Maintaining Your PE License After Passing the PE Exam

You studied for months, and now you have finally taken the PE exam. You have spent so much time thinking about the exam, but what happens after you actually pass the PE exam? Once you have earned your professional engineering license and you can finally call yourself an engineer, it's important that you understand how to maintain your PE license.

Most states have engineering continuing education requirements. In fact, 42 states do. By taking online engineering continuing education courses, participating in an engineering continuing education webinar, or attending engineering conferences, engineers earn professional development hours (PDHs), which they need in order to renew and maintain their active PE license.

Each state has different requirements for the number of PDHs engineers need to complete and how often engineers must renew their PE license. While some states require an annual renewal, others require a biennial or even triennial renewal.

Whether your state requires 15 PDHs annually like Texas does or 36 PDHs for a triennial renewal like New York does, it is important to understand what your state's exact specifications are for PE license renewal. For instance, of the 18 PDHs that Florida requires for its biennial renewal, four of the PDHs must correlate to the engineer's specific area of practice, one PDH must relate to the state's laws and rules of professional engineers, and one PDH must relate to the state's professional ethics.

You've worked hard to earn a PE license, and you shouldn't have to stress about maintaining that license. Understand what your engineering state licensing board requires of you, and start working on earning your engineering PDHs.

Registration is Open: Start Studying Now for the April PE Exam

The October PE exam was held last week, which means we are less than six months away from the April PE exam. Although six months may seem like a lot of time right now, it's not a good idea to put off studying for the PE exam. 

To avoid panicking in March, it's best to start studying now so that you can spend quality time working on practice problems, taking practice exams, and figuring out which subjects you will need to spend more time reviewing. 

Once you have an idea of which topics you need to focus on, create a study schedule. If you know that you will be busy during the holidays but will have a lot of free time in February, make sure your study schedule reflects that. However, even during your busiest weeks, set some time aside for reviewing topics and practicing problems. 

Do you plan on registering for a PE exam review course? Do your research now to determine the learning format you want and when you need to sign up. 

School of PE opened its spring 2019 registration on October 26 for Onsite, Live Online, and Ondemand courses. If you want to start preparing for the April PE exam right away, we offer the following Ondemand review courses: PE Architectural, PE Civil, PE Electrical, PE Industrial and Systems, and PE Mechanical. 

With our bundle option, you can even pay for the Ondemand course and later add the Live Online or Onsite class for only $300. This allows our students to start studying on their own now and then participate in a structured class that is scheduled closer to the date of the NCEES PE exam. This offer expires, so be sure to check out our website for more details. 

Whether you decide to try studying on your own or you want to sign up for a review course, we suggest making a plan now and start putting that plan into action. By beginning the studying process sooner rather than later, you'll be thanking yourself when you aren't forced to cram a hundred hours of studying into the two weeks before the PE exam.

Chemical Engineering: PE Exam Trends and Job Stats

Thinking about becoming a chemical engineer? To become a licensed chemical engineer, you would need to pass both the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Chemical exam and the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) Chemical exam. To find out the median chemical engineering salary as well as the job outlook for chemical engineers, check out the PE Chemical exam trends and job statistics shown below:

Tips for Passing the FE Exam After Being Out of School

Preparing for and taking the FE exam can seem like a daunting task, but thinking about taking the FE exam after being out of school for several years or more can be quite intimidating. Although it may have been awhile since you have had to study for exams and you may not remember all of the engineering information you learned while in college, don't give up on your dream of becoming a professional licensed engineer. Our list of FE exam tips to help those who have been out of engineering school for a while should get you started on the right track to prepare for and pass a NCEES FE exam. 

Table of Contents

1. Create a Study Schedule

2. Use the FE Reference Handbook

3. Practice, Practice, Practice

4. Take a FE Exam Prep Course

1. Create a Study Schedule 

Before you start studying, you need to come up with a plan. Create a schedule of how long you want to spend studying each day and when you plan to review certain topics. When you are planning the specific topics you are going to review, be sure to look at the exam specifications for your FE exam, which can be found on NCEES' website. 

2. Use the FE Reference Handbook 

The FE Reference Handbook is the only reference material that can be used during the FE exam, so make sure you are familiar with it and that you are practicing with the most up-to-date version. You can download the reference handbook for free from NCEES' website.

