Fundamentals of Engineering Examination (F.E.)

• The Application
• New York State Eligibility
• Castle Worldwide, Inc.
• Fundamentals of Engineering Handbook
• December Graduates
• Review Books
• Review Sessions
• About the Exam
• Applications and Information

Upcoming F.E. Exam Dates and Application Deadlines

If you are interested in becoming a licensed Professional Engineer, you will need to start by taking the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam. This exam is given twice a year but is only given at Clarkson in the spring. Clarkson students may apply through the Coulter School of Engineering Office located in 102 CAMP. Application forms are available at this location or on-line at http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/pels/pe1.pdf . Once you have filled out form 1, return it to us for proofing and to make sure you are eligible. We will send your application to the New York State Education Department for you. The next exam given on campus will be on April 13, 2013. The deadline for you to turn in those applications is October 19, 2012. The next available fall exam will be given on October 25, 2014. The deadline for those applications will be April 25, 2014.

To qualify for a license as a professional engineer an applicant shall fulfill the following requirements:

1. Application: file an application with the school;
2. Education: have received an education, including a bachelor's or higher degree based on a program in engineering, in accordance with the commissioner's regulations;
3. Experience: have at least four years in work satisfactory to the board, provided that the board may accept study beyond the bachelor''s degree in partial fulfillment of this requirement;
4. Examination: pass an examination satisfactory to the board and in accordance with the commissioner's regulations;
5. Age: be at least twenty-one years of age;
6. Citizenship or immigration status: be a United States citizen of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States;
7. Character: be of good moral character as determined by the department; and
8. Fees: pay a fee of two hundred twenty dollars to the department for admission to a department conducted examination and for an initial license, a fee of one hundred fifteen dollars for each reexamination, a fee of one hundred thirty-five dollars for an initial license for persons not requiring admission to a department conducted examination, and a fee of two hundred ten dollars for each triennial registration period.

The Application
Your application should include the following items. (Use paper clips, not staples)

Form 1
Question 5 – Address: Use your home or permanent address, as the next packet of information you will receive will be sent 6-8 weeks later, which falls after the semester has ended for both spring and fall applicants.

Question 8 – Check Part A

Question 14 – Note that Elementary and High School only need to be recorded if the schools attended were outside the U.S. List all schools attended and degrees earned including Clarkson (example: Clarkson University 9/08 to 5/12 B.S. in Civil Engineering)

Skip questions 15, 16 and 17. Graduate students may wish to answer question 15.

Question 20 – Two New York State loans are TAP and Child of Veterans. Stafford loans are federally funded.

Question 23 – It is necessary to have this form notarized. A list of notary publics on campus has been included in your packet.

Form 2
Fill out front side only.  If you are a Clarkson Senior with 84 credits Form 2 will not need to be filled out.

Application Fee
A check made payable to New York State Education Department in the amount of $70.

New York State Eligibility
The New York State Education Department considers you eligible to apply to take the exam when you have "completed three years in an approved program in engineering at the undergraduate level." Therefore, all applicants must have completed 84 credit hours toward their engineering degree (students who have completed 84 credit hours are considered seniors). If you started as a freshman in a degree program other than engineering or are a dual or double major, please check with your advisor or departmental secretary to verify that you have the proper number of credits towards your engineering degree. If you have taken any classes off-campus, please check with SAS to determine whether or not the official transcript of those courses have been received and proper credit posted. This is your responsibility and could make the difference whether or not you will be determined to be eligible to sit for the exam.

After the board has notified you of your approval, register online with NCEES to reserve your seat for the exam. 

• To schedule and pay the fee for the examination for which you have been approved by New York State Board for Engineering and Land Surveying, you are now required to register through the NCEES website at www.ncees.org.  Instructions will be provided on the NCEES website for the registration and payment for exam.
• As you register through NCEES, the NCEES registration system will connect you to Castle's scheduling system so that you may submit the scheduling fee to Castle Worldwide, Inc., the testing company contracted by the NYSED to administer the examinations.
•   If you have not received these materials after eight weeks time, you should contact the NY State Education Department at 518-474-3817 ext. 250 to find out if there was a problem with your application.
  
  Exam authorization
  NCEES will email you 2-3 weeks before the exam with a link to download and print your exam authorization notice.  Read it carefully.  You will be required to present this document along with a valid, government-issued photo ID upon arrival at the exam site
  
  About the Exam
  The exam has two distinct parts. The morning four-hour portion is similar to the old exam with about the same dozen topics. The afternoon four-hour portion is new and different. There are seven different afternoon exams: civil, mechanical, electrical, environmental, industrial, chemical, and a other disciplines exam. While the morning exam covers the first two years of an engineer's education, the afternoon exam covers about the last two years of the engineer's education in their specific branch of engineering. The morning exam has 120 one-point, multiple-choice questions and the afternoon exam has 60 two-point questions in the discipline chosen by the applicant. We recommend that an engineer take the discipline test in his own branch of engineering as these topics are those that the engineer will use most throughout their career. Evidence to date suggests that you have a higher chance of passing the exam if you take your discipline exam.
  
  Exam-day schedule
  Be sure to arrive at the exam site on time.  Late-arriving examinees will not be allowed into the exam room once the proctor has begun to read the exam script.  The report time for the exam will be printed on your exam authorization notice.  Normally, you will be given a 1-hour break between morning and afternoon sessions.
  
  Your afternoon exam module
  At the start of the afternoon exam session, you will receive an exam book containing the depth module (Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Industrial, Mechanical or Other Disciplines) selected during registration with NCEES.  Do not attempt to switch afternoon modules on exam day-your answer sheet will be scored based on the module selected during registration.

•  Items You Should Bring to the Examination Site

  • Your admission ticket
  • A current, signed, government-issued photo identification.  This is typically a driver's license or passport.  The first and last name on the photo ID must match the name on the exam authorization notice.  Please note that a student ID card is not acceptable for admittance.
  • A calculator - a list of approved calculators will be on the NCEES website
    
    The FE is a closed-book exam. You will be provided with an FE Supplied-Reference Handbook at your seat on exam day

  Results will be released to the licensing boards approximately 8-10 weeks after the exam. Depending on your state, you will be notified of your exam result online through your My NCEES account or via postal mail from your state licensing board. Results are never given over the phone.

  Fundamentals of Engineering Reference Handbook
  When taking the F.E. exam you are not allowed to take books or notes with you. You are, however, allowed to use a Fundamentals of Engineering Reference Handbook. You will be provided with one at the time of the exam. If you would like to receive one to study from you may contact NCEES. From this site, you may purchase the handbook.

  December Graduates
  For December graduates, there is also an exam given in the fall. You need to have completed 84 credit hours towards an engineering degree at the time you submit your application. The fall exams are not given at Clarkson, However, you have a choice of locations where you may take it. The choices are: New York City, Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, West Point or Ithaca. You will pick the location where you want to take the exam on the scheduling form sent to you by the State.
  

  Review Books
  Review books for the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (F.E.) are available through the University Bookstore and available on-line.

  Review Sessions
  The School of Engineering offers review sessions in the various subjects (Electrical Science, Materials Science, Strength of Materials, Dynamics, Thermodynamics, Statics, Economics, and Fluid Mechanics). They are usually one night a week for two hours during the spring semester.   Unfortunately, review sessions are not feasible for students taking the exam in the fall as there is usually a very small number of applicants.
  
   Applications and Information
  For more information or to pick up application materials, please contact:

  Eileen Winters
  102 CAMP
  Coulter School of Engineering
  Clarkson University
  Phone: 315-268-6446
  E-mail: eileen@clarkson.edu\

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