PE Exam Study Materials

There are many available study materials for the PE exam. Not all of them are worth your time. The basic books you need are the code books listed on the NCEES website. (Use the search bar on this page to find some posts on that list, which contain links to the lists of reference books.)

Each prospective engineer who intends to sit for the Professional Engineer's exam needs to attain the relevant study material. Acquire these as soon in the process as possible.The best deals are consistently on Amazon.com. This is because every seller must agree with Amazon to list their products at a price equal to or lower than their listed selling price on any other site, anywhere. Even if the seller discounts their price somewhere else, when Amazon catches the sale, they automatically cut the retail price on Amazon to match it.

BEST PE EXAM MATERIALS ON AMAZON

Civil PE exam study materials

Mechanical PE study materials

Structural PE exam study materials

How to become a Civil Engineer

How to Become a Professional Engineer (PE)

The path to become a civil engineer is easy to explain. Walking that path to the end is a more challenging event.

The first part of the most common path involves making a decision in high school to pursue a science tract. Most engineering college freshmen completed physics, calculus, and chemistry courses in high school. Undergrads matriculating from larger high school campuses may also have prepared with courses in statics, advanced physics, or electronics.

Those courses are not mandatory from high school. If your heart is set on engineering, you can CLEP out of some college entrance prerequisites, and take others at a community college. 

Once in college, the engineering major must pack a little more than 5 years worth of semester units into four years. This is theoretical. Reality is that about a quarter of those who graduate finish in under 6 years. Four years is possible. However, some semesters will be 18 unit and 21 unit semesters. The underwater basket weaving major may have eight 15-unit semesters, but the future engineer must work hard.

Fundamentals of Engineering Exam

The first exam in the path to professional licensure is the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. The exam formerly known as the EIT, or Engineer-in-Training, sounded more like a journeyman. The current nomenclature looks more impressive in a signature block:

John Knowitall, FE

Or, maybe:

Mary Knowsmore, FE

The National Council of Engineering Examiners Society (NCEES) administers the FE exam. Each state's engineering hopefuls sit for the same exam. There is no difference between states.

Requirements to Sit for the FE:

States vary in requirements to register and take the FE exam. Some states require only payment (e.g. New Hampshire). Other states require three completed years of engineering study at an ABET accredited college or university program. Students from those schools often have excellent prep programs to take and pass the FE exam at the end of their junior year of college engineering. Note: If you only have 2 years of community college, those years do not qualify. No community college in any state is ABET accredited. Once an engineering student enrolls at a 4-year ABET institution, and completes the junior year, those credits qualify.

Format of the FE Exam:

There are two sessions. The morning session lasts four hours. You must answer 120 questions at a pace of 2 minutes per question.

The afternoon exam gives options. You may choose a concentration of your preference. Typically, this should match your major concentration, or the work you perform professionally. The available concentrations for the FE afternoon session are: Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Environmental, Industrial, Mechanical. You can download the prep books here: FE afternoon

The afternoon session lasts the same time, four hours. There are fewer questions. You must answer 60 questions at a pace of 4 minutes per question. Obviously, the questions are more difficult on average than morning session questions.

Materials for the FE exam:

FE exam study book from PPI.

The FE exam is a closed book test. You will receive a reference manual on exam day. You can download a copy or purchase a copy with which to practice. However, there is a cornucopia of options to prepare for the FE exam. The largest offering of FE study materials comes from ppi2pass: FE exam study materials. You can get a discount by using this link and entering ppi2pass promo code PASS1114. You'll be amazed at the options. Check it out.

You will also need an NCEES approved engineering calculator. 

For the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, examinees are not permitted to bring books into the examination center. They are issued a clean copy of the FE reference manual. So, why not buy an e-book?

Professional Engineer Exam

Only those who first pass the FE exam and subsequently meet other criteria may sit for the NCEES Professional Engineer (PE) exam. Requirements vary by state. Typically, a number of years of experience working with licensed engineers, three letters of recommendation, and proof of any education claimed as qualifying years must be provided.

Reviewing, studying, and preparing for the PE exam can be rigorous. The book, Pass the PE like a Pro can help ease the burden. It has a lot of useful links, tips, schedules, and tips. It is a great place to start. 

