Engineer In Training Exam

Frequently Asked Questions

What is EIT Certification?

EIT Certification – it’s not uncommon to graduate college without even hearing this term, EIT or Engineer in Training for that matter.

I know for me personally, I didn’t even know the FE Exam was a thing until I started seeing it on the email signatures of others I was working with.

So it’s not a surprise when someone comes to us asking the question:

“What is EIT Certification?”

So what is all this EIT certification talk about?

Let’s get in to it.

We often get people dropping in asking us the question “What is EIT Certification?”

The reasons for asking this question could stem from a number of starting points:

• They see the acronyms EI or EIT on someone’s email signature or business card. (this was me)
• They see it as a requirement on a job they want to apply for.
• They just want to know the details because they see that it is part of the process in becoming a licensed professional engineer in their state.

Wherever you fall on this spectrum, you are finding yourself here because you have this same question.

So what is EIT Certification?

The EIT Certification, formally known as the Engineer In Training Certification, is simply a document.

This document, either physical or electronic, provides a formal means of validating that you have successfully showed competent knowledge of the fundamentals of engineering.

The EIT certification, and it’s associated number, is issued by each individual’s state engineering board after he or she passes the Engineer In Training Exam.

What is the Engineer In Training Exam?

The Engineer in Training Exam (EIT Exam) is the first of two exams you will take as you move towards getting your Professional Engineering License (PE).

This exam, which you may also hear referred to as the Fundamentals of Engineering exam (FE Exam), is developed and administered in all states (and a number of locations outside the US) by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).

The FE Exam is offered to eligible students year-round in four different testing windows.

You can learn more about what this exam is all about here:

What is the Engineer In Training Exam?

But back to this EIT Certificate, do I get any benefits with it?

Well, yes…and no.

The EIT Certificate simply signifies that you have successfully shown competence in the Fundamentals of Engineering.

So in passing it, you won’t be granted any special legal privileges that would come with having your PE license.

However, the PE license is the ultimate goal, and with that, having knocked out the first milestone in the process may bring undocumented benefits.

Here are a few.

Shows initiative

Passing the FE Exam shows potential employers (and current employers) that you are committed to your professional development.

Showing commitment and initiative is a positive trait in the eyes of the employers. Whether explicitly stated or not, employers want to make the best hires that bring the least risk and most potential return.

Having already passed the FE Exam, and gotten your EIT Certification, may well be the thing that employers see that causes them to invest in you today in hopes that it may bring them a better return in the future.

Opens opportunities

Even more, with an increasing number of job postings requiring the EIT Certificate, more opportunities may open – giving you as the talent increased options and better leverage across the pool of engineers.

So should I get my EIT certificate now?

First, you need to take the FE Exam, and then you can apply for your EIT Certificate.

So I guess the better question is, should you take the FE Exam now?

The answer is yes.

The FE Exam is a big deal, and in fact, from my own experience and the others I have helped pass the FE and go on to become Professional Engineers, it’s the harder of the two exams that you will take on this journey.

And there are a number of reasons for this.

Fundamental knowledge

First, the FE Exam is developed to test your knowledge in the Fundamentals of Engineering.

Though we have all taken these fundamental classes in college, often times, the moment we step out of our final exam is the last time that we actually apply much of what we learned.

Let’s be real, when we get in to the field post-academia, we aren’t applying the Bernoulli Equation or doing stress analysis by hand.

There is technology for all this.

We forget – it’s that simple

So though you will be seeing the same exact exam that one who is just graduating, the longer you wait, in theory –

The harder it will become.

This is because as time goes by, more and more of that fundamental knowledge is purged in exchange for new knowledge that is applicable in the moment.

That’s just life.

Though it may seem like it, the exam doesn’t get “harder” in the content that is presented.

It just becomes “harder” to prepare for and perform on due to the length of time that we have actually applied it in our own lives.

So whether or not you plan on becoming a PE in the future, taking and passing the FE Exam and getting your EIT Certificate now would be the smart move.

