How to Successfully Submit your PE Exam Application to the State Board

Applying to take your New Jersey professional engineer exam can be a tricky process. Many people don’t realize you can’t just pay the registration fee and show up for the exam. Instead, you must apply to the New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors first. This application is very detailed and takes a while to complete, so it is best to start applying at least a month prior to the PE exam registration deadline.

The board is very particular about how things are submitted in the application, so you need to read everything carefully and carve out the necessary time to get things done successfully. If you don’t, the board can deny your application and require you to resubmit it, which will take even more time and may cost you the application fee.

To make sure your application to sit for the New Jersey professional engineer exam is a success, we recommend getting the pieces you need to submit with your application together first. You need to secure the following materials prior to applying to the State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors:

When you have all those materials ready to go, you are in a wonderful spot to actually dig into the application itself. The first part of the application is easy – it requires your name, address, social security number, criminal history, and all the usual personal information. Then, there’s a series of yes or no questions on many different topics, ranging from child support to any disciplinary actions you’ve received as an engineer.

Once you’ve completed all that, you start getting into career specifics. If you are an Engineer in Training, you will need to provide your certificate number and date issued. For your references, you will need each person’s address, license number, and list of states where he or she is licensed. After that, you are on the most writing intensive part of the application: detailed statement of experience. On this section, you must list each engagement you’ve had; your employer; name, address, and license number of your supervisor; and specific engineering and design work you did on each project, including complexity and degree of responsibility.

After the detailed statement of experience, you’re all done! The only thing left it to do is take your application and have it notarized. Package up all your materials and mail them to the State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors at 124 Halsey Street, 3rd Floor, P.O. Box 45015, Newark, New Jersey 07101. The deadline for the October New Jersey professional engineer exam is coming up at the end of August, so download your application and get started now!

 

The Specifics to Each Discipline of the New Jersey PE Exam

The New Jersey PE exam isn’t one-size-fits-all. It is offered in several different engineering disciplines to ensure the test takers have the knowledge they need to practice engineering at the highest level of skill and ethics. Most exams are in-person and offered at test locations in Newark and Trenton. Others, however, are online and can be taken at specific test sites. Find out the specific information related to your discipline below.

Agricultural and Biological Engineering
This PE exam is eight hours long and consists of 80 questions. The agricultural and biological engineering exam is only offered once per year in April. Information about the 2019 exam will be available in November 2018. The exam is offered in pencil and paper format and costs $375 to register.

Architectural Engineering
The architectural engineering PE exam is offered on pencil and paper once per year in April. It is eight hours long with 80 questions and costs $375 to sit for the exam. Information about the April 2019 exam will be available this November.

Chemical
Unlike most other exams, the chemical engineering PE exam is offered online at approved Pearson VUE test centers. The exam from beginning to end takes nine hours and consists of signing a nondisclosure agreement, tutorial, 80-question exam, and a scheduled break. The exam can be scheduled at your discretion, but can only be taken a maximum of three times during a 12-month period. It costs $375 to sign up to take the exam.

Civil
You can sit for separate PE civil engineering exams in several disciplines: construction, geotechnical, structural, transportation, and water resources and environmental. Like most other exams, it is eight-hours and 80 questions long. Unlike other exams, it is offered in pencil and paper format twice per year in April and October. Registration costs $375.

Control Systems
Similar to other exams, the control systems PE exam is offered on pencil and paper once per year every October. It is eight hours, 80 questions long and costs $375 to sit for the exam. Information about the next exam will be available this November.

Electrical and Computer
This exam is similar to the civil engineering PE exam in that it is offered twice per year in October and April. The exam is offered in three disciplines: computer engineering, electrical and electronics, and power. The exam is 80 questions and will take eight hours to complete. To complete the pencil and paper exam, it costs $375.

Environmental
This PE exam is unique because it is offered twice per year in October and April, but it is only offered in one discipline. The $375 exam registration is your ticket to sitting for the in-person, 80-question, eight-hour long pencil and paper exam.

Fire Protection
This is the newest PE exam offered. It is offered once per year every October and costs $375 to register. Like the other exams, it is 80 questions long and can be completed in eight hours. It is only offered in a pencil and paper format.

