This note is for CEE juniors (those taking 300-level CEE courses): I hope your winter quarter ended well, and I wish you a very relaxing and rejuvenating spring break.
I don’t want to rush you, but I wanted to give you advance information about the FE Exam, so that you will have plenty of time to look into it and to schedule it in spring quarter.
- We strongly recommend that you schedule your Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam in spring quarter, selecting a test date in summer or early fall, before the autumn quarter picks up speed. The majority of CEE students take the FE exam by autumn quarter of their senior year. (Please be aware that you will be selecting test dates months in advance, so you should NOT wait until late summer to schedule your FE Exam.)
- Passing the FE will result in the Engineer-In-Training (EIT) license. Having the EIT on your resume as you begin your job search greatly increases your desirability as a candidate for competitive positions, and it could also translate in a higher starting wage.
- You will find detailed information about the FE/EIT registration process through the Washington State Department of Licensing website at www.dol.wa.gov/business/engineerslandsurveyors/engintraining.html. The FE/EIT is not an academic requirement for the BSCE degree, but is helpful as you enter the profession.
The basic process for undergraduate students scheduling the FE Exam is listed below:
- Register for the exam at the NCEES website (http://ncees.org/exams/)
- Select WA State in the Exam Registration box in the right column & follow the directions.
- BSCE majors typically take the General Engineering and Civil tests of the FE exam.
- After registering for the exam, you will be contacted by WA State & NCEES with further directions.A good way to prepare for the exam is to review the Equations Reference book, provided on the NCEES website. (You may also be able to obtain copies from past seniors.) NCEES also offers practice tests online. The UW CEE Department has a very high (approx. 90%) passage rate among first-time test takers. Most of the students report that the 300-level CEE courses offers very strong preparation for the exam, so it is better not to wait too long to take the FE exam.
- Also coming up soon:
- Apply for 2017-2018 CEE Scholarships between April 1 – May 1. (See earlier email or blog post.)
- Senior year planning with faculty mentors in April (Look for more information in spring quarter.)
- October 2017: Apply for graduation (that is, complete your “application for degree”) if graduating in 2017-2018.
Best,
Mariko & Brian
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CEE Advising