Building a Future of Excellence: How Arora is Preparing the Next Generation of Professional Engineers

Arora’s Engineering practice hosts a weekly webinar series where the team enjoys lunch and presentations on various topics aimed at ensuring our mechanical and electrical groups can learn from one another’s projects and stay current on issues affecting the industry.

During a recent webinar, Anastacia Michigan, PE, LEED Green Associate, Sean Feeley, and Chadin Youssef educated their colleagues on the process of obtaining professional licensure and shared valuable tips for success. They emphasized the importance of seeking professional licensure, which can lend credibility, provide a sense of personal accomplishment, and, perhaps most importantly, earn staff treats during Engineers Week!

(From left to right: Anastacia Michigan, PE, LEED Green Associate, Sean Feeley, and Chadin Youssef)

Becoming a licensed professional engineer can be a daunting process, but with the right guidance and resources, it is absolutely achievable. Arora is committed to helping the next generation of engineers prepare for their professional licensure exams, and their weekly webinar series is just one example of the support they offer.

Anastacia provided a brief overview of the entire journey to professional licensure:

1. Graduation from an ABET-accredited engineering program (though, she noted this requirement varies by state).
2. Review local state’s requirements before registering with NCEES for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. The FE exam is designed for recent graduates and is typically the first step in the process of becoming a licensed professional engineer.
3. Register for the FE exam through NCEES and schedule an exam at a Pearson VUE testing center (while they are offered year-round, our team recommends scheduling early!)
4. Study! Our team suggests a 3–4-month study period for the FE exam.
5. Take and pass the Fundamentals of Engineering exam.
6. Apply to your state board for your EIT certificate.
7. Gain roughly 4 years of experience (this requirement varies by state).
8. Check local state’s requirements before registering with NCEES for the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam.
9. Register for PE exam through NCEES and schedule exam at Pearson VUE testing center (while they are offered year-round, our team again recommends scheduling early!)
10. Study!! Our team suggests a 3–6-month study period for the PE exam.
11. Take/pass the PE Exam.
12. Apply to the state board for your PE certificate and license.
13. Maintain 24 hours of continued education every 2 years and pay fee for licensure renewal (which varies by state).

The team then dug into the specifics of FE preparation, and suggested starting with a practice exam to give aspiring engineers an idea of how well they perform in each section to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

Once the FE practice exam is completed and strengths/weaknesses are identified, the team suggested creating a detailed three-month schedule of study topics that begins with mathematics followed by areas of weakness with the largest share of topic questions (which can be found here), leaving topics with low numbers of questions towards the end of the study schedule.

The presenters then discussed studying for the PE exam, recommending up to 120 hours of preparation over twelve weeks. They provided a detailed study timeline and information about what exam takers can expect on their test taking days which you can find in our tip sheet, along with even more testing tips and tricks!

The team ended their webinar with words of encouragement for those starting their professional licensure journey, reminding those who may be feeling discouraged that it’s never too late to take their exams! They cautioned those who worry they’ve forgotten everything since college to sweep the dust off, accept they will require more time to study, and make use of the extensive media available online such as lectures and topic-related videos, along with the numerous resources Arora offers staff in-house.

Arora’s employees have access to an ever-growing collection of FE and PE exam practice problems and reference materials, along with a host of other study materials housed in Arora’s company library. At Arora, we are committed to providing the resources necessary for success on the licensure journey, ensuring our staff feel confident and well-prepared. Check out the Careers page on our website to learn more about Life at Arora and our current openings!