Having it done and out of the way for a time that you actually “need” it, is better than rushing to figuring out how to prepare and get it out of the way.

What are the steps and other requirements I need to fulfill to get my EIT Certificate?

Though each state has their own unique requirements (which can be referenced here as a starting point), the steps can be generally laid out as the following.

1. Gain Eligibility to take the FE Exam

Generally speaking, if you are in your senior year or a graduate of an ABET Accredited Engineering program then you can apply for and take the FE Exam.

If you aren’t sure if your program is ABET Accredited, you can check to see here.

But don’t worry if it isn’t, or if you don’t have an engineering degree at all – there is still hope.

The requirements for applying for the FE Exam are unique and driven by each individual state’s engineering board.

With each state having the autonomy to define their own process at this stage, more and more are adopting a process of not requiring the individual to apply for approval by the state.

Instead, state’s are allowing individual’s who meet the minimum requirements to apply directly with the NCEES.

So the question is –

Does your state require a pre-approval application?

There are a few ways to confirm whether or not your state requires an application before going directly to the NCEES.

First, you can start here.

Because Rules & Regulations for each state are constantly in flux, what is described in this resource may not be up to date, so it would be important to click through to the boards website and confirm.

Another way to do a quick check is to visit the NCEES website, click on your state and then select FE Exam in the drop down menu.

Information will be populated, including a statement that generally reads:

“…[D]oes not require examinees to submit an application or an additional fee prior to registering with NCEES and scheduling an exam”.

This means you can move forward with applying for the FE Exam directly with the NCEES.

If your state does require a pre-approval application, then a link to the specific process should be included for you to visit and get all the details.

2. Register with the NCEES to take the FE Exam (Fundamentals of Engineering Exam)

The process for registering for the FE Exam starts with creating a myNCEES account, which can be done here.

3. Schedule the date of your FE Exam

When you are approved to sit for the FE exam by the NCEES, you will be sent a notification with a link to the NCEES-Pearson Vue website.

This website will show you all the available exam dates at the locations near you.

Generally, the FE Exam is offered year-round, Monday through Friday with some Saturday dates at locations around the country.

4. Study for the FE Exam

Most get to this point in the process and buckle up.

The FE Exam is a big deal, and studying for it outside of the context of a structured college course is new to everyone.

With added responsibilities of work and family, getting started with this step may well be the biggest obstacle.

If I offered to walk you through a framework that would give you clarity and confidence that you can successfully get it done, would you take it?

Details here – How can Prepineer help me pass the FE Exam?

5. Understand the exam day nuances

Walking in to your FE exam may well be the most nerve bending moment of this all.

You will be shook down and required to put everything into a locker outside the testing room.

You will then be seated.

This is a point where you don’t want to be surprised by how things work.

Do you know how the NCEES Reference Handbook will be displayed for you?

What about the scheduled breaks?

Where are you going to be taking notes?

If you don’t know, you need to know – you can’t afford to be thrown off in this most crucial time.

Downloading and reviewing the NCEES Examinee Guide is a good place to start for the most important details of your FE Exam day experience.

6. Pass the FE exam

Once you are done with the FE Exam, you will most likely walk out feeling like you just got punched in the face.

I know for me, both on my FE Exam and my PE Exam, I walked out sure I had failed.

After my PE, I had such a bad headache that I slept it off for the next day and a half.

This will likely be a thing, to some extent for you.

But it means nothing.

I have had students come to me after taking the exam to talk about future study plans because they were sure they had failed…

Only to get passing results.

Emotions are just a thing we will need to navigate.

Before, during and after then FE Exam – they will be thick.

Just let them be, it’s OK, you are done.

Relax and wait for the results to come.

You will need a bit of patience

Now, talking results, you will wait about a week as results are typically released on the Wednesday following the date you took your exam.

Waiting a week may seem like a brutal joke being played on you by the NCEES, but let’s be real for a moment –

Pre-CBT, it was a wonderful 13-week’ish wait for us pen and paper pioneers.

