Content deleted Content added
No edit summary |
Link suggestions feature: 2 links added. |
||
| (39 intermediate revisions by 22 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{Short description|United States engineering exam}}
≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥≥The '''Fundamentals of Engineering''' ('''FE''') '''exam''', also referred to as the '''Engineer in Training''' ('''EIT''') '''exam''', and formerly in some states as the '''Engineering Intern''' ('''EI''') '''exam''', is the first of two examinations that [[engineer]]s must pass in order to be licensed as a [[Professional Engineer]] in the [[United States]]. The [[exam]] is open to anyone with a [[Academic degree|degree]] in engineering or a related field, or currently enrolled in the last year of an [[Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology|ABET]]-accredited engineering degree program. Some state licensure boards permit students to take it prior to their final year, and numerous states allow those who have never attended an approved program to take the exam if they have a state-determined number of years of work experience in engineering. A selection of states allow those with ABET-accredited "Engineering Technology" or "ETAC" degrees to take the examination. The state of [[Michigan]] has no admission pre-requisites for the FE.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.michigan.gov/lara/0,4601,7-154-35299_61343_35414_60647_35472-114639--,00.html|title= Professional Engineers Examination}}</ref> The exam is administered by the [[National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying]] (NCEES).▼
{{Infobox examination
| image_name =
| image_size =
| image_alt =
| caption =
| acronym = FE
| type = Computer-based exam
| skills_tested = Analytical reasoning, quantitative reasoning, discipline-specific subjects
| purpose = Professional licensure
| year_started = {{start date|1965}}
| year_terminated = <!-- {{End date|YYYY}} -->
| duration = 6 hours
| score_range = Pass/fail
| score_validity =
| offered = Varies
| regions =
| language =
| test_takers =
| prerequisite = Varies per state
| fee = Varies per state
| score_users = Professional state licensing boards
| qualification_rate =
| website = {{URL|https://ncees.org/engineering/fe/}}
| footnotes =
}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
▲
==History and structure==
Prior to 2014, the exam was divided into two 4-hour sessions with a lunch break in between. The morning session consisted of 120 questions in a range of scientific/engineering subjects and had to be taken by all examinees, while the afternoon session consisted of 60 questions and could be taken either in a specific discipline or as a general engineering test. In 2015, content changes in the exam were instituted to make it entirely discipline-specific, with a plan of weaving general engineering subject matter (e.g. math and science fundamentals) throughout the exam.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nspe.org/resources/pe-magazine/march-2015/evolution-fe|title=The Evolution of the FE - National Society of Professional Engineers|website=www.nspe.org}}</ref> Less of the "full breadth" of most traditional engineering undergraduate curricula will be captured with this approach - such as the broad math and science foundation spanning chemistry, physics, mechanics (i.e. statics and dynamics), materials science, computer science, electronics/circuits, engineering design, and the standard range of engineering mathematics (i.e. calculus, differential equations, statistics). A concern was that, while most undergraduate engineering students are in fact exposed to most of these subjects, they may not necessarily take courses in specialized topics such as thermodynamics and fluid mechanics.▼
In 1965, 30 states administered the first FE exam. The FE tests knowledge of what college graduates should have mastered during school. In 1966, a national uniform PE exam was offered.<ref>{{cite web |access-date=December 20, 2022 |title=Exams |url=https://100.ncees.org/licensure-begins/exams/ |website=Celebrating 100 Years of NCEES}}</ref> As of 2014, the FE and FS exams are offered only via [[Computer-based testing|Computer Based Testing]] (CBT). The exam consists of 110 questions and is given during a 6-hour session, of which 5 hours and 20 minutes is designated as time for answering the questions. The remaining time includes a tutorial, presented at the beginning of the session, and an optional 25-minute break. Examinees must apply to be tested in one of seven fields: chemical, civil, electrical and computer, environmental, industrial and systems, mechanical, and other disciplines. Each examinee is provided with an electronic copy of a reference handbook compiled by [[NCEES]], the only reference that may be used during the exam.
Prior to 2014, the exam was divided into two 4-hour sessions with a lunch break in between. The morning session consisted of 120 questions in a range of scientific/engineering subjects and had to be taken by all examinees, while the afternoon session consisted of 60 questions and could be taken either in a specific discipline or as a general engineering test. The reference handbook was distributed as a hard copy; examinees were not allowed to bring their own copies and had to return the provided ones at the end of each session.
