FE Exam Categories and Handbook to Change, Starting July 2020
Intro
NCEES, the entity in charge of handling licensure for engineers in the US, has recently announced that it is updating the FE exam specifications, changing each exam's categories and the reference handbook for FE Exam test takers starting July 2020.
In other words, the questions seen by July 2020 and after test takers will be different than the questions seen by June 30, 2020 and prior test takers.
This blog post focuses on changes for the Civil, Mechanical, Other Disciplines, Environmental, and Electrical and Computer FE exams. The July 2020 and after FE exam adds and removes a lot of content asked by the prior exam, so it’s to your advantage to not waste time studying for topics that aren't applicable to you. Because these changes were just announced, you will find that a lot of the textbook FE prep material includes topics that might not be in the new exams as some of the textbooks are now outdated. Log in into your NCEES account to download the free pdf version of the latest FE Reference Handbook. You will be using this pdf during the actual FE exam.
While specific topics may have been removed from listing in the most recent FE Exam Specifications, they may still be topics that are covered in other, broader categories. In particular, if a topic is still present in the FE Reference Handbook, be ready for it to show up on the FE exam. Be sure to keep this mind while reviewing these changes from July, 2020.
Skip to Other Disciplines changes
Skip to Electrical and Computer changes
To those of you using PrepFE to prepare for your FE exam: we've updated our site and iOS apps so that you may prepare for the appropriate version of the exam you are taking. You can change this at any time in your Settings.
View of the PrepFE dashboard. Your answer to this question determines which types of questions are shown to you.
Civil Engineering FE - Changes Starting July 2020
Computational Tools
- Removed topics about computational tools. Entire section removed.
Geotechnical Engineering
- Removed topics about drainage systems, flow nets, and geology
Construction Engineering
- Added topics about interpretation of engineering drawings
- Removed topics about construction safety
Surveying
- Removed topics about closure
Dynamics
- Removed topics about impulse momentum
Math
- Removed topics about root of equations
- Combined math and statistics into one section
Statistics
- Section combined with the math section
- Statistics content remains unchanged
Mechanics of materials
- Removed topics about composite sections
- Topics about column analysis were moved to the structural engineering section
Environmental Engineering
- Section is now part of the water resources and environmental engineering section
Hydraulics and Hydrologic Systems
- Section is now part of the water resources and environmental engineering section
- Content remains unchanged
Structural Analysis
- Section is now part of the structural engineering section
- Content remains unchanged
Structural Design
- Section is now part of the structural engineering section
- Content remains unchanged
Ethics
- Content remains unchanged
Engineering Economics
- Content remains unchanged
Statics
- Content remains unchanged
Materials
- Content remains unchanged
Fluid Mechanics
- Content remains unchanged
Transportation Engineering
- Content remains unchanged
You can find all the question types for all the FE Civil Engineering categories in much more detail here.
Mechanical Engineering FE - Changes Starting July 2020
Math
- Math content remains unchanged
- Math section combined with the computational tools section
- Added topics about pseudocode
- Removed topics about spreadsheets
Probability and Statistics
- Added topics about mean, mode, standard deviation, and confidence intervals
- Added topics about weighted average in decision making
Ethics and Professional Practice
- Removed topics about agreements and contracts
- Added topics about intellectual property
Mechanics of Materials
- Added topics about stress and strain caused by temperature changes
- Added topics about statically indeterminate systems
Material Properties and Processing
- Removed topics about surface conditions
- Added topics about creep failure
Thermodynamics
- Removed topics about thermal efficiency and enhancements
- Removed topics about coefficients of performance
Heat Transfer
- Removed topics about thermal resistance
- Removed topics about boiling and condensation
Measurements, Instrumentation, and Controls
- Added topics about transducers
Mechanical Design and Analysis
- Added topics about engineering drawing interpretations and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T)
Engineering Economics
- Content remains unchanged
Electricity and Magnetism
- Content remains unchanged
Statics
- Content remains unchanged
Dynamics, Kinematics, and Vibrations
- Content remains unchanged
Fluid Mechanics
- Content remains unchanged
You can find all the question types for all the FE Mechanical Engineering categories in much more detail here.
