Just passed the new CBT FE exam

[engineergurl]

okay wait, y'all are saying you get 3 minutes per question. If you have 6 hours to complete 115 questions, yes that is 3 minutes... but if you take a break then you DON'T have 6 hours. Not going back to NCEES's website, I remember that you have a few other tasks that take away from that time too. So in reality, you should have planned for more like 2.5 minutes per question. Figure out where you should be at the end of 25 questions, 50 questions etc etc and determine if you should even take the optional break based on your pace for the first half... they do say the break is optional. Then plan devoting time at the end to either review, randomly select answers, whatever your desired approach is/was. You get to choose if you want to give more time to the first or second session based on how you decide to approach everything.

Or is my thinking totally off base here?

 

[PE4IE]

okay wait, y'all are saying you get 3 minutes per question. If you have 6 hours to complete 115 questions, yes that is 3 minutes... but if you take a break then you DON'T have 6 hours. Not going back to NCEES's website, I remember that you have a few other tasks that take away from that time too. So in reality, you should have planned for more like 2.5 minutes per question. Figure out where you should be at the end of 25 questions, 50 questions etc etc and determine if you should even take the optional break based on your pace for the first half... they do say the break is optional. Then plan devoting time at the end to either review, randomly select answers, whatever your desired approach is/was. You get to choose if you want to give more time to the first or second session based on how you decide to approach everything.

Or is my thinking totally off base here?

25 min break is optional and it is not part of the exam. Its just for refreshing.. Its like use it or loose it...

 

[engineergurl]

okay wait, y'all are saying you get 3 minutes per question. If you have 6 hours to complete 115 questions, yes that is 3 minutes... but if you take a break then you DON'T have 6 hours. Not going back to NCEES's website, I remember that you have a few other tasks that take away from that time too. So in reality, you should have planned for more like 2.5 minutes per question. Figure out where you should be at the end of 25 questions, 50 questions etc etc and determine if you should even take the optional break based on your pace for the first half... they do say the break is optional. Then plan devoting time at the end to either review, randomly select answers, whatever your desired approach is/was. You get to choose if you want to give more time to the first or second session based on how you decide to approach everything.

Or is my thinking totally off base here?

25 min break is optional and it is not part of the exam. Its just for refreshing.. Its like use it or loose it...

I beg to differ... on what you are saying...http://ncees.org/exams/fe-exam/ clearly states that

The FE contains 110 multiple-choice questions. The exam appointment time is 6 hours long, which includes a nondisclosure agreement, tutorial (8 minutes), the exam (5 hours and 20 minutes), a scheduled break (25 minutes), and a brief survey. Learn more at our YouTube channel.

I will note that I thought there was 115 questions not 110 questions... so you would still have just under 3 minutes per question, but the concept of timing yourself is the same...

 

[ABEngineer]

okay wait, y'all are saying you get 3 minutes per question. If you have 6 hours to complete 115 questions, yes that is 3 minutes... but if you take a break then you DON'T have 6 hours. Not going back to NCEES's website, I remember that you have a few other tasks that take away from that time too. So in reality, you should have planned for more like 2.5 minutes per question. Figure out where you should be at the end of 25 questions, 50 questions etc etc and determine if you should even take the optional break based on your pace for the first half... they do say the break is optional. Then plan devoting time at the end to either review, randomly select answers, whatever your desired approach is/was. You get to choose if you want to give more time to the first or second session based on how you decide to approach everything.

Or is my thinking totally off base here?

25 min break is optional and it is not part of the exam. Its just for refreshing.. Its like use it or loose it...

Exactly! So it's better to use it and have a break to refresh and recharge your energy to get ready for the second part.

Also note that you are responsible for paying attention to your 25 minutes break. No one will ask to come back on time and the exam time will continue as soon as the 25 minutes are over. so try coming back few minutes earlier to avoid any stress.

My suggestion is that to take only 20 minutes and leave 5 minutes as you will be asked to do the whole security and identity check procedures all over again.

