{"id":7528,"date":"2023-11-01T10:13:52","date_gmt":"2023-11-01T14:13:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aspe.org\/pipeline\/?p=7528"},"modified":"2023-11-01T10:13:52","modified_gmt":"2023-11-01T14:13:52","slug":"november-2023-professional-engineers-perspective-some-insight-on-the-pe-exam-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aspe.org\/pipeline\/november-2023-professional-engineers-perspective-some-insight-on-the-pe-exam-process\/","title":{"rendered":"November 2023 Professional Engineer\u2019s Perspective: Some Insight on the PE Exam Process"},"content":{"rendered":"
It is November, and the 2023 ASPE Tech Symposium in Bellevue, Washington is a month behind us. As I have done for many years, I attended the biennial Tech Symposium for the educational offerings, to see many friends and my peers, as well as enjoy the Product Show and the various committee meetings.<\/p>\n
This year I had the pleasure of representing the Professional Engineer Working Group (PEWG) at a meeting on Sunday, October 1, to provide those who attended with a status update on where ASPE\u2019s efforts stand. The meeting drew 20+ people who wanted to know what they could do to assist in the effort. Given that the effort is currently before NCEES EPE (National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying Examiners for Professional Engineers) Committee, I had no direct answer to that question.<\/p>\n
However, after much consideration and discussion within the PEWG, we decided to post a message on the ASPE Connect Open Forum with suggestions on how to assist. So, on October 19, 2023, a discussion thread titled \u201cNCEES Mechanical Suite of Exams\u2014Plumbing\/Piping\u201d was posted on behalf of the PEWG. The intent was to simply let those with interest know how they might assist in advancing the multi-year effort that ASPE has made to get a plumbing\/piping exam module placed within the NCEES Mechanical Engineering suite of exams.<\/p>\n
In the thread, some long-time Registered Engineers began to debate why ASPE was advancing this effort. Bear in mind, these engineers took their exams many years ago, so they are most likely unaware of NCEES\u2019 current exam philosophy or how the exams are administered today. At the time these individuals took their exams in the 1990s, the exams were still pencil and paper exams, and you could take reference materials with you into the exam room. Also, in that period, the exams had moved away from the primary engineering disciplines (Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Architectural, etc.) to exams that had subdisciplines under those primary headings.<\/p>\n
In the case of the NCEES Mechanical Engineering exam, the subdisciplines are HVAC and Refrigeration, Mechanical Systems and Materials, and Thermal and Fluids Systems. It was pointed out that the Thermal and Fluid Systems subdiscipline covers subject matter applicable to plumbing and piping engineering (hydraulics, heat exchangers, etc.). While this position is not without merit, it does not truly validate that the MCC (Minimally Competent Candidate) has the minimum knowledge and proficiency to be considered qualified in the expanding area of plumbing engineering.<\/p>\n
It is not reasonable to expect any one person to be knowledgeable in all of the areas covered within the field of mechanical engineering. While we as engineers may use the same underlying principles, they must be applied in differing ways depending on the application. If you have worked within the consulting world and been involved in the production of civil, mechanical (HVAC&R and plumbing), electrical, and fire protection documents, you know how much of a challenge it is to be fully knowledgeable and qualified in all of these areas.<\/p>\n
As engineers, we tend to specialize because protecting the public\u2019s health, safety, and welfare requires us to have an in-depth knowledge of that specialty. If it is a small or simple project, a qualified engineer can successfully handle both the HVAC and plumbing design. However, if the project is larger and more complex, that same engineer most likely cannot have sufficient knowledge or expedience to adequately design both the HVAC and plumbing systems within the time limits of the schedule.<\/p>\n
As offered by one engineer who took the Mechanical Engineering exam\u2019s HVAC&R module, 90 percent of the exam was based on Q=1.08*cfm*delta T and Q=500*gpm*delta T. There was nothing about fixture units, sewage lift station sizing, water temperatures that can burn you in three seconds, medical gases, water quality, etc. Providing a rigorous plumbing-focused exam would not weaken the requirements for professional registration in any way. It was this same reasoning that elevated the HVAC&R exam module to its current status. However, I know from my own experience that the HVAC&R exam lacks any real testing related to anything outside of the comfort and environmental treatment of the building envelop.<\/p>\n
As the PEWG has advanced ASPE\u2019s efforts through the NCEES PAKS (Professional Activities and Knowledge Study) process, there have been discussions about placing more plumbing-related questions in the HVAC&R exam. However, some ASPE members pointed out that adding plumbing questions in the HVAC&R exam would unfairly reduce the subject matter expected and required of HVAC&R candidates. To place plumbing\/piping questions within the exam, some HVAC&R material would need to be eliminated, which would reduce the value of testing for the MCCs sitting for that exam.\u00a0It would also not be a quality test for the MCC candidates within the plumbing\/piping (P\/P) profession.<\/p>\n
Simply stated, it is\u00a0not considered to be\u00a0an acceptable solution to address these similar but drastically different specialty disciplines\u00a0of Mechanical Engineering.\u00a0If the purpose of these exams is to protect the public\u2019s health, safety, and welfare by ensuring that an exam candidate has the minimal qualifications and expertise within their area of practice as a Professional Engineer, then we need to properly\u00a0test their subject matter knowledge.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look at the current NCEES exams that are available and see if any of them have in-depth coverage of what a plumbing engineer actually covers in their designs.<\/p>\n