The CBT experience
Beginning in January 2014, NCEES will offer the FE and FS as computer-based exams rather than as pencil-and-paper exams. The exams will be administered through the Pearson VUE network of about professional centers and select locations.
The Pearson VUE video below gives a basic sense of what the testing environment will be like for FE and FS examinees in 2014. Because this video is intended to be generic, not all of the information will relate to FE and FS candidates. For instance, NCEES examinees will be allowed to bring their own pre-approved calculators into the Pearson VUE professional centers. Other Pearson VUE standards and regulations specific to the FE and FS are still being developed in conjunction with NCEES and will be made public as they are finalized.
Is registering for the exam the same? Or will that be done at the site?
Examinees will still have to be approved by their individual boards before they can register for a date and time to sit for their CBT exam.
I hope that they still allow you to go back and forth between questions. I think that is something that is very important for examinees.
8 hours of staring at a computer…..I do that at work now and I can tell you. They better have an available supply of Asprin for headaches and contact solution for dry eyes. It is very tough to stare at a computer screen for that long.
Nomore breadth and depth format.
Exam will be in 7 freestanding domains ( Chemical, Civil, Mech., Elec., Enviromental, Industrial and General ).
Maths,probalities, Ethics,Engineering Science and Engineering Economic are common topics for all domains.
Examinationn will be either 3 hours or 4 hours maximum like PMP and CAP etc.
Number of question could be between 60 to 80.
examination is open all year around
I use a computer a lot and I would still rather take the test with a pencil and paper. Technology can enhance a lot of things, but in this case I think it would be a hindrance.
This sounds like a pretty good idea, and hopefully will reduce the time it takes to get the scores back. I think it is cool but also think that the pencil and paper method should still be available to those who do not want to sit in a tiny booth staring at a computer screen for 8 hours.
I’m a 59 year old, male electrical engineer. During my sophmore year in college, the campus computer center had just migrated from the punch card input to the “dumb terminal” input. There was no such thing as a PC and no internet. Three months after I graduated from college, I got a job where us five engineers used a “dumb terminal” connected to a mainframe for transformer design…”paper is as obsolete as a spinning hard disk drive” and an optical disc drive! Besides, the tests are graded by a computer.
This is great change. I hope we would have the ability to go back a forward throw question.
I am in living Dubai. Working as a Electrical Engineer in a reputed firm. I want move to Canada. I heard, there are less opportunies for engineers but if you are PE, you will get good job.
I want try for job as well as I want do Professional Engineer course.
I saw so many online PE course are there on the site but I don’t understand that course will help me for job in Ontario.
Can you give me right guidance for the PE.
Unless you recieved your bachelors degree in Canada from an accredited university the road to licensure will be difficult. And you may not use the title “Engineer” in Ontario without being first registered as a P.Eng.
Good luck!
Each province in Canada has its own “APEGGA”.
If you wont intend to work in Alberta, APEGGA’s PE exam may be not the best road map to you!
I am civil engineer from Brazil, 16 years construction management experience. I received an APEGGA’s letter allowing me to take the FE exam. I intend to work in Alberta.
Regards
Luciano
Also, for your information. P.E. is the title used in the U.S. and P.Eng. is the title used in Canada. And while the two countries often exchange workers, it is more difficult for a Canadian who is licensed as a P.Eng. to acquire a P.E. license in any of the states. Two 8-hour exams are required.
I believe it may be easier for an American P.E. to get licensed in Canada. So, if you are looking to get licensed in both countries, I suggest you start in one of the U.S. states first to avoid having to take examinations in both countries!
The people at NCEES are the most paranoid people I have ever heard of.
I have asked them before why they could not design a test so that it did not matter what kind of calculator you used, but they either did not have the knowledge to do it or were too lazy.
IMHO it will be even worse when they go to computer testing.(See the video from Pearson)
Even more personal information is going to be collected.
I would not trust the BS that either Person or the NCEES
gives you about how your information will not be used for other purposes.
I am sure it will cost more too.
I know from a friend of mine that is taking the GED exam in 2014 that the cost will go up to $125.00 for that exam when it goes to computer testing.
I am not sure I understand your problem with NCEES. How can you design question lets say for differential equation that can not be solved with programmable calculator they don’t allow to be used????
I never heard about anyone looking to be licensed engineer who is not up to speed with computers; so in that sense your complaint does not stand. However, I had bad experience with Pearson testing center. Their computer system is prone to crashing and you can end up doing your exam and all of a sudden your station crashes.Also, their personnel is not so quick and helpful in resolving these type of issues. I ended up taking exam in one of their centers that involved review of structural drawings. I was given wrong set of drawings that was not related to the test module I registered for. It took proctor 15 minutes to figure which plan they should give me and for that lost time you are not compensated.
I do believe this is wrong way to administer this exam. I took paper and pencil FE exam and I think it will be more suited for exam that contains 180 questions.
WILL THE NEW CBT BE OFFERED STILL TWICE A YEAR OR WILL THE OPPORTUNITIES TO TAKE IT INCREASE PER YEAR?
How many times a year will one person be able to take the exam? I know the results will be given back in 48 hours but lets say you fail, could you retake the exam again like say in a week?