The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam is an important first step towards earning a Professional Engineer (PE) license. PE licensure is a requirement for any qualified engineer to gain essential work privileges, such as owning a firm or being able to work in an engineering management position. On top of that, it grants you the ability to stamp and seal drawings and generally leads to a higher overall salary throughout your engineering career.
Because of how important the FE exam is for your professional development — let alone its relevance to the PE exam as well — it’s important to be as prepared as possible to take it.
Read on to learn the most important things to keep in mind for the FE exam!
Because of how important the FE exam is for your professional development — let alone its relevance to the PE exam as well — it’s important to be as prepared as possible to take it.
FE Exam Dates
The FE doesn’t have any set exam dates. Instead, it’s offered year-round on any day except Sundays. The reason why this test doesn’t need to follow a set schedule like the CPA exam is because it’s based on a computer based testing (CBT) format. This requires much less set up and grading time, so the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) is able to offer constant testing.
Tests are administered at Pearson VUE test centers; Visit this page on the NCEES website to find approved locations near you. Alternatively, if you live outside the United States and want to take the test, visit this page instead.
Registration for the FE Exam
All registration for FE exams is done online. Consequently, the only thing you need is a MyNCEES account and money to pay for the exam.
Here’s a brief step-by-step guide to the FE exam registration process:
- Create or log in to your MyNCEES account
- Select the REGISTER button
- Pay the $175 dollar exam fee (some licensing boards may include extra charges)
- Receive authorization from NCEES to schedule your exam
- Use the MyNCEES portal to finalize your FE exam schedule
- Receive an exam confirmation from PearsonVUE
Once you’ve done all of the above, your registration will be complete. From then on, the only thing you will need to worry about is preparing for the exam itself.
Special Accommodations
According to the NCEES, special accommodations are available to anyone who can document their request and meet certain eligibility requests. These include people with a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act or people with scheduling conflicts due to religious or military appointments. These apply to all NCEES exams— not just FE.
However, bear in mind that any necessary accommodations must be indicated during registration for your exam. Visit the NCEES page on special accommodations to learn more about what’s being offered. Alternatively you can contact them at [email protected] for more specific questions.
Related Posts
When to Start Preparing for the 2024 FE Exam
So when exactly should you start studying for the FE exam?
Essentially, this depends on your personal education history. If you’re a recent graduate you won’t need to spend as much time preparing because the information will still be fresh on your mind. On the other hand, someone who’s been out of school for years may have a harder time with the test and need to prepare for much longer.
That being said, here’s our suggestion for FE examinees:
As a rule of thumb, if you’ve been out of school for under 10 years then you should devote a three to four month period for your studying. Alternatively, if you’ve been out of school longer than 10 years you may want to study for up to six months beforehand to refresh your knowledge.
How prepared you are will largely be up to your personal experience, but these are good baselines to start from!
When to Take the 2024 FE Exam
Essentially, this test will be available to you at any time during or after your senior year. Hence, you’ll want to take it as early as possible so your knowledge on the subjects will still be fresh. Try to shoot for taking the FE exam near the end of your senior year or shortly after you graduate. Waiting any longer will be a detriment to you; you’ll start to forget some of the knowledge that is required on the exam!
Although that is the best option, not everyone agrees with it. Here’s an alternative option:
You might think that gaining some experience in the field first might help with taking the test. That may be right, but while you learn more about your specialization, you’ll forget more general knowledge you learned in school. Again, this is largely up to the individual— but I strongly recommend taking the test early.
Try to shoot for taking the FE exam near the end of your senior year or shortly after you graduate. Waiting any longer will be a detriment to you; you’ll start to forget some of the knowledge that is required on the exam!
2024 FE Exam Study Tips
There are many different options to prepare for the FE exam, each of which is effective in their own ways. Personally, I recommend picking up a few free practice tests or a list of FE exam practice questions to work through. The tests that test prep companies sell tend to be harder than the actual exam. This means that if you can do well on them, you’ll have a much easier time when it comes to the real thing!
When taking each test, try and create an environment similar to the FE exam and give yourself the same time limit. Doing so will familiarize yourself with the format ahead of time and give you a huge advantage.
Additionally, you’ll want to get used to working with the FE reference manual. It will be provided during the FE exam as a reference, so you’ll want to be familiar with it ahead of time. The manual itself is huge and you don’t want to waste time looking for the pages you need during the exam.
If you know ahead of time, you’ll save tons of time!
You Can Manage Your FE Exam Schedule
If you keep in mind everything I’ve outlined here today you should be well prepared to take the FE exam in 2024. Make sure to sign up early and get everything ready for it well ahead of time. If you can do that, studying for and taking the test will be much easier.
Get Discounts On FE Review Courses
Black Friday Sale – $500 Off PPI2PASS FE Review Course
Save Up to $300 on School of PE FE Courses
Military Discount – $100 Off School of PE FE Review Courses
Get $100 Off School of PE FE Review Course
$50 Off School of PE FE Review Course – Loyalty Discount
50% Off School of PE FE Review Course – Undergrad Discount
Black Friday Sale – 32% Off School of PE FE Courses
FAQ – FE Exam
Since the Fundamentals of Engineering exam is offered year-round, you can take it during any month out of the year. Furthermore, you can schedule the day of your exam to any day of the week except for Sunday.
In the past, the FE exam was only offered during a few two-month periods throughout the year. However, their recent switch to a computer-based testing format means that the FE exam is offered year-round for students to take at their convenience.
Your eligibility period and exam testing window will be determined by the state in which you’re taking the FE exam. The NCEES website has all of the information on how many times you can take the exam in a year for each state. However, it’s typical for most states to allow students three attempts every year.
You can take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam at any test center location that has been approved by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). Check their website to find the closest test center to your location.
