Option for taking early PE exam

Hi all,

I am considering taking the early PE exam option, and it would be great if I can get info from someone who had similar experience.

My background:

State: CA

B.S degree in mechanical engineering

Passed FE in 2011

Have been working as a Mechanical/Design Engineer for a heater manufacturing company, but not under supervision of a P.E license engineer

I would like to be able to take the exam prior accumulating the four years qualified experience.

Here are my questions:

1. Can I apply to take the P.E exam at more than one state i.e. California and Nevada at the same time? In case my application get rejected for CA due to insufficient qualified experience, I can just take the exam in Nevada

2. How different will the exams be between the two states? I notice that for Mechanical engineering exam in CA, there are three field: HVAC, Mechanical system, and thermal + fluids. However, in Nevada, there is one Mechanical Engineering exam. Will the Nevada exam cover more topics?

3. If I pass the exam, do I need to start gaining qualified experience right away or can I just take as long as I need to gain the qualified experience?

Thanks for reading this post. All helps are appreciated.

Sincerely,

KN L

Hopefully I can help with a few of those.

First, California only requires 2 years qualified experience. You could sit for and pass the exam after 2 years, then you just have to wait the remaining 2 years before applying for reciprocity in other states.

In regard to #2, I believe that different states offer different exam categories, but that all of the 8hr exams are themselves the same. For example, California doesn't currently offer any environmental exam (ironic), while other states do. But if it did, the California environmental exam should be the same as an environmental exam offered in any other state.

(Of course, each state has their own ethics test, and California adds state specific tests such as seismic and surveying for civil engineers -- all in addition to the 8hr national exam)

Regarding #3, if you mean the remaining experience to have a full 4 years for reciprocity in other states, take as long as you need. I'm not sure why else you would need further qualified experience.

Lo

Lomarandil is correct. CA and NV use the same Mechanical exams developed/administered by NCEES. You will have the option of choosing one of three versions when registering. Also correct that a minimum of two years under a licensee is required for application.

Lo and CAPLS,

Thanks for your response. It is really helpful.

For #3, let's say that I am taking the test in Nevada and pass. However, none of my previous experience is considered to be qualified experience. In this case, I pass the exam, but I have zero qualified experience to obtain the P.E license. Am I required to gain the 4 years experience within a certain amount of time? or can I, like you said, take as long as I need?

Lastly, if anyone know the answer for my first question, please let me know.

Thanks,

Actually CA requires 6 years / 72 months, but 4 years / 48 months, of the 72 months can be substituted with a 4-year degree, leaving you with only 2 years / 24 months of needed experience. But, you need the two years of experience before you even apply, so you really have to figure on 26 - 30 months at the soonest.

But, there is no rush so it shouldn't matter. You also need to stop thinking about all this applying in different states stuff. Just apply for the state (or states?) that you need a license in.

You need to watch how soon you take the test. I sat by 2 guys that were taking the test AGAIN in Ohio because Ohio would not grant them reciprocity because they did not meet the requirements of the state when they passed in their state.

When trying to get licensed in other states, you have to had met their requirements. Just my observation. Good luck to you, study hard & pass.

khoaxnam said:

Lo and CAPLS,

Thanks for your response. It is really helpful.

For #3, let's say that I am taking the test in Nevada and pass. However, none of my previous experience is considered to be qualified experience. In this case, I pass the exam, but I have zero qualified experience to obtain the P.E license. Am I required to gain the 4 years experience within a certain amount of time? or can I, like you said, take as long as I need?

Lastly, if anyone know the answer for my first question, please let me know.

Thanks,

Click to expand...

If none of your previous experience is considered qualifying experience, your application to take the test will not be approved (in most states).

A few states are now allowing applicants to sit for the exam somewhere during their accumulation of the 4 years qualified experience (as I recall, I've seen applicants allowed to sit for the exam after two years of qualified experience as approved by the state, but before all 4 are accumulated), but that's the exception rather than the rule. I don't know about Nevada, but I'm pretty sure that's not the case in California.

I've not heard of any state where you would be approved to sit for the exam without any approved qualifying experience.

Ken's point is also valid -- it's something I'm going to have to deal with eventually.

I went on assignment in California, and thought about taking there because I had 3 years experience. After doing some research, I found that when you apply to other states some require that you have 4 years experience AND pass the PE exam, others (based on previous post, apperently Ohio), require 4 years experience THEN pass the PE exam. So if you take it before you get to 4 in California, Illinois or another state, you would then be denied in all the states whose statues say "THEN".

As far as this trying to game the system by going to a different state, it seems like a dangerous game. First, know that not every state has the same requirements for what qualifies as experience and who has to verify it. In Kansas you needed 3 references who could be called supervisors who can verify your experience. In Missouri, you only need one person to verify your experience for each engagement and does not necessarily need to be licensed to verify you worked there, but you still need 3 references from PEs that can vouch for the quality of your work/reputation, then 2 other non-PEs to vouch for your reputation. Second, Missouri has a requirement that you live in the state to take the test, if you are live out of state and are applying to take your first exam in Missouri, you have to submit a satisfactory explanation to the board stating why you are applying for a first license outside of your home state. I assume Nevada has a similar requirement.

There might be some misleading information in this thread. Only speaking from my personal experience.

I passed the FE in Pennsylvania in July 2014. I have an ABET accredited degree and 7 years of experience under a PE. I applied for the PE exam in the state of Ohio for the April 2015 exam. I was approved and I am sitting for the exam next month. I did not have to wait 4 years after passing the FE.

However, in Pennsylvania I would have had to wait 4 years AFTER receiving my passing grade for the FE before I could take the PE exam.

Once I pass the exam in Ohio, I will be a licensed PE for the state of Ohio, but I can't get reciprocity for Pennsylvania until July 2018 (4 years after passing the FE). I won't need to retake the PE exam though.

In Texas, you can take the FE exam anytime. As long as you have an accredited degree, you can get an EIT certificate. A lot of people take the FE their last semester in college. You don't have to wait 4 years to take the PE exam after you take the FE, but you do have to pass the FE first. However, in order to apply and take the PE exam, you must have 4 years of approved experience (not 3 years and 364 days worth or "by the time I take the exam I'll have 4 years worth...").

This is one of those areas where you should contact the board in the state where you want to licensed...

envirotex said:

In Texas, you can take the FE exam anytime. As long as you have an accredited degree, you can get an EIT certificate. A lot of people take the FE their last semester in college. You don't have to wait 4 years to take the PE exam after you take the FE, but you do have to pass the FE first. However, in order to apply and take the PE exam, you must have 4 years of approved experience (not 3 years and 364 days worth or "by the time I take the exam I'll have 4 years worth...").

This is one of those areas where you should contact the board in the state where you want to licensed...

Click to expand...

This is exactly how NYS works, although they have a very complicated scheme for calculating education and experience credits based on what degrees you have. Practically anyone can sit for the FE with a comination of education and/or work experience, and you can take the PE anytime as long as you have the appropriate "12 years" of experience (generally 4 years of actual work after a bachelor's degree but it varies based on whether your degree is accredited). I think they used to let you take the PE on Friday and the FE on Saturday if you had the required experience for both; supposedly one of my coworkers did that many moons ago. Now that the FE is computer-based there's no reason to do that.