Industrial and Systems
The industrial and systems engineering PE exam is offered on pencil and paper once per year in April. It is eight hours long with 80 questions and costs $375 to sit for the exam. Information about the next exam will be available November 2018.

Mechanical
The mechanical PE exam is offered in HVAC and refrigeration, machine design and materials, and thermal and fluid systems. It is a pencil and paper exam offered in October and April every year. The 80-question, eight-hour long exam costs $375 for registration.

Metallurgical and Materials
The metallurgical and materials exam is eight hours long and consists of 80 questions. It is only offered once per year in October. Information about the 2019 exam will be available in November 2018. The exam is offered in pencil and paper format only, and it costs $375 to register.

Mining and Mineral Processing
Just like most other PE exams, the mining and mineral processing exam is offered on pencil and paper once per year every October. It is eight hours, 80 questions long and costs $375 to sit for the exam. Information about the next exam will be available this November.

Naval Architecture and Marine
This PE exam is offered once per year every April and costs $375 for registration. It is 80 questions long and takes eight hours to complete. The naval architecture and marine exam is only offered in a pencil and paper format.

Nuclear
Here’s another different one – the nuclear PE exam is computer-based and only offered once per year. You can reserve your seat up to a year in advanced once you’ve been approved by the board to sit. The exam takes nine and a half hours and consists of signing a nondisclosure agreement, tutorial, 85-question exam, and a break. The exam costs $375 and can’t be taken more than three times in 12 months.

Petroleum
The petroleum PE exam is eight hours long and consists of 80 questions. It is only offered once per year in October. The exam is offered in pencil and paper format only and costs $375 to register. Information about the next exam will be available November 2018.

Software
This exam will be discontinued after the April 2019 test date. However, if you register for the final exam date, it will be eight hours long and consists of 80 questions. It is offered in pencil and paper format, and it costs $375 for registration.

Are you preparing to take the upcoming New Jersey PE exam? Let us know! We want to give you the information you need to feel prepared and ace the exam. If you’d like to learn more about the PE exam, check out this page on our website for everything and anything exam related.

Best Places to Prepare for the New Jersey PE Exam

The deadline to register for the October New Jersey PE exam is barreling toward us. Hopefully, at this point, you’ve already begun your application and are well on your way to receiving approval to sit for the exam. Now that the hard part is almost out of the way, you should start thinking about what resources you need to help you prepare. Maybe you’ll learn best from an in-person class. No? Then, maybe practice exams are more your style. Regardless of how you want to study for the PE exam, our experts at the New Jersey Society of Professional Engineers compiled a list of some organizations that can help you get started:

School of PE

Offering review courses since 2004, School of PE is well-versed in the world of engineering. You can register for PE exam review courses in civil, environmental, architectural, chemical, control systems, electrical, industrial, mechanical, and petroleum engineering, so there’s a course for everyone. While the courses are typically $1,490, you can save $300 by registering early. Some of the courses are offered online, but others are held at locations throughout New Jersey, including Atlantic City and Newark. Learn more or register for their New Jersey PE exam review course here.

National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)

NCEES is the expert in all engineering exams, so why not go to them for your review course? The website has information about everything you need to know going into your exam, including registration procedures, design standards, fees, prep, scoring, and pass rates. You can also complete demo questions and purchase practice exam books in your engineering discipline for $39.95, allowing you to prep from the comfort of your home. Learn more about the NCEES review materials here. You can also register to take the October PE exam (if you’re running a little behind on the application part of things) in your specific discipline here.

Brightwood Engineering Education

This one was suggested by the National Society of Professional Engineers as a great place to prepare for the PE exam. Brightwood Engineering Education offers PE exam online review seminars and study guide packages for chemical, civil, electrical power, electrical and electronics, environmental, and mechanical engineering. The online PE exam review courses are 17 hours long and costs $549.95, but the topics are covered so well that it is absolutely worth your money. Check out the resources Brightwood provides here, and if you purchase anything, make sure you use promo code NSPE to receive 10 percent off!

Anything else you’re curious about when it comes to the New Jersey PE exam? We want to make sure we have all the resources you need. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, drop us a line at info@njspe.org or by filling out the contact form on our website.

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