# Computer Based Testing begins in April 2014!



## schoolofpe (Apr 30, 2013)

The FE and FS exams are switching to CBT in April 2014. The October 2013 exam will be the last FE/FS using pencil-and-paper format. According to the NCEES website, registration for the October 2013 exams open June 17th 2013. Registration for the *April 2014 ,CBT *format exam, opens November 4, 2013. Scheduling an appointment with Pearson VUE testing may be done as soon as January 2, 2014.

The PE and PS exams will remain in the current format for 2014. We just wanted to share information with Future FE/FS Engineers, who are planning to take the Exams.


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## Mike in Gastonia (May 1, 2013)

schoolofpe said:


> The FE and FS exams are switching to CBT in April 2014. The October 2013 exam will be the last FE/FS using pencil-and-paper format. According to the NCEES website, registration for the October 2013 exams open June 17th 2013. Registration for the *April 2014 ,CBT *format exam, opens November 4, 2013. Scheduling an appointment with Pearson VUE testing may be done as soon as January 2, 2014.
> 
> The PE and PS exams will remain in the current format for 2014. We just wanted to share information with Future FE/FS Engineers, who are planning to take the Exams.




I don't think you're correct. Can you provide a link where you read that? What I read on the ncees website is that CBT for FE/FS starts January 2014. Period. There is no April 2014 CBT format exam. The FE/FS are available in two month windows. The April and October dates are still in play for the paper exams.


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## CAPLS (May 1, 2013)

I would suggest that everyone bookmark this: www.ncees.org/cbt as it is updated frequently in preparation for the transition.


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## Kcal (May 1, 2013)

Mike in Gastonia said:


> schoolofpe said:
> 
> 
> > The FE and FS exams are switching to CBT in April 2014. The October 2013 exam will be the last FE/FS using pencil-and-paper format. According to the NCEES website, registration for the October 2013 exams open June 17th 2013. Registration for the *April 2014 ,CBT *format exam, opens November 4, 2013. Scheduling an appointment with Pearson VUE testing may be done as soon as January 2, 2014.
> ...




I believe School of PE is indeed correct. Apposite information can be found at the following link:

http://cbt.ncees.org/notice-of-initiation-of-computer-based-testing/

For further information regarding discipline-specific FE exam CBT testing beginning in 2014, please visit the link provided:

http://cbt.ncees.org/major-domains-for-the-fe-exams-beginning-in-2014/

If you don't mind my sharing, I find the following changes most noteworthy:

- Individuals will now be afforded the opportunity to take the FE exam up to three times within any given twelve-month period.

- The FE exam will be administered four times a year beginning in 2014 during the following periods (by month): January to February; April to May; July to August; October to November. Ergo, no tests will be administered in March, June, September, or December.

- The exam will now be 6 hours long and will contain 110-multiple choice questions.

- Each discipline-specific exam will offer a pool of questions relevant to the discipline of the exam chosen. E.g., those who opt to take the Civil-discipline exam will not have to prepare for Chemistry, Thermodynamics, Electricity and Magnetism, or Heat Transfer sections, as with the previous paper-based exams.

- The reference material will be electronic as opposed to the former tangible reference manual supplied, and will be offered on the NCEES website (I hope that a search function will be incorporated into the electronic reference manual as it would unequivocally facilitate its use).

- An automatic registration option will now be offered to applicants in addition to the traditional manual option.

- An examinees results will be provided within 48 hours after the completion of the test by logging into the examinee's online NCEES account.

- Upon passing the exam, the examinee will apply for intern certification with any given board, and the board will subsequently verify the exam results to approve the examinee for certification.

I sincerely hope anyone that reads my post will find this information useful.

- K


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## PowerStroke79_PE (May 2, 2013)

Where did u read the pArt about the results being back within 48 hrs? That would be fantastic, and finally all caught up with this decades technology. I kept looking for that info and found nothing. And nothing regarding it being offered 4 times a year, very helpful as well. Hopefully i wont need to take it in 2014....


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## Mike in Gastonia (May 2, 2013)

Kcal said:


> Mike in Gastonia said:
> 
> 
> > schoolofpe said:
> ...




No, School of PE said "Registration for the *April 2014 ,CBT *format exam, opens November 4, 2013." I take that to mean that he's saying there is an April 2014 CBT exam. If he meant "Registration for the *April 2014 PE exams and the CBT *format exam_s starting in January,_ opens November 4, 2013.", then I agree. Maybe I interpreted what he wrote incorrectly.


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## Kcal (May 2, 2013)

Hemi79 said:


> Where did u read the pArt about the results being back within 48 hrs? That would be fantastic, and finally all caught up with this decades technology. I kept looking for that info and found nothing. And nothing regarding it being offered 4 times a year, very helpful as well. Hopefully i wont need to take it in 2014....




Hemi, those pieces of information can be found in the first link; http://cbt.ncees.org/notice-of-initiation-of-computer-based-testing/. Here are the pertinent paragraphs that contain the info you couldn't come across, respectively, as provided by NCEES at the previous link:


"Once examinees attest to this statement, they are automatically approved to take the exam. Examinees are notified directly of their results and can typically log in to retrieve them within 48 hours of taking the exam. When a board receives an application for intern certification, the board would then verify the FE/FS results. (Several NCEES member boards already use this option.)"

