Monthly Subscriptions: Providing Flexible FE Exam Prep

As the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam is computer based, exam applicants are able to schedule their exam year-round. Because of the flexibility computer-based exams present, it is sometimes easy to avoid making a study schedule. However, that doesn't mean that studying is not required for the FE exam.

The FE exam, whether it is the Civil, Mechanical, or Electrical exam, covers a wide spectrum of knowledge areas, more so than the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE exam). Below shows a comparison of topics that are covered on the FE Environmental and PE Environmental exams: 

FE Environmental

1. Mathematics
2. Probability and Statistics
3. Ethics and Professional Practice
4. Engineering Economics
5. Materials Science
6. Environmental Science and Chemistry
7. Risk Assessment
8. Fluid Mechanics
9. Thermodynamics
10. Water Resources
11. Water and Wastewater
12. Air Quality
13. Solid and Hazardous Waste
14. Groundwater and Soils

PE Environmental

1. Water
2. Air
3. Solid and Hazardous Waste
4. Site Assessment and Remediation
5. Environmental Health and Safety
6. Associated Engineering Principles

Although many past FE examinees have reported taking an average of four months to prepare for the FE exam, we understand that not everybody is the same when it comes to studying. Our students can choose our four-month, six-month, or eight-month Ondemand options, but for those who are unsure of how long they need to study for the FE exam, we have built an Ondemand Monthly Subscription review course. 

Our Ondemand Monthly Subscription option allows students to choose how long they want to study. When you sign up for an Ondemand Monthly Subscription, you will gain immediate access to your class materials and recordings. You may study for just a month or two for a quick refresher or study for nine months if you feel the need to. The possibilities are endless! Simply cancel your subscription when you believe you are done studying and are ready to take your exam. 

To learn more about our Ondemand Monthly Subscription option, visit the Ondemand tab on your corresponding course page.

• FE Chemical
• FE Civil
• FE Electrical
• FE Environmental
• FE Industrial and Systems
• FE Mechanical
• FE Other (General)

PE Exam Day Hacks

The PE exam is right around the corner, and we want you to be fully prepared. Although School of PE focuses on preparing you for the exam itself, we also thought it would be helpful to give you some PE tips and tricks for exam day to make sure your experience is as stress free as possible. 

Check out the tips below:

We hope you find these PE exam day tips helpful! If you are currently taking a PE prep course with School of PE, we know you'll do great on your exam! Late to the study-game? You can still sign up for our Ondemand Lite course for last-minute review. Good luck on your PE exam!

Prepare, Practice, Pass

Anytime, Anywhere

It's that easy!

FE Exam Prep Tips and Tricks: Preparing and Practicing for CBT Exams

Passing an NCEES FE exam is an essential step in an engineer's career, as it is typically required before taking the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) licensing exam. As many of our students report that the FE exam is more challenging than the PE exam, preparing for the FE computer-based test (CBT) can be overwhelming. In fact, many FE examinees have reported studying up to 300 hours for the difficult exam. To help reduce stress and the amount of time used to study, we have created a list of tips to help you get the most out of studying and to help you pass your chosen FE exam.

Table of Contents

1. Review the FE Reference Handbook

2. Look over the FE Exam Requirements and Specifications

3. Strategically Schedule Your Exam

4. Practice, Practice, Practice

5. Attend an FE Exam Prep Course

1. Review the FE Reference Handbook 

The FE Reference Handbook by NCEES is the only reference material that you are able to use during your exam. Before you take your exam, you can download it for free from NCEES' website. We recommend going through the reference handbook a few times so you have a good grasp of where everything is located. 

2. Look over the FE Exam Requirements and Specifications 

Don't be that person who goes to the exam and forgets to bring an ID. Make sure you fully read all exam-day requirements including registration time, required documents, and accepted calculators. Also, read over your exam's specifications before beginning to study, as the specifications lay out the ratio of subjects that will be covered on an exam. NCEES' FE exam specifications and resources can be found here.

3. Strategically Schedule Your Exam 

When you are scheduling your exam, try not to schedule it around holidays or any other events that may distract you from studying for long periods of time. We recommend preparing for the FE exam at least four months before you take your exam.

4. Practice, Practice, Practice 

How do you know when you've fully grasped a subject? By practicing! Whether you are taking the FE Mechanical, FE Electrical, or FE Civil exam, practice problems are a great way to prepare for your exam. After studying a subject, test your knowledge by practicing 10-15 problems in that subject area. If you can answer the practice problems correctly, you can confirm that you are prepared for that given subject. If you struggle with the practice problems, consider setting some extra time aside to revisit the subject. Finding a way to practice for your FE exam that closely mimics the NCEES CBT experience is probably the most effective way to practice problems. 