3. Practice, Practice, Practice 

Practice as many problems as you can when you are preparing for the FE exam. Solving problems will help you understand which topics you have mastered and which ones you need to spend more time reviewing. It's also important to practice problems that are similar to the style of questions that can be found on the FE exam, which is a computer-based test (CBT). Remember, CBTs include multiple-choice questions as well as alternative item types, such as multiple correct, point and click, drag and drop, and fill in the blank. 

4. Take a FE Exam Prep Course 

If you feel like you need additional assistance passing the FE exam, a review course is a great way to prepare. School of PE offers FE Chemical, FE Civil, FE Electrical, FE Environmental, FE Industrial and Systems, FE Mechanical, and FE Other Disciplines (General) exam review courses. These review courses will give you a refresher of the main topics that will appear on the exam and will provide you with workshop sessions that will focus on solving problems. School of PE's FE exam review courses include access to a Question Bank, which will provide you with even more problems to test your knowledge.

Week Before the PE Exam: Last-Minute PE Exam Tips

The October PE exam is now officially a week away. You've prepared, practiced, and now it's time to pass! If you've taken one of our PE exam review courses, we're confident that you're prepared. Since there are only seven days left before the big day, we want to make sure exam day goes as smoothly and as stress-free as possible. Check out our last-minute preparation strategies below:

Table of Contents

1. Read NCEES' Exam-Day Policies

2. Prepare Your Notes

3. Pack Snacks

4. Skim Through Your Notes

5. Practice Problems

6. Get Enough Sleep

1. Read NCEES' Exam-Day Policies

Before going to the exam site, make sure you read NCEES' exam-day policies. Don't be that person who goes to the exam and forgets to bring an ID. Make sure you have an NCEES-approved calculator (and that you know how to use it), understand which types of reference materials you may bring, and follow the electronic devices policy.  

2. Prepare Your Notes

As mentioned above, make sure to understand which types of reference materials you may bring to the exam. For PE exams, your reference materials must be bound. According to NCEES' regulations, "Bound refers to (1) materials permanently bound, as by stitching or glue, and (2) materials securely fastened in their covers by fasteners that penetrate all papers." If you have loose papers, make sure they are bound into a binder. You are allowed to use tabs and sticky notes in your reference materials, but you must tab and make notes before you go into the exam room.  

3. Pack Snacks

Even though you may have had a protein-rich breakfast (which we highly recommend), such as eggs, peanut butter toast, and sausage, you need to make sure not to get hungry throughout exam day. When you are getting ready for the exam, pack high-protein snacks, such as granola and nuts, to eat during exam breaks. Nothing slows your brain down more than hunger!

4. Skim Through Your Notes

It is always a good idea to skim through your notes a week before the exam. When you are skimming, make notes about which topics you want to specifically look over again before exam day. 

5. Practice Problems

Even though the exam is only a week away, practicing PE exam-like problems is a great way to confirm that you are ready for your exam. If you are still struggling with practice problems for a specific subject, consider doing a quick brush-up on the subject and then try practicing problems again. Our PE Civil Question Bank is a great tool to test your knowledge. 

6. Get Enough Sleep

We get it, some people like to stay up into the morning hours to study. If you've been doing this to prepare for the PE exam recently, now is a good time to stop. Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night this week. As you continue to do last-minute study preparations, getting at least 8 hours of sleep will help your overall memory, as memory consolidation happens in the later hours of sleep. 

Good luck on your exam next week!

How Engineering Plays a Big Role in Hurricane Recovery

The last few years have brought many hurricanes to the United States, with some of the bigger and most devastating hurricanes being Harvey, Michael, and Florence. For hurricane-prone areas of the United States, engineers have various duties for before and after a hurricane makes landfall. As an engineer, safety is often the main concern when a disaster strikes. When a hurricane hits land, it is extremely important to be fully prepared to ensure minimal loss. 

For areas that are susceptible to hurricanes, professional civil engineers must design infrastructure so that the structures can sustain extreme winds, storm surges, flooding, windborne debris, and rain-induced landslides. Buildings that are in hurricane zones must be constructed differently than buildings that are located farther inland. When heavy wind pushes against the roof of a building, negative pressures against it can cause the roof to become detached. Once a roof is detached from the building, the whole structure becomes weak and has the potential to collapse. To avoid building failure, anchoring the roof to the foundation of the building is key to defending the building against destructive, high winds. 

