California PE License- Out of Stater's

[TheLoneStarEngineer]

Hey Guys,

Anyone from outside California who applied for PE Civil license and took CA specific exams? I just sent them my application with the manual Fingerprint cards. How long does it take for BPELSG to process out of state applications? I am thinking of taking the exam next quarter at around December, maybe earlier.

And what references did you use to prepare? I have Hiener's Seismic book, Seaoc Vol 1 and Dr. Mansour's surveying books along with all the reference codes. Would I need anything else? How many prep hours did you put in? I am decently familiar with seismic design but will need to brush up on Surveying.

 

[Booo]

I think the time line is the same whether you are in state or out of state.

This thread will be a good guide 

 

[CAPLS]

Hey Guys,

Anyone from outside California who applied for PE Civil license and took CA specific exams? I just sent them my application with the manual Fingerprint cards. How long does it take for BPELSG to process out of state applications? I am thinking of taking the exam next quarter at around December, maybe earlier.

And what references did you use to prepare? I have Hiener's Seismic book, Seaoc Vol 1 and Dr. Mansour's surveying books along with all the reference codes. Would I need anything else? How many prep hours did you put in? I am decently familiar with seismic design but will need to brush up on Surveying.

The California Board processes all application for an engineering license the same regardless of whether the applicant is residing or licensed in another state.  Based on you just submitting your application, I would expect it to be processed over the next 45-60 days which means you should be notified sometime around mid-August of the status of your application.  If approved prior to the end of September, you will be allowed to schedule for the two California Civil exams during the fourth quarter of the calendar year.

 

[TheLoneStarEngineer]

Thanks @CAPLS and @NikR. I think I read somewhere on the BPELSG website that background verification for manual Fingerprint cards takes a lot longer than live scans. Live scan is only available in California so I had to send the manual cards. Just wondering if anyone else had a similar experience? 

 

[CAPLS]

Thanks @CAPLS and @NikR. I think I read somewhere on the BPELSG website that background verification for manual Fingerprint cards takes a lot longer than live scans. Live scan is only available in California so I had to send the manual cards. Just wondering if anyone else had a similar experience? 

Yes, processing of the manual cards does take longer than the electronic submittal through LiveScan which goes directly to the DOJ.  The cards need to be submitted to the California Board, which then forwards those to DOJ for processing.  

 

[Maycha]

I have Hiener's Seismic book,

I highly recommend taking EET course or at least buying their study and practice test books for seismic. EET provides more practice tests and their book covers more than Hiner's in my opinion. If you search this forum you will find more opinions though.

 

[ZEZO4]

I recommend to take the EET course.

 

[tahopper]

Hey Guys,

Anyone from outside California who applied for PE Civil license and took CA specific exams? I just sent them my application with the manual Fingerprint cards. How long does it take for BPELSG to process out of state applications? I am thinking of taking the exam next quarter at around December, maybe earlier.

And what references did you use to prepare? I have Hiener's Seismic book, Seaoc Vol 1 and Dr. Mansour's surveying books along with all the reference codes. Would I need anything else? How many prep hours did you put in? I am decently familiar with seismic design but will need to brush up on Surveying.

I live in PA and took the CA exams. I'm not sure on the time to process the fingerprint cards. I'm originally from CA so I did the Live Scan during a visit home.

As far as references, I used EET to study seismic. I highly recommend it. I felt very prepared for the exam and passed my first time. For surveying, I used the CPESR workboook and online videos. I also used a basic surveying textbook to supplement the CPESR material. I just took the surveying exam a couple weeks ago so I have not received my results, but I did feel prepared for the most part.

In terms of prep hours, I put in about 80 hours for each exam. I work in structural design just to give you an idea of my background.

 

[Lore]

FYI if you had your fingerprints done for the FE/EIT I’ve heard that you don’t need to redo fingerprints. Would be a good idea to call the board to verify. This can save some bucks.

 

[CAPLS]

FYI if you had your fingerprints done for the FE/EIT I’ve heard that you don’t need to redo fingerprints. Would be a good idea to call the board to verify. This can save some bucks.

Once fingerprints are provided to the California Board for any application, a person doesn't need to do it again for subsequent applications.

 

[deltakev]

Once fingerprints are provided to the California Board for any application, a person doesn't need to do it again for subsequent applications.

@CAPLS How is livescan submitted to the board? I did mine a year ago, using the board's form, but I never mailed anything in. Is it just sent electronically? I emailed my evaluator a couple times but haven't received a response.

 

[CAPLS]

@CAPLS How is livescan submitted to the board? I did mine a year ago, using the board's form, but I never mailed anything in. Is it just sent electronically? I emailed my evaluator a couple times but haven't received a response.

Fingerprints submitted through a Livescan center in California, are directly transmitted electronically to the DOJ and FBI. And then those agencies know to send the reports to the proper California Board electronically using the code that is on the form available from the Boards website. If that form is not downloaded and used, the results won’t be sent to the Board. Most take less than a week to process.  If you haven’t heard anything, that probably means you’re ok.  The Board will usually only contact you if there’s an issue. 

 

[vip-eng]

Fingerprints submitted through a Livescan center in California, are directly transmitted electronically to the DOJ and FBI. And then those agencies know to send the reports to the proper California Board electronically using the code that is on the form available from the Boards website. If that form is not downloaded and used, the results won’t be sent to the Board. Most take less than a week to process.  If you haven’t heard anything, that probably means you’re ok.  The Board will usually only contact you if there’s an issue. 

Valuable info. Thanks!