# Which state asks for shortest experience for PE



## alyx (Feb 3, 2011)

Which one?

CA, NV or other?

The next question is, if you got license in a state which requires shorter experience years. Can it be immediately transferred to another state, which needs longer years.

Thank you?


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## willsee (Feb 3, 2011)

alyx said:


> Which one?
> CA, NV or other?
> 
> The next question is, if you got license in a state which requires shorter experience years. Can it be immediately transferred to another state, which needs longer years.
> ...


I don't know the answer to your first question but for the 2nd:

You have to meet the requirements of the state you are trying to transfer your license to. If it requires 4 years, then you need 4 years.


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## Dexman PE (Feb 3, 2011)

I believe you are correct with NV and CA, but I'm not 100%.

As far as transferring a license to another state, *typically* you have to meet the requirements in that new state which sometimes requires you to even re-take the exam. I know in CO, you need 4 years regardless so you would need to wait the additional time before transferring, but you would not have to retake the PE exam.


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## sac_engineer (Feb 3, 2011)

In CA, the reciprocity from another state only holds true for the P&amp;P Exam. You will need to take and pass the seismic and surveying exams which are held the day after the P&amp;P exam. It's amazing how many non-Californians take the CA PE because it only requires 2 years experience but have to pass the other exams as well.

That being said, I don't think you can only pass the P&amp;P exam in CA without passing the state-specific exams for reciprocity in other states. Can someone verify?


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## snickerd3 (Feb 3, 2011)

more of a general observation, there seem to be many people recently trying to take the test somewhere else "early" before meeting their own states requirements. Seriously, what do you gain by this other than a lot of paperwork headaches? You can't get licensed/stamp anything in your home state until you meet their requirements.


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## wilheldp_PE (Feb 3, 2011)

snickerd3 said:


> more of a general observation, there seem to be many people recently trying to take the test somewhere else "early" before meeting their own states requirements. Seriously, what do you gain by this other than a lot of paperwork headaches? You can't get licensed/stamp anything in your home state until you meet their requirements.


Agreed. The only reason I would take it out of state is if I lived in CA or IL. I wouldn't want to take the extra seismic exam in CA, and IL limits what references you can have in the exam room (which is BS, if ya ask me).


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## willsee (Feb 3, 2011)

I decided to take my exam early in Illinois after talking it over with my boss. I won't be licensed but the test will be behind me. I think he wants to know if I'll be able to pass or not as we have another EE who has failed a couple of times.


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## papa j (Feb 3, 2011)

I looked into it a couple of years ago because the firm I worked at did projects throughout the US, including CA. One thing I found out is that there are some states ( I had found a nice chart that I can't find now) that will not recognize a test if it's taken prior to the necessary experience. I just checked @ NCEES and it looks like only Indiana and Connecticut would require a new test. When I looked into it I recall there were more.

Something else to consider.


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## alyx (Feb 3, 2011)

w0cyru01 said:


> I decided to take my exam early in Illinois after talking it over with my boss. I won't be licensed but the test will be behind me. I think he wants to know if I'll be able to pass or not as we have another EE who has failed a couple of times.



I agreed. The problem is not when I can use the out-of-state license in my home state. The benefit is that the test will be behind me. It means I only need to wait for the experience years instead of retaking the test. For example, if we can test the test as soon as we graduate from college, it would be much easier, since the knowledge is fresh in our mind and we have more time to study. Once we come to work, it is not so easy to concentrate in reading books. Your boss will not be happy, as well as your wife, your babies...They all need your time


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## Dexman PE (Feb 3, 2011)

alyx said:


> w0cyru01 said:
> 
> 
> > I decided to take my exam early in Illinois after talking it over with my boss. I won't be licensed but the test will be behind me. I think he wants to know if I'll be able to pass or not as we have another EE who has failed a couple of times.
> ...


Issue with this thinking is that a large portion of the exam is more experience based and not necessarily book knowledge and equations. For example, the transportation depth has a large portion reliant on the knowledge and application of the HCM and the ashto Greenbook, construction is very "management" based with scheduling, order of operations, etc. These things can be learned through studying, but without the knowlege gained through experience, the study only early approach may be actually more difficult.

Realize too that the preparation for the exam is not as bad as it seems. With a little due diligence and some planning, the studying needed for the exam is rather manageable.


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## willsee (Feb 3, 2011)

Dexman PE said:


> alyx said:
> 
> 
> > w0cyru01 said:
> ...


Agreed since it is the Principles and practice exam.

On the electrical side though, much of what is on the exam I don't cover during my job. My job has helped me with NEC code questions, motor sizing, some of the fault questions, illumination, transformers...but much of the exam my company/work doesn't deal with.


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## alyx (Feb 3, 2011)

willsee said:


> Dexman PE said:
> 
> 
> > alyx said:
> ...



Yes and no. First of all, it is an exam, which requires you have enough and comprehensive knowledge in a subject. Take the transportation depth as an example. If you are working on road pavement in your company, this experience will not help you a lot on solving the questions about intersection design, trip generation and others. However, if you are in college student or about to graduate, even if you have no or a few practical experience. You probably took many courses in many aspects in transportation. With the fresh knowledge, it would be easier to pass.

