Failed FL PE 3 times - what are my options?

Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone has had this same experience and can give me some advice. I have failed the Civil PE exam three times in FL and am now required to take 12 credit hours before sitting for the exam again. I have spoken with my local college and found out that my current bachelors degree does not cover many of the prerequisites required for the upper level civil courses that I need to take. I will have to backtrack and take statistics and chem 2 before I could take any civil engineering courses there. I was thinking about taking the exam in another state and applying for reciprocity. Does anyone know if in FL I can get reciprocity after failing three times or will I still need to take the 12 credit hours? Thanks for any advice!

turtle1227 said:

Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone has had this same experience and can give me some advice. I have failed the Civil PE exam three times in FL and am now required to take 12 credit hours before sitting for the exam again. I have spoken with my local college and found out that my current bachelors degree does not cover many of the prerequisites required for the upper level civil courses that I need to take. I will have to backtrack and take statistics and chem 2 before I could take any civil engineering courses there. I was thinking about taking the exam in another state and applying for reciprocity. Does anyone know if in FL I can get reciprocity after failing three times or will I still need to take the 12 credit hours? Thanks for any advice!

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If you failed three times, what makes you think you'll pass the next? Have you considered that maybe you shouldn't worry about getting licensed?

What sort of degree do you have?

What's your experience in?

You probably won't be able to take the exam out-of-state. I believe the applications on every state I've looked at ask for previous exam information.

If you failed three times, what makes you think you'll pass the next? Have you considered that maybe you shouldn't worry about getting licensed?

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I'm assuming he/she has a good reason to pursue the license or they wouldn't have tried it three times. I know people in my state who have passed after 7 or 8 times.

Half the people in my office took 2 or more times to pass. And these are people with good grades from very reputable universities (I passed first time, and I had mediocre grades at a mediocre school). Some people just don't take to this exam until trying it a few times. The test is sui generis IMO. It's different than school and it's different from work - it's more like an SAT engineering test. I always ace those multiple choicers.

Thank you Karen S. P.E. for your response, however your response is exactly why I have never posted on here before. I asked a simple question and was looking for advice from others who may have experienced the same situation. I was not looking for judgement, criticism, or opinions of my career choices. I see that so frequently on here and it is counterproductive. Also, thank you benbo for your reply. I do appreciate the recognition that I am not alone in my struggles.

Not that my background should matter, but I have an ocean engineering degree and I work as a waterfront engineer. There is no PE for my specialty, but civil engineering is the closest. My degree did not cover any environmental, transportation, surveying, or water resource courses. I have been attempting to learn those subjects on my own through review courses and continuing education courses. I do need a PE to continue to be successful in my career path and that is why I continue to work towards passing the exam.

Now, I would greatly appreciate any advice someone may have on my original post. Thank you!

From wikipedia

Sui generis ( /ˌsuː.aɪ ˈdʒɛnərɪs/;[1] Latin: [ˈsʊ.iː ˈɡɛnɛrɪs]) is a Latin expression, literally meaning of its own kind/genus or unique in its characteristics.[2] The expression is often used in analytic philosophy to indicate an idea, an entity, or a reality which cannot be included in a wider concept

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C'mon. How many other readers had to look that up?

I learn so much from this board.

OP, do what you want but I'd be kind of surprised if you were able to subvert the FL Board by pulling an end run to get licensed in their state. The regulations state what you need to do re-test. I'd start looking at different schools that would let you take the required course without the prerequisites.

My :2cents:

Karen S. P.E. said:

turtle1227 said:

Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone has had this same experience and can give me some advice. I have failed the Civil PE exam three times in FL and am now required to take 12 credit hours before sitting for the exam again. I have spoken with my local college and found out that my current bachelors degree does not cover many of the prerequisites required for the upper level civil courses that I need to take. I will have to backtrack and take statistics and chem 2 before I could take any civil engineering courses there. I was thinking about taking the exam in another state and applying for reciprocity. Does anyone know if in FL I can get reciprocity after failing three times or will I still need to take the 12 credit hours? Thanks for any advice!

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If you failed three times, what makes you think you'll pass the next? Have you considered that maybe you shouldn't worry about getting licensed?

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That was a tough reply, your highness.

benbo said:

If you failed three times, what makes you think you'll pass the next? Have you considered that maybe you shouldn't worry about getting licensed?

Click to expand...

I'm assuming he/she has a good reason to pursue the license or they wouldn't have tried it three times. I know people in my state who have passed after 7 or 8 times.

Half the people in my office took 2 or more times to pass. And these are people with good grades from very reputable universities (I passed first time, and I had mediocre grades at a mediocre school). Some people just don't take to this exam until trying it a few times. The test is sui generis IMO. It's different than school and it's different from work - it's more like an SAT engineering test. I always ace those multiple choicers.

