<li><p>How much is the registration fee? I looked online and it says the fee varies by state. I just want to know a rough estimate: $10, $25, $100, $500?</p></li>
<li><p>How much time do people usually spend prepping for this test? I have seen some of the basic questions and it looks like a first year undergrad could solve them. I know it is a comprehensive test … there are some topics which need brushing up from general courses … would you recommend just buying a prep book, reading through it once … for a 3rd year undergrad?</p></li>
<li><p>Is there a point in getting a PE if you want to take the MBA path? What kind of employers would require the FE exam to be passed for entry level hiring? And what kind of jobs would require a PE?</p></li>
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<p>My school always tried to get students to take it because while your plans might not include getting a job that requires it now, you never know what is waiting for you in your future. Given that the average american has something like 5 different "careers" in their lifetime, perhaps you switch to something that requires PE licensure later on.</p>
<p>MBA is more on the management side. I think you only need PE when your work concerns the public, like civil engineers who design roads, etc.</p>
<p>BUT its much easier to pass it now than it would be later on. Perhaps you could just do some basic prep and sit for the test -- it doesnt cost much and it cant harm you.</p>
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It can range from zero to a few hundred dollars, depending on your state. Some states waive the fee for eligible students. Check the website of your state Engineering Board.</p>
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2. How much time do people usually spend prepping for this test?
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The morning section of the FE exam focuses on "general" topics, which are freshman to sophomore level math, physics, chemistry, and computer science. For the afternoon section, you have a choice: you can stick with "general" topics, or you can switch to a "discipline-specific" section and focus on a specific branch of engineering (civil, mechanical, etc). </p>
<p>The amount of prep time varies, depending on (1) how much brushing up you need on "general" topics, and (2) whether you also need to brush up on "discipline-specific" topics. Your school may offer review courses. </p>
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3. Is there a point in getting a PE if you want to take the MBA path? What kind of employers would require the FE exam to be passed for entry level hiring? And what kind of jobs would require a PE?
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You typically need a PE license to work with permanent, site-specific infrastructure (e.g. structures, transportation, utilities). This includes civils, some EEs (e.g. power engineers) and some MEs (e.g. HVAC engineers). </p>
<p>The PE/MBA combination could be valuable if you plan a career involving the design or construction of infrastructure. On the other hand, if you plan to design or manufacture portable, mass-produced items, then the PE license is probably unnecessary.</p>
<p>I <em>think</em> I spent almost $200 on registration fees. There were two payments; one is for the state licensure board and the other is for the test administrating company.</p>
<p>I spent a little time every week prepping for it during my last semester of senior year. The difficultly doesn't lie with the individual questions. The problem is do you remember something you learned in your second week of college when 3 1/2 years later that you may or may not have used in other courses. </p>
<p>Do not take it you're third year of undergrad. You probably won't know how to solve a significant portion of the questions, especially in the afternoon section if you take the discipline specific option. Do not begin studying during your 3rd year either if you're going to take the exam 4th year. You'll probably forget everything by the time you take the exam.</p>
<p>Buy a prep book. I highly recommend Lindenburgh's book. Do NOT read it from front to back. Focus more on the sections that you don't remember much about and less on more recent courses.</p>
<p>Employers that typically require EIT status are some civil engineering design firms and usually related government entities. Jobs that would require PE are typically those that involve managing infrastructure design, whether that be power, buildings, bridges, HVAC, etc.</p>
<p>DH is an EE (Power design is his specialty). He took the EIT as soon as he could and the PE as soon as he could. He advises ALL engineering majors to take the EIT while the information is fresh....right when you finish school.</p>
<p>When it was time for him to take the PE, he actually took a PE prep course through a local university that offers MS programs in engineering. He say it was well worth the time and money. The info wasn't new or hard, but he was out of the "test taking mode" by the time he was able to take the PE. He needs a PE because he does power design. It has been a "calling card" for getting interviews as well. Not a bad thing to have.</p>
<p>It cost him a couple of hundred dollars to take the PE test, and it's $240 annually to renew in this state. His company paid for it all.</p>
<p>1. How much is the registration fee? I looked online and it says the fee varies by state. I just want to know a rough estimate: $10, $25, $100, $500?</p>
<p>2. How much time do people usually spend prepping for this test? I have seen some of the basic questions and it looks like a first year undergrad could solve them. I know it is a comprehensive test ... there are some topics which need brushing up from general courses ... would you recommend just buying a prep book, reading through it once .... for a 3rd year undergrad?</p>
<p>My son took the test in the spring of his 3rd year undergrad. He didn't study for it, as he only planned to take it as practice, and then take a summer prep class to take it "for real" in the fall. But he passed it the first time around, so that saved him a lot of hassle.</p>
<p>3. Is there a point in getting a PE if you want to take the MBA path? What kind of employers would require the FE exam to be passed for entry level hiring? And what kind of jobs would require a PE?
