Contents
The FE Exam.
If you are in the world of engineering, then you are likely to hear this term thrown around quite often.
What is it?
How hard is it?
Why should you take it?
In this resource, we get into the most critical questions being asked about the FE Exam and specific strategies you can use to simplify the journey and make this milestone a reality for you.
What is the FE Exam?
The FE Exam (Fundamentals of Engineering Exam) is one of two exams that an aspiring engineer will take in route to becoming a licensed Professional Engineer.
This standardized exam is administered and graded by the NCEES (National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying) and adopted by each state’s Professional Engineering Board as a valid means of ensuring individuals desiring to practice engineering are competent to practice.
The exam itself is 5 hours and 20 minutes long with 110 questions spanning a wide range of foundational engineering concepts.
Each question is developed to confirm the level of competency of the individual in the fundamentals of engineering.
The FE Exam is computer-based and closed book, though, each examinee is granted the use of two tools:
- The NCEES reference handbook containing commonly used formulas and other useful information related to the material that is covered.
- An NCEES-approved calculator, which isn’t a graphing calculator, but can be the most powerful, yet underutilized tool used on the FE Exam.
The FE Exam has 7 different exam specifications that one can choose from, though all lead to the same ends – becoming an Engineering Intern (or EIT) in your respective state.
The exam is offered year-round at a local Pearson-Vue testing center in four different testing windows, which are:
- January – March
- April – June
- July – September
- October – December
Though it wouldn’t be ideal, one is allowed to take the FE Exam once per testing window, but not more than 3 times in a 12-month period from the date of the first attempt.
As you are learning more about the FE Exam, you may also hear it referred to as the EIT Exam (Engineer In Training Exam) or the EI Exam (Engineering Intern Exam), all of which are the same exam.
Can anyone take the FE exam?
The short answer is no – but maybe, hear me out.
Eligibility requirements are not set uniformly across the board by the NCEES, but rather, by each engineering Board in its respective state.
With this being stated, when someone is deemed eligible to take the exam in Tennessee may differ from when one is deemed eligible to take the exam in Texas.
You can review your specific state’s eligibility FE Exam requirements here, but please note, they do often change so it is best to double-check directly with your state board of Professional Engineers website to confirm the latest statutes.
In most cases, however, those who are at a minimum in the final year of an ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accredited engineering program (or graduated from) are eligible to take the FE Exam.
But what if you don’t have an ABET-accredited degree?
What if you don’t have a degree at all?
Or your degree is from a university outside the states?
Is there any way that you can still gain eligibility?
This is where the maybe comes into play.
Now the actual path to eligibility in these cases will be unique to the situation, which again, I will refer you to this page to hone in on the specifics for your particular state.
However, there are often multiple paths to eligibility for the FE Exam defined by each state.
The ABET-accredited degree is the creme de la creme when it comes to gaining eligibility, but it’s not the only route.
Let’s take Alabama as an example, they have established a nice flowchart outlining the various paths to eligibility:
As you can see, everything starts from an ABET-accredited degree and adds on from there.
If one has an unaccredited, TAC or unrelated science degree (plus an ABET MS in the latter scenarios), then an additional 2 years of progressive engineering experience would be required.
Jumping over to Texas as another example of how each state defines unique minimum eligibility requirements, section 133.65 [EXAMINATION ON THE FUNDAMENTALS OF ENGINEERING] in the TBPELS Acts and Rules states the following:
In Texas, all EAC/ABET, ETAC/ABET, engineering related and non-engineering related programs can lead one to eligibility, albeit, with those last two scenarios having some additional verification requirements attached.
So can anyone take the FE exam?
No and maybe.
There are states that provide eligibility scenarios for individuals without an engineering degree but a number of years of progressive engineering experience.
Again, you can reference our resource for the eligibility paths for your state here:
Is passing the FE a big deal?
Let me put this in terms of my story, I think it will resonate.
