Am I eligible to sit for the exam?

[tom626]

Hi, I'm new to the forum. I've been working as a civil engineer for the past 5 years. I obtained my EIT in 2011, and now I'm thinking about applying for the PE. My problem is, I'm not sure if I'm eligible.

I've worked under several PEs during my employment, but none for more than a few months at a time. However, my main supervisor, who I've worked under since the start of my employment in 2010, just obtained his PE this April 2015. Would I be able to use him as a reference to sign off on my experience from the past five years? Or would it be a problem that he was not a licensed PE during most of that time?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ramnares P.E.]

What State do you plan on taking the PE exam? Eligibility differs by State so we need to know before answering the question.

 

[cupojoe PE PMP]

What State do you plan on taking the PE exam? Eligibility differs by State so we need to know before answering the question.

Agree with needing to know which state to know for sure...but you can have lots of different supervisors. In general, the person who signs off has to have supervised your work, if you were producing designs under their direction and they were checking them that generally qualifies as supervision, regardless of what the org chart in your organization says. Some states only require that the PE know of your professional character and reputation, which is a much larger net of potential folks.

 

[tom626]

Hi guys, thanks for the replies. I'm planning to take the exam in New Jersey.

The main part of my question is, does it matter if my reference was not a PE during the time he was supervising my designs? He only recently became a PE.

 

[NJmike PE]

Tom, yes it matters. You will need to have references from licensed PEs. You may be able to talk to your supervisor's supervisor and see if they are willing to stand in as your reference. That is assuming that this person is a licensed PE. You should also speak with the state Board as they are the final say.

 

[Monza]

I agree that the best approach is to contact your state board. They may be willing to be lenient or accept an alternative reference. My friend got his PE in CA but did not have the sufficient number of PE references. He spoke with the board and they asked for him to provide additional character references and to submit examples of his work to a licensed PE. This PE then reviewed his examples and wrote a letter supporting his acceptance.

I am licensed in NV and I have been reviewing the state board meeting minutes for the past year. They routinely consider applications that do not meet the letter of the requirements. Often they will listen to the applicant's explanation (they are allowed to plead their case in person) and they will request some alternative means of satisfying the board they should be allowed to sit the exam.

So get in contact with your board and see if they are willing to work with you.

 

[Ship Wreck PE]

I think this is a big gray area?? He is a PE now and when he fills out papers he will be a PE with a stamp.

 

[Mike in Gastonia]

I agree that the best approach is to contact your state board. They may be willing to be lenient or accept an alternative reference. My friend got his PE in CA but did not have the sufficient number of PE references. He spoke with the board and they asked for him to provide additional character references and to submit examples of his work to a licensed PE. This PE then reviewed his examples and wrote a letter supporting his acceptance.

I am licensed in NV and I have been reviewing the state board meeting minutes for the past year. They routinely consider applications that do not meet the letter of the requirements. Often they will listen to the applicant's explanation (they are allowed to plead their case in person) and they will request some alternative means of satisfying the board they should be allowed to sit the exam.

So get in contact with your board and see if they are willing to work with you.

Wow! You might want to think about getting a hobby! :laugh:

Just curious - were you looking for something particular or just interested in seeing how things work?

 

[Monza]

I agree that the best approach is to contact your state board. They may be willing to be lenient or accept an alternative reference. My friend got his PE in CA but did not have the sufficient number of PE references. He spoke with the board and they asked for him to provide additional character references and to submit examples of his work to a licensed PE. This PE then reviewed his examples and wrote a letter supporting his acceptance.

I am licensed in NV and I have been reviewing the state board meeting minutes for the past year. They routinely consider applications that do not meet the letter of the requirements. Often they will listen to the applicant's explanation (they are allowed to plead their case in person) and they will request some alternative means of satisfying the board they should be allowed to sit the exam.

So get in contact with your board and see if they are willing to work with you.

Wow! You might want to think about getting a hobby! :laugh:

Just curious - were you looking for something particular or just interested in seeing how things work?

Yeah, that does sound a bit it weird. I wasn't reading them for fun. I requested an exemption based on experience since I did not take the FE exam. So I was trying to get an idea of how firm or lenient they were. Fortunately, they agreed to let me sit the exam and I passed. I haven't read any minutes since... I swear.