July - August 2001
PE
Exam Slated for Total Makeover
We are coming to the
end of an era with the examination for professional engineering
licensure. The Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) Examination
for Electrical Engineering will be administered in its current format
for the last time in October 2001.
Currently, PE
candidates must select four out of 12 essay problems and four out of 12
groups of multiple-choice problems on the exam. The exam content is
based on a survey of knowledge areas needed by practicing engineers that
was taken more than 10 years ago. But some engineers have claimed that the
examination is no longer relevant. All of this is about to change!
In April 2002, a new
PE examination will be given. The new "Electrical and Computer
Engineering Exam," as it will be called, will be all
multiple-choice (40 taken during the morning session and 40 taken in the
afternoon). The morning module will consist of questions covering the
breadth of the Electrical and Computer Engineering field. Questions will
relate to:
- Basic Electrical
Engineering (22 percent)
- Electronics,
Electronic Circuits and Components (10 percent)
- Controls and
Communications Systems (8 percent)
- Power (10 percent)
In the afternoon
session, candidates will select one of three different depth modules
related to:
- Computer
Engineering
- Electronics,
Control, and Communication Engineering
- Power Engineering
All questions in both
sessions will stand alone, rather than be arranged in groups, and each
will be designed to be answered in about six minutes.
Computer Engineers
Targeted
The Computer
Engineering Depth Module is entirely new; related topics do not exist on
the current examination. The National Council of Examiners for
Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) hopes this module will attract more
computer engineers to the licensure process. In fact, the new exam name
was created with computer engineers in mind. "By changing the name
of the exam, we are identifying to computer engineers that this is their
exam for licensure," said Aaron Collins, Ph.D., P.E., and chair of
the NCEES Electrical Subcommittee.
NCEES plans to make detailed
information about the exam content available on their web site in the
fall. Simply
go to www.ncees.org.
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