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EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

(OP)
Am I insane or just paranoid. I think I can do it but what do you guys think, is it a good decision or bad.

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

It's a good decision.  Lots of people do it.  There is lots of study advice scattered about the Web; go have a look.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

I sat for the EIT about 6 years after school.  Study hard and you will do fine.  It's not as hard as the PE exam but it's not something that most people out of school can just sit for.

If you have the degree everything you need to know to pass the exam is in there.  The hard part is just getting it out again.

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

Check your state board rules to see if you even need to take the test.  In Wisconsin, you can take the PE without FE (EIT) with degree and enough experience.

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

jamesbarlow-

It was interesting to hear you say it's not as hard as the PE exam.  Almost everyone I've talked to said the FE was considerably more difficult than the PE.

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

(OP)
I am a mechanical engineer, should I focus on Mechanical section in afternoon session or should I go with general.

I thought PE would be harder than FE, I guess different opinions.

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

I took the General in the afternoon. From talking to my friends who took the Mechanical Section, it seemed that it was much more difficult.

V

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

Should have taken your engineering degree in Canada. The word I've heard is that Canadian engineers have something like over a 95% pass rate on the American PE Exam.

Can some one correct me if I heard this ENTIRELY wrong?

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

I think the FE would be easier than the PE for someone still in school or right out of school.  But years down the road, most of the material covered on the FE was forgotten long ago, whereas much of the material on the PE would be in current use.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

Re: difficulty of FE vs. PE.  If you take the FE right out of university it may well be easier than the PE, but later the FE will definitely be more difficult than the PE.

The FE is very broad, and you have to know at least something about a lot of things.

The PE goes into considerably more depth, but is narrowly focused.  If you have any business taking the PE it should be easier than the FE simply because it is much more about what you do daily.

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

Truemanator,
I'm from Alberta and the number we were told was closer to 99% of us pass the FE exam... although I thought I did terrible and I still passed so maybe they don't even mark ours and just pass everyone.

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

As far as taking the general or mechanical section in the afternoon... I took the mechanical. I also heard that the general was easier. I thought that I found pass rates and they were better for general than for mechanical, but I don't remember for sure.

I'd say study for both, and then decide after the morning session. If you weren't confident with a lot of the mechancial questions in the morning session, go for the general. I thought the mechanical questions, in both the broad (morning) exam and afternoon mechanical section had more of a focus on thermodynamics, as opposed to being an even variety of different subject areas. This may work out for you, or not. Or maybe when you get to the test, many of the mechanical questions on the morning section will be about fatigue life or something.

Use the mechanical questions of the morning exam to decide if the focus is on something you are confident with (or if it is varied) and base which afternoon exam to take from the morning session.

-- MechEng2005

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

It is a good decision. I don't know anyone who has passed the FE and obtained a PE who says "That was a bad idea".

I think the PE was more difficult problem wise; but the FE was far broader making it seem harder than it is in reality. But I would rather take the PE again than the FE.

Truemanator,

I don't think that statistic is compiled. Applications to take the PE are made to individual states and approvals from boards submitted to NCEES, who administers the test nationwide.
 

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

Go for it.....

I found the EIT harder than the PE....

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

The afternoon General exam requires exactly the same study material and reference book as the morning General--taking the afternoon General keeps the number of references that you have to be prepared to use down to one.  I can't emphasize enough that the afternoon Mechanical is a foolish option that increases the risk with zero reward.

I was out of school 12 years when I took the FE, I studied very hard for it and it was a cake walk.  Three years later the PE was a challenge.  I think the PE was an order of magnitude harder.

The statistics I saw showed that pass rate for the FE for people within one year of graduation were identical for US and Canadian grads.  After 5 years, the numbers were still the same for people who went to US or Canadian schools.  We are mixing apples and Volkswagens in the posts above--new grads tend to pass the FE at a 95%+ rate and the test as a whole is closer to 80% most years.  No, the people from the frozen north are NOT smarter or better prepared than their compatriots from the U.S.A.

David

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

It looks like that 99% passing rate for Canada only applied to the first year or two of the test being available for Canadians. According to someone that contacted Apegga, apparently for the October 2007 exam in Alberta only 24 out of 41 passed, around 58%. Thankfully, I was one of those 24.

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

(OP)
I am sure engineer with even EIT have a better leverage than an ordinary engineer. I myself had to do masters as I have a foreign degree in engineering and no one would even consider my application back in 99.  

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

I took the Ohio EIT/PE back to back after 13 yrs and passed. What made the difference was attending a refresher course. Don't take that lightly.

The PE was more difficult because the problem solving required not only good knowledge but many steps were needed to come to the end. It was like stepping into the shoes of a expert out of your regular field and performing in an acceptable manner. I was prepared, and it was actually fun.