After a hurricane strikes, engineers have a large role in the recovery and cleanup. One example of this is the use of drones in rescue missions. After Hurricane Harvey, a category 4 hurricane that inflicted $125 billion in damages, engineering drones were used to locate stranded individuals. Drones were used to capture images and the location of people who needed rescued, which is much easier and more efficient than having a rescue team physically search for stranded people via boat. Engineers also work to rebuild fallen and damaged infrastructure during the recovery period. 

Engineers play a large role in hurricane recovery. Without engineers helping after a hurricane, recovery would be much slower and not as effective. Since hurricanes are difficult to predict, it is up to professional engineers to be prepared when a disaster strikes.

Engineering and Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous cars (or cars with self-driving capabilities), are being talked about more and more within the automotive industry. When "autonomy" is mentioned within this article and the below infographic, we are referring to a car that is able to calculate maneuverability decisions without human assistance or intervention. 

It is expected for autonomous vehicles to outnumber human-driven vehicles by 2030. With a big push for autonomous vehicles, professional engineers are constantly evaluating practicality and safety for self-driving cars. For those who are in favor of autonomous vehicles, they look forward to the convenience. However, some members of the general public speculate the overall safety when it comes to self-driving cars. 

Check out the infographic below that outlines autonomous vehicle operations and overall opinions about the matter: 

References 

Self Driving Cars 2017. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.mushroomnetworks.com/ infographics/self-driving vehicles-2017/

Howard, D. Public Perceptions of Self-driving Cars: The Case of Berkeley, California. Retrieved from https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/ ~djhoward/reports/ Report - Public Perceptions of Self Driving Cars.pdf. 

U. Ozguner, C. Stiller and K. Redmill. Systems for Safety and Autonomous Behavior in Cars: The DARPA Grand Challenge Experience.

School of PE Provides a One-Stop-Shop for Professional Engineering Education

Since 2004, School of PE has made its goal to provide valuable educational experiences to help engineers obtain professional licenses. From the FE exam and beyond, School of PE prides itself in helping engineers through every step in obtaining and maintaining their licenses. Wondering how? Read more below:

Table of Contents

1. FE Exam

2. PE Exam

3. Continuing Education

1. FE Exam
The first step in becoming a professional engineer is to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE or EIT) exam. This exam is typically taken by undergraduate seniors or recent college graduates. To be eligible to take this exam, applicants must be enrolled in or have graduated an accredited university.
How School of PE Prepares Exam Applicants for the FE Exam
School of PE offers exam review courses for all of the FE exams NCEES offers. Each FE exam review course that School of PE offers is 80 hours long and is taught by engineers. School of PE's FE pass rate is much higher than the national average, with the average pass rate of all FE courses combined being at 91%. The national pass rate for all combined FE exams is 74%. *
Below is the list of FE courses School of PE provides:

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

2. PE Exam

Generally, an engineer is required to obtain four years of engineering experience after passing the FE exam to proceed to the next step in licensure: taking and passing the Principles and Practice (PE) exam. According to NCEES, "The PE exam tests for a minimum level of competency in a particular engineering discipline." After passing the PE exam, the exam applicant will become licensed and can be referred to as a "professional engineer."

How School of PE Prepares Exam Applicants for the PE Exam

School of PE offers exam review courses for the majority of NCEES PE exams. Although varying in hours, all PE review courses provide over 60 hours of interactive refresher and workshop sessions. School of PE's PE pass rates are much higher than the national average, with the average pass rate of PE courses combined being at 89%. The national pass rate for the equivalent PE courses is 70%. *

Below is the list of PE courses School of PE provides:

• PE Architectural
• PE Chemical
• PE Civil
• PE Control Systems
• PE Electrical
• PE Environmental
• PE Fire Protection
• PE Industrial
• PE Mechanical
• PE Petroleum
• CA Seismic
• CA Surveying

3. Continuing Education

After passing the PE exam, it is required by most states for an engineer to periodically continue their education. State regulations for continuing education vary. For example, Texas has an annual renewal period while Kansas has a biennial renewal period. Currently, 42 out of the 50 state boards require some sort of continuing education. The continuing education requirements can include activities such as attending engineering PDH webinars, taking an online PDH course, or attending an engineering conference.

