Seeking FE Exam Prep Advice

7/11/2019

FE Prep Assistance: So, i have been enjoying working through the daily PE problems, and this has me thinking about pursuing the PE examination. For background, I have an Engineering Technology degree from an ABET institution, so I know my potential for licensure will be limited in some states.

Being out of school for about 5 years now has me worried about sitting for the FE examination. Does anyone have suggestions for preparing for this exam? Is there a MeyerFire equivalent to prepare for the FE exam?

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7 Comments

Paul G

7/11/2019 10:12:42 am

Hello, I went through the same boat. I am at about 6 years experience, but I do not have an engineering undergraduate degree, but received a masters for FPE. I passed the FE this past April and the PE this past October, so it is definitely doable while working and everything else that comes along with it.

I recommend PPI (PPI2PASS.com) book and their online classes for the FE, they were crucial to me passing and learning the subjects. I took the general exam and focused on the areas I did really well with, which the PPI quizzes help a lot with.

For the PE I used Meyers Daily and found as many examples i could and made an Index booklet with all the areas to go in my reference materials.

Best of Luck and lots of studying is the key.

Amr

7/11/2019 10:14:02 am

For FE Mechanical, the following two resources will let you pass the exam from the first time:

1- FE review Manual by Lindeburg.

2- Purchase a practice exam from NCEES

Elizabeth

7/11/2019 10:20:26 am

I was where you were a few years ago too. My BS is in Chemical Engineering, but I never actually practiced it because I went straight into my MS in Fire Protection Engineering and then working in the FPE field. I took the ChE FE exam, but I wouldn't recommend doing that since there were so many ChE things that I had forgotten from college. Definitely go with the General Eng option.

Also, I think that the primary reason why I passed on the first go around was that I really focused on the math portion of the exam. I had used algebra and calculus more in my MS and ChE career than I ever used any ChE equations. I think that being confident in those areas really carried me where I may have gotten some ChE questions wrong.

Hope this helps!

Craig link

7/11/2019 10:20:40 am

I was out of school for approximately 10 years before I chose to sit for the FE exam (General for me). To prepare, I took the FE review course through the School of PE (www.schoolofpe.com). They provide a 72-hour review course, focused mainly on weekends and evenings. I felt that the course was fantastic and was a critical tool to my success with the exam. My biggest takeaway was that you can never have completed too many practice problems. No matter which review course you select, be sure to work more sample problems than you feel are necessary.

Chris

7/11/2019 04:20:34 pm

I concur. I took the FE exam (electrical) 10 years after graduating. Failed the first time trying to study myself. I took the schoolofPE course and it was awesome! I highly recommend them.

Patrick Turner

7/11/2019 10:41:14 am

Sign up for the FE as early as they will allow for a given test. When you register for the exam, they provide you with the FE Reference Book that you can use on the exam. Study that book (know where equations, conversions, etc. are in that book) so that when you get to a question, you are not spending time looking up where it is in the book. That is my BIGGEST advice I can give. Know the book, not the content. Obviously review Engineering Econ, Diff EQ, and basic Algebra if you need to brush up on the Math Skills as these are heavily used on the FE. The test you choose to take for the 2nd portion will depend on what topics you should focus your studies on. I graduated with an Engineering Technology Degree in Fire Protection and Safety Technology from Oklahoma State University. At the time, they did not have an FE option for Fire Protection, so I took the Industrial and it was definitely the closest to the topics we studied in Industrial Hygiene, HAZMAT, and Safety so if that is the degree you received, I would suggest the Industrial Exam if they do not have a Fire Protection FE exam now. Again, focus on knowing where everything is in the FE reference book as time is the biggest factor in my opinion.

Jason

7/11/2019 01:34:34 pm

I recommend the FE- Other disciplines. It is much more general and better if you have been out of school for a while.

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