 

[ABEngineer]

Hey fellas, Wondering what is it like on the exam day and what procedures you will be going through? Let me give you an insight (based on my own experience):

1.You arrive to the testing center minimum 30min before exam time (My exam was at 8:00am so I got there around 7:40am)

2.You will be asked what type of exam you will have and then present your ID

3.A sheet of paper that has the FE Exam terms and regulations will be given to you to read

4.After reading and agreeing on what's on that paper, you will return it back to the desk and you will be asked to put your palm for a palm scanner ( this is also will be used later when you take your 25 minutes break and before they let you in the exam room

5.You will then have your picture taken

6.A key for the indoor locker will be given to you to save your personal belongings (wallet, cell phone....etc), then you will be asked to turn your cell phone OFF or in silent mode with NO vibration, so it will me zero noise in case you received a phone call or a message.

7.You will head to another person who will check your palm ID again, check your calculator (s), ask you to remove everything out of your pocket (you actually have to turn your inner pockets in/out for extra checking) and you will be given a special marking yellow paper with a marker for your notes, equations....etc

8.You will be admitted to the camera monitored exam room and sit in front of a computer with a 17'' monitor and they will log in using a special user name and password of the testing center and initiate the program which includes a nondisclosure agreement, tutorial (8 minutes), the exam (5 hours and 20 minutes), a scheduled break (25 minutes) and a brief survey

9.After the first part is completed (in my case was after 57 questions) a message on the screen will appear and ask you if you want to continue of have a 25 minutes break.

10.If you decide to the break, you can leave the exam center and come back and then you will be asked for a palm and a calculator check again

11.You then complete the second half and submit your answers, then do a short survey and you are good to go.

12.Once you go out of the exam room you will be given a confirmation for sitting for the exam with your picture on it. The exam results will be available on the NCEES in 7-10 days (mine showed up after 6 days which was awesome)

13.You take out your personal stuff out of the locker and return the key back to the front desk

14.You then go celebrate and hope for the best

I'll assume that all Pearson Professional Testing Centers will have the same procedures, if not exactly the same, it should be pretty close.

Good Luck

 

[ABEngineer]

You will have 2 monitors in the exam room for you to use.

One for the FE Exam questions on the right side and the second monitor on the left side for a pdf re-searchable copy of the Supplied Reference Manual(9th edition.

 

[Mike in Gastonia]

You will have 2 monitors in the exam room for you to use.One for the FE Exam questions on the right side and the second monitor on the left side for a pdf re-searchable copy of the Supplied Reference Manual(9th edition.

NCEES examinee guide says the following:

All NCEES examinees will use a 24-inch monitor while testing to allow sufficient space to display both the exam questions and the reference handbook.

So you had two monitors when you took the exam?

 

[ABEngineer]

You will have 2 monitors in the exam room for you to use.One for the FE Exam questions on the right side and the second monitor on the left side for a pdf re-searchable copy of the Supplied Reference Manual(9th edition.

NCEES examinee guide says the following:

All NCEES examinees will use a 24-inch monitor while testing to allow sufficient space to display both the exam questions and the reference handbook.

So you had two monitors when you took the exam?

Yes! I had 2 monitors for both problems and a pdf supplied reference manual (9th edition) which was very helpful by the way.

I managed to find formulas and equations easily and faster than flipping over pages and waste time.

 

[Mike in Gastonia]

You will be admitted to the camera monitored exam room and sit in front of a computer with a 17'' monitor and they will log in using a special user name and password of the testing center and initiate the program which includes a nondisclosure agreement, tutorial (8 minutes), the exam (5 hours and 20 minutes), a scheduled break (25 minutes) and a brief survey9.

You will have 2 monitors in the exam room for you to use.One for the FE Exam questions on the right side and the second monitor on the left side for a pdf re-searchable copy of the Supplied Reference Manual(9th edition.

I'm confused. You're saying two different things and neither one of them match what NCEES says. I think I'd tend to believe NCEES since they're the one in charge of the exam. So what's going on?

