Taking and passing the fundamentals of engineering (FE) exam is a requirement of attaining professional licensure as an engineer. The exam, although it does cover many topics, can be prepared for with a prudent and intelligent study strategy.

The FE exam is composed of two sessions: a morning session and an afternoon session. All test-takers must take the General Engineering morning exam but have a choice of six discipline-specific (DS) exams for the afternoon session: chemical, electrical, civil, mechanical, industrial and general. The FE exam is administered two times every year, in April and October. Test-takers are generally encouraged to contact the State Board of Registration well in advance of test day to gather application documents.

A common strategy for test-takers to consider is to elect to take the General Engineering exam for the afternoon session. Since everyone has to prepare for the morning session of the General Engineering exam, it becomes rather straightforward to simply continue that line of preparation for the afternoon session. To properly prepare for all the subjects of a discipline-specific afternoon exam is a time-consuming task, which sometimes requires reviewing up to 15 textbooks, so many students wisely choose to take the afternoon General Engineering exam. However, if students feel particularly fluent in a particular discipline and wish to take that DS afternoon exam, then that is also a viable option.

Note that a few states will not allow students to take the General Engineering afternoon exam. If the state in which you wish to take the exam does recognize the general afternoon exam, consider taking the exam in a neighboring state that does allow it. Reciprocity between states has been possible in the past.

When preparing for the FE exam, keep in mind that it is not necessary to memorize formulas, because the Reference Handbook, which is supplied on test day, will contain all the equations necessary to perform well on the exam. Rather it is important to comprehend the major concepts covered on the exam. Consider finding an FE Study Guide that reviews the concepts included in an undergraduate engineering program. Remember that this exam is a competence test that covers the fundamentals.