The general requirements for a person interested in taking the
PE (or Professional Engineering) exam consist of a Bachelor's
Degree from an accredited engineering four-year institution, the
completion of the FE (or Fundamentals of Engineering) exam, and
roughly four years of experience in the field of engineering.
In certain states, a person can by-pass the degree requirement
and take the PE exam, as long as he is sponsored by a Professional
Engineer and has the necessary work experience prescribed by the
state where he is taking the exam. Each state has its own specific
requirements for an applicant to qualify to take the PE Exam. Each
state also has its own passing score rank.
There are volumes of materials and review courses available in
book form, online, and in-person seminars. Some prepare the
potential test taker in the breadth requirements for the first half
of the eight-hour PE exam. There are books with practice problems,
sample PE exams, civil PE review topics, and study materials in the
various disciplines of the Professional Engineering profession.
Professional Engineering disciplines include civil,
transportation, mechanical, electrical, agricultural, control
systems, petroleum, structural, industrial engineering and
more.
The PE test is eight hours long and is divided in two four-hour
segments. In some of the engineering disciplines, the first segment
is a broad spectrum test of a particular engineering discipline.
The afternoon session in this instance would be on more specific
aspects of that discipline. There is a break for lunch between the
two test-taking segments.
The PE exam is an open-book exam. People taking the PE exam can
bring in reference materials from the outside, as long as they are
bound together in book or notebook form.
Pass rates vary widely from state to state, but, overall,
average between 50 to 80 percent for first-time PE exam takers.
Pass rates for people repeating the PE exam are lower. Results are
released eight to ten weeks after the test is administered. A test
taker can be notified online or by U.S. mail.
Anyone intending to take the PE exam should be adequately
prepared for this test. With all of the test preparation available
online and in book form, there should be no problem finding the
necessary study aids. A PE preparation seminar is also recommended
for potential test takers. There, instruction and sample tests will
be given weekly to help the student prepare in all areas.
