Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam in the USA

[aalbri]

Hey guys. I will be graduating with my BSEE in december this year and I am taking the FE exam in october. But I don't know anyone personally that has taken it. I'm just curious about what to expect.
Is there anything that you wouldn't expect as an undergrad? Or does it just go straight from what I've learned the last 4 years?
Will it be worth stressing myself studying for it as much as possible while taking 4 classes my last semester? I don't mind spending a couple months of my life prepping for it if I need to, but would hate to walk in and it's just basic circuits questions and some math and physics.
Is there any design aside from calculating resistances, capacitance, etc...?

Thanks for any replies. And I'm sure there will be many others besides me that you are helping

[IanB]

You can buy a book containing sample questions with answers. I recommend you to get a copy and work through it. It will inform you much more than any short answers you are given here.

The FE exam is a multiple choice test with many questions and only a short time to answer each question. It helps enormously to practice on sample questions before taking the test. Don't cram at the last minute, work up to it 2-3 months ahead and go into it well prepared.

It seems the test contains questions covering all branches of engineering and mathematics from electrical, through mechanical, chemical, thermodynamics, biochemical and beyond. The test is broad and wide ranging rather than narrow and deep. You only have to answer questions covering your area, but if you can attempt other questions too it will increase your chances of passing.

When I looked through the sample questions in the book I found the questions to be moderately stretching and occasionally challenging. You may find you need to brush up on some areas you are weak on. Don't go into it without preparation.

[aalbri]

I did get the sample questions book but it doesn't seem very intense. There are a couple areas that I need to go back to old books/notes but it really doesn't seem bad to me. Are the test questions pretty similar to those? And I definitely plan to study (and have been) at least a few hours a week for it.

How much of the test is other areas of engineering? I have pretty much no experience in anything but EE and little computer eng.

[IanB]

I have not taken the exam, I just looked through the book out of interest when I saw a colleague had it.

The questions in the book* are supposed to be representative of the exam questions. If you feel comfortable with the sample questions then I think you should do OK with the exam. Just watch out for the time limit and make sure you do the practice questions against the clock so you get used to how much time you have available to answer each question.

* This book? http://www.amazon.com/Review-Manual-Preparation-Fundamentals-Engineering/dp/1591263336

[aalbri]

Oh shit, I didn't know about that book. Now I feel like I got ripped off lol. For the same price I got a book from NCEES (they govern the exam) that only covers EE and has a couple general math/science questions. Thanks a lot for posting that one for me!

[Abstr7ct]

I would like to take my chance and ask this. Is this exam a requirement for getting an EE job in USA?

[nanofrog]

I would like to take my chance and ask this. Is this exam a requirement for getting an EE job in USA?

Generally speaking, No.

Passing the FE/EIT is the first step in getting a Professional Engineering license though, which is a requirement for some jobs.

[Excavatoree]

I took the FE exam roughly 10 20 years ago, so I'm not sure how relevant my experience is.   I took the test just after they changed from allowing you to bring any and all reference material, to only allowing a reference booklet they provided.

I noticed that the supplied reference book had all the information needed to answer almost all of the electrical questions, but the mechanical engineering information was not sufficient.    Me and several others who took the test seemed to think it favored mechanical engineers.

There were questions about basic stuff, engineering economy, partical dymanics, statics, etc. 

I passed the test, but I never went on to take the PE test.  I'd imagine I've forgotten so much now that doing so would be quite the ordeal.

EDIT - crap, time files by. I had no trouble typing "10 years" when it has actually been 20.

[MacAttak]

I'm curious - is this test only available to students enrolled in engineering curriculums, or can anyone choose to take it?

I've always been naturally adept at test-taking, bypassed a year and a half of college because of test placement (and also was awarded full scholarships to multiple universities), and have passed pretty much every certification exam available that was relevant to my career over the past 15 years.

Might be fun to prep for such a test and give it a shot, if it can be done without spending years (and $$) in college courses. I imagine I would probably learn a lot just from the test prep.

[IanB]

Yes, anyone can take it. It doesn't have much professional value though, other than as a prerequisite for taking the PE exam later on.