Fundamentals of Engineering Exam: Motivation/Review Enhances Pass Rate

Abstract

One of the most important phases of the registration process involves satisfactory completion of the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination. This paper describes a FE review course which has been operating since 1980. The course has been successful in that 93% of the students (100% for civil engineers) completing the sequence have passed the Fundamentals Examination. The review emphasizes, over a seven‐week period, the engineering sciences (statics, dynamics, solid mechanics, circuits, thermodynamics, engineering economy, and fluids) that compose approximately two‐thirds of the questions on the exam. It is assumed that the students are motivated to study on their own the remaining one‐third of the material that includes, in part, questions on chemistry, computer programming, materials, and mathematics. A pretest, final practice exam, and independent student evaluation are also conducted. The findings indicate that well‐motivated students, who complete a comprehensive review course, experience a high pass rate on the Fundamentals of Engineering examination.