Everything you wanted to know about the CA-Survey/Seismic Civil PE Exams

[CaliPE]

same here... one person reviewing hundreds of applications? what a friggin clown show the Board is! a 1 year turnaround is ridiculous and unacceptable! outsource the work! bring in temps! we should all show up at the board meeting and complain.



Edit: i just filed a complaint with the DCA.CA.GOV. i just cannot accept that the board is allowing this to continue. one evaluator for the largest discipline? what a joke.

Have you reached out to the Board to get a status update on your application?

 

[DanMays]

The Board has more than one Registrar reviewing Civil Engineer applications. All applications sent to technical review in Quarter 1 were reviewed in Quarter 2 and either approved or sent a deficiency notice. Submittal date is not the important date for processing because an application is not reviewed until it is considered complete (e.g., transcripts received by the Board for claimed education, a minimum of four references completed Part B of the Engagement Record and Reference Forms, completed the Laws & Regulations exam). Once an application is complete, it is sent to technical review. Applications are reviewed in the order sent to technical review.

What I was told by the board is that there is only one person doing technical review for civil engineer applications (of which they said there are hundreds).

 

[CAPLS]

What I was told by the board is that there is only one person doing technical review for civil engineer applications (of which they said there are hundreds).

Just an FYI...the above has been the case for the last 7-8 years. The temporary increase in received applications is just that...temporary. As reported at the recent board meeting, the number of applications received are already beginning to decrease and the backlog is decreasing as well. Feel free to attend a board meeting and provide public comment on this and other topics.

 

[NorCalEng]

Have you reached out to the Board to get a status update on your application?

yes. called adn was told that there is only 1 evaluator. also received email with generic response contradicting the phone response... someone is not telling the truth. they cannot even collaborate the responses... =/ no urgency on their part at all. zero! take our money and sit on it. and if they do somehow have multiple evaluators, i wouldn't be surprised if they brought in only 1 additional. 2 total just so that they can tell everyone that they now have multiple evaluators. clown show! DCA responded to my complaint. cannot wait to hear what they will tell me after their "investigation".

 

[CAPLS]

yes. called adn was told that there is only 1 evaluator. also received email with generic response contradicting the phone response... someone is not telling the truth. they cannot even collaborate the responses... =/ no urgency on their part at all. zero! take our money and sit on it. and if they do somehow have multiple evaluators, i wouldn't be surprised if they brought in only 1 additional. 2 total just so that they can tell everyone that they now have multiple evaluators. clown show! DCA responded to my complaint. cannot wait to hear what they will tell me after their "investigation".

You can continue to refer to the board as a clown show all you want, but that is just a reflection on you and how you tend to handle things from a professional perspective. Your descriptions of conversations are mistakenly referring to different things and while I don't blame you for not knowing the difference, you need to understand that some of what you are saying is not consistently conveyed. There is a difference between "evaluator" and the person(s) performing the technical review. There is more than one evaluator at the board.

Why don't you send me a PM with your name and I will take a look at what might be holding up the processing of your application to see if there is something that can be done to alleviate your concerns? Otherwise, just continuing to rant on this forum is not benefitting you or anyone else. Its just white noise.

 

[NorCalEng]

You can continue to refer to the board as a clown show all you want, but that is just a reflection on you and how you tend to handle things from a professional perspective. Your descriptions of conversations are mistakenly referring to different things and while I don't blame you for not knowing the difference, you need to understand that some of what you are saying is not consistently conveyed. There is a difference between "evaluator" and the person(s) performing the technical review. There is more than one evaluator at the board.

Why don't you send me a PM with your name and I will take a look at what might be holding up the processing of your application to see if there is something that can be done to alleviate your concerns? Otherwise, just continuing to rant on this forum is not benefitting you or anyone else. Its just white noise.

hm, do you work there? i am sorry if I offended you, sir. thanks for the clarification. still does not ease my frustration but that is okay. anyhow, thank you for offering to look into my application but i received a reply from frazier that it will be another 3 or so months. unless you can bump mine up, i will accept the response for now.

 

[CAPLS]

hm, do you work there? i am sorry if I offended you, sir. thanks for the clarification. still does not ease my frustration but that is okay. anyhow, thank you for offering to look into my application but i received a reply from frazier that it will be another 3 or so months. unless you can bump mine up, i will accept the response for now.