Other Disciplines FE - Changes Starting July 2020
Probability and Statistics
- Added topics about expected error in decision making
- Removed topics about mean, mode, variance, and standard deviation
- Removed topics about probability distributions (discrete, continuous, normal, binomial)
Chemistry
- Removed topics about the periodic table (nomenclature, metals, nonmetals, atomic structure)
- Removed topics about gas laws (Boyle's and Charles' Laws)
Engineering Ethics and Societal Impacts
- Removed topics about NCEES Model Law and Model Rules
- Added topics about societal impacts
Safety, Health, and Environment
- Added topics about confined space entry and ventilation rates
- Added topics about hazard communications
Statics
- Added topics about free body diagrams
- Added topics about weight and mass computations (lb, kg, slug, etc)
Strength of Materials
- Added topics about loads and deformations (axial-extension, torque-angle of twist, moment-rotation)
- Added topics about principal stresses (Mohr's circle, max normal stress, Tresca, von Mises)
Electricity, Power, and Magnetism (now called Basic Electrical Engineering)
- Removed topics about three-phase power (motor efficiency, balanced loads, power equation)
Heat, Mass, and Energy Transfer (now called Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer)
- Removed topics about mixtures of nonreactive gases
- Removed topics about phase equilibrium and phase change
Materials
- Added topics about material selection
Fluid Mechanics and Dynamic of Gases
- Content remains unchanged
- Section is now part of the fluid mechanics section
Fluid Mechanics and Dynamic of Liquids
- Content remains unchanged
- Section is now part of the fluid mechanics section
Engineering Economics
- Content remains unchanged
Math
- Content remains unchanged
Instrumentation and Controls
- Content remains unchanged
You can find all the question types for all the FE Other Disciplines categories in much more detail here.
Electrical & Computer Engineering FE - Changes Starting July 2020
Mathematics
- Added topics about ordinary differential equations
Probability and Statistics
- Removed topics about estimation for a single mean (e.g., point, confidence intervals, conditional probability)
Engineering Ethics and Professional Practice
- Added topics about safety (e.g., grounding, material safety data, PPE, radiation protection)
Properties of Electrical Materials
- Removed topics about mechanical (e.g., piezoelectric, strength) and chemical (e.g., corrosion, ions, diffusion)
- Added topics about semiconductor materials (e.g., tunneling, diffusion/drift current, energy bands, doping bands, p-n theory)
Engineering Sciences
- Entire section and its topics were removed
Linear Systems
- Removed topics about 2-port theory
Signal Processing
- Removed topics about convolution (continuous and discrete), difference equations, and Z-transforms
Electronics
- Removed topics about solid-state fundamentals (e.g., tunneling, diffusion/drift current, energy bands, doping bands, p-n theory)
Electromagnetics
- Removed topics about electromagnetic compatibility
Control Systems
- Removed topics about root locus and state variables
Computer Networds
- Added topics about network intrusion detection and prevention (e.g., firewalls, endpoint detection, network detection)
Digital Systems
- Removed topics about data path/controller design
Computer Systems
- Removed topics about architecture (e.g., pipelining, cache memory)
Software Development
- Removed topics about software design methods (structured, object-oriented) and software testing
Engineering Economics
- Content remains unchanged
Circuit Analysis (DC and AC Steady State)
- Content remains unchanged
Power Systems
- Content remains unchanged
Communications
- Content remains unchanged
You can find all the question types for all the FE Electrical & Computer Engineering categories in much more detail here.
Environmental Engineering FE - Changes Starting July 2020
Mathematics
- Added topics about trigonometry and algebraic equations
- Removed topics about root of equations
Probability and Statistics
- Removed topics about expected value (weighted average) in decision making
Engineering Ethics and Professional Practice
- Added topics about public health, safety, and welfare (e.g., public protection issues, licensing boards, professional liability)
- Added topics about compliance with codes, standards, and regulations (e.g., CWA, CAA, RCRA, CERCLA, SDWA, NEPA, OSHA)
- Removed topics about agreements and contracts
Fundamental Principles
- Brand new section
- Added topics about reactors
Environmental Chemistry
- Removed topics about ecology (e.g., Streeter-Phelps, fluviology, limnology, eutrophication)
Health Hazards and Risk Assessment
- Added topics about occupational health (e.g., PPE, noise pollution, safety screening)
Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics
- Added topics about fluid dynamics
- Added topics about steady and unsteady flow
Thermodynamics
- Removed topics about hear transfer and mixture of non reacting gases
Water Resources
- Section removed and its content was instead moved to other sections. Content remains unchanged.
Water and Waste Water
- Added topics about water conservation and reuse
Air Quality and Control
- Added topics about ambient and indoor air quality (e.g., criteria, toxic and hazardous air pollutants)
- Added topics about indoor air quality modeling and controls (e.g., air exchanges, steady-and nonsteady-state reactor model)
- Removed topics about chemical principles (e.g., ideal gas, mole fractions, stoichiometry, Henry’s law)
Solid and Hazardous Waste
- Added topics about energy balances
- Added topics about solid waste management (e.g., collection, transportation, storage, composting, recycling, waste to energy)
Groundwater and Soils
- Content remains unchanged
Energy and the Environment
- New section
- Added topics about energy sources concepts (e.g., conventional and alternative)
- Added topics about environmental impact of energy sources and production (e.g., greenhouse
You can find all the question types for all the FE Environmental Engineering categories in much more detail here.