If you are serious about your career in engineering, then a must-have a disciplined approach to FE exam preparation. Preparing and passing the Fundamentals of Engineering or FE exams is very essential for an engineer. This exam is mandatory to apply for before taking the Principles and Practice of Engineering or PE licensing exam. Some students have stated that the FE exam is highly challenging as compared to the PE exam.
This article poses as a FE exam preparation guide to help reduce stress and the amount of time required to study. So let’s get started with these preparation methods and make the most of them.
Read through the FE reference handbooks.
The FE reference handbooks by NCEES is the reference material that you will be able to use during the exam. It is highly recommended that you read through the handbook before the exam. This will help you have a good grasp of where everything is placed. The handbook can be downloaded for free from the NCEES official website.
Keep an eye on the FE exam specifications and requirements.
It is very vital that you read all the requirements, including the registration time, documentations needed, and the kind of calculators that are accepted, lest you forget to carry something as crucial as your ID. Even though advanced tech graphic calculators are not allowed, you can check out the list of those accepted on the NCEES website. Once you have the list, look up the features set that each of those calculators provides like the processing time, determinants, integrals, calculations without conversions, storage for common constants as variables, etc. You must learn the usage of such functions to increase speed and accuracy. Additionally, remember that the specifications lay down the ratio of subjects that will be covered in the exam. This will help you a great deal in your FE exam preparations, and so, you must make it a point to read it over.
Schedule your exam wisely.
Refrain from scheduling your exams around events, festivities, and especially holidays. Such events might distract you from studying for a long period of time. The best time to get your FE exam preparation is at least four months before your plan to take your exam.
Practice, practice and more practice
The only way to find out if you have grasped a subject is by practicing. Whether you plan to take the FE Mechanical, Electrical, or Civil exam, practice is the only way out to prepare for the exam. Once you are sure of the concept that you have just learned, you must test your concepts by practicing as many problems as possible around that concept. If you are able to find the right solutions to these problems, you can confirm that you are well-prepared in that topic. But, if you are unable to solve those problems, try to set aside extra time to revisit those topics. Another great way to prepare for FE exams is to find tests that closely mimic the NCEES CBT or Computer Based Test experience.
Attending online FE prep courses
Registering for FE exam preparation courses is another great way to prepare for the exams. You can find many FE prep courses online for Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Environmental, Industrial, Mechanical, and more. You can also find comprehensive online lectures, instructor-led practice sessions, real-time exam experiences, reference notes, and so much more. All of these will help you grasp and have a deeper understanding of even the difficult subjects. Additionally, you can also register for courses that are designed around NCEES exam specifications so that you can study and test yourself on the topics that are likely to appear in the actual exam.
Conclusion
Investing a lot of time in familiarizing yourself with the NCEES reference handbooks, specifications, and practice exam resources will help you have a deeper understanding of the likelihood of topics that will be asked in the exam. It might seem to be highly time-consuming, but it’s worth the efforts. Using this as a FE exam preparation guide will help you stay focussed and increase the chances of passing, thereby leading you to work smarter.
Author Bio:
This is Kenza S Nelson, engineer in Los Angeles and founder of enGENIEer, FE Exam Preparation Platform. I tutored and helped over 1000 students in University. Tutoring that many students helped me realize the different learning styles and I tailor my teaching to help students grasp. I share with you the fastest methods to solve engineering problems to prepare for engineering classes and the FE Exam.
