NCEES verification headaches

[kwyjibo]

Weird situation where no one seems to be able to give an answer. Wondering if anyone else has had this issue? It's painful but comical in some sense.

Here goes;

1. Took the FE exam in NY, back when Castle Worldwide was administering pencil/paper. My only proof of passing is a almost 12 year old sheet of paper, and the fact I was allowed to sit for the PE exam and get my initial license.
2. Took the PE exam in NJ 5 years later. Passed and verified on NCEES record.
3. Was able to apply for comity licenses with said allegedly complete record over the last 3 years.
4. Went to apply for 2 additional states (this past March) due to work and found my record to be incomplete for a missing exam.
5. Called NCEES for help as to why I was able to transmit 3 months earlier but not now and the customer rep scolded me for not keeping the record info correct and said the states that granted licenses via comity should check me for fraud. She explained that NJ had verified my FE exam prior. How was I supposed to know THAT was wrong? NY verified the exam to NJ as part of the PE app process, and if the NJ rep verified the exam on NCEES, it seemed logical that everything was in order as all the record sections were okay and 'green'. I unfortunately cannot submit a copy of the FE pass notification since there's no QR code and can't be validated.
6. Reached out to NJ to see if I could understand how they were able to verify before. The rep said that is a NY and NCEES issue, not NJ. NJ can't help. Ok.
7. Reached out to NY. Was informed I would have to pay the fee twice to verify my license and the exam. Ok. Paid fees, waited 2 months and they only verified the license. Followed up and apparently there is no record of me passing the FE in the state despite providing the paper work, receipts, and the fact I was granted a NY license. This was part of the exchange;
   1. Rep: You need to take the exam to be eligible for a license, sir. I cannot say it any other way.
   2. Me: I understand that, but I hold a active license in NY. I have the certificate in my hand and this department verified the license to NCEES.
   3. Rep: You need to take the exam first, pass that, and then pass the next one to get the license.
   4. Me: I have the license, I need someone to verify that I took the first exam on this date (OCT 2009) and passed. I have the paperwork for it.
   5. Rep: We don't handle that. You need to call the exam administrator and have them verify the info to NCEES. We do not talk to them for you.
   6. Me: NY did verify the exam to NJ in the past, so there has to be a record. I couldn't have taken the PE without it.
   7. Rep: You can pay the fee again for us to do the search. It will take anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks for us to complete. Otherwise, you will need to take the exam again.
8. Called Castle Worldwide, now part of Scantron, and was told exam was too long ago, good luck finding a record after a long time on hold and multiple department transfers.

Wondering what the heck should I do? Is my record permanently incomplete? Would I have to sit for the FE again? lol. I'll keep trying, odds are there was a name misspelling somewhere that threw a wrench in the process. But it is concerning.

I have 2 pending applications and don't want to go through the trouble of getting 2 sets of references etc....

 

[ruggercsc]

Weird situation where no one seems to be able to give an answer. Wondering if anyone else has had this issue? It's painful but comical in some sense.

Here goes;

1. Took the FE exam in NY, back when Castle Worldwide was administering pencil/paper. My only proof of passing is a almost 12 year old sheet of paper, and the fact I was allowed to sit for the PE exam and get my initial license.
2. Took the PE exam in NJ 5 years later. Passed and verified on NCEES record.
3. Was able to apply for comity licenses with said allegedly complete record over the last 3 years.
4. Went to apply for 2 additional states (this past March) due to work and found my record to be incomplete for a missing exam.
5. Called NCEES for help as to why I was able to transmit 3 months earlier but not now and the customer rep scolded me for not keeping the record info correct and said the states that granted licenses via comity should check me for fraud. She explained that NJ had verified my FE exam prior. How was I supposed to know THAT was wrong? NY verified the exam to NJ as part of the PE app process, and if the NJ rep verified the exam on NCEES, it seemed logical that everything was in order as all the record sections were okay and 'green'. I unfortunately cannot submit a copy of the FE pass notification since there's no QR code and can't be validated.
6. Reached out to NJ to see if I could understand how they were able to verify before. The rep said that is a NY and NCEES issue, not NJ. NJ can't help. Ok.
7. Reached out to NY. Was informed I would have to pay the fee twice to verify my license and the exam. Ok. Paid fees, waited 2 months and they only verified the license. Followed up and apparently there is no record of me passing the FE in the state despite providing the paper work, receipts, and the fact I was granted a NY license. This was part of the exchange;
   1. Rep: You need to take the exam to be eligible for a license, sir. I cannot say it any other way.
   2. Me: I understand that, but I hold a active license in NY. I have the certificate in my hand and this department verified the license to NCEES.
   3. Rep: You need to take the exam first, pass that, and then pass the next one to get the license.
   4. Me: I have the license, I need someone to verify that I took the first exam on this date (OCT 2009) and passed. I have the paperwork for it.
   5. Rep: We don't handle that. You need to call the exam administrator and have them verify the info to NCEES. We do not talk to them for you.
   6. Me: NY did verify the exam to NJ in the past, so there has to be a record. I couldn't have taken the PE without it.
   7. Rep: You can pay the fee again for us to do the search. It will take anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks for us to complete. Otherwise, you will need to take the exam again.
8. Called Castle Worldwide, now part of Scantron, and was told exam was too long ago, good luck finding a record after a long time on hold and multiple department transfers.

Wondering what the heck should I do? Is my record permanently incomplete? Would I have to sit for the FE again? lol. I'll keep trying, odds are there was a name misspelling somewhere that threw a wrench in the process. But it is concerning.

I have 2 pending applications and don't want to go through the trouble of getting 2 sets of references etc....

I think you need to push back on the exam administrator (Now Scantron) and not give up. The record is there somewhere. Ask to speak to the CEO, COO, etc. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

 

[CAPLS]

Agree with what ruggercsc to try and contact NCEES with this issue. They normally only keep records back 10 years (I believe) but they may still have some record of you passing if it was in 2009. They just moved this last year so old files may have been destroyed, but its worth a try.

 

[kwyjibo]

To update; there has been some progress (thank goodness) and still not 100% out of the woods.

Made another round of calls and FINALLY got ahold of someone at the engineering board, explained the situation of the last 2 months with the back and forth, and had this immediately escalated to a supervisory level (I believe the board secretary). Apparently they still do keep records that date back to the 1970s and it was just a matter of me speaking to the right person. I will wait for confirmation that NCEES received the updated information.

I also got word from Scantron, after several calls as well, that the record was still present and I would be able to get a sealed reprint score report for a fee. I may just do this and keep it with my birth certificate after this ordeal.

I also joked with my wife that if this all happened 12 years ago when I took the FE I'd be looking at hefty cell phone bills for all the time I spent on hold in the past 60 days.

 

[ruffysgirl]

Just now tried to apply for reciprocity. Took FE in Colorado in 2002, PE in 2008... Colorado is only sending PE exam and registration info... no way I could retake the FE exam... are you kidding?

 

[Serg305]

And let's talk about having to update references every. single. year. I feel it's an unfair burden that keeps you tied down. It is anticompetitive and an undue restraint on commerce.

I left my previous job to take a much better offer. Previous employer wouldn't sign the form showing that I currently worked there while I was there. Long story short, I had to self certify the last three years. Thankfully I have been licensed for awhile, and have the original NCEES record (imported from when it was on paper). Otherwise, the last three years would have been a waste. That's why I put my tinfoil hat on and think that the "reference every year" is a trap to keep you at one place and prevent you from seeking advancement. It's the same with the character reference every year. I mean at some point....come on!