I pursued an engineering degree because of the security I felt it would bring.
In my world view, an engineering degree was the ticket to a long, ever-evolving career that returned both personally fulfilling and monetarily.
Coming out of college, the foundation of my formula was this:
Get in at a solid engineering firm and rest as they fast-tracked me up the proverbial ladder.
But that is where I was wrong…”rest as they fast-track me up”.
Your engineering career does not start, nor finish, when you graduate – it just continues.
There was a formula that worked to get you to the point you are right now in your life, and at the center of this formula was an investment in yourself.
Here’s a reality check –
No one will put more care or effort into developing you into what you are meant to be than yourself.
And it’s going to be you who turns to understand why passing the FE Exam is a big deal.
Listen, every single individual, and corporate executive alike, has their own personal agenda for where they want to be in the years to come.
And who are we to have the audacity to believe that anyone will forgo their own agenda to drive ours?
This is where many of us stand at this moment, balancing on the seesaw of:
Relying on someone else or –
Realizing that doing so is just a pipe dream that does nothing but lead to endless letdowns.
And this is why passing the FE Exam is a big deal.
The Fundamentals of Engineering exam (FE Exam) is the first step towards acquiring your Professional Engineering (PE) License.
As a licensed Professional Engineer, you become part of a group granted a number of exclusive benefits, some including:
- The ability to stamp and seal Engineering drawings
- Owning your own Engineering Firm with your name associated with it
- Performing individual consulting services to the public
- Greater increases in salaries
Now, for some, you will look at this list and think to yourself, “I don’t really want to do any of that…”.
And that’s OK.
But here’s why we need to look at that list from a different perspective.
Remember, everyone has their own personal agenda for what they are after.
The agenda of every corporate executive is to maximize profits while the agenda for each of us should be to maximize our position to take advantage of those profits.
We do this by maximizing our value as the “engineering talent”.
It’s, for a lack of better terms, a game we need to play…and it all continues with pursuing the FE Exam.
We need to be the “engineer” who:
- Is pulled in on ALL those proposals going out the door at the 11th hour.
- Can justify the highest billable rate.
- Is recruited by other firms because we fulfill both the above conditions.
- Is…well, “needed” at ALL times.
That’s when our personal stock becomes the “asset” rather than the “commodity” we are conditioned to accept post-graduation.
Recent trends have shown that at this point in history, you control the direction of your career more than ever.
Engineering positions continue to be one of the toughest spots to fill with US employers struggling to find talent.
This is simple supply and demand, with studies showing that this demand will only continue to build.
Taking action to become licensed engineers in on us and we can’t wait for others to do for us which we can do for ourselves.
So when you ask is passing the FE Exam a big deal, look at it from a different perspective.
We’ve played the game all the way up and through college, the time to stop is not now – or ever.
We can’t rely on others to adjust their agendas to push us up the ladder…this is a risk not worth taking.
How hard is the FE Exam?
Wondering how hard the FE Exam will be is one of the first thoughts that comes to most people’s minds when they first hear of it.
As we disclose to all those who ask this question, we would be blowing smoke if we claimed that we could objectively answer this for you.
The difficulty of the FE Exam differs for everyone based on so many uniquely personal factors.
Some (but not all) of these factors include:
- What is your education background?
- How long have been out of school?
- What are your current responsibilities? (family, work, etc)
- Have taken the exam before?
- When do you want to take the exam?
- How much time do you have for studying?
- How do you tyically perform on timed exams?
So how hard is the FE Exam going to be for you?
I couldn’t tell you.
But what I can tell you is this.
If you relate to any of these scenarios:
- Failed the exam 5-6+ times.
- Failed so many times that you have given up on the profession altogether.
- Have been out of college for over 35+ years.
Then we can help you prepare for and pass the FE Exam, because these are actual stories of past students.
You can read more of these Prepineer success stories here.