That's true that the exam is trying to test who to do an engineering project instead of academic research. However, to be honest, is there any one who passed the exam found the working experience is really helpful in answering the exam questions?


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## K=1.0 (Feb 3, 2011)

alyx said:


> Which one?
> CA, NV or other?
> 
> The next question is, if you got license in a state which requires shorter experience years. Can it be immediately transferred to another state, which needs longer years.
> ...


Possibly after several tries to pass CA Survey &amp; Seismic Exams, you might be well qualified for sitting in your own state exam already.


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## Dexman PE (Feb 3, 2011)

Work experience was the reason i passed the exam. When i took it (civil construction, april 08), i had spent 2.5 years working for a heavy highway general contractor and another 2 years working for a highway design consultant. I remember the majority of the problems i faced on the exam were learned on the job and NOT in a classroom. I do understand the quality of your experience plays a key role in whether it helps prepare you for the exam, but i also know that the NCEES doesnt hide what they test their engineers on. You can take it upon yourself to look at the exam outline now and be proactive with your supervisors to help learn what you need. On the job training will be more effective two-fold: you will learn the things necessary to make the exam easier, and you will then know that much more towards being a more complete engineer. Its easy to memorize a few equations for an exam, its more worthwhile to learn the full use of the concepts to be a better more skilled engineer.

Like i said earlier, its still possible to pass the exam with minimal work experience, but i would never recommend it.


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## willsee (Feb 4, 2011)

Dexman PE said:


> Work experience was the reason i passed the exam. When i took it (civil construction, april 08), i had spent 2.5 years working for a heavy highway general contractor and another 2 years working for a highway design consultant. I remember the majority of the problems i faced on the exam were learned on the job and NOT in a classroom. I do understand the quality of your experience plays a key role in whether it helps prepare you for the exam, but i also know that the NCEES doesnt hide what they test their engineers on. You can take it upon yourself to look at the exam outline now and be proactive with your supervisors to help learn what you need. On the job training will be more effective two-fold: you will learn the things necessary to make the exam easier, and you will then know that much more towards being a more complete engineer. Its easy to memorize a few equations for an exam, its more worthwhile to learn the full use of the concepts to be a better more skilled engineer.
> Like i said earlier, its still possible to pass the exam with minimal work experience, but i would never recommend it.


I agree with all of your points, but I also think civils everyday work is geared more towards the PE exam as well, where as electrical isn't. I work for an MEP consultant so I don't deal with half of the things on the exam and going through school.

Come to find out I might have actually qualified for my license in Illinois. I need to email the board and find out but I have:

B.S. Electrical Engineering 2006

M.Eng Electrical Engineering 2009

One year of co-op

I worked full time from 08-09 which I will need to count for my experience so I don't know if they will allow that or not will be the only thing.


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## snickerd3 (Feb 4, 2011)

alyx said:


> That's true that the exam is trying to test who to do an engineering project instead of academic research. However, to be honest, is there any one who passed the exam found the working experience is really helpful in answering the exam questions?


There were quite a few questions on my test (chemical) that were experience type knowledge needed.


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## asunw (Feb 4, 2011)

willsee said:


> Dexman PE said:
> 
> 
> > Work experience was the reason i passed the exam. When i took it (civil construction, april 08), i had spent 2.5 years working for a heavy highway general contractor and another 2 years working for a highway design consultant. I remember the majority of the problems i faced on the exam were learned on the job and NOT in a classroom. I do understand the quality of your experience plays a key role in whether it helps prepare you for the exam, but i also know that the NCEES doesnt hide what they test their engineers on. You can take it upon yourself to look at the exam outline now and be proactive with your supervisors to help learn what you need. On the job training will be more effective two-fold: you will learn the things necessary to make the exam easier, and you will then know that much more towards being a more complete engineer. Its easy to memorize a few equations for an exam, its more worthwhile to learn the full use of the concepts to be a better more skilled engineer.
> ...


If you were in school while you worked full time 08-09. IL will not count that experience I have an email where I asked the same question.


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## willsee (Feb 4, 2011)

asunw said:


> willsee said:
> 
> 
> > Dexman PE said:
> ...


I started my Master August 2006-August 2007 but then took some semesters off. I finished summer of 2009 when I was laid off from my full time job. Guess I will contact them and see how they will count it.


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## Peele1 (Feb 4, 2011)

snickerd3 said:


> more of a general observation, there seem to be many people recently trying to take the test somewhere else "early" before meeting their own states requirements. Seriously, what do you gain by this other than a lot of paperwork headaches? You can't get licensed/stamp anything in your home state until you meet their requirements.


I just got my approval to take the PE... I turned the application in before Thanksgiving - it was due November 29 for the April 8 test - 130 days.

However, assuming 4 years of experience is required, I would answer this question that there are many people with say 3 years 5 months at the time of the application deadline. But, since the application deadline to test timeframe and test to results timeframe can be as long as 7 months, it's fairly straightforward to want to test prior to the 4 year mark, and have 4 years when test results are announced.


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