Five’ish days is a drop in the bucket.

7. Apply for your EIT Certificate

Once you pass the FE Exam, it’s now time to apply for your EIT Certificate.

Again, the process is uniquely driven by your state’s engineering board, and some states don’t even require that you do anything.

Start here to find the link directly to your board’s website where you will find a link to the latest application process, requirements and fees.

Now, this is also a moment where we circle back to step 1 of this whole process and how you proceeded at that point.

Did you need to do a pre-approval application with your State’s board prior to taking the FE Exam?

If so, your educational background has already been verified and approved of.

Submitting an application along with the current processing fee and proof that you passed the FE Exam is all you will need to do.

If you didn’t need to submit an application up front to take the FE, then this will likely be the time where your state board will confirm that you have met all the educational standards prior to issuing the EIT Certificate.

If your educational background is on point, then all is good.

If not, then you will need to figure out what is required for you to meet the standards.

Most states have a number of ways that you can fulfill the educational requirements stemming from the degree in which you hold.

The ABET Accredited degree is the standard, and from there, variations will often require a certain number of years of experience in the field to make up –

Again, this is defined by your state board.

This isn’t a good or bad thing, it’s just a thing.

You will either need to verify your education now or when you go to apply for the PE Exam, so there really isn’t any way around it.

When you fill out application, you will provide all the required information for fulfilling the educational requirements, along with proof that you passed the FE Exam and the required fee for processing.

So that is what EIT Certification is all about.

It’s simply a certificate, a number, that attests that the individual has proven proficient in the fundamentals of the engineering discipline.

But…

What about all these other acronyms people are using?

You may be seeing Engineering Intern (EI), or Engineer In Training (EIT), or maybe even Intern Engineer (IE).

What’s the difference?

Each state has their own regulations that give you guidelines in regards to the designations you may legally use once you gain your EIT Certification.

However, each term is synonymous with one another.

All just mean that you have successfully reached a milestone in passing the FE Exam.

You can view more about your specific state’s rules and regulations that define the legal designations starting here:

FE Exam Requirements State by State

So whether you are seeing it on a business card, in an email signature or within a job description, having your EIT Certification just means that you have taken and passed the FE Exam.

So what now?

Now that you know this, where does that put you?

Is passing the FE Exam still on your list of things to do?

Are you struggling?

Maybe you have already attempted and failed.

Maybe you feel like you don’t know enough to pass.

Maybe you just think you are past the point of being able to pass having graduated a long time ago.

None of these should be stopping points, only obstacles which you work through.

That’s just life.

We have worked with thousands of engineers who had been in your same exact shoes.

Shoes of limiting beliefs.

Shoes of strong fear of failure.

Shoes of uncertainty.

I just want you to know that these are all normal, give yourself some grace.

The only thing you need to do is take action.

One small action at a time and build on that.

It’s possible if you are willing to give yourself that chance.

Passing the FE Exam shouldn’t be a mystery.

Sadly though, many are doubting that they can get it done, and in turn, are giving up on themselves and their careers.

If I offered to show you a system that has worked for thousands in your same shoes, would you take it? Click here to start your trial and learn the exact framework that will help you pass the FE Exam now.

After running the gamut of university course work to get your engineering degree, I fully understand anyone questioning why they should even care about preparing for and taking the FE Exam.

Let me start with this:

I get it…I was in your same exact shoes.

As I walked across the stage white knuckling my diploma, I pledged to not look back, no more studying, no more exams…

It was career time.

But that course was quickly corrected when I realized the bureaucratic nature of the corporate landscape.

No matter how many hours I worked, no matter how many projects I performed ahead of pace on, no matter how many meetings I attended, or groups I participated in, the reality of it all revealed itself time and again…

I was just an *engineering entity* that fit the bill.

I was an *engineer* on paper for any proposal that was pushed out the door at the 11th hour.

The *engineer* on paper for any time that was billed.

