PE Questions - Civil

[CycloneNorth]

I have a question for my fellow ISU civil engineers. I currently work in Kentucky and plan on taking my civil PE exam in October. I'm expecting to be working more in Tennessee in the future and am wondering how easy it is to become licensed in a second state assuming I do pass the exam.

Also any study tips/resources would be appreciated.

 

[mj4cy]

Biggest thing is to get your license in the state you live in, then apply for a license in another state. However, I'd contact the licensing board and figure out what you need to do when the time comes.

As long as you're not a structural engineer it shouldn't be too difficult (probably just paperwork and a fee). If you're a structural, some states will only let you practice in their state if you've passed the 16 hour SE exam. I practice structural engineering in Iowa and I don't do enough traditional structural engineering anymore to really require the need to get other states.

 

[CY88CE11]

Once you get your license, work on getting your NCEES Record. It takes a little bit of time, but then you just submit your Record to the next licensing board that you apply to. It makes the whole application process a lot faster.

 

[NWICY]

Dang it I thought this thread was going to be about favorite PE activities that were civil. Wrong subject can't help but good luck getting your proper certificate.

 

[DurangoCy]

Once you get your license, work on getting your NCEES Record. It takes a little bit of time, but then you just submit your Record to the next licensing board that you apply to. It makes the whole application process a lot faster.

My NCEES record just lapsed because I didn't keep my references up to date and they didn't send a notification. Another guy in the office is starting his and they're all online now, but you have to get a reference to update their info every year.

We don't do enough work in other states to make this worth it, so not sure what to do. Taking the stupid tests is literally the easiest part of becoming a PE, the paperwork is ridiculous.

 

[cycloneworld]

Once you get your license, work on getting your NCEES Record. It takes a little bit of time, but then you just submit your Record to the next licensing board that you apply to. It makes the whole application process a lot faster.

I'd definitely encourage this if you think you'll need to get licensed in more than 2 states. It basically saves you from ordering your transcripts, obtaining references, and verifying your experience each time.

It's easy to get licensed in other states (except CA) - just another application and more paperwork (plus fees obviously). Most call it an Application by Comity.

 

[CloneIce]

Get your NCEES record. It's very easy and will work to get you licensure by comity in most states.

 

[dinger]

A lot of times your marketing dept will do some of the work for you too, which makes the easy process even easier. So make sure you check with them. Also, some states accept a licence from an adjacent state. I know when I moved to Texas, Oklahoma would allow a TX PE sign/seal. Texas of course did not reciprocate because it's Texas.

 

[CyArob]

I have a question for my fellow ISU civil engineers. I currently work in Kentucky and plan on taking my civil PE exam in October. I'm expecting to be working more in Tennessee in the future and am wondering how easy it is to become licensed in a second state assuming I do pass the exam.

Also any study tips/resources would be appreciated.

I'm going to start studying in like July. Not sure which emphasis to take yet.

 

[throwittoblythe]

I have a question for my fellow ISU civil engineers. I currently work in Kentucky and plan on taking my civil PE exam in October. I'm expecting to be working more in Tennessee in the future and am wondering how easy it is to become licensed in a second state assuming I do pass the exam.

Also any study tips/resources would be appreciated.

I agree with others: Get the state you live in first, then branch out beyond that. Technically, you can't put "PE" on your business card/email if you are not licensed in the state where your office is. I know some states have been cranking down on this recently. Also, get your NCEES record if you are going to apply in multiple states for licensing, it's a nice time saver. It does come with a price, though (not sure what it is anymore).

I'm not licensed in TN, but I recall previous co-workers saying it did things a little differently. I believe TN is one of, if not the only, state that taxes you to get your PE. So, instead of $200 for 2 years (like most states), TN is something like $600 per 2 years because there is a tax on professionals. I'm not sure how hard/easy it is to get a license there with reciprocity.

Study tips - Download the outline from NCEES and focus on the big topics: structural, geotech, horizontal/vertical curves, and water flow. Get the Civil Engineering Reference Manual (CERM) and the example test booklet. The questions in the CERM are WAY harder than what's actually on the exam. That's why I recommend the example test booklet. Those questions are much more indicative of what's on the actual test.

I took the geotech afternoon exam. I thought the morning was a breeze and the afternoon was harder than I thought it would be, but still not bad. I walked out feeling like I would be shocked if I didn't pass.

Feel free to DM with any specific questions you have.

 

[HighOnCy]

PE (transportation emphasis) much easier than FE in my opinion. I too agree with everyone that an NCEES record is a must if you are going to work in multiple states. I've got 6 states and it was a PITA.

It doesn't really matter where you take it unless you are going to get a supplement such as the SE in Illinois or seismic in CA. I dont know how your company operates but you may not stamp anything a few yrs anyway.

 

[CycloneNorth]

I'm going to start studying in like July. Not sure which emphasis to take yet.

I'm working through that also. Thinking transportation even though it's not where most of my work currently lies.

 

[throwittoblythe]

I'm working through that also. Thinking transportation even though it's not where most of my work currently lies.

I was a practicing geotech so it was easy for me to pick which topic for the afternoon. I've heard multiple people say that if you don't know which one to take, you should take the Construction afternoon exam. I think it involves almost no design questions and focuses on estimating, scheduling, construction safety, etc. This is highly dependent upon your experience in practice up to this point, though.