Examinations

Examinations - All applicants for licensure must take and pass three examinations

1. The FE Exam - The National Council of Examiners for Engineering & Surveying (NCEES), Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination.
2. THE PE Exam - The NCEES Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) examination.
3. The Texas Ethics of Engineering Exam is an open book examination concerning the Texas Engineering Practice Act and the Board Rules. You may either take the exam online or download the Ethics Exam from this website and complete it at your convenience. Click here to go to Ethics Exam Links.

Exam Waivers - The board has provisions for waivers of the FE and the PE exam. See the Exam Waivers page for more information.

NCEES

NCEES is a national nonprofit organization composed of engineering and surveying licensing boards representing all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. An accredited standards developer with the American National Standards Institute, NCEES develops, scores, and administers the examinations used for engineering and surveying licensure throughout the United States. NCEES also provides services facilitating professional mobility for licensed engineers and surveyors. Its headquarters is located in Clemson, S.C.

NCEES is responsible for all PE and FE exam coordination from payment collection to registration, scheduling, scoring and communication regarding pass and fail rates.

Refer to the NCEES Exam Registration Website for the most accurate information.

Address: P.O. Box 1686 (280 Seneca Creek Road)
Clemson, SC 29633-1686 U.S.A.
Phone: (800) 250-3196 or (864) 654-6824

Exam Dates and Deadlines

Exam registration deadlines are determined by NCEES and cannot be influenced by the Board. Refer to the NCEES Exam Registration Website for additional information.

Requests for special testing accommodations are made through the NCEES online registration system. NCEES will determine the deadline for accommodation requests. For information refer to: http://www.ncees.org/Exams/Special_accommodations.php.

FE
The FE exam is administered by NCEES throughout the year, during the months of January, February, April, May, July, August, October, and November. NCEES policy allows an examinee to take the FE exam once during a two-month window, and no more than three times during a twelve-month period.

PE
Please submit your PE application early to allow sufficient time to provide additional information if needed to complete your application. This will help to ensure that you will be approved to register for the exam if you are eligible. Refer to the Application Deadline Page for specific dates.

PE exams are offered once or twice a year at specific locations around the state. For specific dates, refer to the Exam Dates Page. The NCEES Scheduling Page is available for deadlines, registration information and exam locations.

Exam Study Materials

The board does not endorse any particular study courses or study materials for the FE or PE exams. Many Universities or Professional Societies or Associations have study information for the exams. (See our Links Page for more information.) Information concerning the examinations is also available from NCEES. (www.ncees.org)

FE (Fundamentals of Engineering Exam)

The Fundamentals of Engineering examination is a computer-based exam with supplied reference information consisting of a morning session and a afternoon session. The examination is discipline specific. The FE exam is held at Pearson VUE testing centers. The NCEES policy allows examinees to take the FE exam once during any two-month testing window, and no more than three times in a twelve-month period.

November 19, 2013 marks the launch of CBTuesdays, a seven-week video series that will introduce examinees to aspects of the computer-based testing exam-day experience. Each Tuesday, NCEES will feature a new video on topics such as the reusable booklet provided for scratch work, how to flag questions for review, and how to search the onscreen reference handbook.
The first video in the series will be the CBT exam-day experience video that you previewed at the annual meeting in San Antonio. It chronicles a typical exam-day experience at a Pearson VUE test center, including the check-in process, locker storage procedures, how to request a break, and much more.
Each new video will be featured on the NCEES Facebook and Twitter pages and uploaded to the NCEES YouTube channel for easy viewing access. You’ll find them under a special CBTuesdays section.

The following individuals are eligible to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination:

Non-Student
A qualified non-student individual is defined as someone who has a Bachelor of Science or post-graduate degree in engineering or a related science field that has been approved by the Board (prior to the submission of the scheduling form). Such degree programs must include, as a minimum, the courses listed in a) and b) of this subparagraph, or these courses must be taken in addition to the Bachelor or Graduate degree program:

a) 8 semester hours of mathematics beyond trigonometry, including differential and integral calculus; and
b) 20 semester hours of engineering science which include subjects such as mechanics, thermodynamics, electrical and electronic circuits, and others selected from material science, transport phenomena, computer science and comparable subjects depend on the discipline or branch of engineering. Course work should incorporate hands-on laboratory work and contain sufficient design curricula to provide minimal competency in the use of engineering algorithms and procedures.

Candidates must have a four-year Baccalaureate Degree as follows:
a) An engineering degree approved by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology, Inc. (EAC/ABET).
b) An engineering technology degree of four years or more that is accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology, Inc. (TAC/ABET).
c) Other degree programs of four years or more in an engineering or related science curriculum which fulfill the minimum educational requirements defined in Board Rule 133.31.

Students
An undergraduate student who is within two full-time semesters (not including summer sessions) of graduating and who is enrolled in an EAC/ABET-accredited engineering program, a TAC/ABET-accredited four year baccalaureate technical program or an engineering-related science program of four years or more that has been approved by the Board.

A graduate student enrolled in a Master's or Ph.D. engineering program may take the FE exam.

Exam for Record Purposes - Individuals who are licensed to practice professional engineering in Texas may take the examination for record purposes.

