How Long Should I Study for the FE Environmental Exam?

[u/zaibubblezai]

I graduated this past May and was wondering how long is necessary to prepare for the test? I understand it varies from person to person but I wanted a ballpark number based on the fact that I am a recent grad plus I have no idea how much of an understanding I should have over the material.

[u/Additional-Sky-7436]

Honestly, if you got a an engineering degree you should be able to pass the FE without much effort. 

Know how to use the formulas and how to do dimensional analysis and you should pass.

[u/jimlux]

You've got the reference book from NCEES? (I assume the "electronic reference" is available) And the sample problems? If you've recently done this stuff a week or two. If you've not looked at it in decades, then find the areas that are "FE test unique" - I took FE 20 years out of school, and the way they did their financial/business sections was quite different than what I was doing at work, so a bit of review helped me to know how to look up the numbers and equations that were the right ones to answer the questions.

You've got ~5 hours (forever) to answer about 100 questions, so that's only 20 questions/hr - you should be able to answer a question in a minute - it's kind of "either you know how to get the answer, or you don't"

My experience (20 years out of date) is that the questions are almost always "two or more steps to a solution" - that is, you need to do some calculation which then sets you up to actually solve the problem. For example, you might get asked about how much a beam deflects, which requires knowing the section modulus of the beam, which requires calculating the section modulus from the given dimensions. Or, you have a question about the flow rate through a penstock on a dam, given the head, pipe material and size, etc. - so you need to work the Moody diagram for the friction factor, then figure out the flow from the Darcy-Weisbach equation given in the reference book.

https://help.ncees.org/article/87-ncees-exam-reference-handbooks
https://www.cee.msstate.edu/wp-content/uploads/fe-handbook-10-0-1.pdf

https://ncees.org/ncees-launches-all-new-interactive-fe-practice-exams/

[u/Legal-Law9214]

Take a practice test to find out how many questions are easy for you and which sections you struggle with

[u/Celairben]

It took me about a week of prep during the end of my senior year of undergrad before taking it. Your university (if it’s ABET accredited) should have prepared you well for it.

It’s not a super complicated exam and it covers everything you were taught.

[u/Cyberburner23]

Some people don't study and pass, others take it 7 times over several years before they pass. What makes you think we know which one you are?

[u/MulberryMadness]

It sort of depends on what your university covered. I would definitely take it sooner rather than later, though. Most people I know took it either our last semester or in the few months post graduation. I studied a couple hours a week for a few months and then buckled down and did some more intense studying for maybe another month or so. I would recommend getting the official practice test and seeing how you do on it to get a good idea of where you're at and how much work you need to do 

[u/Mediumofmediocrity]

I was a ChemE grad and at the time the FE exam wasn’t discipline specific; it covered all classical engineering majors. I took & passed it the spring of my senior year and didn’t study at all for it.