Purdue Prepares you to Ace the FE Exam

By -

For some engineering disciplines, the one step you have to take before you can foster change as an engineer is passing the fundaments of engineering (FE) exam.



So, what is the FE Exam?

The Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (FE exam) is an exam that allows a student to become an Engineer-In-Training (EIT). Since much of the information on the exam is covered in the first three years of college, many engineering students choose to take the exam during their final year of college.

The FE exam is also the beginning of the path towards becoming a Professional Engineer (PE); after completing four years of professional engineering work experience (or less if you obtain a Masters or PhD) under a licensed PE, an EIT can then sit for the PE exam and become a PE, if they pass the PE exam. 

 

Who should take the FE Exam?

Becoming an EIT or PE is not required for all types of engineering or engineering positions but can provide added benefits. In addition to all civil engineers, some mechanical, biological, electrical, chemical, and environmental engineers take the FE exam as well.

The FE exam varies based on the engineering discipline and is tailored to the coursework studied for that discipline. For example, a student in mechanical engineering takes the mechanical engineering FE exam whereas a student in environmental engineering would take the environmental FE exam.


What’s the FE Exam Format?

The FE exam is a 6-hour computer-based exam covering topics ranging from mathematics, probability and statistics, ethics, and engineering economics, and discipline-specific subjects. The grading for the exam is pass/fail.



What does Purdue do to help you prep for the FE exam?

          Purdue classes cover a very large percentage of the FE exam material. Thus, in students’ senior year at Purdue, they will have learned the large majority, if not all, of the information covered on the FE exam for their engineering discipline.

Purdue’s Lyles School of Civil Engineering’s Chapter of Chi Epsilon Honors Society hosts an FE Info night, which provides students with information on the civil FE Exam content, registration, review materials, and lastly how to apply to become a registered EIT. Additionally, Chi Epsilon hosts several review sessions throughout the year for civil engineering students that cover the different discipline subjects specific to civil engineering. During each of these weekly review sessions, a packet with 4-6 questions related to the concentration (i.e. structures, hydraulics, transportation, etc.) are prepared and a copy of the worked-out solutions is attached. Additionally, 3-4 questions related to mathematics and ethics may also be added.


What’s so special about Purdue’s preparation?

Purdue engineers have exceptionally high pass rates associated with the FE exam compared to the national pass rate. During the 2013-2014 school year, 392 Purdue students took the FE exam and 93.3% of those students passed the exam compared to the national pass rate of 77.1%. More recently, the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers reported that Purdue engineering students who study the FE Review Manual for 8 hours and take the FE exam during their final year at Purdue has a pass rate around 90%.  


Simply put, many boilermakers begin their journey to change the world by passing their FE Exam and becoming an EIT. With the many supports in place, as a junior in civil engineering here at Purdue, I feel very confident as I begin to prep for the civil engineering FE exam.

Whether you’re beginning your college search, navigating your first year, or choosing your engineering major, it’s important to start thinking about where your future career path might take you. If you know you have to take the FE Exam or even if you aren’t sure yet, Purdue will provide you with all of the information and prep to help you make the best decision and ace the exam.

Want more information on the FE exam? Check out the following resources:
https://ncees.org/engineering/fe/
https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/Academics/FE_FS_Exams
https://purduepspe.com/fe/   


JT Sarisky, Civil Engineering '22

WE Link Leadership Team


Stay Connected With Purdue WIEP!

Facebook: Purdue Women in Engineering

Twitter: @purduewiep 

Instagram: @purduewiep

Blog: purduewiep.blogspot.com

Email: welink@purdue.edu



Use the hashtag #PurdueWIEP on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

 

Purdue Women in Engineering

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding Purdue Housing

By -
Image
One of the many concerns incoming freshmen have is what to do regarding their housing options. In addition to the roommate selection process, you may be interested in seeing your on-campus options in terms of amenities and the communities available within the building. For example, when I accepted my admission to Purdue as a freshman, I knew I was interested in a standard double that I had experienced at a summer college program. To ensure my University Residences housing, I applied to Vertically Integrated Projects so that I would be able to pursue a research project as a freshman while also guaranteeing my housing within Earhart Hall through the connected learning community. For more information on learning communities, read our previous blog! Many freshmen will live in a residence hall, even if they are not in a specific learning community. Now, as a Resident Assistant or RA in Earhart Hall, I have been trained on the term “residence hall”; our halls go beyond a traditional “dormito...
Read more

Top 10 Extracurriculars Purdue Students Want You to Join Outside of Engineering

By -
Image
1. Purdue University Dance Marathon (PUDM):  The biggest student-run organization on campus! You can join as a dancer, where you get to fundraise leading up to the 18-hour long event or be even more involved and join a committee! Some of the committees include Riley Relations, where you fundraise to sponsor events for the Riley families throughout the year & are paired with a Riley family for the night of the event, Special Events Committee, where you organize 5K’s and other events around campus throughout the year, and so much more! 2. Boiler Gold Rush (BGR):  Whether it be as a new student, a team leader (TL), or even a Supervisor, there are so many ways to get involved with BGR! This week-long event is held the week before classes start in August. As a new student, it is your first chance to meet your new colleagues and participate in many games, fountain runs, and other fun activities throughout the week. It is also a great way to familiarize yourself with the ...
Read more

A very (sub)objective review of dining options at Purdue

By -
Image
Jenn and her friends after the Thankgiving dinner Food is an integral part of our day. For some people, the very first thing they do in the morning is eat breakfast. I personally prefer my cup of coffee to a stack of waffles. Nonetheless, food has the power to pick up a bad mood, enhance a good mood, and even ease the stress you are feeling about exams and homework. The awareness I have of how food impacts my mood is recently found since I started college in August. at home I usually came home to my mom or dad making something delicious in the crockpot. Suddenly I arrive at college and there are so many options that it can get overwhelming at times to figure out what to eat. Navigating the dining options at college did not seem like something I should have been worried about, yet it was something that took a month of experimenting to perfect.  The key is knowing where to go and what is consistent. I decided to help you out and give you some insight into how I view each dining optio...
Read more