PE (Principles and Practice of Engineering Examination)

The PE exam tests your ability to practice competently in a particular engineering discipline. It is designed for engineers who have gained at least four years’ post-college work experience in their chosen engineering discipline. The PE exam is typically the last step in the process of becoming a licensed P.E.

Each PE exam lasts 8 hours and is split into a morning and an afternoon session.

Reference materials

The PE exam is an open-book exam. You are allowed to bring reference materials to the exam, provided they are bound and remain bound during the exam. Loose paper may be bound with ring binders, brads, plastic snap binders, spiral-bound notebooks, and screw posts—but not with staples. Sticky notes and flags are permitted only when they remain attached to book pages.

Scoring and reporting

Exam results are released by NCEES 8–10 weeks after the exam. You will be notified of your exam result online through your My NCEES account or via email from TBPE. You will be notified of your exam results on a pass or fail basis. Please do not write or telephone the Board office to inquire about your test score. NO SCORES WILL BE GIVEN OVER THE TELEPHONE. Refer to the NCEES Scoring Page for additional information.

Day of the Exam

Candidates must arrive at their test site on time with a photo I.D. Candidates without a photo I.D. will not be allowed into the examination room. It is recommended that candidates bring sack lunches as the time allowed for lunch may be limited to less than a full hour

EXAMINATION MATERIALS

Calculators: NCEES has a list of calculators that are permitted in the exam room. No other calculators will be permitted. See NCEES Calculator Policy for more information and an updated list of calculators.
Other devices not permitted include, but are not limited to palmtop, cell phones, laptop, hand-held, or desktop computers, databanks, data collectors, and organizers.
Outlets are not available for recharging.

FE Exam
The Fundamentals of Engineering Examination is computer-based, and closed book. Scratch pads/paper are not permitted. Supplied reference material for the exams will be electronic and will be available on the NCEES website. All work must be done in the computer-bassed examination system. The FE exam is six hours in length, which will include a tutorial, breaks, the exam, and a brief survey at the conclusion of the exam.
PE Exam
Follow the seating instructions given by the proctor. No candidate will be permitted to enter the examination room after the scheduled time for beginning the examination. Visitors will not be allowed to enter the room after the test has started. Only one candidate at a time will be permitted to leave the room temporarily while the test is in progress. When you leave, you will not be allowed to take any examination materials with you. If you complete either portion of the examination early, you will be allowed to leave the room quietly; however, no candidate will be permitted to leave the examination room during the last 30 minutes of either session. Before you turn in your examination, make sure you have printed your name on the test booklet and filled in your name and all requested information on your answer sheet.

Reference materials may include handbooks, textbooks, and other bound reference material. Bound materials are considered to be materials which are permanently bound (stitched or glued) and materials fastened securely in a cover by fasteners which penetrate all papers (multi-ring binders, spiral notebooks, snap binders, brads, screw posts, etc.). Materials must remain bound throughout the examination. P.E. Sample Exams, Study Guides, and Solution Manuals are permitted. Books may have handwritten highlights or notes in them as long as they are in ink (no pencil). No writing is allowed in any reference materials during the examination. Candidates are not permitted to share or exchange reference materials. Page markers, including self adhesive tabs or sticky notes, are permitted. Scratch pads/paper are not permitted. All work must be done in the solution pamphlets/examination booklets.

EXAM POLICIES AND SECURITY PROCEDURES

The NCEES Examination Policy has been amended to require Member Boards to provide an information packet to each candidate applying to take NCEES Examinations. NCEES has prepared information concerning the examination, security procedures, and other important policies. You can view the information at http://www.ncees.org/exams.

CHEATING AND/OR COMPROMISING

Board Rule 133.75 covers examination irregularities and declares that cheating on examinations will not be tolerated. Furthermore, examination proctors who conclusively observe that a candidate is giving or receiving assistance, compromising the integrity of the examination, or participating in any other form of cheating during an examination will require the candidate to surrender all examination materials. The candidate will be required to leave the room and will not be permitted to return.

Evidence of cheating, as described above, found after the examination shall also be a cause for action. The Executive Director will be informed of such instances of suspected cheating at the earliest possible opportunity and will determine appropriate action.

When the Executive Director has determined that cheating has occurred, the examination results of the candidate will be disallowed, the candidate will be barred from taking any examination in Texas for a period of two years, and any application for licensure pending an approval for examination will be automatically proposed for rejection and will be evaluated or re-evaluated on that basis.

Special Accommodations

If you have a disability and require special accommodations in taking the examination, please contact NCEES.

Veterans Assistance

The Texas Board of Professional Engineers has been approved by the VA under the GI Bill for reimbursement of examination fees for the FE and PE exams. This approval allows veterans and other eligible persons to receive reimbursement for the cost of license examinations/tests from the VA. The effective date of approval is March 1, 2003.

This reimbursement is not from the state of Texas or the Texas Board of Professional Engineers. Please do not contact the board for information or reimbursement. The reimbursement information is available at http://www.gibill.va.gov/pamphlets/lcweb.htm under "Licensing and Certification".

NAME/ADDRESS CHANGES

If you have a change of address after you take the examination, you MUST notify the Board office in writing using the "Applicant Address Change Form" posted on our website.

If you change your name, you MUST notify the Board office in writing (email, fax or letter) and include applicable documents relative to a legal name change.