There is a "take-home" exam on ethics. This is completed and sent in with the application.

On exam day, examinees take two sessions, following the same format as the FE exam. The morning session is four hours. So is the afternoon session.

The Morning session has 40 questions (=6 minutes per question). The afternoon session has 40 questions. This is also 6 minutes per question. But, afternoon sessions on the NCEES exam are correspondingly more difficult. As with the FE exam, the morning session is a breadth exam covering all the major specialties within engineering. The afternoon exam is a concentration selected beforehand by the examinee.

How to be an Engineer

Once you pass the NCEES exam, and receive a license from your state board, you can begin calling yourself an engineer. It is illegal in the United States for non-engineers to call themselves engineers or to even use the word "engineer" or "engineering" in advertising, marketing, or official documents. To do so requires having an engineer on staff. In California, an engineering business must be owned at least 50% by an engineer.

Professional Development:

Many states require professional development units. Engineers must stay current. PDU classes ensure new learning continues throughout a career. These are also called Continuing Education Units, or CEUs. If your state requires them or not, engineering is a professional field. Each engineer must stay current on civil codes, safety procedures, and design process changes.

Remember, when people say, "scientist", they almost always mean an engineer!

What is Better than Online PE Exam Review Courses?

PE examinees: If you seriously plan to pass the NCEES exam, you need to beat the competition. There is no set passing score for the professional engineering exam. This is because you compete against other working FEs for placement above the cut score. The cut score is the yet-undetermined qualifying score. If you can score 70 on the scaled score, you pass (a rule of thumb.) To be sure, if you can regularly score a literal 70% on practice exams, you will earn your state license. You need to outperform the 30 to 40 percent of examinees who will not pass.

How will you beat all those other engineers studying diligently? Simple: get the best materials and take many practice exams. I passed both NCEES exams on the first effort. (Please don't ask about the California seismic exam!)

Online review courses have some advantage: they cover most or all of the material; they provide a framework for you to follow; they (often, not always) include a PE to answer any questions.

Is there a better way? Well, a classroom environment is superior. Online, you are often at your own pace. Always, you are alone (unless a friend joins you at your home.)

When cost is isolated as a consideration, there is a better method than online review courses. Take a series of practice PE exams. There are several good offerings on Amazon: PE Exam Study Materials

Study Plan for the Professional Engineer Exam: This links to a 6-week study plan for the PE. Most sources recommend 3 months and 300 hours. However, if you are starting late, this is a great plan, and I believe you can pass with it.

Fraud! “California Special Civil Engineering Exam Simulation Software 1,000 Questions” Do NOT Buy!

Fraud! “California Special Civil Engineering Exam Simulation Software 1,000 Questions” Do NOT Buy!

Why I Bought the Seismic Sample Test Software

Previously I have stated that I failed the special California seismic exam because I completely did not study. This fails to capture the truth. The truth is, I planned well in advance for my exam preparation. I allotted money to purchase up-to-date reference books, join ppi2pass, acquire a copy of CERM, and to purchase study manuals and software. After reading the testimonials, and enjoying the effectiveness of the practice tests on ppi2pass, I purchased ATI's seismic and surveying exam software.

After establishing my resources, I carefully researched all the required materials. I considered the import of each code book, exam preparation book, and other materials, including ATI Publication’s seismic exam practice questions “for both Seismic Principles and Surveying portions of the Exam.”

The software, in fact, has no seismic exam questions at all. Zero. Nada. Null. The limit of 1/x as x approaches infinity. There are only surveying questions, bizarre, unhelpful surveying questions. 

Reality of the Material 

The surveying questions, however, focus on aerial survey geometry. There were actually some of these questions on the exam. And, I was able to spend some time on those problems in calculations. However, I solved those using a library book I checked out the previous week from the Stanislaus County public library. The offered solutions and explanations for the surveying questions in the sample problems were bizarre, non sequitur and just plain made no sense. I have to provide an example to clarify the unique strangeness to you:

Q:4  In C-2-II order base error is 3.0 & allowable error ratio 1:20000. Following where it’s applicable?

You answered: A. Property survey

The correct answer was:  A. Property survey

Explanation: At property survey C-2-II order is applicable.