There is a state law that requires at least 50% of the principle partners of engineering firms to have PE credentials. Therefore, holding a PE greatly enhances your chance of making partner and rising up through the ranks of an engineering firm. Whether or not you want to earn an MBA could be decided later, depending on your job responsibilities. The FE/EIT test is required for employment at the more selective engineering and consultant firms that contract directly with the public. It is not required for industrial or aerospace type employment.</p>
<p>$100 in California as UCLA Band Mom said. You cannot try to "transfer" registration from October to April unless you have a valid reason (I gave them a doctor's note from injures crashing my road bike on the LB marathon and it was valid). </p>
<p>My studying? The night before, I picked up my calculator at 11pm at Walmart and scarfed down some The Hat. </p>
<p>I stayed the whole time, due to forgetting had to do some stuff like cross product so I had to derive it (had to do this for force balances/statics). I asked the two people next to me what they were occupation wise (civil) and what they were taking (general II for afternoon section), so I took general II for afternoon section. </p>
<p>(Yes I passed, now have my EIT and plan to take my PE in chemical in 2 years than civil 2 years later) </p>
<p>On word of advice BoelterHall if you're going to take it, you have to take it at Pomona Fairplex and be prepared for a crazy wait to get parking and much bureaucracy. (Get up at 5am or 6am, get home at 6pm+). </p>
<p>Thanks all for your responses. It does sound like an easy test. However, I still don't know when to take it. ken285 says don't take it until the 4th year because the discipline questions will be too difficult.</p>
<p>Would reading some prep books help you learn what you don't know? I would think by the 3rd year Spring, an undergrad should have learned most of the curriculum.</p>
<p>If that's the case, I will probably spend Spring Break "studying" for it and take it in April.</p>
<p>My son told me that most of the people he knew took it in Spring of 3rd year. He doesn't know of anybody who didn't pass it. He said that so many people had already taken it that the EIT review classes were cancelled during his 4th year. </p>
<p>He had a lot of tales to tell about the scene at the Pomona Fairplex. A massive number of people were there to take (and retake) the tests, most people got there before 6 am. They took over a huge building the size of a blimp hangar. He said that the chairs were very uncomfortable, and that the restrictions against cheating were intense. He was totally exhausted afterwards.</p>
<p>It's not easy, the curve is just generous. A brief review will help in my opinion.</p>
<p>There's an advantage to taking it straight out of college. The knowledge is more fresh in your mind. My guess is this, the longer you stay in industry, you really do not need to know what's the second derivative at that point and so forth. As a result, people forget. Thus, Straight<em>Out</em>Of<em>College</em>Student has a higher chance to pass than Been<em>Working</em>In<em>Industry</em>Joe. </p>
<p>In addition, if I remember right, there's a statistic (can't find link), that shows the pass rate based upon years out of college. It showed that straight out had the highest passing rate.</p>
<p>When I took it, I saw the ASCE crew from UCLA (mostly 4th years/some 3rd years).</p>
<p>The FE exam pass rate varies from year to year. It also varies by discipline: several different discipline-specific exams are offered in the afternoon, and they typically have different pass rates. </p>
<p>But in general, if you are a first-time FE exam taker, and a student or graduate of an ABET-accredited engineering BS program, then your chances of passing are statistically about 75%. If you go to a top school, then your chances are probably even better.</p>
<p>The FE exam is probably the broadest exam you'll ever take; it addresses all kinds of math, physics, chemistry, and computer science issues, plus a broad range of material from your engineering discipline (if you take a discipline-specific exam in the afternoon). That's what makes it hard to study for. But it's graded pass/fail, and you can miss a lot of questions and still pass.</p>
<p>I've heard that getting approximately 1/2 right will give you a pass. Not sure how true this is, but it sounds about right. I have yet to meet anyone that didn't pass it, but I still wouldn't consider it easy. Any 8 hour test will drain you, especially with the breadth of topics.</p>
<p>No, the FE exam is all multiple choice. Most PE exams are exclusively multiple choice as well, although some structural and geotechnical exams have essay or design questions.</p>
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No, the FE exam is all multiple choice. Most PE exams are exclusively multiple choice as well, although some structural and geotechnical exams have essay or design questions.
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<p><em>Sigh</em>. =)</p>
<p>I'm tentatively slated to take the PE exam (structural) next October. I'll keep y'all posted.</p>
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I didn't study at all. I thought it was easy.</p>
<p>I'm doing structural engineering, and I have a GPA of 2.4. So I'll post an update when I get the results.
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<p>That was my original post. I passed. So there you have it.</p>
<p>Also, that GPA includes the 3 years I spent messing around and switching from major to major whenever classes got difficult. My pure engineering GPA (no math, phys, nothing but ENG) is 3.1.</p>
<p>But I still believe that as long as you can flip through a formula book and quickly find information, you don't need to study at all.</p>