Preparing for and passing the FE exam while in college can be quite challenging, but taking the FE exam after graduation from school for several years or more can be much scarier. Never give up on your goal of becoming a licensed professional engineer just because you haven't had to prepare for examinations in a long time or because you don't recall all of the engineering information you acquired in college. Important information and tips that you'll need to pass the FE exam are discussed below. You must plan ahead of time before you begin studying. Make a strategy for how much time you want to spend studying each day and when you want to revisit specific topics. Be sure to check the exam specifications for your FE exam, which may be accessed on NCEES' website, before planning the precise topics you'll cover.

Also, you'll need appropriate material that contains information on what you'll need during the exam. The FE Reference Handbook is the sole reference source that can be used during the FE test, so familiarize yourself with it and practice with the most recent edition. Use it in conjunction with your FE Study Guide. In the NCEES Handbook, you'll want to know the sections' order, what data is provided, and where significant figures and tables are located. You should also be familiar with the vocabulary (words and phrases) used in the NCEES Handbook to describe equations or concepts, as you will need to look them up throughout the exam. Both paper and PDF versions of the NCEES Handbook are available. The PDF version has search capabilities comparable to those found on the computer-based exam. The NCEES website offers a free download of the reference guide.

When studying for the FE exam, try to solve as many problems as possible. Solving problems will help you determine which areas you have learned and which you need to review more thoroughly. Make sure to answer each numerical example with your calculator during your FE test review, go over your solution again, and refer back to the equations, figures, and tables it references. It's a "high value" task to read the instructional material. Because there isn't a lot of content to read, to begin with, the value per word is high. It's also a good idea to practice problems that are similar to the types of questions on the FE exam, which is a computer-based test (CBT). Remember that CBTs contain both multiple-choice and alternative item kinds, such as multiple correct, point and click, drag and drop, and fill in the blank questions.