Course Format
12 review sessions Half-length mock FE exam on 12/14/17
• 3-hour exam• 55 questions (~3 minutes per question)• $44 payable online
What Do I Need?
NCEES FE Reference Handbook
You can purchase it for $13.95 (plus shipping) or download a pdf version of the handbook for free at
https://account.ncees.org/exam-prep/
How do I pass the course?
1. Attend 11 of the 12 review sessions2. Register and sit for the FE exam3. Pass the FE exam OR
Score at least 40% on the mock FE
If you can’t sit for the exam before the end of the semester, you’ll get an incomplete. You will then have 45 days to clear the incomplete or it will automatically turn into a “U” and you will have to take the course again.
Remember that it takes 7-10 days to get your exam scores!
FE Exam Format
6-hour exam• 8-minute tutorial• 110 questions @ 1 point per question• 25-minute break halfway through
Mostly multiple choice questions• 4 choices per question• No penalty for wrong answers• All choices equally represented
FE Exam Format
Alternative question formats (July 2017)• Multiple correct - allows examinees to select
multiple answers • Point and click - requires examinees to click on
part of a graphic to answer • Drag and drop - requires examinees to click on
and drag items to match, sort, rank, or label • Fill in the blank - provides a space for examinees
to enter a response to the question
How Do I Register for the Exam?1. Register with NCEES (www.ncees.org) and pay the $225
exam fee (which drops to $175 in January 2018).
2. Once you have been authorized by NCEES to sit for the exam, you can schedule the exam at any Pearson VUE testing center in the country.
3. You will then receive an appointment confirmation from the Pearson VUE testing center.
4. When your appointment time arrives, take the exam at the Pearson VUE testing center you selected.
5. If you passed the exam …
How Do I Apply for Certification?6. Go to http://tn.gov/commerce/article/arch-forms-and-downloads and
select the link marked “Engineer Interns (for certification).”
7. If you haven’t already created an account, click on “Register a new account” otherwise sign into your account.
8. Follow the instructions.
The Dean will reimburse your registration fee if you pass the exam on the first try.
When Can I Take the Exam?1. January, February, March
2. April, May, June
3. July, August, September
4. October, November, December
You can only take the exam once per “window”and no more than 3 times in a 12-month period.
Where can I find more info?
http://ncees.org/engineering/
http://ncees.org/exams/fe-exam/
http://ncees.org/exams/cbt/
NCEES YouTube Channel
http://www.tn.gov/commerce/article/arch-engineer-interns
How to Prepare for the Exam
Attend all the review sessions Become familiar with the NCEES
FE Supplied-Reference Handbook(9th Edition)
Consider purchasing review books Consider purchasing practice exams Take the exam seriously!
What to Bring to the Exam
Government-issued photo id• Must have a valid expiration date• Must have your name and date of birth• Must have your signature• STUDENT ID CARDS ARE NOT ACCEPTED
NCEES-approved calculator
Calculators Allowed
Hewlett-PackardHP-33sHP-35s
(all models)
CasioFX-115FX-991
(all models)
Texas InstrumentsTI-30XTI-36X
(all models)
Strategies for Taking the Exam
Start with the areas you know best Don’t confuse “long” and “difficult” Read the entire question before solving Read all the answers before selecting Answers often reflect common mistakes Many questions ask for “closest” answer
Strategies for Taking the Exam
Make sure you answer every question If you don’t know the answer …
• Try to eliminate clearly incorrect answers• Try to work backwards from the remainder• If all else fails, GUESS
Make sure you don’t run out of time
How is the exam scored
Passing grade is stated as 70% but …• Unfair problems are thrown out• Beta test problems aren’t scored• Scores are curved for consistency
Bottom line …• You need to answer approximately 55 of
the 110 questions on the exam correctly