How School of PE Helps Professional Engineers Renew Their Licenses

School of PE is a division of EduMind. EduMind, an International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) accredited company, provides a wide variety of continuing education courses for engineers who need to obtain PDH credits for license renewal. EduMind has a course library that contains more than 600 continuing education courses, including online classes and webinars.

*Per Pass Rates Recorded Between July-December 2017

**Per October 2017 Pass Rates

Continuing Education for Engineers: Why State Boards Require Professional Engineers to Take PDH Courses

Continuing Education is a typical requirement that engineering state licensing boards implement as a way for an engineer to maintain an active professional license. Whether a state board requires annual or biannual license renewal, many engineers dread the process of obtaining enough professional development hours (PDHs) through continuing education. Although the process may seem inconvenient and time consuming (which can be made easier with flexible online engineering pdh courses>), state boards implement license renewal policies for various reasons. The reason a majority of states have implemented continuing education requirements is to not only allow engineers to broaden their knowledge but also, most importantly, to keep the public safe.

Currently, 42 out of the 50 state boards require some sort of continuing education. The continuing education requirements can include activities such as attending engineering PDH webinars, taking an online PDH course, or attending an engineering conference. 

Engineers have the responsibility to keep the public safe, and by keeping up with various engineering methods and safety regulations, they can do so. "The primary purpose of licensing for professional engineers and professional land surveyors is to protect the public from unqualified or unethical practitioners," said Tyson Ducote, the director of reinforcement for Louisiana. "The requirement for continuing professional development is also intended to protect the public by reinforcing the need for lifelong learning in order to stay more current with changing technology, equipment, procedures, processes, tools and established standards." 

On a somewhat similar note, most state boards require continuing education to help develop an engineer professionally as the engineering field evolves throughout time. For example, many tools, operation techniques, and technology have significantly changed throughout the past few decades. Survey engineers who were licensed in the 1980s may not understand how to use drones, which are typically used to map out construction sites in modern-day engineering. By requiring survey engineers to take continuing education courses, engineers have the opportunity to learn about drones and stay up-to-date with modern practices.

"I have found online continuing education to be quite helpful to me as a registered professional engineer," said Harlan Bengtson, a continuing education course writer at EduMind. "Not only has it met the continuing education requirement for renewing my PE license, but it has also allowed me to refresh and update my knowledge in some areas of engineering and to gain knowledge about engineering topics that I want to move into."

Augmented Reality in Civil Engineering

Augmented reality (AR) has become increasingly popular in many fields and has made its way into the engineering field. If you aren't familiar with what AR is, it can be defined as "an enhanced image or environment as viewed on a screen or other display, produced by overlaying computer-generated images, sounds, or other data on the real-world environment."ⁱ AR is sometimes confused with virtual reality (VR), but they are actually very different. VR is typically experienced with a lens of some sort, such as the HoloLens, and "simulates a physical presence, both real world places and imagined worlds, allowing the user to interact with that world."ⁱⁱ 

If you aren't familiar with AR technology, you may be wondering what use it has in the engineering field. AR is becoming more and more popular in construction engineering. Engineers who work in construction can scale a 3D model of the structure that is being built by using the technology and therefore improving awareness of the overall design. Vineet Kamat, an associate professor at University of Michigan, believes augmented reality is a great tool to use in construction. "We use augmented reality to plan a construction site. What might it look like when construction machines come into the environment? This way, by planning in the virtual environment, we can learn from our mistakes and avoid making mistakes without incurring real resources or incurring actual costs or injuring anybody's safety," the professor explained in an interview.ⁱⁱⁱ 

AR technology can also significantly improve site safety. For example, when a building is being constructed, it must periodically be inspected to ensure that the structure is stable and aligns with the building model plan. When inspectors go through a building to inspect it, they can use AR technology to detect mismeasurements, faults in the structure, and even send reports to the engineers who worked on designing the building. When using AR to inspect a building, "problem areas become easier to recognize, and serious concerns can be identified and shared instantly with those who can immediately respond: pre-empting major structural errors and costly build time."^iv 

With this exciting engineering technology emerging, now is a great time to go into the civil engineering field. To make the process of becoming a licensed civil engineer as smooth and as stress free as possible, School of PE offers an 84-hour PE Civil exam review course, which covers both the breadth and depth portions of the exam. Past PE Civil students have had great success with School of PE, as 90% of School of PE's PE Civil students passed in October 2017. 