But the point isn’t to applaud our program, it’s to illustrate that it doesn’t matter how “hard” you think it’s going to be, it’s establishing where your current level of commitment in getting it done is.
We have seen it time and time again, that’s it’s not a matter of knowledge, it’s a matter of will – that’s what will ultimately get you past the FE Exam.
So with all that being said, let me lay out some general statistics.
There is not one state that releases individual statistics for how many individuals are passing or failing the FE Exam in any given period of time.
However, the NCEES keeps a tally of these statistics for a single testing period for the population as a whole.
Currently, the FE Exam pass rate ranges from 35% to 83% depending on the exam discipline taken.
This is a wide range, and honestly, can’t really be relied on for a number of reasons.
These statistics account only for:
- Those who took the FE exam for the first time.
- Those who attended an EAC/ABET-accredited engineering program.
- Those who took the FE exam within 12 months of graduation.
I can tell you this much –
Of 100 students that come into our program at Prepineer, 95% fall outside one (or more) of these criteria.
The moral of the story, these stats reflect a population of individuals who meet the ideal testing characteristics of a candidate, not the mean characteristics as a whole.
Use them with a grain of salt.
So just know, again, that this exam is designed to ensure that those involved in engineering are qualified and able to maintain high standards as practicing engineers.
It has to be challenging, just like our weed-out classes in college.
But knowing that, and expecting that, should give you a leg up when hitting the obstacles that you are sure to hit along the way.
Those that persevere can, and will, conquer the FE Exam.
It doesn’t matter how hard it will be.
Is FE exam multiple choice?
The FE Exam has 110 problems given in one of two formats:
- Traditional multiple choice
- Alternative Item Type
We are all familiar with traditional multiple choice problem types, but what are these Alternative Item Type problems all about?
In 2017, the NCEES introduced this newer problem type, referred to as AITs.
AIT problems are formatted in a manner that falls outside the traditional multiple-choice.
These question types include:
- Multiple Correct Answers – Allows for multiple choices to be correct.
- Drag and Drop – Requires test takers to click on and drag items to match, sort, rank, or label.
- Point & Click – Requires examinees to click on part of a graphic to answer the problem.
- Fill in the Blank – Provides a space for you to enter a response to the question.
All these AIT problem types have one thing in common – multiple variables that contribute to a correct answer.
Now, although the majority of questions will continue to be in the traditional Multiple Choice format with one correct answer, the NCEES has stated that up to 10% of the questions may be of Alternative Item Type nature, or AIT.
With this, you can expect to see anywhere from 10-15 AIT problems on whatever discipline specification you choose to tackle.
The scoring of these AIT problem types is the same as the traditional multiple choice problem types – you either get it or you don’t.
To illustrate this further, say you are given a problem with 6 answer options and it asks you to “mark all that are correct”.
If 5 have been slated as correct and should be marked, and you mark 4, or you select 5, but one of them is wrong, then…
You will get it wrong.
It’s unfortunate, but a reality on the FE Exam.
To help you learn more about, practice and hone your ability to perform well on these AIT problems, we have developed a resource for you here:
Is the FE exam curved?
In short, no, the FE Exam is not curved.
But it is important to understand how it is scored, so let’s dive into the scoring process a bit deeper as it is outlined by the NCEES.
When you sit for the FE Exam, you will complete 110 questions regardless of what exam discipline you take.
Of those 110 questions, you are going to get a certain number correct.
This number is going to be recorded and converted into what is referred to as a “scaled score”.
This “scaled score” is used as an individual adjustment for any minor differences in difficulty across the infinite number of exam variants.
But what does “differences in difficulty” mean?
Before any problem is released into active rotation on the FE Exam, it is run through a control group of subject matter experts who work them in their entirety.
The results that come through this collective effort are run through a series of psychometric statistical methods that analyze the data.
This analysis defines some “minimum ability level” for the particular set of problems you end up getting on your exam.
