Questions

Advanced Engineering Mathematics 9Engineering Probability and Statistics 4

Chemistry 5

Computers 4

Engineering Ethics 4Engineering Economics 5

Application of Engineering Mechanics 6

Strengths of Materials 5

Engineering of Materials 4Fluid Mechanics 5

Electricity and Magnetism 5

Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer 4

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PM Part - EE Discipline Specific

Area # of Questions

Circuits 10Power 8

Electromagnetics 4

Control Systems 6Communications 5

Signal Processing 5

Electronics 9Digital Systems 7

Computer Systems 6

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EXAM Scoring

Morning part - 1 point each question

Afternoon part - 2 points each question

Raw score is 240 points From exam history, a raw passing score is not

70% of the total 240 points, but ~50-55%

Raw passing score is scaled to 70. Raw passing score in the past has been roughly

50-60%, but may be higher

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Pass Rate for FE Exam

Must make adjusted score 70% or better

Diagnostics are applied

Unfair problems are eliminated

Possibility of multiple correct answers

Score determined after bad problems are

eliminated

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2010 FE Exam Pass Rates

Engr Major First Attempt RepeatBiomedical 81% 33%

Chemical 79% 41%

Civil 70% 29%

Electrical 61% 24%Industrial 69% 33%

Mechanical 84% 41%

Engineering Physics 80% 18%

Average Pass ~70% ~30%

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On Exam Day

Arrive about 15-30 minutes early

Do bring calculator and spare battery

Do bring number 2 pencils (mechanical HBworks best)

Do dress comfortably (layer)

Do not bring scratch paper

Do not bring reference book

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What to Bring to the FE Exam

For admission, you must bring: Your exam authorization notice. In most cases, thiswill be available for download via your My NCEESaccount 23 weeks prior to the exam date. A fewstates will mail authorization notices to yourphysical address. Check your states registrationpage for details.

A current, signed, government-issued photoidentification. This is typically a drivers license or

passport. The first and last name on the photo IDmust match the name on the exam authorizationnotice. Note that a student ID card is notacceptable for admittance.

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Approved Calculators

To help protect exam content, NCEESonly allows candidates to use certaincalculator models. Candidates who arefound using unapproved calculatorsafter the exam has begun will bedismissed from the exam site.

Casio fx-115

HP 33s, HP 35s

TI-30X, TI-36X

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How to Prepare for the FE

Take the exam seriously Spend some time reviewing for the exam

Study review books

Take some sample exams available from

NCEES or various review books Determine your areas of strength (and weakness)

Set a goal of 60% correct on sample exams(Remember passing raw score is ~50% =120/240)

Attend review sessions / Online videos Familiarize yourself with the FE Supplied-

Reference Handbook

Get a good nights sleep before the exam25


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How to take the FE Exam

Start with questions in subject areas you arestrongest in and work questions you are weakestin last

Do not spend more than 3 minutes on a question(AM Exam) or 5 minutes on a question (PMExam). Unless you are on the verge of a solution!

About 15 minutes from end, stop and go back over

questions that you have marked with ? About 5 minutes from end, mark all questions you

have have not answered yet by random guess.There is no penalty for guessing.

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Strategies for Taking the FE

Exam Watch the clock, time limits are strictly

enforced

Average of 2 minutes/problem in the AM Average of 4 minutes/problem in the PM

Attack the areas you know best, first

Save difficult problems for last

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Exam Think before you start a problem

Is there an easy way to work this?

If you dont know the correct answer,eliminate some incorrect answers

Are any of the answers obviously wrong?

Now, can you work backwards?

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Exam Make your best guess (may be your first guess),

Mark with a ? and come back to it

Make notes and best guess before moving on tothe next question

Answer each question There is no penalty for an incorrect answer

Your score is based on number of correct answers

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Handling Difficult Problems

If you have no clue at all:

Make your best guess

Circle the problem number (or identify it someother way) to indicate you have no clue

Come back to these problems only if have

more time Never leave a question unanswered

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Saving Time

Write the letter of the correct answer in themargin on the test booklet

At the end of the page, transcribe theanswers to the answer sheet

Do this one page at a time.

Do not do this for the entire exam and thenattempt to transfer the answers

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Units

In the morning some problems are given inboth SI and US units

Work what you are most comfortable with

Most afternoon exams will be SI only so beprepared

Civil exam uses both sets of units for sometopic areas

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Terminology

Not everyone uses the same terminology

Try to be familiar with other nomenclature

Focus on the problem; do you know it byanother name?

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Reference Manual

Be familiar with its organization

Where are your most frequently used

equations? What data will you use the most?

Not necessarily a good idea to study by the

reference manual

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Work Out Of Sequence

Problems tend to be grouped in sections

Work what you know best, first

Save the most difficult for last

If you dont know it, guess

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Write Out the Problem

Work in the test booklet

Solving problems in your head may not be

the fastest way Make sure you record your answer on the

answer sheetgraders do not look at your

test booklet

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What If You Do Not Pass?

Take it again

Exam is offered twice a year

Review and study for the next time

No adverse information is placed on yourrecord

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Im not going to work in

Oklahoma when I graduate,

should I wait to take theexam in another state?

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No!

The FE is a national exam and your scorecan be reported to any state in which you

wish to become registered. Not taking theexam now will only make it more difficult foryou in the future.

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Lecture 5 - FE Exam

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