5. Attend an FE Exam Prep Course 

Registering for an FE exam prep course is another helpful way to prepare for the FE exam. School of PE offers FE Chemical, FE Civil, FE Electrical, FE Environmental, FE Industrial, FE Mechanical, and FE Other (General) exam prep courses. Because of School of PE's Prepare, Practice, Pass initiative, student pass rates continue to be much higher than the national rates. School of PE provides comprehensive lectures, instructor-led practice problem sessions, a Question Bank, which allows students to independently practice problems that mimic the NCEES CBT exam-taking experience, and organized refresher notes that are perfect for helping students grasp even the most difficult topics. School of PE also designs its courses around NCEES' exam specifications, so students know that they are studying the topics that are likely to appear on the actual exam.

PE Environmental Engineers Make the World Cleaner with Solar Panels

Solar panels have increasingly become more powerful within the past decade as well as increasingly popular. One of the main reasons solar panels have become so popular is because of their environmental friendliness. By using solar panels, CO2 emissions and any other waste product emissions are significantly reduced, which contributes to a more stable environment.ⁱ 

Another reason solar panels have become so popular is because of their increased efficiency. "In 2012, solar cells could convert 15% of the energy hitting them from the sun into power. As of 2018, the efficiency of the most advanced solar cells is closer to 23%, while average solar cells for residential use are around 18.7% efficient," an article about solar power reported.ⁱⁱ Because of the increased efficiency, thanks to PE Environmental engineers, users of solar panels can save a significant amount of money on energy bills. We break down why in an infographic below:

Interested in developing solar panels? Become a Professional Environmental engineer! To become a licensed environmental engineer, one must take and pass both the FE Environmental and PE Environmental exams. School of PE provides both FE and PE Environmental exam review courses to assist those who are interested in becoming licensed. 

Through years of experience preparing exam review courses and obtaining student feedback, School of PE has formulated and strategized what really makes the best review course, and we believe School of PE provides the right tools and expertise to help students pass their exams. 

If you are interested in pursuing a career in environmental engineering and want to prepare for the FE and PE Environmental exams, check out School of PE!

References 

i. Tsoutsos T, Frantzeskaki N, Gekas V. Environmental impacts from the solar energy technologies. Energy Policy 2005;33:289-96.

ii. Zientara, B. How much electricity does a solar panel produce? Retrieved from https://www.solarpowerrocks.com/ solar-basics/how-much electricity-does-a solar-panel-produce/

iii. NREL. Solar Maps. Retrieved from https://www.nrel.gov/gis/solar.html

Industrial Engineering Job and PE Exam Trends

Interested in becoming a professional industrial engineer? The field of industrial engineering is rapidly growing, offering many stable jobs. To become a licensed industrial engineer, one must pass both the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam. Check out some industrial engineering statistics regarding the PE Industrial exam and job trends below:

Announcing Our New Ondemand Lite Course

Are you a procrastinator? Do you wait until the absolute last second possible before you begin working on a project or studying for an exam? We get it; studying is extremely time consuming, and it is easy to keep putting it off! 

School of PE is excited to announce its newly created Ondemand Lite option for its PE and SE review courses. We understand that some people like to study at the last minute, which is the main reason we decided to launch this new course format. 

If you feel like you need a quick refresher before taking the PE or SE exam, the Ondemand Lite course is a great option. Below is some general information about the new format: 

Duration: From the moment you register until the day of the October 2018 exam 

Material: Similar to the regular Ondemand option, our Ondemand Lite course provides students with refresher notes, workshop problems, and lecture video from the Live Online courses 

Price: $890 (Ondemand costs $1,190) 

With the October PE and SE exams right around the corner, it's time to begin cracking down and studying! To learn more about the differences between our Ondemand Lite and Ondemand options, visit the Compare Plans tab on your desired PE or SE review course page.

Announcing Our PE Civil Question Bank: Prepare with Practice Problems

Our Question Bank has officially made it to PE Civil exam review courses! Previously, the Question Bank was only available to students in our FE exam review courses, so we are very excited to announce that it is now available for one of our most popular courses. 

Numerous studies have been conducted on the benefits of practice problems, and results have shown that practicing really does help during studying. Practicing PE exam sample questions has been found to be one of the most effective techniques for studying as it improves cognitive functionality and reduces overall exam anxiety. 

