Took the PE early but still waiting on experience, can I jump states?

[Lomarandil]

Correct, CA only requires 2 years post-graduate experience (6 years total including undergrad). That experience does not need to be earned in California. In exchange, Civil Engineers take two additional exams, a Seismic exam, and a Survey exam, 2.5h or 3h long each. Those are actually Computer-Based Tests and can be taken at any approved testing site (Prometrics, I think) across the country.

I don't know the specifics of how they address taking the test prior to the experience requirement being fulfilled.

 

[ptatohed]

I am not licensed in California but believe they have additional requirements (i.e. other exams) you may have to pass before becoming licensed. Someone from California may chime in with their experience.   

I am assuming you are Civil.  If this is the case, and you are licensed in any other state and want to obtain a CA license, CA will accept your passed NCEES 8-hr test but you'll need to take two separate 2.5 hour, 55 multiple choice CBT exams.  CA-Survey and CA-Seismic.  You can read more about these tests on BPELSG's site or in the CA Surv/Seis subforum.  Good luck. 

 

[kevo_55]

opcorn:

I'm just waiting for the  :whipping:

Say, anyone see that dead horse anywhere?

 

[Ken PE 3.1]

Food for thought, from Louisiana's site...

 

[ruggercsc]

That would suck.

Does anyone know if that has actually happened to anyone (having to retake the P&P test because they took it early in a decoupled state and are trying to get licensed in another state)? 

 

[glockjacket P.E.]

That would suck.

Does anyone know if that has actually happened to anyone (having to retake the P&P test because they took it early in a decoupled state and are trying to get licensed in another state)? 

I've asked before, no one jumped with actual personal experience.  Always referred to a few states that I didn't want to live in anyways.

but again, no actual personal experience

I took it early and passed, i'm not worried about it.  I still have 4 months of waiting left...missed the fun so much i decided to take a second PE exam...mildly regretting signing up for a second one now but oh well.

 

[knight1fox3]

I guess it's unclear to me why anyone would NOT want to wait to get the typical (4) years experience. The whole premise behind it (which ultimately can only aid testing efforts), is to gain practical application experience.

 

[smahurin]

I guess it's unclear to me why anyone would NOT want to wait to get the typical (4) years experience. The whole premise behind it (which ultimately can only aid testing efforts), is to gain practical application experience.

But all experience is not created equal, and while it sounds great the PE is simply a continuation of the FE.  In terms of test prep it's probably easier for people to roll through their FE senior year of college and then take their PE soon after.  As a civil/structural engineer I hadn't looked at a transportation/hydraulics/hydrology problem since my junior year of college (6 years before I took my PE: senior yr+2yr grad program+3yr experience).  While I got more proficient in structural engineering, almost half of my exam was over items I hadn't looked at in 6 years.  

 

[knight1fox3]

But all experience is not created equal, and while it sounds great the PE is simply a continuation of the FE.  In terms of test prep it's probably easier for people to roll through their FE senior year of college and then take their PE soon after.  As a civil/structural engineer I hadn't looked at a transportation/hydraulics/hydrology problem since my junior year of college (6 years before I took my PE: senior yr+2yr grad program+3yr experience).  While I got more proficient in structural engineering, almost half of my exam was over items I hadn't looked at in 6 years.  

I respectfully disagree. And in that case, I would add that the particular field of engineering chosen didn't quite relate to the specific degree of study (obviously this isn't a blanket statement). The comment that the PE is simply a continuation of the FE is arguable. Yes portions of it are. But other test material is (or should be) geared toward practical application. And why NCEES also invests a lot of time and resources into it's continual development. There's a reason that the majority of state licensing boards have this (4) year requirement. But perhaps it's something that should be reviewed periodically.

 

[willsee]

I took mine early due to wanting to start a family and I didn't want to study with a newborn. 

I was originally licensed in Illinois (taking exam early) and now I'm licensed in Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee and no issues so far.  Of course I now have nine years of experience (Five after my original license) so I don't know if that has anything to do with anything.

 

[ruggercsc]

At the Conference Session I attended where decoupling was discussed and under consideration, family commitments was one of the main reasons the board stated as a reason for considering allowing for taking the exam early.     

 

[smahurin]

I respectfully disagree. And in that case, I would add that the particular field of engineering chosen didn't quite relate to the specific degree of study (obviously this isn't a blanket statement). The comment that the PE is simply a continuation of the FE is arguable. Yes portions of it are. But other test material is (or should be) geared toward practical application. And why NCEES also invests a lot of time and resources into it's continual development. There's a reason that the majority of state licensing boards have this (4) year requirement. But perhaps it's something that should be reviewed periodically.

Not to dive too far down the "field vs degree" discussion, but people taking one of the 5 "CIVIL" specification PE exams comprise roughly half of all PE test takers each cycle (last cycle 57% of test takers took a CIVIL exam). While some civil's handle several of the 5-fields, IE WRE and construction or some other combo, many of us specialize in one of those specific areas and don't touch any of the others.  I can't speak to other discipline's exams, and I don't want to overgeneralize too much, but we're roughly looking at 50% of PE test takers sitting for an exam in which half of the exam has nothing to do with their 4-years experience.