This minimum ability level, which is essentially your pass line, is then compared to your “scaled score” and if you are above it, you pass, if not, you fail, so:
- Scaled Score > Minimum Ability Level = PASS
- Scaled Score < Minimum Ability Level = FAIL
And that’s that.
The FE Exam is not curved and your passing score is unique to you and the specific set of problems that you end up working on the day of your exam.
Can I pass FE without engineering degree?
As we have discussed, each state board defines eligibility requirements that are unique to their jurisdiction.
With this being said, some states require that you have an engineering degree, while others provide a means to take the exam based solely on your “progressive engineering experience”.
To be clear on what the requirements are in your state start here:
But the question at hand is whether or not you can pass the FE without an engineering degree.
Absolutely.
You may or may not believe that it’s possible for yourself, but let me tell you this –
We have been helping engineers for over a decade prepare for and pass the FE Exam.
And a subset of those individuals we have helped are those that didn’t have a formal education in engineering.
They came in with heavy doubts, but a strong desire to put in the work to get it done.
And you can do the same.
I always believe that the best thing we can do when we doubt whether or not we can do something, is to seek out examples of people in our same position who went out and got it done anyways.
If we are able to find at least 1 person that has done it, then it is possible and we can do the same.
Take a stroll through our Prepineer success stories to find that example for yourself.
How long should I study for the FE exam?
The goal when taking the FE Exam should be to “go one and done” and move on to the next milestone in your development as an engineer.
So how long should you study for the FE Exam?
As long as it takes.
I know, I know – not an answer that does much for anyone, so let’s dive into this a bit deeper.
I will tell you, after helping students for over a decade prepare for and pass the FE Exam, determining how many hours one should be putting in each day, or overall, is one of the hardest things to do for us as coaches.
It’s dependent on so many factors, but I can give you a general guideline as a starting point.
Over the years, we have seen individuals spend somewhere between 150-350 hours preparing for the FE Exam.
The lower end of this spectrum is typically those that are recent graduates or within a few years of graduation.
The upper end is typically those that graduated 20+ years ago and haven’t picked up a book in just as long.
Wherever you feel that you fall, at Prepineer, we encourage you to spread this time over a period of at least 90 days – but prefer to see you give yourself closer to 110-120 days to be prepared.
This historically has played out to be much more realistic in the context of real-life, day-to-day responsibilities.
To help you go deeper in defining this for your specific situation, we developed the ultimate guide in determining how long you should study for the FE Exam.
Down to what it all looks like from a daily, hourly effort.
You can access the guide here:
How long should I study for the FE Exam?
In running through this guide, you will have a much better understanding of what the landscape ahead looks like for you.
How much does it cost to take the FE exam?
Most states have adopted the automatic model for approval and do not require that an individual submit an application or additional fee to the board prior to taking the FE Exam.
If you are taking the exam in one of the states that adopt this model, then you can register directly with the NCEES to take the FE Exam.
The current cost to take the FE Exam is $175 and can be paid directly to the NCEES at the time of registering.
The whole registration process can be started through your myNCEES account here.
Now, if you do not live in a state that adopts the automatic model for approval, then you must first submit an application to the board for Professional Engineers in your state and gain approval prior to scheduling your exam with NCEES.
The application fees vary by state and have been seen to be anywhere from zero to upwards of $50+ – you can reference the latest application fee for your state here.
So these are the baseline costs for taking the exam, however, there may be additional costs incurred if you:
- Are not a graduate of an ABET Accredited engineering program
- Hold a Foreign Degree
- Have a degree from a program that does not by default meet the eligibility requirements defined by the Board of Professional Engineers in your state
If you fall into one of these categories, then you may be required to get your degree evaluated through NCEES Credentials Evaluations (or other acceptable entity).
The current cost to have your degree evaluated through the NCEES is $350 and will be paid at the end of the application process.
If you decide to cancel the evaluation and request a refund, then a $50 administrative fee will be assessed.