Being offended is not relevant to this conversation. This is a professional forum and not a personal social media site. While everyone certainly understands the frustration and how impatience can run your life, that's simply not a way for a professional engineer to conduct themselves. Since you've declined any sort of assistance, I can only hope your application is reviewed soon and success in obtaining your license.

 

[rockb78]

I had an exam registration question. I just took seismic (again) yesterday. I am hoping I pass, but I want to be prepared.

I wanted to know if I found out I had to retake in Oct, could I get approved to sit in the same quarter it is approved?

Alternatively, should I just apply now? I was wondering if I applied now, but passed, if I would be given a refund.

Thanks folks

 

[Jorge06]

I had an exam registration question. I just took seismic (again) yesterday. I am hoping I pass, but I want to be prepared.

I wanted to know if I found out I had to retake in Oct, could I get approved to sit in the same quarter it is approved?

Alternatively, should I just apply now? I was wondering if I applied now, but passed, if I would be given a refund.

Thanks folks

They dont allow you to sign up for an exam before giving you a score first.

 

[CAPLS]

I had an exam registration question. I just took seismic (again) yesterday. I am hoping I pass, but I want to be prepared.

I wanted to know if I found out I had to retake in Oct, could I get approved to sit in the same quarter it is approved?

Alternatively, should I just apply now? I was wondering if I applied now, but passed, if I would be given a refund.

Thanks folks

As Jorge06 stated, you cannot submit a re-exam for an exam for which you are awaiting results.
No, you cannot be approved to sit for an exam in the quarter in which you are submitting the request.

 

[Thomasn9567]

Can someone clarify the testing window policy? I understand that you must register for the exams within the next two quarters after the quarter you are approved. However, do you have to register for BOTH exams within these quarters?

For example, if someone wants to focus on studying surveying and passing it first, can they register for surveying Q1, and then if they need to retake it, register again for Q2? And then register for seismic in Q3?

Of do they have to register for both exams, seismic and surveying within the next two quarters?

 

[CaliPE]

Can someone clarify the testing window policy? I understand that you must register for the exams within the next two quarters after the quarter you are approved. However, do you have to register for BOTH exams within these quarters?

For example, if someone wants to focus on studying surveying and passing it first, can they register for surveying Q1, and then if they need to retake it, register again for Q2? And then register for seismic in Q3?

Of do they have to register for both exams, seismic and surveying within the next two quarters?

Once you receive your email notification from BPELSG Connect that you are eligible to request your State Examination authorization, you must log in to your account and select your testing quarter(s). An applicant who also logs into their account between October 1 and December 31 (Quarter 4) will have the option to select Quarter 1 and/or Quarter 2 2023. You can choose to take both exams in Quarter 1, both exams in Quarter 2, one exam in Quarter 1 and one in Quarter 2, or only schedule one of the exams. However, once you select the Quarter(s) and pay for the exam(s), you are locked into that Quarter and cannot request an earlier/later Quarter. If you wait until January 2023 to log into your account, Quarter 1 will no longer be available to you and you will have the option of Quarter 2 and/or Quarter 3. It is now the applicant’s responsibility to log into their BPELSG Connect account and select the quarter they’d like to sit before that quarter is no longer available.

A few things to note: (1) If you do not schedule at least one exam within two years of when your application is approved, you will need to start the process over again and submit a new application; (2) Only the next two quarters will be available to schedule your exams, not the current quarter; (3) If you take your exam in the third month of the quarter, you will not receive your results until the next month which will push you into the next quarter. If you want to allow the option to retake surveying in Quarter 2 if you do not pass in Quarter 1, you will need to schedule your exam in January or February so you receive your results before the end of Quarter 1.

For more info, visit the Board website: Applying for Licensure as a Civil Engineer - Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists

 

[Thomasn9567]

Once you receive your email notification from BPELSG Connect that you are eligible to request your State Examination authorization, you must log in to your account and select your testing quarter(s). An applicant who also logs into their account between October 1 and December 31 (Quarter 4) will have the option to select Quarter 1 and/or Quarter 2 2023. You can choose to take both exams in Quarter 1, both exams in Quarter 2, one exam in Quarter 1 and one in Quarter 2, or only schedule one of the exams. However, once you select the Quarter(s) and pay for the exam(s), you are locked into that Quarter and cannot request an earlier/later Quarter. If you wait until January 2023 to log into your account, Quarter 1 will no longer be available to you and you will have the option of Quarter 2 and/or Quarter 3. It is now the applicant’s responsibility to log into their BPELSG Connect account and select the quarter they’d like to sit before that quarter is no longer available.