 

[ABEngineer]

You will be admitted to the camera monitored exam room and sit in front of a computer with a 17'' monitor and they will log in using a special user name and password of the testing center and initiate the program which includes a nondisclosure agreement, tutorial (8 minutes), the exam (5 hours and 20 minutes), a scheduled break (25 minutes) and a brief survey9.

You will have 2 monitors in the exam room for you to use.One for the FE Exam questions on the right side and the second monitor on the left side for a pdf re-searchable copy of the Supplied Reference Manual(9th edition.

I'm confused. You're saying two different things and neither one of them match what NCEES says. I think I'd tend to believe NCEES since they're the one in charge of the exam. So what's going on?

You believe what you want "chief engineer"!!

I'm telling based on my own experience at the Pearson Testing Centre when I took my CBT FE Exam (Other's Discipline)

 

[Mike in Gastonia]

You will be admitted to the camera monitored exam room and sit in front of a computer with a 17'' monitor and they will log in using a special user name and password of the testing center and initiate the program which includes a nondisclosure agreement, tutorial (8 minutes), the exam (5 hours and 20 minutes), a scheduled break (25 minutes) and a brief survey9.

You will have 2 monitors in the exam room for you to use.One for the FE Exam questions on the right side and the second monitor on the left side for a pdf re-searchable copy of the Supplied Reference Manual(9th edition.

I'm confused. You're saying two different things and neither one of them match what NCEES says. I think I'd tend to believe NCEES since they're the one in charge of the exam. So what's going on?

You believe what you want "chief engineer"!!
I'm telling based on my own experience at the Pearson Testing Centre when I took my CBT FE Exam (Other's Discipline)

Dude, I'm just trying to understand. First you said it was one 17" monitor. Then you said you had two monitors. NCEES says it's one 24" monitor. So which was it?

Maybe some of you other people who have taken the exam can chime in. What did you have at your test center?

 

[ABEngineer]

You will be admitted to the camera monitored exam room and sit in front of a computer with a 17'' monitor and they will log in using a special user name and password of the testing center and initiate the program which includes a nondisclosure agreement, tutorial (8 minutes), the exam (5 hours and 20 minutes), a scheduled break (25 minutes) and a brief survey9.

You will have 2 monitors in the exam room for you to use.One for the FE Exam questions on the right side and the second monitor on the left side for a pdf re-searchable copy of the Supplied Reference Manual(9th edition.

I'm confused. You're saying two different things and neither one of them match what NCEES says. I think I'd tend to believe NCEES since they're the one in charge of the exam. So what's going on?

You believe what you want "chief engineer"!!
I'm telling based on my own experience at the Pearson Testing Centre when I took my CBT FE Exam (Other's Discipline)

Dude, I'm just trying to understand. First you said it was one 17" monitor. Then you said you had two monitors. NCEES says it's one 24" monitor. So which was it?

Maybe some of you other people who have taken the exam can chime in. What did you have at your test center?

Look, I'm not a computer expert, they could be size 17", 21' or 24"...Regardless, They were both big enough for me to work with just fine.

I'm pretty sure I had 2 monitors inside that exam room and I think I was wake enough to know that there are 2 monitors in front of me not only 1.

Now, I'm not representing the NCEES here and not responsible for what they post on their website/you tube. I only tell based on my own exam experience to help my fellow CBT FE Exam takers and guide them to a process that is completely new and unknown to allot of people toward their success.

Pearson Professional Testing Centre hosts all different kind of exams not just the CBT FE Exam, so they take care of making the proper setup based on your specific exam requirements.

I'm guessing all test centres across North American have the same setup, if not, it will be pretty close.

As time goes by, more and more people will be taking the exam and by then we will have a decent database that clarifies allot of the myth and issues related to the CBT FE Exam.

 

[PE4IE]

I had a single 24 inch monitor for my exam. 2 monitor or 1 montor doesnt matter as long as Reference material is accesible..

