BY NCEES
NCEES is fast-tracking the move to computer-based testing (CBT) for two of the Principles & Practice of Engineering (PE) exams as part of its response to COVID-19.
The PE Civil exam
The PE Civil exam is moving to computer-based testing, with appointments available year-round at Pearson VUE test centers beginning April 1, 2022.
The exam will be offered for the last time in pencil-and-paper format in October 2021. Registration for the April 2022 CBT exam will open Nov. 1, 2021.
NCEES originally planned to complete the PE Civil exam’s transition to CBT format in 2023 but fast-tracked the change as part of its response to COVID-19. After the April 2020 pencil-and-paper exam administration was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, NCEES added an extra day to the October 2020 administration and began exploring the possibility of moving the PE Civil exam to CBT earlier than planned.
“Under the current COVID-19 guidelines, fewer examinees can be in the exam room at the same time, so we began discussions with Pearson VUE about transitioning the PE Civil exam from 2023 to an earlier date,” explained NCEES Chief Officer of Examinations Tim Miller, PE. “This new format will give examinees more flexibility about when and where they take the exam.”
The PE Electrical and Computer exam
The PE Electrical and Computer: Power exam is moving to computer-based testing at Pearson VUE test centers beginning Dec. 1, 2020.
NCEES originally planned to complete the PE Electrical and Computer: Power exam’s transition to CBT format in April 2021. The date was moved to December 2020 to better accommodate examinees. As part of this change, NCEES canceled the October 2020 pencil-and-paper administration for the PE Electrical and Computer: Power exam and opened registration for the exam in August. Everyone who had registered for the October exam was notified and given a refund so that they could immediately register for the CBT version of the exam.
The PE Electrical and Computer exam is offered in three disciplines: Power; Computer Engineering; and Electronics, Controls, and Communications.
The Computer Engineering discipline and the Electronics, Controls, and Communications discipline will move to CBT after the October 2020 pencil-and-paper exam administration. However, these two disciplines — which have a lower volume of examinees — will be offered annually beginning October 2021 rather than year-round.
For more information about the transition of NCEES licensing exams to CBT format, visit ncees.org/cut.
Regional PE Civil exam scheduled for January
To accommodate as many pencil-and-paper examinees as safely as possible, NCEES has added a regional exam administration on Jan. 26, 2021, for PE Civil examinees only.
Registration for the regional PE Civil exam administration will open Nov. 1, 2020, and close at 3:00 p.m. EST Dec. 13, 2020.
The exam will be administered in the cities listed below. (Exam sites are subject to change.)
- Phoenix, AZ
- Pomona, CA
- Denver, CO
- Orlando, FL
- Topeka, KS
- Minneapolis, MN
- Raleigh, NC
- Cleveland, OH
- Salem, OR
- Houston, TX
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Seattle, WA
Additional cities may be added before registration opens. Information will be posted at ncees.org as it is available.