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Fair enough, and I've always tested well as well - but still. It didn't seem to me to be a difficult test, and to me repeated failure is indicative of lacking understanding of the underlying material - well, either that or just plain freezing during the exam. Taking it over and over and over again without that required understanding just seems to me to be like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping some sticks.

Please note that I'm not against taking it twice, or even 4 times. If the OP wants to take the exam again and feels ready for it, more power to him/her. I just want to make sure that turtle's considered that perhaps trying over and over to get a license isn't really in the best interest of the public. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" doesn't work very well when you're talking about a discipline that places the lives of others into your hands.

Though, if it's just a matter of freezing - that's different.

Karen S. P.E. said:

Please note that I'm not against taking it twice, or even 4 times. If the OP wants to take the exam again and feels ready for it, more power to him/her. I just want to make sure that turtle's considered that perhaps trying over and over to get a license isn't really in the best interest of the public. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" doesn't work very well when you're talking about a discipline that places the lives of others into your hands.
Though, if it's just a matter of freezing - that's different.

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Yeah, I've debated this notion before. It goes something like this.

I assume the examinee already has the required experience, education and recommendations to take the exam, and has passed the EIT. To me, all of those are far more important indicators of competency than the test but that's only a matter of opinion I suppose.

But what is true is that since the test is merely pass/fail you really can't tell much from a passing grade verses a failing score. Let's assume I pass the test and this person didn't. Assume the passing score is 50, all that really means is I got at least 50 and he/she got 49 or less.

Now that could happen several times, for whatever reason.

Now suppose this person really kicks it into gear, and scores 100%. Who is more competent? Me, because I got 50 right out of the gate, or someone who ultimately got everything right?

BTW - I know that is sort of far fetched, but it is possible.

Not that my background should matter, but I have an ocean engineering degree and I work as a waterfront engineer. There is no PE for my specialty, but civil engineering is the closest. My degree did not cover any environmental, transportation, surveying, or water resource courses. I have been attempting to learn those subjects on my own through review courses and continuing education courses. I do need a PE to continue to be successful in my career path and that is why I continue to work towards passing the exam.

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Might the Naval Architecture/Marine Engineering PE Exam be a better choice than Civil?

My degree is in Marine Engineering, which translates very well to Mechanical/HVAC which is what I do for a living, but I can't imagine trying to take a civil exam with my background. I guess it depends what you do on a day to day basis, but I would think you might have an easier time with something more in line with your educational background.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do, wish I could offer more advice.

C'mon. How many other readers had to look that up? I learn so much from this board.

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You don't participate in enough pointless internet arguments. That's where I get my best material.

opcorn:

James3AE said:

Might the Naval Architecture/Marine Engineering PE Exam be a better choice than Civil?

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Thanks for the thought! I did research that exam, but I haven't done anything in the mechanical/marine engineering field since college. My days are spent doing structural and geotechnical engineering for overwater structures. I am going to continue looking into other options for taking the 12 credit hours that may not require the prerequisites as suggested by MA PE.

James3AE said:

Not that my background should matter, but I have an ocean engineering degree and I work as a waterfront engineer. There is no PE for my specialty, but civil engineering is the closest. My degree did not cover any environmental, transportation, surveying, or water resource courses. I have been attempting to learn those subjects on my own through review courses and continuing education courses. I do need a PE to continue to be successful in my career path and that is why I continue to work towards passing the exam.

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Might the Naval Architecture/Marine Engineering PE Exam be a better choice than Civil?

My degree is in Marine Engineering, which translates very well to Mechanical/HVAC which is what I do for a living, but I can't imagine trying to take a civil exam with my background. I guess it depends what you do on a day to day basis, but I would think you might have an easier time with something more in line with your educational background.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do, wish I could offer more advice.

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This kind of thing is why I was asking about turtle's background. And I really wasn't trying to come across as extremely judgemental; I have enough people looking at me oddly for my license that I don't like that idea. I was actually thinking of a coworker of mine that failed the exam 3 times and decided to move to another business in the same field, one that didn't require licensure. He's currently doing pretty well, better than he ever did here; certainly better than I am.

You might also consider asking the school if you can audit the courses; I don't know if schools let you do that without prereqs though.

Incidentally, I am in a similar boat in some ways - I would have needed most of a year of math before being able to take most of the courses I would need. I ended up deciding it just wasn't worth it.

turtle1227 said:

Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone has had this same experience and can give me some advice. I have failed the Civil PE exam three times in FL and am now required to take 12 credit hours before sitting for the exam again. I have spoken with my local college and found out that my current bachelors degree does not cover many of the prerequisites required for the upper level civil courses that I need to take. I will have to backtrack and take statistics and chem 2 before I could take any civil engineering courses there. I was thinking about taking the exam in another state and applying for reciprocity. Does anyone know if in FL I can get reciprocity after failing three times or will I still need to take the 12 credit hours? Thanks for any advice!