I was an *engineer* on paper for any outbound recruiting efforts.

I was an *engineer* on paper for…well, for whatever the company had a *need* for at that particular moment in time.

This revelation flipped the script on everything I thought an engineering career was to be.

I pursued an engineering degree because of the security I felt it would bring.

In my world view, an engineering degree was the ticket to a long, ever evolving career that returned both personally fulfilling and monetarily…

But this in and of itself, was wrong…and I wasn’t even thinking about the FE Exam.

Coming out of college, the foundation of my formula was this:

Get in at the biggest and baddest engineering firm and rest as they fast track me up the proverbial ladder.

But that is where I was wrong…*rest as they fast track me up*.

An engineering career does not start, nor finish, when you take a stroll across that stage…It just continues.

You see, there was a formula that worked to get you to the point you are right now in your life, and at the center of this formula was an investment in yourself.

Here’s the deal, no one will put more care or effort in to developing you in to what you are meant to be than yourself.

It was you who created the baddest science fair project when you were in the third grade.

You who pursued preparing yourself to score highly on the SAT.

It was you who doubled up on units, and homework, to stay ahead in your engineering tract.

Above all…it was you.

And it’s going to be you who turns to understanding the need to pass the FE Exam.

This is no *woe is me’ing* rant, it’s just calling it for how it is…and when we can do that, we can adjust and execute on a more defined path moving forward.

Every single individual, and corporate behemoth alike, has there own personal agenda for where they want to be in the years to come.

Who are we to have the audacity to bank that any one will forgo there own agenda to drive ours?

This is where many of us stand at this moment, balancing on the seesaw of:

Relying on someone else or…

Realizing that doing so is just a pipe dream that does nothing but lead to endless letdowns.

And this is why we must care about the FE Exam.

Becoming a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) is a natural milestone for any aspiring engineering.

It’s just a continuation of everything you have put in to play up to this point.

But it so happens to fall outside the structure of formal education.

And because it falls outside of the structure of formal education, many are tempted to *rest on our laurels* until it leads us deep in to a world of stagnant progression and disappointment.

Why we should all care about the FE Exam

The Fundamentals of Engineering exam (FE Exam) is the first step towards acquiring your Professional Engineering (PE) License.

As a licensed Professional Engineer, you become part of a group granted a number of exclusive benefits, some including:

• The ability to stamp and seal Engineering drawings
• Owning your own Engineering Firm with your name associated with it
• Performing individual consulting services to the public
• Greater increases in salaries

Now, for some, you will look at this list and think to yourself, *I don’t really want to do any of that…*.

And that’s OK.

But here’s why we should look at that list from a different perspective.

Remember, every single individual, and corporate behemoth, has there own personal agenda for where they are after.

Breaking this down in to it’s components, we can generally assume that:

The agenda for any corporate behemoth is to maximize profits while the agenda for each individual should be to maximize their position to take advantage of these profits.

We do this by maximizing our value as the *engineering entity*.

It’s, for a lack of better terms, a game we need to play…and it all continues with pursuing the FE Exam.

We need to be the *engineer* who is pulled in on ALL those proposals going out the door at the 11th hour.

The *engineer* who can justify a highest billable rate.

We need to be the *engineer* who is recruited by all engineering firms because we fulfill both the above conditions.

We need to be the *engineer* who is…well, always in *need* at ALL times.

That’s when our personal stock becomes the *asset* rather than the *commodity* we are conditioned to accept post graduation.

Hard Data Speaks to why we should be caring about the FE Exam

Right now, at this point in history, you control the direction of your career more than ever…

And this isn’t just some *fluffer* statement I am throwing out over the social inter-webs.

Over the last several years, some powerful data has come from the roots of our industry.

Data that is fresh, shifting the way you look at your career going forward.

Data that will spotlight what you are doing now to position yourself to take advantage of what’s at stake.

Here’s a synopsis:

The engineering industry has been starving for talent.

