Devrelle Dumas, EIT

Corey A. Frazier, Ph.D., PE

NSBE Portland Metro Professionals
General Body Meeting
July 15, 2014
E.I.T./E.I. = Engineer in Training or Engineer Intern
First step towards a P.E. license
Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam
Designed for recent grads and students close to finishing an
undergraduate engineering degree
Eligibility An individual must be at least in the last two semesters of an
ABET-accredited engineering program
Computer-based
$225 Registration fee
Look into the possibility getting reimbursed for cost demonstrate its value to
career
What is an EIT Certification?
The PE license tells the public that an engineer has
mastered the critical elements of the profession.
Professional Engineers:
Demonstrate years of experience and expertise in their field
Can stamp and seal engineering documents
Can bid for government contracts
Can offer their services to the public
Perform consulting services in accordance to state laws
What is a PE Certification?
PE Stats
U.S. Engineers, Percentage with License or Certification
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Civil and architectural
Environmental
Mechanical
Electrical
Industrial
Computer hardware
Computer software
Total Engineers
PERCENT
Source: Abt Associates Inc., Engineers in the U.S.: An Overview of the Profession, 2004
Pre-EIT to PE Flow
Engineer-In-Training
Engineering Professional

Job Responsibilities
Performs engineering analysis and
tasks. Elevates those results to
senior engineers for approval.

Key Transition Points
Complete required years of
experience
Successfully apply for PE certification
Pass PE exam
Successfully petition to waive PE
exam and receive certification
Professional Engineer
Engineering Professional

Job Responsibilities
Approves engineering documentation
in accordance with state and local
regulations. May perform engineering
analysis and tasks. May elevate
results to other senior engineers,
senior management, or officials.

Key Transition Points:
Maintain certification and expertise
Mentor other engineers
Pre-Engineer-In-Training
Engineering Student or Engineering
Professional

Job Responsibilities
Studies engineering principles and
practices.
Performs engineering analysis and
tasks. Elevates those results to
senior engineers for approval.

Key Transition Points
Pass FE exam
Successfully petition to waive FE
exam and receive EIT certification
Increase employment potential
Entrepreneurship
Industry Academia
Allows engineers in academia to transfer
innovation and theoretical principles to real world
problem solving


What Opportunities Are Available with a PE License?
True or False:

As a PE you are only allowed to sign on for work
you directly performed analysis on.
Question
False

PEs certification extends to signature authority on
documents, analysis, and designs under your
supervision or ownership, but not necessarily
performed by you. It may be your responsibility to
approve or deny engineering work as part of a team
engineering project.
Answer
Pros & Perks

Stays with you "forever"
Title/credibility
Job opportunities
Leadership opportunities:
Responsibility over other engineering
activities requiring state/local
approval
Input to senior management
decisions and officials
PE Certification Benefits and Tradeoffs
Cons & Taxes

Major commitment
Requires re-licensure
Continuing Ed accountability
Awareness/responsibility of team
and designs (technical knowledge)
PE Application Process
Experience
PE
References
Paperwork
$$$
PE Application Components
PE Application Process
Experience
PE
References
Paperwork
$$$
Requirements (may vary by state)
Degree-level dependent + years of experience
Example for Texas: accredited B.S. degree + 4 years
Begin building a record of your duties
Include how you go/went about performing engineering tasks
Not just a resume regurgitation
PE Application Process
Experience
PE
References
Paperwork
$$$
PE References:
Licensed PEs who can verify your claims of engineering acumen
May or may not be familiar with your work or work with you
At least 3 will be needed to sign off on Supplementary Experience Record
Tips to gain PE References
Network during apprenticeship to gain PEs who provide guidance and will sign off
Look up on state directory and write a polite letter
PE Application Process
Experience
PE
References
Paperwork
$$$
Fees
$250 Application Fee
Investigate Company Sponsorship/Reimbursement
PE Application Process
Experience
PE
References
Paperwork
$$$
Notable Paperwork
Ethics Exam: Online exam, submitted with PE application
Supplementary Experience Record (SER) Form: Detailed record of all engineering exp.
Anti-rsum: First person with complete sentences and active engineering type verbs
SER Pitfalls easy ways to mess up the PE application
Original SER provided to state board, copies go to PE references for verification
SERs must be provided with an envelope for your PE references to seal upon review or mail
independently to board
Other documents include transcripts, criminal history, foreign degree verification


FE PE
Training/Prep
(3+ month head start)
Free prep classes offered through schools or through private companies
for a fee
Recommended Coursework
Refresher courses in 101-level
subject areas (chemistry,
physics, etc.) if you've been a
practicing engineer for a while

Practice exams questions
from past exams offered
online.
General knowledge review.