A few things to note: (1) If you do not schedule at least one exam within two years of when your application is approved, you will need to start the process over again and submit a new application; (2) Only the next two quarters will be available to schedule your exams, not the current quarter; (3) If you take your exam in the third month of the quarter, you will not receive your results until the next month which will push you into the next quarter. If you want to allow the option to retake surveying in Quarter 2 if you do not pass in Quarter 1, you will need to schedule your exam in January or February so you receive your results before the end of Quarter 1.

For more info, visit the Board website: Applying for Licensure as a Civil Engineer - Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists

Thank you! This was very helpful

 

[DanMays]

I'm getting ready to study for the seismic exam. I think I'm going to sign up for the Hiner course. What reference book(s) would people recommend for someone with minimal seismic/structural experience?

 

[MTB_EGR]

I'm getting ready to study for the seismic exam. I think I'm going to sign up for the Hiner course. What reference book(s) would people recommend for someone with minimal seismic/structural experience?

I just took the seismic exam and took AEI, Advanced Engineering Institute | Home. I think I did well but have not gotten the results. Everything I seeded in terms of references was provided. I am pretty sure that Hiner does the same thing. If there are other references that you need, Hiner will tell you. Most people I know took Hiner or AEI and did well.

 

[RSchmidt777]

Quick Question: I just took Seismic (2nd try) and I expect to have passed it, if I indeed passed, what are the steps following the result email? Do I need to contact the Board or will they send me a license number automatically?

Thanks for the help!

 

[JibbaJabba]

Has anyone recently had their application accepted by the Board? If so, when did you submit? With my complicated work/family schedule, I'm hoping to take the test in Q1 2023, but not sure my app will be accepted before 2023. Also the recent board minutes didn't have an update on the expected processing time for applications.

I just took the seismic exam and took AEI, Advanced Engineering Institute | Home. I think I did well but have not gotten the results. Everything I seeded in terms of references was provided. I am pretty sure that Hiner does the same thing. If there are other references that you need, Hiner will tell you. Most people I know took Hiner or AEI and did well.

Have you received your results yet? I'm taking the AEI coarse and enjoying it so far.

 

[MTB_EGR]

Has anyone recently had their application accepted by the Board? If so, when did you submit? With my complicated work/family schedule, I'm hoping to take the test in Q1 2023, but not sure my app will be accepted before 2023. Also the recent board minutes didn't have an update on the expected processing time for applications.



Have you received your results yet? I'm taking the AEI coarse and enjoying it so far.

I passed! Just got the results a week or so ago! I have the books for sale now too if anyone is interested.

 

[CFLuke]

Quick Question: I just took Seismic (2nd try) and I expect to have passed it, if I indeed passed, what are the steps following the result email? Do I need to contact the Board or will they send me a license number automatically?

Thanks for the help!

This is the email I got from the board after I passed the first state-specific exam.

Congratulations! You are receiving this email because you successfully passed the California (California Engineering Surveying Exam) examination.

If additional examinations are required and have not been completed, please login to the dashboard to request a State Examination. You can also check the application status on your dashboard.

License numbers will be issued to all eligible applicants who have passed all required exams and fulfilled the Fingerprint requirement. Please allow the Board 2-3 weeks to process and issue license numbers. You can search by name on DCA’s License Lookup to check if your license has been issued.

It sounds like you don't need to do anything. I still need a result from my second.

Has anyone recently had their application accepted by the Board? If so, when did you submit? With my complicated work/family schedule, I'm hoping to take the test in Q1 2023, but not sure my app will be accepted before 2023. Also the recent board minutes didn't have an update on the expected processing time for applications.

Mine took a long time, but I was part of the crush of applicants after the last pencil-and-paper NCEES exam. 4 months, told I was deficient, resubmitted a month later, then waited another 3 months to have my application accepted.

Concerningly, I got my "acceptance" notification in the evening on a day when I called them for an update, which made me wonder...if I hadn't called would they still be processing it?

 

[kayven]

Has anyone recently had their application accepted by the Board? If so, when did you submit? With my complicated work/family schedule, I'm hoping to take the test in Q1 2023, but not sure my app will be accepted before 2023. Also the recent board minutes didn't have an update on the expected processing time for applications.



Have you received your results yet? I'm taking the AEI coarse and enjoying it so far.

Most people have it as around 5 months from submittal to approval without any deficiencies