The PE Civil Question Bank currently offers more than 200 practice problems and will have even more questions added to it over the coming weeks. The PE Civil Question Bank will cover the following subjects: 

1. Project Planning 
2. Means & Methods 
3. Soil Mechanics 
4. Structural Mechanics 
5. Hydraulics & Hydrology 
6. Geometrics 
7. Materials 
8. Site Development 

Because of our Prepare, Practice, Pass initiative, School of PE is fully dedicated to making sure its students have all of the materials and resources needed to pass their exams. Although the Question Bank is currently only offered to our FE and PE Civil students, we will expand the product to more subjects very soon! 

Want to practice for the PE Civil exam? Our Ondemand courses are still open for registration for the October 2018 exam! Sign up for an exam review course today!

Prepare, Practice, Pass 

Anytime, Anywhere, 

It's that easy!

Top 10 Most Impressive Structures Ever Built

During the designing and construction of a structure, such as a building or bridge, both architectural engineers and structural engineers work together to not only design the structure but to make sure it is practical and safe. When looking at skyscrapers or obscurely shaped buildings, it is sometimes surprising how designers and builders pulled something that advanced off (maybe it's from the knowledge they obtained in a PE Architectural or Structural Engineering review course)! 

Interested in seeing what structural and architectural engineers are capable of? Check out these ten impressive structures below:

Table of Contents

1. Burj Khalifa

2. The Shard

3. The Cadet Chapel

4. Petronas Towers

5. Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum

6. Magdeburg Water Bridge

7. Helix Bridge

8. Hangzhou Bay Bridge

9. Jiaozhou Bay Bridge

10. Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge

Image retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Khalifa 

1. Burj Khalifa

The Burj Khalifa, located in Dubai, is considered impressive because of its extreme height. This tall building is 163 stories high and includes 57 elevators! The building's height reaches 829.8 meters (2,722 feet). The Burj Khalifa actually currently holds 16 records including the world's highest elevator installation, the world's highest observation deck (the deck being on the 124th floor), and of course, the tallest structure ever built.

Image retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shard 

2. The Shard

The Shard towers over the city of London with the height of 95-stories. In 2012, the building was recorded as the tallest completed European building with its highest point being at an impressive 309.6 meters high. The total time of construction lasted for 3 years, beginning March 2009 and ending in November 2012. Other than its impressive height and overall design, one other factor that makes this building so impressive is that 95% of the construction supplies used were made from recycled materials. 

Image retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Air_Force_Academy_Cadet_Chapel 

3. The Cadet Chapel 

The Cadet Chapel in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was constructed in 1962 for the United States Air Force Academy and includes 6 different sections: the Protestant chapel, the Catholic chapel, the Jewish chapel, the Buddhist chapel, the Falcon Circle, and an all-faiths rooms for smaller religious congregations. The seventeen spires that top the chapel are the most impressive feature the building has to offer. Each spear pierces the Colorado sky at 150 feet in height.

Image retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petronas_Towers 

4. Petronas Towers 

If you ever travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Petronas Towers are a must-see. These twin towers stand over the city at 452 meters (1,483 feet) tall. The two sky scrapers are considered the world's tallest twin buildings. Inside the towers feature luxurious shopping centers and office suites. The towers are also connected via a sky bridge on the 41st and 42nd floors. Because of the extreme height and the window-heavy design of the structures, it actually would take a total of two months to clean all of the windows!

Image retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niter%C3%B3i_Contemporary_Art_Museum 

5. Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum 

Talk about a balancing act! The Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, sits on cliffside offering tourists and locals not only a modernized-designed building to look at, but also beautiful art displays. The building was built to hover over a pool of water, which creates an illusion that the building is a flying saucer.

Images retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wasserstra%C3%9Fenkreuz_Magdeburg_Jun_2012_9.JPG

6. Magdeburg Water Bridge 

Bridges are usually used for vehicles to travel over water, right? Well, the Magdeburg Water Bridge, located in Germany, actually provides a way to travel over the Elbe-Havel canal via water. This structure is an aqueduct for commercial ships and boats to travel between Berlin and Rhineland without having to travel through the canal itself. The sides of the aqueduct also provide walking and biking paths for pedestrians.

Image retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helix_Bridge 

7. Helix Bridge 

Singapore is known for its impressive structures and architecture. The Helix Bridge is a magnificent structure in Singapore that was designed to mimic DNA. The stainless-steel pedestrian bridge has earned numerous awards and recognition over the years, including the "World's Best Transport" award.