The NCEES will not grant refunds for applications submitted more than one year prior to the refund request.
You can learn more about NCEES degree evaluations here.
So how much the FE Exam will cost really depends on the state that you live.
To get the latest information of your states Board of Professional Engineers see this page:
FE Exam Eligibility Requirements by State
What to do after you pass your FE exam?
After you pass the FE Exam you will generally go one of two ways.
- Apply for your EIT Certification and become an Engineering Intern (or Engineer in Training)
- Gain the required engineering experience needed prior to applying to take the PE Exam
As mentioned previously, licensing requirements are not set uniformly across the board by the NCEES, but rather, by each state’s engineering board.
With that being said, most states have an Engineering Intern (or Engineer in Training) program.
If your state is one that does, then after you pass your FE exam, you will move to submit an application to receive your EIT Certification.
Though having the EI (or EIT) designation does not give you any additional legal benefits, it does bode well for your marketability as employers are often seeking to employ individuals that show initiative in their development as professional engineers.
As an EIT, you are also able to use the initials at the end of your signature which is kind of a cool milestone for one to reach.
If you live in a state that does not have an Engineering Intern program, like Michigan, then you will move to the next step in the licensing process which is to continue gaining the progressive engineering experience as required by your state to become eligible to take the PE Exam.
Progressive engineering experience can be defined in a number of different ways, but generally, if you are working under the supervision of a registered Professional Engineer then you are acquiring the appropriate experience.
This is essentially showing that you are actively working with and as an engineer and developing your skills in a professional environment.
Typically, the minimum progressive engineering experience required to apply for the PE Exam is 4 years, but it does differ from state to state and, in many cases, is dependent on the accreditation of the undergraduate program you graduated from.
Is FE harder than PE?
In theory, the FE Exam should be easier, but from over a decade of experience with our past students, it tends to be the harder of the two exams.
I myself thought the same thing from my experience – here is my theory on why this may be.
The very nature and goal of the FE Exam is to document that you are competent in the “fundamentals of engineering”.
These fundamentals cover a wide range of foundational engineering concepts. From Mathematics and Engineering Economics to Statics and Fluid Mechanics, the FE Exam is designed to span the entirety of our undergraduate coursework.
The exam is broad.
So at the very least, if we are taking the FE the first year out of college, then we could be 4 years removed from some of the fundamentals we are being tested on.
I can tell you though, most of our students aren’t taking this exam right out of college – so it’s much more than 4 years removed.
And that takes me to my next point on why the FE Exam tends to be harder than the PE Exam.
If we are honest with ourselves, once we graduate and get into our careers, we are not applying these fundamental concepts at any meaningful level in the field.
That’s just real talk.
And because of this, just as a muscle atrophies when we don’t use it, so does our ability to perform the workings of these “out of practice” concepts.
I wouldn’t say they completely go away, but they need to be reinforced and built up, just like our fitness when we get back into the gym after a long period of time away.
We know this intuitively, but because most view the FE Exam as the “fundamentals exam”, we underestimate the material that is specified to be on it.
We approach it overconfidently, not necessarily winging it, but not giving it the due respect it deserves and because of this, we fail.
The reality of the “atrophy” only intensifies over time.
I tell my students to take the exam as soon as they can to avoid the nature of knowledge deterioration. Taking the exam 1 year out is much different than taking it 2 years out – much different than taking it 5 years out – much different than taking it 10 years out.
To expand on the concept of knowledge deterioration as the years go by, to make it even harder, your individual responsibilities increase over that same time period.
You likely don’t have a family 1 year out of college, but you may get married 2 years out.
And then family comes, and those dynamics only increase 5 years, 10 years – 15 years out.
We as engineers don’t tend to future project these components of FE Exam prep.
Now, I will add one last theory of why the FE Exam is harder than the PE Exam – it’s meant to “weed out”.
We all can look back to our undergraduate engineering programs and know exactly where we experienced the “weed out” classes – those classes designed to push us to our limits and make us decide really whether or not we wanted to be engineers.