Let me rephrase the explanation, in case it is not obvious. The answer is “property survey” because C-2-II order is applicable. Umm… okay. And, what about the base error and allowable error ratio? What do those two data points mean? How do they help me know “property survey” and C-2-II go together? Thanks for nothing.

Here’s another one:

Q:11  Rapid static GPS surveying is same as static, except that one receiver always remains on the control point while the other is moved from one unknown station to another unknown station. Following where it may use?

You failed to provide an answer.

The correct answer was:  A.  Boundary survey

Explanation: Rapid static GPS surveying is applicable for boundary surveying.

This one just does not make any sense. Does anyone beside me think someone used “translate to English” software to convert these questions from foreign text?

The two above examples came from Exam 1. There are zero seismic questions in Exam 1. There are a total of 20 exams. I opened several, quit to the review and scrolled through all the questions. There are NO seismic questions. And, the questions are all very generic about aerial surveying and a few other minor things.

In the end, I passed the surveying portion based on my extensive surveying experience in California and as survey team leader in Georgia. Even the topics covered in this software availed nothing but a vague familiarity. The library book helped me solve additional problems on the cusp of my knowledge.

False Testimony

The Testimonies on the home page of the company’s site http://engineeringsciencesprep.com/ contains many testimonies. Each testimonial is attributed to an initial and a last name. I looked up 11 of these on the Board of Professional Engineers License Lookup page. For two of these, M. Dotty and D. Gotvald, no person with that last name has ever been registered. For 5 more, the last name has representatives. But, no person with the given initial has ever registered: X. Han, E. Faust, L. Washington, B. Sengupta, and W. Vargas. Four of the names matched and included a first initial. However, one of these was cancelled, and registered in Ohio. Another is in Illinois. R. Wong comes from a group of 602 registered Wongs. 42 of these successful Wongs have initial R.

In short, a reasonable person would consider that these testimonials are entirely fabricated. First, 64% of the names do not exist. Next, some of the testimonials mention seismic material which does not exist in the software. Here is one from the fictitious D. Gotvald:

"Good practice for the exam. Thorough explanations which helped me become more familiar with the seismic ca codes. Practicing on the computer as appose to paper and pencil helped also."

Note the phonetic spelling of “as opposed to”.

Basically, I cannot see any value in this product. Additionally, it is my conclusion that this product is a fraud.

Where to Find Quality Surveying PE Exam Study Materials for the California Seismic Exam: 


Update: December 1, 2013: Here is a list of current and top-rated CA Seismic Exam Review books and products. 

2016 PE Exam Results (How to get them early!)

Passing Letters Sent Out! 

I received notice from the Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors today: PASS!

If you have not received your letter, use the license lookup page on your state's professional board website.

The Secret to Finding PE Exam Results Early
Last week, another licensed engineer told me his nephew had not received a letter, but was able to find his number in the license lookup directory for California: Engineering PE License Lookup

[See list below for other states' license lookup pages.]

I searched for my own license number last week. I searched in the license lookup three times with different levels of completeness. I tried my city, name, and surname first. Next, just my last name. It was not in search results. Today, I got my letter. I also searched and found my new license number, which is not in the letter I received. Each state has their own license look-up.

I also learned my license expiration date. This was good information to know- it was set to expire in just a few months. So, I sent in a renewal payment. (In California, we don't have CEU's, we just continue learning because being a good engineer requires it!)

This method of acquiring the PE exam results should work for every state. It makes sense for the state boards to update their online license lookup databases before notices are sent. Otherwise, some ambitious engineer might get a stamp the same day, approve some plans, and submit them. Then, the public office reviewer checks on a name never seen before... and what if it's not there? So, it seems logical to expect the online lookup to be updated first. 

FYI
I also learned that A.B. 645 has removed the California requirement for engineers to include the expiration date on their stamp. It passed October 11, 2009. This bill alters Section 6735 of the Business and Professions Code to omit the requirement for the expiration date of the license of the professional at the time of stamping/sealing. Other states are likely to have followed this example. If your state does not require the expiration date, please post a comment with a reference so others can confirm. 

