Transition of the PE Structural Exam (SE) to Computer-Based Testing

You may have already heard that the SE exam developed by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) is being transitioned to a completely computer-based test (CBT), with the launch of the first of these exams tentatively scheduled for April 2024 (it will not be sooner).  Taking engineering licensing exams to CBT is not new.  The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam began the transition in 2010, the Professional Engineer (PE) and Land Surveyor (LS) exams began the move in 2011, and in 2012, the Board voted to have all exams eventually transition to CBT.  The new SE exam will be quite different from the current 16-hour exam:

  • There will still be 4 modules (Vertical, breadth & depth; Lateral, breadth & depth), but each module may be taken (and scored) independently.

  • Instead of 16 hours, the total exam will take 21 hours: 5.5 hours for each of the “breadth” modules and 5 hours for each of the “depth” modules.

  • The “breadth” modules will still be multiple choice, but there will be a total of 55 questions for each module (45 scored questions and 10 pretest questions, which will be indistinguishable from the scored questions).  These questions will still include a combination of building and bridge requirements.

  • The “depth” modules may still be taken using either a building or a bridge path.  Each module will have 5 scenarios that include 12 questions each, and some of those questions will also be “pretest” (unscored).

There are a few different resources you can visit to learn more:

In addition to the increased quantity of questions and time to spend taking the exam modules, another significant difference from the old paper-and-pencil exams will be the format of the “depth” modules.  Responses will be done as “alternative item types” (AIT), which will be scored as correct or incorrect (there will be no partial credit in the scoring).  With the old exam format, professional engineers who scored the responses were able to determine whether the candidate understood the problem, but perhaps just got off onto a definable tangent, so they could garner some partial credit along the way.  In one sense, this “partial credit” capability is still (somewhat) present, as there will be 12 question items for each problem … but they are still right or wrong, and the intermediate equations or analysis used along the way will not be factored into the scoring decisions.  AITs currently include the following:

  • Multiple Correct: select multiple answers

  • Point & Click: click on part of a graphic

  • Drag & Drop: click on and drag items to match, sort, rank, or label

  • Fill in the Blank: enter a response to the question in a space provided

Candidates for the exam could still essentially prepare for the new CBT-type exam in the same way as they do now: study the knowledge areas advertised by NCEES and take a lot of sample questions, timed and untimed.  Regardless of how questions are to be answered, it will always be a matter of applying knowledge to practical engineering situations.  NCEES is planning to create a study guide that will help candidates practice the types of AITs for depth problems, which will be a crucial part of the studying process.

Another important change will be the provision of study materials and code references.  These resources will be provided by NCEES to candidates, at least 6 months before the exam is administered, and it is expected that candidates cannot bring in their own study materials.  This is all very new to most of us, especially because there are so many changes in store, and NCEES is still working hard to formalize the transition details.  I encourage you to visit the sites noted above, and keep checking back to this website, as I am working to include more sample problems and instruction in the companion resources to my book on the SE exam (second edition), as time allows.