Key changes ahead for NCEES exams
(From the NCEES publication LICENSURE EXCHANGE, June 2010, ISSN NO. 1093-541X, VOLUME 14, ISSUE 3 – PAGE 7)
Key changes ahead for NCEES exams
Policies and procedures introduced to increase security and improve exam offerings
TIM MILLER, P.E.
NCEES Director of Exam Services
The October 2010 exam administration brings some important changes, including the introduction of new policies and procedures to strengthen exam security. Here’s an overview of what’s ahead.
Examinee management system
We will begin using the NCEES examinee management system for the October 2010 administration. When exam candidates log on to the NCEES Web site to register for the exam they intend to take, NCEES will issue them a unique identification number. Candidates will use their ID anytime they take an NCEES exam in the future.
This centralized system will allow member boards to track a candidate’s attempts at an exam across jurisdictions, strengthening exam security and allowing boards to better enforce limits on exam attempts.
Registration for the October 2010 exams will be open from July 6 to September 12. All examinees must be registered in the NCEES examinee management system by September 12.
Separating afternoon modules
NCEES will begin printing the afternoon modules for the PE Mechanical, PE Civil, and FE exams in separate booklets. Candidates taking these exams will choose an afternoon module when registering with NCEES. On exam day, they will receive their selected module and will not be able to change to a different one. This change will help prevent copying by allowing proctors to separate candidates taking the same module. Printing the modules separately will also minimize the impact of having an exam booklet compromised.
New specifications for PE Agricultural
The PE Agricultural exam will have revised specifications. The new specifications are posted at ncees.org/Exams, and an updated study guide will be available from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers this summer.
Final administration of STR I and II
NCEES will begin administering the 16-hour PE Structural exam in April 2011. Therefore, October 2010 is the last time the current Structural I and II exams will be offered.
Looking ahead, we will post the design standards for the new exam and publish a new PE Structural Sample Questions and Solutions in November 2010. The specifications for the new exam are posted online at ncees.org/Exams.
NCEES wanted to create a national structural engineering exam that could be used by all jurisdictions that license structural engineers by 16 hours of examination, including states with high seismic activity. This single exam has been designed to eliminate the need for state-specific exams, thereby facilitating comity licensure for structural engineers.
The exam will have two 8-hour components, with the Vertical Forces component offered on Friday and the Lateral Forces component offered on Saturday. Candidates may take either or both in any exam administration. NCEES will use the new examinee management system to track a candidate’s attempts on a component and notify the appropriate licensing board of the results.
New addition to exam development
In closing, we are pleased to welcome a new exam development engineer to our team. Tom Dodd, Ph.D., P.E., joined NCEES in March to oversee the development of the PE exams in architectural, environmental, metallurgical and materials, and petroleum engineering.
A native of Walhalla, South Carolina, Tom earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Clemson University and a doctorate in biological engineering from N.C. State University. Prior to joining NCEES, he was a senior application engineer at Kruger Inc. in Cary, North Carolina.