So, I am now off to order production of my stamp without an expiration date. I found the cheapest cost for the version I want here: PE self-inking stamp PE Self-Inking Stamps and Embossers

Best of hopes for all of you!


If You will Retake the Exam:
My personal theory as to why 60% pass and the others just get close is that the "close, but no cigar" examinees didn't have the right study tools. I waded through all the offerings, read all the reviews, and weighed in my personal experiences and recommendations on forums. Then, I compiled the best, current titles here:

PE Exam Materials - Best Only



Closing Thought:
Do you know what you call an EIT who takes three attempts to pass the PE exam?

A: engineer!

If you are not good at preparing for exams, you need "Pass the PE Like a Pro." It is an overview of how to prepare for the PE Exam. (Use the PE Exam Materials link above.)

License lookup for the 10 most populous states:

1. California
2. Texas
3. New York
4. Florida
5. Illinois
6. Pennsylvania
7. Ohio
8. Georgia
9. Michigan
10. North Carolina

Marking the ASCE7-05 for Quick Recognition & Use

California Seismic Exam Preparation

While you prepare for your California State Specific Seismic Exam (or any other PE exam component), you will face a learning curve in chapter applicability recognition. One of the most important differentiations is to pattern yourself to quickly move to chapter 12- for Building Structures, and to chapter 13- for Nonstructural Components.

The problem is: the ASCE is a very bland mix of uniform type and random equations (at a glance, at least.) When you are maximizing your time (rushing), this can frustrate, confuse, and waste your precious minutes. To break the power of black and white type on paper:

Break up the page by highlighting the Section Titles. 

 I used blue for chapter 12 and pink for chapter 13. As you practice, you will begin to associate the blue with building equations and the pink with nonstructural equations. Additionally, the unique positions of the pink horizontal bars gives each two-page open book layout a unique look. You will begin to recognize these pages as the pages containing certain information and equations. This will help you visually recognize the location of certain pages.

Of course, the most important pages for referencing should be tabbed. For about $3, you can get some packs of see-through tabs in Office Depot or Office Max. The sticky part is clear. The tab which overhangs the edge of the page is in four colors: green, red, yellow, and blue. You will want these in all your reference books. It really speeds up referencing tables.

Where to find great books for the PE Exam:

You will need several reference books for the PE exam. Most people also purchase the CERM, two or more practice exam books, and other study materials. The best of these are compiled here:

Best PE Exam Review Materials

Calculator Policy for California State Specific Seismic and Surveying Principles Exam:

The head proctor of the Seismic Principles Exam (April, 2011) surprised me when she said, "You can have any calculator, as long as it does not have QWERTY." Basically, they don't allow a calculator into which you can type-enter the questions.

It is still best to practice on the calculator you will use during the exam. Buy a compliant model as soon as possible in your preparation period. I used the Casio fx-115W. It is solar. This prevented any concern about dead batteries.

fx-115w - Allowed in PE Exam

Visit the page for the California Board of Professional Engineers. They specifically state,

"It should be noted that the Board's calculator policy for its state-specific examinations varies significantly from the NCEES calculator policy for the national examinations."

So, if you have a favorite calculator that NCEES disallowed, you can bring it to the California state-specific exams, as long as it is not one of the following "strictly prohibited" types (June 6, 2012):

1. anything with a QWERTY keyboard
2. palmtop
3. laptop
4. handheld or desktop computers
5. data banks
6. data collectors
7. personal data assistants
8. organizers

Calculators with other (non-QWERTY) alphanumeric keypads are acceptable.

Some of the strictly verboten calculators are listed on the bpels site. These are not allowed on the NCEES exam, but are permitted on California state-specific seismic and survey exams:

... the HP 39 series; the HP 41 series; the HP42S; the HP 48 series; the HP 49 series; the HP 50 series; the TI 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 89 series; the Casio CFX 9850; the Casio FX 7400; the Casio FX 9750; and the Casio FX 2.0.

Best Engineering Calculators

BPELS Calculator Policy 

Select the best engineering calculator, and price shop on one page. 

Starting in October, 2011, NCEES administration services will administer and proctor California State special seismic and surveying exams. Be sure to check the BPELSG site, and take an allowable calculator.