PE Prep courses specific to
field.

Sponsorship may be available
through your company!
References Allowed in the
Exam
FE Reference Handbook
Textbooks
Standards
NCEES Workbook
PE Reference book(s)
Exam Preparation
Registration
Getting acclimated to the test environment
Best Practices
Get there EARLY
Do not leave for lunch
Bring snacks
Pace yourself
FE Exam: ~3 minutes per question
PE Exam: ~6 minutes per question
What to Expect on Exam Day
Example of FE Exam Specifications
FE PE
Time Allotment
6 hour appointment time; actual test is 5 hours, 20 minutes long with
25 minute break
8 hours: morning (Breadth) and afternoon
(Depth) sessions
# of Questions 110 80 total, 40 per session
Disciplines
Offered
Chemical
Civil
Electrical & Computer
Environmental
Industrial
Mechanical
Other Disciplines
Agricultural & Biological
Architectural
Chemical
Civil
*

Control Systems
Electrical & computer
Environmental
Fire Protection
Industrial
Mechanical
*

Metallurgical
Mining & Mineral Processing
Naval Architecture & Marine
Nuclear
Petroleum
Software
Structural
Exam Format
Multiple choice
*PE Breadth Session: general knowledge specific in a particular engineering field
*PE Depth Session: a concentration is chosen
Exam Specifics
FE Exam
Expect results in 7 to 10 days
Pass/fail NCEES does not report grades to test takers
I PASSED! Now what?
Find P.E. mentors
Gain professional engineering experience
Re-take
Available year round, so test can be taken whenever youre ready again
$225 registration fee required each time test is taken
Plan for success: Take note of difficult sections




Post-FE Exam
Professional branding and title
Use PE title (modern format)
P.E. also acceptable
Unacceptable
(*unless specified by your company/regulations)
P.Eng and Ing (foreign designations)
Not needed
(*unless specified by your company/regulations)
License #, PE discipline LinkedIn, CV, other databases
General: No subordinate degree levels

Stamp vs Seal
Mandatory to obtain one or the other
Post-PE Exam: Passing
Continuing Education (measured in Professional Development Hours)
Annual CE requirements vary by state
High: Texas, North Carolina, and many others states (15 PDH + 1 ethics hr)
Low: Florida & Virginia (8 PDHs), Vermont (10 PDHs)
Auditing
Electronically verify (honor code style) upon yearly renewal
Recommend Tracking/Log Sheet in case of audit
Not required in first yearBUT DO IT ANYWAY!

State PE Board Newsletter
Read for information on new standards and license revocations/suspensions

Professional Orgs
National Society of Professional Engineers
Post-PE Exam: Passing
Post-Exam Immediately note:
Exam subject areas/question types you found difficult
NCEES will NOT tell you your score
Exam day challenges and obstacles

Take time to relax and evaluate
Exams are only administered in October and April
Post-PE Exam: Re-take
4
Maximum
attempts
$200+
Cost per test
attempt
Not the end of
the world!
...but theres
still URGENCY
Am I banned if I fail 4
consecutive times?

NO. But


Must go through the application
process again
Prohibited from applying for 1 year
NCEES/State board will gladly take
your money
Lean, Six Sigma, and Lean Six Sigma certifications
Project Management Professional (PMP) & Project Management-related
certifications
Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) and Systems Engineering-
related certifications
Business Process Management (BPM) certification
Configuration Management certifications
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification

Professional Certification Presentations on the Horizon
BACKUP
* First-time test takers, within 9 months of graduation reported only. http://ncees.org/exams/fe-exam/

FE Exam Pass/Fail Rates
* http://ncees.org/exams/pe-exam/
PE Exam Pass / Fail rates (as of April 2014)
http://ppi2pass.com/faqs/what-happens-after-you-pass-the-pe-exam
http://ppi2pass.com/faqs/TheRumorMill
http://ncees.org/
http://www.nspe.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_and_licensure_in_engineering

Notable Links