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

There is a study guide by Lindberg that is pretty solid.  If you can work through 75% of that, you'll be set for the exam. I took it a little over 2 years after graduating and nothing on the exam is difficult.  It is just a lot of stuff.  If someone fails it is more so a failure in preparation than anything.

For the second part of the exam, just look through the general and your discipline exams and do the one that has the most sure things. A lot of people overlook the fact that you can look through the exams before you pick.  

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

(OP)
wow...13 years..finally some hope..:)


 

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

Took the FE ~18 years after graduating.  Took a refresher class at the local university, used the Lindeberg reference manuals and study guides, worked lots of sample tests, passed with no problems.  Then forgot most of it within 24 hours of taking the test :)

Took and passed the ME PE 6 months later after a bunch more studying. Nothing on the test related to what I have done for 20+ years, so the whole process was, to be frank, rather silly and pointless, but keeps one out of trouble with the bureaucrats.

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

irfan08,
it is always a good idea to take your career to the next level. I took the FE ~ 25 years after I got my MSCE (back in Europe) after moving to the US. Studied quite a bit, still felt uncomfortable, but passed somehow. Similar to SWComposites, I forgot most of it next day.
The PE test 6 months later was way easier, as it was related to what I had done for years. Minimal study (~2 days), felt like a walk in the park, was fun to do.

If I remember it right, they send you a booklet a coulple of weeks before the test. It covers everything. Of course it is not a sustitute for practice questions, but you find all the required information there. Probably your most valuable reference book.   

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

I took the FE 13 years after graduating and found it much harder then the PE and I studied for a few months for the FE and only a week for the PE (had a new baby at home and planned on using the test as a practice session but passed instead).  

If you don't pass the first time, you will at least have a much better feel for what you need to study further.  Many people like to cram the night before, but I find I am better at taking a test if I relax the night before.  Might help you as well by not obsessing over what you may not know or forgot to study.  Failing is not the end of the world, look at it as a learning experience and you might be surprised at the outcome.  As with the others, I used Lindburgh and found it to be a big help.

I am glad I got the PE, I don't need to stamp anything yet, but I do find when talking with customers about projects that it brings a higher level of respect.  

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

I guess they must have changed the exams in recent years. I found the FE to be a joke; but from what I hear, the PE (the SE 1, specifically) is a killer.

The FE (I took it 2 and a half years ago) was essentially plug and chug. All you really need to know is where to find the correct equations (and, obviously, figure out which ones applied). There were even some problems on there that if you didn't know what you were doing, only had one possible way to combine the information given in order to obtain an answer in units that made sense.

The SE, on the other hand, is supposed to be evil. It's multiple choice and they give you several answers that one might arrive at if one were to make common, simplifying assumptions. The test is NOT meant to determine whether you can safely, efficiently, design something. It's meant to test whether you have the technical skills to rigorously apply first principles when called upon.

The pass rates also suggest that the FE is substantially easier. FE pass rates for graduates from my University was around 90-something percent. The pass rate for the SE1, I believe, is around 45% for first-time takers and drops significantly for repeat examinees.

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

(OP)
I am in process of buying books from amazon, and I am thinking if I should buy Mechanical discipline by Lindeburg or should i just take general test in afternoon.

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

Irfan,
Find an organized refresher course; it will make all the difference.

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

agree. A review course will "make" you do the homework. Lots of problem solving is the key to the exam.

Process - Piping
ing - EiT

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

I'll add my two cents on this one.
I took the PE 25 years (yep, 25) after college, and I originally studied in a foreign language with a diferent units of measure, etc..
1.5 years of studies and three tries later, I did it.

You'll be proud of yourself. "Just do it" as tehy say.

As for books, take books from three different authors, some subjests are better explained by some authors than others. One of them will get it into your brain.

Good luck.

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

Coming from a Canadian, we have the title of P.Eng (very similar to a Chartered Engineer, from my understanding).

If your country is a member of the Washington Accord (google it), your engineering education is recognized by all member nations and you can go through their license process as smoothly as a local engineer can.

Personal thoughts on a P.Eng. from my student experiences and workplace: it's very valuable if you are getting the experience anyway or your job requires it. Project managers don't need a P.Eng. in most cases, but it almost always means better wages and higher value with the company.

My old boss has been a project manager for 15 years and just now is trying to get together his work experience to get his P.Eng. It's just a good designation to make if you're already done the time.

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

I owuld beinteretsed to hear from anyone who is a UK Ceng who was able to parlay that into a usable PE (a state based closed shop) via the Washington Accord (a Federal piece of legislation), and in which states they did it.

 

Cheers

Greg Locock

SIG:Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: EIT after graduation 10 years ago,

Well Greg, when I looked into getting EIT in California the regulations appeared to make it quite clear that there was no immediate recognition of my UK degree as being equivalent to a US one.

I wasn't yet a CEng in the UK though I was a member of the relevant institution.

KENAT,

Have you reminded yourself of FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies recently, or taken a look at posting policies: http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

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