Fundamentals of Engineering test stresses students
As most students begin preparation for their upcoming spring semester finals, students in the USU College of Engineering have to take on an entirely different kind of test – the Fundamentals of Engineering exam.
The FE, a competency exam required of engineering majors, is offered twice every school year – in October and April – and is a necessary step students must take in order to get professionally licensed in their career field. Those students close to finishing an undergraduate degree will take the eight-hour exam on Saturday.
“There are two reasons why USU engineering students take the FE exam,” said Christine Hailey, a senior associate dean and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. “It’s the first step toward licensure as a professional engineer. For some programs, such as the bachelor of science in mechanical engineering, the students must pass the FE in order to graduate. On the other hand, few students in electrical engineering or computer engineering will take the FE exam because professional licensure is not as important to these disciplines.”
The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing professional licensure for engineers and surveyors, develops, administers and scores the examinations – including the FE – used for engineering and surveying licensing in the United States.
“After a student has passed the FE they must work for a licensed professional engineer for four years,” Hailey said. “Then she or he takes another exam – the Professional Examination – and must pass it in order to be licensed as a professional engineer. You can identify a professional engineer because they use the initial PE in their signature.”
Some students have been studying for several weeks, attending bi-weekly study sessions held by engineering professors and faculty.
“It’s a lot of studying and reviewing your old classes and homework,” said Kurt Marchant, a senior studying civil engineering. “You don’t necessarily have to pass it to graduate but essentially you have to pass it to get a job.”
Michael Brown, a junior studying civil engineering, said he has been cramming for a while.
“There’s a lot to the preparation process,” he said. “It’s a lot of just going to the study sessions, looking over the handbook that they give you, understanding everything that’s in the handbook and whatnot.”
The FE exam contains 180 multiple-choice questions and is split into two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, Hailey said. The morning session is comprised of 120 questions and is the same for every student who takes it that day. The afternoon session corresponds specifically with each engineering undergraduate major. Those students taking the FE have to register beforehand for the correct afternoon session.
The NCEES advises students to remember the FE is a closed-book exam, but each student will be provided with a copy of the FE Supplied-Reference Handbook, a material containing the basic reference material needed for the exam.
The NCEES typically releases exam results to licensing boards eight to 10 weeks after students take the exam. Students will be notified of their results either through postal mail from the state licensing board or via their online My NCEES account.
Based on NCEES data from the October 2012 test results, the FE has a 72 percent pass rate among first-time takers. But this statistic doesn’t seem daunting to many students.
“I’ll just be glad to have it done,” Marchant said.
Hailey said USU students are lucky to have the opportunity to take the exam on their own campus.
“On April 20, people will be taking the FE exam across the country,” Hailey said. “We are fortunate to be able to offer the exam on the USU campus through our testing services. In many instances, people have to travel to a city where the exam is being offered.”
– pchristiansenmusic@hotmail.com