The only reference you may take into the exam is the official NCEES FE Supplied-Reference Handbook. This publication contains equations and data that you will need during the exam.

Reference materials include dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, periodical indexes, atlases, and college catalogs or schedules. Many specialized reference works and bibliographies are also considered to be for reference use. They are not usually items that you would want to read from cover to cover. These materials allow you to locate required information fairly quickly, read and take notes, or make photocopies for later use.

Ideally, you should take the FE exam while you are still in engineering school, or shortly after graduation. The longer you wait, the harder the exam will be. Most states permit you to sit for the exam as a college senior, and some states allow juniors, as well. Much of what the exam covers is basic information that you learn in the first two or three years of your undergraduate engineering education.

Click here for FE Exam study materials. Tau Beta Pi (the engineering honor society at GT) usually holds review sessions one week before the exam. This information is e-mailed to all students when the details are finalized.

We use a variety of published materials, such as Melody's Love is in the Earth and The Book of Stones. (See our bookstore for book recommendations.) We also do research online and of course use our own observations.

The FE exam tests basic knowledge of engineering principles. Much of the information on the exam is covered in the first two years and a half years of an undergraduate engineering education. That is why you should ideally take the exam while you are in college when the information is fresh and you have good study habits. The exam consists of two four-hour sessions, one administered in the morning and one administered in the afternoon.

The official name of the exam you will take is the Fundamentals of Engineering, or FE, exam. Until recently, however, the exam was called the Engineer-in-Training, or EIT, exam. This name goes back many years, and many engineers still refer to the test as the EIT exam. You'll see and hear both names used interchangeably.

The FE exam consists of two four-hour sessions administered on a single day. The MORNING session includes 120 multiple-choice questions worth one point each. Each question has four answer choices. The following subjects are represented (per NCEES): The first six tests focus on a single discipline--hence they are called the "discipline-specific" exams. The "General" test covers the same range of subject areas as the morning session.

The questions are grouped by subject. This is helpful in that it allows you to focus on a particular area without distraction.

NCEES states they are moving toward an all-metric (SI) FE exam. Currently, at least 80% of the AM session quantitative problems must be solved using SI units. The remainder may be solved using either SI or US customary (USCS) units. On the PM exams, metric units areused exclusively except for the Civil and Environmental discipline-specific modules. These two modules have problems in both metric and USCS units, depending on the subject area.

The Candidate Information Bulletin (CIB) is available online at www.license.state.tx.us/cosmet/cosmetexam. This CIB replaces the old practical guidelines.

Review texts, sample exams, software, videos, and other materials to help you prepare are availablehere. Fact: The FE has been a secure exam for many, many years. Although NCEES has published a few sample problems to illustrate the exam format, there are no complete sample exams or collections of actual exam problems available from any legitimate source. Fact: There are hard topics for everyone, but there is no intentional bias built into the exam format.

A few states provide the Handbook to you when you register to take the FE exam. If your state doesn't do this, and you want to obtain a copy of the Handbook before the exam, you can order online. You owe it to yourself to become familiar with the contents and layout of the Handbook before you need to use it during exam. Please note that when you actually enter the exam room, you will be given a new, pristine copy of the Handbook to use. You may not use your previously acquired copy.

Fundamentals of Engineering Supplied-Reference Handbook, the only book allowed into the exam. Familiarizing yourself with the content and organization of the book in advance will save time searching for information during the exam. Exam Files FE supplemental review study guide for additional problem-solving practice in specific subject areas. See our FE review materials

The advice given by recent examinees is virtually unanimous: work practice problems, find out where your weaknesses lie, study those areas, and then work more practice problems. Taking a timed practice exam (or a partial exam) is a popular strategy. This not only gives you more practice solving problems but also lets you find out how well you perform under pressure.

The FE exam is the Fundamentals of Engineering exam. The old name of the exam was the EIT (Engineer in Training).

The FE exam is offered for Georgia Tech students every April and October at Georgia State University (or another location determined by ELSES). The projected exam schedule is below: