Principles and Practice of Engineering exam: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Examination for engineer license in the US}}
{{Infobox examination
| name = Principles and Practice of Engineering Examination
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| caption =
| acronym = PE
| type = Pencil-and-paper exam; Computer-based exam (PESelect Chemicalexams only)
| test_admin = [[National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying]]
| skills_tested = Analytical reasoning, quantitative reasoning, discipline-specific subjects
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| score_range = Pass/Fail
| score_validity =
| offered = Twice annually (April and October); Year-round (PESelect Chemicalexams only)
| regions = United States
| language = English
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}}
 
The '''Principles and Practice of Engineering exam''' is the examination required for one to become a [[Professional engineer|Professional Engineer]] (PE) in the United States. It is the second exam required, coming after the [[Fundamentals of Engineering exam]].
 
Upon passing the PE exam and meeting other eligibility requirements, that vary by state, such as education and experience, an engineer can then become registered in their State to stamp and sign engineering drawings and calculations as a PE.
 
While the PE itself is sufficient for most engineering fields, some states require a further certification for structural engineers. These require the passing of the [[Structural I exam]] and/or the [[Structural II exam]].
 
The PE Exam is created and scored by the [[National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying]] (NCEES). NCEES is a national non-profit organization composed of engineering and surveying licensing boards representing all states and U.S. territories.<ref>[http://www.ncees.org/About_NCEES.php] About NCEES</ref><ref>[https://ncees.org/exams/calculator/ NCEES Calculator Policy]</ref>
 
 
==Exam format==
Exams are offered twice a year, once in April and once in October, and are discipline-specific.<ref>[http://www.ncees.org/Exams/Pages/Exam_schedule.php/] NCEES; Exam Schedule</ref> With the exception of the Structural exam, each exam is eight hours long, consisting of two 4-hour sessions administered in a single day with a lunch break. There are 40 multiple-choice questions per session. Several disciplines require a common morning breadth exam which broadly covers the discipline and then a more detailed afternoon depth exam where the test taker selects a more detailed area of the discipline. Other disciplines essentially have morning and afternoon breadth exams.<ref name=format>[http://www.ncees.org/Exams/PE_exam.php] Exam formats</ref>
 
The Structural exam is 16 hours long and administered over two days, with two 4-hour sessions and a lunch break per day. Morning breadth sessions consist of 40 multiple-choice questions, while the afternoon depth sessions require essay responses. An examinee must earn a passing score on both days' exams in order to pass overall, but need not obtain those scores during the same administration of the exam. In computer-based test (CBT) examinees are given access to on-screen reference manuals but for non CBT exams examinees are allowed to carry reference manuals, codes and spirally bided documents.{{cn|date=September 2021}}
 
NCEES began the process of transitioning exams to computer-based testing (CBT) in 2011. NCEES has successfully converted some of the exams and all other NCEES exams are currently in the conversion process and scheduled to launch in computer-based format between now and 2024. Some CBT exams are administered year-round. Other CBT exams that have a smaller examinee population use a different high-stakes testing model and are administered on a single day each year.
 
==Disciplines==
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*Civil: Water Resources and Environmental (new specifications and design standards for the 2015 exams)
*Control Systems
*Electrical and Computer: [[Computer Engineering]] (Study Guide: [[computer engineering compendium|Computer Engineering Compendium]])
*Electrical and Computer: Electrical and Electronics
*Electrical and Computer: Power
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*Metallurgical and Materials (new specifications and design standards for the 2015 exams)
*Mining and Mineral Processing
*Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
*Nuclear
*Petroleum
*Software
*Structural<ref name="NCEES PE">{{cite web|title=NCEES: PE Exam|url=http://ncees.org/exams/pe-exam/|website=NCEES|publisher=National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying|accessdate=17 November 2014}}</ref>(with design standards for the 2015 exams)
 
Unlike the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, outside reference sources are allowed for the PE Exam. The general rule is that any such materials must be in some sort of permanent binding (book, three-ring, spiral, etc.); loose papers and notes are prohibited. No writing tools or scratch paper may be brought in, and only calculators specifically approved by NCEES may be used.{{cn|date=September 2021}} Examinees are provided with mechanical pencils and may use the test booklet as scratch paper for solving problems.
 
==Pass rates==
The PE exam is a professional exam much like the examinations required for public accounting, law, and other professions for which protection of the public is of the utmost concern. Consequently, exam candidates typically spend large amounts of time preparing for the exam.<ref>[http://www.ncees.org/exams/study_materials/] NCEES; Study Materials</ref> Exam pass rates vary by discipline module and test date, for the April 2010 exam, the pass rates for first time test takers ranged from 85% (Naval Architecture) to 46% (Structural I). The pass rates for repeat test takers is considerably lower.<ref>[http://www.ncees.org/Exams/PE_exam.php] Recent Exam Pass Rates</ref>
 
October 2016 Exam
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==References==
{{Reflist}}
<references/>
 
==External links==
* [http://www.ncees.org/Exams/PE_exam.php NCEES Website about the PE Exam]
 
*
[https://passpe.com PE Exam Preparation Courses]
* [https://www.schoolofpe.com/pe/ School of PE Website offers PE Exam review courses]
 
{{Glossaries of science and engineering}}