You’ve passed your Fundamentals of Engineering exam, graduated with an engineering degree, and studied under a professional engineer for four years, and now you’re ready to take the New Jersey PE exam and finally become a professional engineer. This can be a very exciting and nerve-racking time, because you haven’t had to take an exam this intensive in a long time, and you want to make sure you’re prepared. We want to settle your nerves a little and help you out by providing the answers to some of the most popular questions about the PE exam:
The PE exam is only offered twice a year: once in April, and once in October. However, not all exams are offered both months. Some are one, some are the other, and some are both. The next exam is October 26, 2018.
The PE exam costs $375, and the fee to apply to the board is $75.
Before you can register for your exam, you must submit an application to the State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. This application can take time, so you definitely don’t want to wait until the last minute to apply. It has personal questions and detailed career questions, including references, who you’ve worked under, and results on other certification exams. It must be notarized and include a passport style photo of you. Once you’ve been accepted by the board, you can register to take your exam.
The deadlines are usually around 45 to 60 days prior to the exam date. For example, if you want to take the next New Jersey PE exam in October, the deadline is August 30, 2018 at 3 p.m. EDT. This means you should already have received approval from the board to sit for the exam and registered for the exam date via the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying website.
Unfortunately, when the registration deadline ends, you will be unable to late register. Instead, you will have to wait for the following exam day, either in April or October.
Cancellations are only accepted prior to the registration deadline. If you cancel the exam after the deadline, you will not receive a refund. However, if you cancel prior to the deadline, you will receive your money back with the exception of a $50 processing fee. If there is an emergency on the day of the exam, such as illness, death of a family member, car accident, jury duty, or military duty, you can submit a written refund request up to 30 days following the exam date.
Since the PE exam is open book, you can bring whatever books or reference materials you’d like (although you should check with the board if you are unsure). Any paper materials or notes should be contained in a three-ring binder or notebook – stapling is not permitted. You cannot bring tablets or cell phones of any kind. Only a few specific types of calculators are allowed for the exam: Casio fx-115 and fx-991, HP 33s and HP 35s, and the TI-30X and TI-36X. The permitted calculators change annually, so make sure you check again after 2018! You may also bring two straight-edge tools, such as a ruler or protractor. Outside pencils or erasers are forbidden, and a mechanical pencil and eraser will be provided when you arrive for the exam.
The PE exam is usually eight hours long and consists of 80 multiple choice questions. The exam is entirely pencil and paper based for most, but some are only computer-based.
Results can be accessed via your NCEES account usually eight to 10 weeks following the exam. You will receive an email telling you when your results are available for viewing. Rather than having a numerical grade, PE exam results are pass or fail. If you fail, you will receive a diagnostic report to help you understand what areas you need to study.
Have another question regarding the New Jersey PE exam and don’t see the answer? No problem! Reach out to us via our website or send us an email at info@njspe.org. We will help you feel fully prepared and ready to conquer the PE exam! Once you’ve passed the exam, check out this blog for information on next steps.