These classes ensured that only the best continued to go down the path of becoming engineers.
They acted almost like a quality control measure.
I obviously can’t confirm this, but it would make sense that in the same way, the FE Exam weeds out those that don’t want to put in the work necessary to become legitimate engineers.
This does make sense, since generally speaking, the Professional Engineer boards in each state have a mission of regulating the professional practice of engineering services for the purpose of safeguarding public health, safety and welfare of the people in their state.
With this, the licensing process is the only means that they can deploy to ensure that those that they are licensing to practice engineering in their state are vetted at the most stringent levels.
Again, a quality control measure.
And these are my theories on why so many are experiencing an FE Exam that is harder than the PE Exam.
What is the difference between EIT and FE exam?
This is a great question.
We will see the FE Exam and EIT Exam used interchangeably depending on which state you are in, so it’s important to know that they are exactly the same.
The NCEES refers to it as the FE Exam (Fundamentals of Engineering Exam) while some states refer to it as the EIT Exam (Engineer in Training Exam).
At the end of the day, whether you live in a state that calls it the EIT Exam or the FE Exam, you can be confident in knowing that it’s only a single exam that must be taken in route to becoming a licensed professional engineer.
Does FE certification expire?
In most states, no.
However, there are some states that do have laws that currently put a cap on the amount of time you can hold the FE certification (more commonly referred to as EI or EIT) before moving on and taking the PE Exam.
As state by state regulations are often evolving, it’s important that you view the most up to date regulations for your state here:
Is the FE Exam online?
The FE Exam is not online.
It will be administered at a local Pearson Vue testing center in your region.
Once you register and are approved by the NCEES to take the exam, you will receive an email giving you the next steps in scheduling your exam appointment.
Through this process, you will be given options for a number of testing centers as well as what dates and times are available at those locations.
You can reference a current list of locations approved by your states Board of Professional Engineers to take the FE Exam here:
It’s important to schedule your exam as far in advance as possible for the best scheduling availability.
Each Pearson Vue testing center is limited in capacity, so seats are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.
Though it’s never ideal and highly unlikely that there are open seats, you are able to schedule an appointment with as little as one business day before taking the exam.
How do I study for the FE exam?
As you learn more about the FE Exam in your state, you will realize just how much needs to get done and how important preparing for it the right way is.
I am confident in saying that you can get this done…
But truth is, most won’t pursue the FE Exam because they will tell themselves that they can’t, for one reason or another.
At Prepineer, we have put together a proven system of coaching and curriculum that has helped even the most challenged individuals study for and pass the FE Exam.
If we offered to help you do the same thing, would you take it?
Click here to learn more about why Prepineer is the best way to study for the FE exam and get started for free.
In Prepineer you will:
- Get a real coach who knows how to get you to the finish line, despite how impossible you may think it is.
- A custom study plan that breaks down exactly where you should be spending your efforts.
- Proven curriculum that has helped even the most challenged find success.
Use Prepineer for 7 days free, with no obligations.
When are the FE Exam Dates?
The FE Exam is offered to eligible students year-round in four different testing windows, they are:
- January – March
- April – June
- July – September
- October – December
However, even though the FE Exam is offered year-round, this does not mean that you will be able to take the FE Exam on your desired date.
As mentioned in a previous section, each Pearson Vue testing center is limited in capacity and seats are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.
So with that, regardless of when you want to take the exam, it’s important to schedule it as far in advance as possible for the best scheduling availability.
How many times can you take the FE exam?
Once you are eligible, you are allowed to take the FE Exam once per testing window, but not more than 3 times in a 12-month period starting from the date of your first attempt.
However, there are states that have additional requirements for individuals who have failed the exam more than a defined number of times.
To know if this regulation exists and to help you better understand the unique FE Exam requirements in your state, we have compiled in-depth resources for you to use.