Image retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangzhou_Bay_Bridge 

8. Hangzhou Bay Bridge 

The Hangzhou Bay Bridge, which opened in 2008, connects the Zhejiang Chinese provinces Jiaxing and Ningbo. This stayed-cable bridge may look like an ordinary bridge from afar, but what makes it so impressive is that it is 22 miles long. Branching over the Hangzhou Bay, the bridge has immensely helped with travel times. For example, instead of traveling four hours from Ningbo to Shanghai, the bridge offers a decreased travel time of two hours.

Image retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiaozhou_Bay_Bridge

9. Jiaozhou Bay Bridge 

Similar to the Hangzhou bridge, this bridge stretches across a bay to significantly decrease travel time. The bridge stands over the Jiaozhou Bay and connects Quingdao and Huangdao. The Jiaozhou Bay Bridge currently holds the Guinness World Record for the world's longest bridge over water with the total length being 16.6 miles long.

Image retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong%E2%80%93Zhuhai%E2%80%93Macao_Bridge 

10. Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge

Part bridge and part under-sea tunnel, the Hong-Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is the recorded as the longest cross-sea bridge in the world. The bridge section stretches over 18.4 miles before diving into 4.2 miles of tunnel. This bridge provides easy access between China, Macau, and Hong Kong. Currently, the bridge and tunnel system have not officially opened to the public yet as construction is still being finalized, but it will take the Guinness World Record from the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge for the longest bridge over water record when construction is completed.

The Best Undergraduate Surveying Degree Programs

Did you know: Surveying engineering is rapidly growing in popularity. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is projected to be 49,800 surveying jobs available in 2026 (an 11 percent increase from 2016). 

Are you interested in pursuing a career in surveying? To become a surveyor, one must acquire an engineering undergraduate degree from an accredited university. Then, to become licensed, the Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) and Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) exams must be taken and passed. To help you out with this process, we have listed five top-ranked surveying engineering programs to get you on the right track. Keep in mind, taking an FS review course during your senior year of undergrad will help you obtain a professional surveyor license earlier in your career than those who wait.

Check out our list of surveying engineering programs below:

Table of Contents

1. University of Florida

2. California State University- Fresno

3. The University of Maine

4. The University of Akron

5. Kennesaw State University

1. University of Florida

University of Florida offers a geomatics bachelor's degree with a specialization in surveying and mapping. This 120-credit hour degree covers in-depth information on spatial visualization, UAS mapping, geometrics and design, photogrammetry, and many other surveying topics. 

Location: Gainesville, FL 

Total Number of Undergraduate Students: 39,565ⁱ 

2. California State University- Fresno

California State University- Fresno, also known as Fresno State, offers a geomatics/surveying bachelor's degree. This degree focuses on boundary/land surveying, geodesy, GIS, and digital mapping. 

Location: Fresno, CA 

Total Number of Undergraduate Students: 22,189ⁱⁱ 

3. The University of Maine

The University of Maine's College of Engineering offers a 126-credit hour surveying technology degree. Courses in this program include construction surveying, plane surveying, instrumentation and data collectors, site planning, and subdivision design. 

Location: Orono, ME 

Total Number of Undergraduate Students: 9,279ⁱⁱⁱ 

4. The University of Akron

The University of Akron's curriculum for their B.S. in surveying and mapping degree not only provides classroom lectures but greatly focuses on interactive learning as well as hands-on research. The university's degree focuses on field measurement techniques, construction project and subdivision design, GIS, and GPS technology. 

Location: Akron, OH 

Total Number of Undergraduate Students: 18,802^iv 

5. Kennesaw State University

Kennesaw State University's 121-credit hour surveying and mapping bachelor's degree teaches students to create maps using field measurements, construction projects, and subdivision developments. This program also teaches how to establish vertical and horizontal control with the use of satellite geodesy. 

Location: Kennesaw, GA 

Total Number of Undergraduate Students: 32,945^v 

References

i. "Enrollment". University of Florida. February 20, 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018. 

ii. "Table 1 Total Enrollment by Sex and Student Level, Fall 2017." Retrieved 10 September 2018. 

iii. "Overall Enrollment" (PDF). University of Maine Enrollment. Retrieved 10 September 2018. 

iv. "Enrollment Data." University of Akron. Retrieved 10 September 2018. 

v. https://www.kennesaw.edu/about/

Choosing a Learning Format for FE Exam Review Courses

Passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam is an extremely important step in an engineer's career, as it is a required prerequisite in most states for the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) licensure exam.