 

[ABEngineer]

I had a single 24 inch monitor for my exam. 2 monitor or 1 montor doesnt matter as long as Reference material is accesible..

Well, me myself I like the idea of having 2 big monitors to work with. It just helped me from spending time zooming in and out in order to see the equations.

But, it's good to know that some test centers have only 1 monitor so everyone will be prepared to deal with that

Thanks you for sharing and best of luck.

 

[PE4IE]

I had a single 24 inch monitor for my exam. 2 monitor or 1 montor doesnt matter as long as Reference material is accesible..

Well, me myself I like the idea of having 2 big monitors to work with. It just helped me from spending time zooming in and out in order to see the equations.

But, it's good to know that some test centers have only 1 monitor so everyone will be prepared to deal with that

Thanks you for sharing and best of luck.

ABengineer thank you.. I m very much used to 2 monitors (at work and home). Still I didnt see any noticeable drawback of using split screen in one monitor. My guess is pearson centers which doesnt have big monitors (less than 24inch) use 2 monitors. Because we need a big monitor if it is a single monitor for easy reading.

 

[ABEngineer]

I had a single 24 inch monitor for my exam. 2 monitor or 1 montor doesnt matter as long as Reference material is accesible..

Well, me myself I like the idea of having 2 big monitors to work with. It just helped me from spending time zooming in and out in order to see the equations.

But, it's good to know that some test centers have only 1 monitor so everyone will be prepared to deal with that

Thanks you for sharing and best of luck.

ABengineer thank you.. I m very much used to 2 monitors (at work and home). Still I didnt see any noticeable drawback of using split screen in one monitor. My guess is Pearson centers which doesn't have big monitors (less than 24inch) use 2 monitors. Because we need a big monitor if it is a single monitor for easy reading.

This is most likely to be true, anburaj!
Yeah, I don't think all testing centers a cross north American have 24" monitors, so they substitute it with 2 smaller ones in case they don't have the 24" monitors available. Good point.

 

[UKentuckyEngineer]

Just found out that I passed the new CBT Other Disciplines exam. Big sigh of relief to say the least. I thought this was once an insurmountable task because I had to take the Other Disciplines, being a father of a 5 month old, work, been out of school for four years, etc. Glad I was able to knock this out and move on towards obtaining my PE this October. Best wishes to all those that are preparing for this exam and to those who have recently passed it.

 

[ABEngineer]

Just found out that I passed the new CBT Other Disciplines exam. Big sigh of relief to say the least. I thought this was once an insurmountable task because I had to take the Other Disciplines, being a father of a 5 month old, work, been out of school for four years, etc. Glad I was able to knock this out and move on towards obtaining my PE this October. Best wishes to all those that are preparing for this exam and to those who have recently passed it.

Congratulations! This is great news indeed. What a great feeling, ha?

Before I pass the exam last month, I felt like I was on the other side behind bars trapped inside a prison and every one else is free. It was a horrible feeling. Now, after 4 failures I finally nailed it and honeslty I didn't know to laugh or cry, it was an emotional moment with me and my family.

I hope every one here will take advantage of the feed back being mentioned in this post and in this forum in general to put this exam behind their backs once and for all.

Best of luck in your PE and thanks for your inputs.

 

[UKentuckyEngineer]

You have no idea AB. Finally after a couple of failed attempts. Prepped 4 months for this thing and like you said it was very emotional just to get past this speed bump. I have actually started my prep towards the PE so I can be done with all these tests, haha. Thanks for your input on what to expect and hopefully before too long we will be posting our passing scores on the other thread.

 

[ABEngineer]

You have no idea AB. Finally after a couple of failed attempts. Prepped 4 months for this thing and like you said it was very emotional just to get past this speed bump. I have actually started my prep towards the PE so I can be done with all these tests, haha. Thanks for your input on what to expect and hopefully before too long we will be posting our passing scores on the other thread.

Keep up the good work and you're most welcome.

cheers