What are you waiting for? Begin preparing for the PE Civil engineering exam today and get your hands on some AR technology! 

References

i. Augmented Reality. Retrieved from https://www.dictionary.com/ browse/augmented-reality 

ii. Cundle, M. Augmented Reality in Engineering. Retrieved from https://www.rs-online.com/ designspark/augmented reality-in-engineering

iii. Improving construction safety with augmented reality [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=i1fBiFSwoX4

iv. Augmented Reality Solutions for Construction Inspection [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=8lY4qaVvR8c

Idaho Board Changes PE Exam Requirements: Exam Applicants May Take the PE Exam Early

Just a few months ago, Idaho implemented a new exam policy to allow exam applicants to take the PE exam before obtaining the required four years of engineering field experience. Various other states have a similar policy already in place. These states include Arizona, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. 

So why is this policy being implemented by multiple state boards? Having a policy that allows applicants to take the PE exam before gaining four years of field experience may actually benefit exam applicants. By taking the PE exam sooner, applicants may have concepts they studied when preparing for the FE exam fresh in their mind. They also can avoid the long process of waiting to get approval to take the exam. Of course, the field experience, passing the PE exam (odds of passing the PE exam can be increased by taking a PE exam review course), and board approval must be completed and obtained before a professional engineering license is administered. 

In a recent report on the matter, the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) stated the following: 

NSPE is in favor of state licensing boards allowing candidates to take the PE exam early, as long as they have met the educational requirements for licensure and passed the FE exam. The Society also believes that the four years of progressive engineering experience indicated in the NCEES Model Law should remain unchanged, and licensure candidates who pass the PE exam early need to obtain the requisite number of years of engineering before becoming licensed.

As safety is a big concern for engineering state boards, other state boards are likely to monitor the success of this new policy for states that have implemented it. If this new policy proves to be effective, all 50 states may end up implementing it as well.

Employee Education Benefits: The Importance of Professional Development in the Workplace

Throughout the last few years, more and more companies have added continued education for their employees as part of their employee benefits. Although the cost of paying for education for employees may seem daunting, there are numerous benefits for allowing employees to further their professional skills and knowledge. 

A great, and somewhat obvious, reason to provide educational opportunities to employees as part of a company's benefit package is to increase knowledge and technical skills. For instance, an engineering firm providing its interns with the opportunity to take a class to prepare them for the PE exam would help the employee become a licensed engineer. Having professional, licensed engineers would significantly increase employee talent and would expand the company's overall resources, as professional engineers are needed to carry out specific tasks. According to a study performed by SHRM, 72% of companies in the United States offer professional development opportunities to their employees.ⁱ

Providing educational benefits for employees will also increase employee retention. When it comes to generational differences, 87% of millennials have been reported as listing "professional or career growth and development opportunities" as an important factor when choosing to stay long-term with a company. 69% of non-millennials agree that professional growth and education is an important aspect to have in a company.ⁱⁱ Even when an individual is looking for a new job, continued education opportunities are often viewed as an important factor when evaluating a job offer. The main reason in this is that continued education makes the employee feel appreciated, valued, and increases overall happiness in the workplace. "Many employees value the personal enhancement that continued education provides... Fulfilled employees are happier employees who perform better and have increased loyalty to the employer who made this enrichment possible."ⁱⁱⁱ 

For companies that want to provide education opportunities for their employees, an optimal solution is to find an educational provider that offers corporate packages. Among the reasons listed above for providing employees educational opportunities, continued education will significantly benefit your employee as well as the company as a whole.

References 

i. 2017 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/ hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/ research-and-surveys/ Documents/ 2017 Employee Benefits Report.pdf 

ii. Gallup, Inc. Millennials Want Jobs to Be Development Opportunities. Retrieved from https://www.gallup.com/ workplace/236438/ millennials-jobs development-opportunities.aspx

iii. Furthering Your Employees' Education is Good for Business. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/expert-insights/furthering-your-employees-education-is-good-for-business