Whether you are planning on taking the FE Civil, FE Electrical, FE Mechanical, FE Other (General), or another FE discipline exam, having the right preparation resources is a key factor in passing your chosen exam. To help prepare FE exam applicants for their exams, School of PE offers comprehensive exam review courses that include lectures, practice problems, instructor guidance, and more! 

We understand that everyone has different schedules, so we are happy to provide a variety of learning formats to our students. Check out the different learning formats below:

Have a learning format picked out? Great! If not, we also provide a thorough feature comparison where you can see all of the features we offer for each learning format (we promise, each format offers a ton of features). 

Sign up to prepare for the FE exam today! 

Prepare, Practice, Pass

Anytime, Anywhere

It's that easy!

PE Electrical: Electronics, Controls, & Communication vs Power

Signing up and registering for the PE exam is a big, and somewhat daunting, experience for exam applicants. From paying exam fees to providing proof of experience, a lot of work goes into the application process no matter which exam an individual is signing up for. Some exams, such as the PE Electrical, Mechanical, and Civil exams, have one extra step applicants have to consider: they need to decide which version of the exam they want to take. 

Right now, we are going to focus on the PE Electrical exam. The PE Electrical exam offers three different versions to choose from, two of the most popular being the Electronics, Controls, & Communications exam, and the Power exam. 

Figuring out which exam to takes requires an understanding of your career goals as well as the examination specifications. To help with the process of choosing which exam to sign up for, we have provided typical career descriptions for each field as well as a general outline of NCEES' exam specifications.

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A Power Engineer performs various tasks in order to deliver stable power electricity to residential buildings, commercial buildings, and appliances. Power engineers may work with different types of circuits, such as three-phase circuits or single-phase circuits, battery devices, converters, and other electrical devices. According to NCEES' exam specifications, an exam applicant is expected to understand the following topics:

• General Power Engineering 
• Circuits 
• Rotating Machines and Electrical Power Devices 
• Transmission and Distribution

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An Electronics, Controls, and Communications (ECC) Engineer works on more specific devices when compared to power engineers. ECC engineers may work with digital systems, such as digital and memory devices, amplifiers, antennas, wireless communication devices, and more. According to NCEES' exam specifications, an exam applicant is expected to understand the following topics: 

• General Electrical Engineering Knowledge 
• Digital Systems 
• Electromagnetics 
• Electronics 
• Control Systems 
• Communications 

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Prepare, Practice, Pass 

Anytime, Anywhere 

It's that easy!

Surveying Engineering: Job Description, Salary, and Job Trends

When driving down a street, you may sometimes notice individuals in bright-green traffic vests looking through lenses hoisted on tripods. If you've ever wondered who these individuals are, they are surveying engineers. Have you ever wondered what surveying engineers do or how much they get paid? Maybe you are thinking about pursuing a career in surveying and need some extra guidance on the process. Whatever the case may be, we have outlined some information about surveying engineers below:

Table of Contents

1. What do surveyors do?

2. Why should I become a surveyor?

3. How do I become a surveyor?

1. What do surveyors do? 

Surveying engineers take measurements of the earth's surfaces for various projects. They take measurements of property lines, survey the curves and contour of the ground, and evaluate construction zones before construction begins. Surveyors also perform research on land records and prepare maps, plots, and reports. 

2. Why should I become a surveyor? 

Surveying engineering is rapidly growing in popularity. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the surveying field is projected to grow 11% between 2016 and 2026, which is much faster than other career fields. In 2016, there were 44,800 surveyor jobs. In 2026, there is projected to be 49,800 jobs available. 

The median pay for surveying engineering is another factor to evaluate when looking at job security. In 2017, the median pay for surveyors was $61,140 per year. 

3. How do I become a surveyor? 

To become a surveyor, one must acquire an engineering undergraduate degree from an accredited university. Then, to become licensed, the FS and PS exams must be taken and passed. 

The FS exam is typically administered first, then after obtaining four years of professional surveying experience, applicants may take the PS exam. According to the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), the organization that administers and scores the surveying exams, states that "[The FS exam] is designed for recent graduates and students who are close to finishing an undergraduate surveying degree from an ABET accredited program" and "The PS exam tests your ability to practice the surveying profession competently." 

To assist those who wish to take the FS or PS exam, School of PE provides both FS and PS review courses to help exam applicants prepare for their exams. Through years of experience preparing exam review courses and obtaining student feedback, School of PE has formulated and strategized what really makes the best review course, and we believe School of PE provides the right tools and expertise to help students pass their exams. 

If you are interested in pursuing a career in surveying engineering and want to prepare for the FS or PS exam, check out School of PE! 

Information derived from ncees.org and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.