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You might want to check out getting a masters certificate. I know that the University of South Florida offers them and I believe you can do the coursework online. Most require somewhere around 12 credit hours for the certificate and don't have the prerequisites for a full master's degree. I don't know if this is what you are looking for but here is the web address.

http://gradcerts.usf.edu/onlinecerts.asp

Other state universities may have a similar program but I don't know specifics. A former coworker of mine did one of these (I think the transportation systems analysis certificate) after failing 3 times.

Karen S. P.E. said:

turtle1227 said:

Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone has had this same experience and can give me some advice. I have failed the Civil PE exam three times in FL and am now required to take 12 credit hours before sitting for the exam again. I have spoken with my local college and found out that my current bachelors degree does not cover many of the prerequisites required for the upper level civil courses that I need to take. I will have to backtrack and take statistics and chem 2 before I could take any civil engineering courses there. I was thinking about taking the exam in another state and applying for reciprocity. Does anyone know if in FL I can get reciprocity after failing three times or will I still need to take the 12 credit hours? Thanks for any advice!

Click to expand...

If you failed three times, what makes you think you'll pass the next? Have you considered that maybe you shouldn't worry about getting licensed?

What sort of degree do you have?

What's your experience in?

You probably won't be able to take the exam out-of-state. I believe the applications on every state I've looked at ask for previous exam information.

Click to expand...

Turtle...dont give up. No metter what you have to do, keep doing it and you will accomplish what you want. I don't know what you have to do in your specific case, i can't advise, but i know for sure that you will pass if you stay in track. DONT give up and dont even listen to loosers and gelous people like karen. I bet that guy has no life and trying to advise others for having tha same miserable life. KEEP UP AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND ANYONE TRYING TO GET HIS PE !!!!

darius said:

Turtle...dont give up. No metter what you have to do, keep doing it and you will accomplish what you want. I don't know what you have to do in your specific case, i can't advise, but i know for sure that you will pass if you stay in track. DONT give up and dont even listen to loosers and gelous people like karen. I bet that guy has no life and trying to advise others for having tha same miserable life. KEEP UP AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND ANYONE TRYING TO GET HIS PE !!!!

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Gah. First - not a guy, thanks. Second - not jealous or a loser, thanks. Finally - I wasn't intending to tear turtle down at all. I simply put things poorly. Without knowing more than the fact that turtle had to take some classes just to take some engineering courses, I thought I'd ask for clarification - just did it much meaner than I'd intended it to come across.

Karen S. P.E. said:

darius said:

Turtle...dont give up. No metter what you have to do, keep doing it and you will accomplish what you want. I don't know what you have to do in your specific case, i can't advise, but i know for sure that you will pass if you stay in track. DONT give up and dont even listen to loosers and gelous people like karen. I bet that guy has no life and trying to advise others for having tha same miserable life. KEEP UP AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND ANYONE TRYING TO GET HIS PE !!!!

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Gah. First - not a guy, thanks. Second - not jealous or a loser, thanks. Finally - I wasn't intending to tear turtle down at all. I simply put things poorly. Without knowing more than the fact that turtle had to take some classes just to take some engineering courses, I thought I'd ask for clarification - just did it much meaner than I'd intended it to come across.

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Some of us are good test takers and others are not. Some of us can pass an exam without studying (rare for the PE), while others require lots and lots of work. Some of us can afford to study, others cannot due do other obligations. There's a coworker at my office who has failed the EIT 5 times and keeps taking it... and brags about how he doesn't study. What's wrong with that picture? He's just throwing money away and hoping he guesses right. My point is, that is not an easy exam, if you don't prepare. Everyone's case is different. -Best of luck Turtle.

As interesting as the subsequent posts are, I still can't get past the first post. Is it really true that, in FL, if you fail 3 times you have to take 12 units of college engineering courses?? Crazy.

Being an electrical engineer, I can't offer good advice on which PE exam to take (i.e., which discipline).

However, persistence is a virtue. I think it takes a lot of fortitude and courage to keep trying - especially when you are discouraged.

Somebody else on this board quoted Calving Coolidge. So, I am re-posting this quote because it is one of the best quotes I've ever read outside of the Bible.

"Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."

Calvin Coolidge

30th president of US (1872 - 1933)

ptatohed said:

As interesting as the subsequent posts are, I still can't get past the first post. Is it really true that, in FL, if you fail 3 times you have to take 12 units of college engineering courses?? Crazy.

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Not just for the PE, its the same for the FE.

Most people who are over the 3 attempts just apply to another stAte and then get registered in FL. The application for comity doesnt go into how many attempts you took for the exam iirc.