"There will be four testing windows for the FE and FS exams annually. Each of these windows will last two months, with a month between them. Therefore, exam appointments will be available in January and February, with no exams offered in March; exam appointments available in April and May, with no exams offered in June, etc."


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## snickerd3 (May 2, 2013)

But you must note the "typically" that does not mean they guarantee 48 hr turn around. The section after that explains for those states that don't have automatic notification...that they will send the results to the states within the typical 48 hrs and you are still at the states mercy to tell you the results.


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## Mike in Gastonia (May 2, 2013)

snickerd3 said:


> But you must note the "typically" that does not mean they guarantee 48 hr turn around. The section after that explains for those states that don't have automatic notification...that they will send the results to the states within the typical 48 hrs and you are still at the states mercy to tell you the results.




Good catch! The states are still the ones who really control it.

Also, I noticed that even though the exam will be offered in four windows per year that it says the following:



> Candidates for a CBT exam may take the exam only one time per testing window and no more than three times in a 12-month period.




So you can only take it once more in a calendar year than you can now, but for the most part, any date you want - during those windows. So more convenience.


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## Kcal (May 2, 2013)

snickerd3 said:


> But you must note the "typically" that does not mean they guarantee 48 hr turn around. The section after that explains for those states that don't have automatic notification...that they will send the results to the states within the typical 48 hrs and you are still at the states mercy to tell you the results.




You are absolutely correct; I failed to accurately heed the text regarding the two registration options that NCEES is planning for the CBT exam administrations, in that I construed the two options as being offered to examinees, when in reality those two options are for the boards to decide to administer. Anyway, I find it silly that the Manual Option, or Option 2, is even being considered.


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## IE Steve (May 3, 2013)

This makes me rethink about taking the October 2013 FE exam.. But im unsure if I want to wait a year from now to take it on the computer


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## snickerd3 (May 3, 2013)

Kcal said:


> snickerd3 said:
> 
> 
> > But you must note the "typically" that does not mean they guarantee 48 hr turn around. The section after that explains for those states that don't have automatic notification...that they will send the results to the states within the typical 48 hrs and you are still at the states mercy to tell you the results.
> ...


what I also find funny is the choice of the word typically since they have never done CBT before with the FE there is no basis of comparison to create a typical 48 hr period.


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## ripk10 (Jun 22, 2013)

Finally, the NCEES is entering the modern era. It is my understanding that the upcoming change is very positive and better for us who are planning to (re)take the exam. First, the exam is shorter by 2 hours and more simplified. As said before each exam offers a pool of questions that is more relevant to the discipline of the examinee. Planning to take the Civil in 2014 I will not have to prepare for Chemistry, Thermodynamics, Electricity and Magnetism, and Heat Transfer sections, as with the previous paper-based exams.


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## solomonb (Jun 22, 2013)

Colleagues-- NCEES will release the new FE specifications after the October 2013 examination. It is my understanding that the new discipline specific examinations will include some of the chemistry, thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism as before, however, will be incorporated more thoroughly into the discipline specific examination.

You will be able to take the exams 3 times in one 12 month period, however, you will only be allowed to take the exam one time during each open testing window. OK-- if the testing window is Jan/Feb, you can take the test. If you fail, you will have the opportunity to take it again in the April/May or later windows. If you fail a second time, saying you took it in the April/May window, then you can attempt to try again in the July/August window. If you fail the third time, then you will have to wait until July/August OF THE FOLLOWING YEAR, 12 months, in order to attempt the examination again.

My understanding is that most, if not all boards, will go to the automatic option of examination registration. Even those boards which use the manual method today will probably go to the automatic registration method, if for no other reason than it is much easier than the current manual method.

Hope this helps.


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## Mike in Gastonia (Jun 29, 2013)

solomonb said:


> Colleagues-- NCEES will release the new FE specifications after the October 2013 examination. It is my understanding that the new discipline specific examinations will include some of the chemistry, thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism as before, however, will be incorporated more thoroughly into the discipline specific examination.
> You will be able to take the exams 3 times in one 12 month period, however, you will only be allowed to take the exam one time during each open testing window. OK-- if the testing window is Jan/Feb, you can take the test. If you fail, you will have the opportunity to take it again in the April/May or later windows. If you fail a second time, saying you took it in the April/May window, then you can attempt to try again in the July/August window. If you fail the third time, then you will have to wait until July/August OF THE FOLLOWING YEAR, 12 months, in order to attempt the examination again.
> 
> My understanding is that most, if not all boards, will go to the automatic option of examination registration. Even those boards which use the manual method today will probably go to the automatic registration method, if for no other reason than it is much easier than the current manual method.
> ...


It looks like the specifications are already out http://cbt.ncees.org/major-domains-for-the-fe-exams-beginning-in-2014/. And ripk10 is correct - no chemistry, etc., for civils....... Plus I don't interpret the timing the same as you. It reads to me as in any 12 month window you can take it three times - it looks like a rolling window. Just like points on your drivers license - they drop off after 12 months. I guess we will have to wait and see. But just pass it the first time and then you don't have to worry about it!


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