In these resources, we focus on developing clarity around both state board-specific processes and tactical efforts for finding success in the most streamlined fashion.
You can dive in to your state specific information by clicking on your state below:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Will I get paid more if I pass the FE?
Maybe – but likely if you understand how to position yourself correctly as the asset.
This again is completely speculative, but from my experience as well as the experiences of my past students, here are my thoughts.
Having your EI (or EIT) designation will not give you any additional legal benefits, though it does bode well for your marketability as an engineering asset.
Employers are all about reducing risk, and the assets (employees) in which they invest their resources in is one of those risks they must control and mitigate.
The interview process is the most common way employers hedge the risk of new hires.
This can work well when it’s well thought out and strategically executed to expose the weaknesses of the candidates.
However, it still leaves a lot of unknowns and can be manipulated in many ways.
From resumes to interview day passion, getting it right is hard to do – and employers know this.
Because of this, other strategies mitigating risks must be deployed.
Looking at post-graduate achievements is one way for employers to reduce risk further.
Taking the FE Exam is a tangible means of proving to employers that you have initiative and are dedicated to your development as a professional engineer.
This alone sets you apart from the pool of candidates because it shows reliable, self-driven action that surpasses passionate orations and words written on a page.
So in a world desperate for engineering talent both locally and beyond, having the means to differentiate yourself in the market both increases your opportunities and potential for increased pay along the way.
This is simple supply/demand economics, but it all starts with the right mindset, and operating along its line in positioning yourself to get the best economical return.
We dive deeper into this most important mindset here:
And to give you some market reports to chew on, here are a few studies:
- A report that shows Civil Engineers who possessed PE license received a median salary that was $121,000; $31,000 more than those without a professional license or certifications.
- Mechanical engineers with a Professional Engineers license earned a median income of $133,000, nearly $16,000 more than those lacking the PE license.
Why should I take the FE Exam?
Why not?
I will save the oration for another time, but here are my general thoughts.
You spent at minimum 4 years (probably more) getting that degree of yours, why surf the world of cubicles until you retire.
Many people do, and if that’s your choice, I respect that.
But many of you don’t want this to be your story, you just feel stuck.
- Stuck behind doubt.
- Stuck behind excuses.
- Stuck behind fear of failing.
- Stuck behind supervisors you feel are holding you down
Whatever it is that is holding you back, just know that all it takes is one simple step in a direction you deep down want to go that can change it all.
One simple step.
And then another.
That’s it.
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
You didn’t get your Engineering degree in a week.
It took commitment to get where you are, and that’s what it will take to make this a reality in your life.
- Commitment to turn from limiting beliefs.
- Commitment to telling yourself you are more than just an employee.
- Commitment to accepting that progress in life will be uncomfortable.
It was never meant to be easy.
Becoming a Professional Engineer is hard…but it is what all engineers should be aiming for.
It’s liberating both personally and professionally.
The doors it will open can’t even be projected.
Engineers that were once thinking the same thoughts you are took that first step and are now making amazing impacts around the world every single day.
But it all starts with passing the FE Exam and becoming an Engineer in Training.
Don’t let the fact that you have been out of school for years or have already attempted and failed hold you back.
That means nothing.
We’ve seen it play out time after time, students who have come into Prepineer with these doubts but were able to defy their own odds and go on to pass the exam with flying colors.
This can be your story.
I am confident in saying that.
Final Thoughts on the FE Exam
I hope that this resource has brought you clarity on what the FE Exam is all about, what it can do for you and why you need to take it now.
But I know, just as many answers I have given, there may have been just as many new questions in how you can get it done.
But passing the FE Exam shouldn’t be a mystery.
Sadly though, many will doubt that they can get it done, and in turn, give up on themselves and their careers.
I don’t want that to be you.
If I offered to show you a system that has worked for thousands in your same shoes pass the FE, would you take it? Click here to start your trial and learn the exact framework that will help you pass the FE Exam.