▲
Those who pass the exam are sometimes designated [[Engineer In Training]] or [[Engineer Intern]], depending on their state's licensure board's approach to recognizing those who are partway through the licensure process. After obtaining a given amount of work experience (the length of which is set by state law and may be based on the type of degree received), an EIT/EI may qualify to take the [[Principles and Practice in Engineering Exam|Professional Engineer]] (PE) exam. Actual licensure can then be applied for and awarded upon successful completion of the PE exam. The standard time of work experience (which may need to be under a [[Professional Engineer]]) is four years in most US states, for graduates of an ABET-accredited engineering program.▼
Since July 2020, the NCEES has made updates across all FE exam disciplines.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ncees.org/engineering/fe/ |title=NCEES FE exam information |website=National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying}}</ref> For example, the topic "Computational Tools" was removed for the civil and mechanical disciplines. In other cases, topics and subtopics have been merged or combined. The NCEES also published an updated version of the tenth edition of the FE Reference Handbook. The handbook was revised incorporating a coherent single-page layout instead of a two-column layout, the addition and removal of a few new equations, and updated FE Exam Specifications.
==
▲Those who pass the exam are sometimes designated [[Engineer In Training]] or [[Engineer Intern]]
== Passing rates ==
The NCEES posts passing rates biannually on their website with the following criteria:<ref>{{Cite web |title=NCEES FE exam information |url=https://ncees.org/engineering/fe/ |access-date=September 29, 2020 |website=NCEES}}</ref>
* Took the FE exam for the first time
==U.S. Patent Office==▼
* Attended EAC/ABET-accredited engineering programs
Passage of the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, along with graduation with any Bachelor's degree or equivalent, satisfies the [[U.S. Patent and Trademark Office]]'s technical requirements for sitting for its [[USPTO registration examination|registration examination]] to become either a registered [[patent attorney]] or patent agent.<ref>http://www.uspto.gov/ip/boards/oed/GRB_March_2012.pdf</ref> This is specified in "Category C" on page 8 of the General Requirements Bulletin.▼
* Took the FE exam within 12 months of graduation
The passing rate based on the criteria spans from 63 to 76 percent as of 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ncees.org/wp-content/uploads/Squared-2021_web.pdf |title=Squared: A Year in Numbers |website=NCESS |year=2021 |page=8-9 |access-date=December 16, 2022}}</ref><!--Based on the second column shown under "Takers with EAC/ABET bachelor's degree"--> The organization also posts complete passing rates annually in their ''Squared: A Year In Numbers'' report, which includes all examinees.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NCEES archived annual reports and Squared |url=https://ncees.org/about/publications/past-annual-reports-squared/ |access-date=December 16, 2022 |website=NCEES}}</ref> These reports have been available since 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Is the FE Exam hard? |url=https://www.prepfe.com/blog/2020/9/is-the-fe-exam-hard |access-date=September 29, 2020 |website=PrepFE}}</ref>
▲* [[National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying]] (NCEES)
=== Passing scores ===
The exam results are based on the total number of correct answers with no reductions for wrong answers.<ref name="EG">{{cite web |url=https://ncees.org/wp-content/uploads/NCEESExamGuide_November-2022_opt.pdf |publisher=NCESS |title=NCESS Examinee Guide |date=November 1, 2022 |access-date=December 16, 2022 |page=13, 19}}</ref> A scaled score is converted from the original number of correct answers. Examinees take a unique exam generated from a volunteer-sourced NCEES problem bank. The organization does not publish the passing score because it varies slightly based on the difficulty of the exam. If an examinee does not pass an exam, the organization provides a diagnostic report to help them identify the knowledge areas they need to improve before retaking the exam.<ref name="EG"/>
▲==U.S. Patent Office==
▲Passage of the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, along with graduation with any Bachelor's degree or equivalent, satisfies the [[
==References==
Line 45 ⟶ 61:
==External links==
* [http://www.ncees.org Official NCEES website]
* [https://ncees.org/engineering/fe/ NCEES website on Fundamentals of Engineering Examination]
[[Category:Engineering education]]
| |||