Engineering is one of he toughest spots to fill, with 49 percent of US employers struggling to find talent.

There is high demand for you right now, today and the studies show that this demand will continue to build.

The leverage swung in our favor and it became numerically apparent starting back in 2013.

At this point, employers advertised more than 280,000 open engineering positions – setting a historical high…and it hasn’t slowed down.

Between 2012 and 2016, science and engineering employment added 747,040 new jobs, increasing at a rate of 2.9%.

In this same time span, the overall US employment growth rate was 1.9% with a significantly higher unemployment rate.

While Congress and universities have enacted programs to support the education and future development of engineers, employers need solutions now.

And that’s on us, we can’t wait for others to do for us which we can do for ourselves.

The US Department of Labor projects that over the next decade the trend will continue in our favor, projecting that science and engineering jobs will increase by 853,600, growth of 11% over this time period.

We as engineers are in the midst of one of the greatest opportunities this generation has seen and will ever see.

So my only question to every one of you reading this far in to this article is this:

Are you going to answer the call?

Passing the FE Exam (aka the Engineer in Training exam) is a major milestone of a long successful Engineering Career.

We ALL must care…period.

We’ve played the game all the way up and through college, the time to stop is not now, or ever.

We can’t rely on others to punt their agendas in route to push us forward…this is investment not worth taking.

Today you take advantage of all you have done and will do as you move prosperously on to bigger and better things!

Straight up, the Engineer In Training Certification in itself does nothing for you as you make your way towards becoming a licensed Professional Engineer…a PE.

It’s just a number, and if you choose, a piece of paper.

Now…I get it, I may have just confused many of you reading this, so let me explain.

To become a Professional Engineer, you must prepare for and pass two exams: The Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (also referred to as the Engineer In Training Exam – FE Exam) and the Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam (also referred to as the Professional Engineering Exam – PE Exam).

Taking and passing the FE Exam is the important milestone – this is what will be noted in your NCEES records – what you do with it following that is completely up to you.

Some states will give you the option of obtaining an actual Engineer In Training Certification (a piece of paper) showing that you took and passed the FE Exam and with that, what your EIT Certification number is.

But let me reiterate, this is optional.

The process of obtaining this piece of paper is different depending on the state you live, so check out the FE Exam Requirements relevant to you, but at the end of the day, you are at most going through a simple application and fee payment process where you are telling your state board:

Yo, I have passed the FE Exam and met all the other requirements, hook me up with an Engineer In Training Certification and number.

An Engineer In Training Certification is a metaphorical badge, a gold star, allowing you to show proof that you are an EIT, or EI.

It doesn’t grant you a license or any legal responsible to practice as a true Engineer serving the public, but it provides you a validating mark that you are well on your way to doing just that.

This can go a long way in setting yourself apart from other aspiring engineers as you go through the job seeking process and/or internal company promotions. When corporate brass identifies ripening talent they tend to grab hold and acquire or retain that talent because of what it is potentially turning in to.

The Engineer In Training Certification is distributed by State Licensing Boards, but it’s nationally recognized, meaning that if you submit your application to the California State Board but then relocate to Tennessee, you’re not expected to seek another certificate.

So to recap how this whole Engineer in Training certification works is this.

Once you take and pass the FE Exam you automatically become an Engineer in Training (or Engineering Intern). You are able at this point to go through your specific state’s board application process to obtain an actual Engineer in Training certification and associated EIT number.

Whether you do or don’t doesn’t really matter, you will still be moving forward towards becoming a Professional Engineer by acquiring the progressive work experience required to apply for the PE Exam.

The experience required to apply for your PE Exam is typically a minimum of 4 years but differs by state and in some cases dependent on the accreditation of the program you graduated from.

So that’s it…and here you are, did you pass the FE Exam?

If not, let us help you prepare with our FE Exam Prep program Prepineer.

If you have, then flex that Engineer In Training Certification if you choose, you have earned it!

Have more questions? You can get to know more about the Engineer in Training exam here