FE Exam Day: Environmental Tips
What to expect and how to approach Environmental Engineering questions on exam day at Pearson VUE.
General FE Exam Day Reminders
Arrive Early
Arrive at the Pearson VUE testing center at least 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment. Bring a valid, government-issued photo ID. Late arrivals may forfeit their exam and fee.
Time Management
The FE exam is 5 hours and 20 minutes with 110 questions. That gives you approximately 2.9 minutes per question. Pace yourself and do not spend more than 4 minutes on any single question.
Reference Handbook
The NCEES FE Reference Handbook is provided electronically during the exam. You cannot bring your own copy. Practice navigating the digital handbook before exam day so you can find formulas quickly.
Flag and Review
Unlike CAT exams, the FE exam lets you flag uncertain questions and return to them later. Flag any question you are unsure about, move on, and review all flagged questions at the end of the exam.
Environmental Discipline Tips for Exam Day
Water and wastewater treatment questions are the largest topic area. Know the unit processes in a conventional water treatment plant (coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, disinfection) and a wastewater treatment plant (primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment).
Air quality questions test dispersion modeling, emission calculations, and regulatory standards. Be comfortable with the Gaussian dispersion equation and know how to calculate stack height, effective plume rise, and ground-level concentrations under different atmospheric stability classes.
Solid and hazardous waste questions cover landfill design, recycling calculations, and RCRA regulations. Know how to calculate landfill capacity, leachate generation rates, and the characteristics of hazardous waste (ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, toxicity).
Hydrology and groundwater questions test rainfall-runoff relationships, the rational method, and Darcy law for groundwater flow. Know how to use the SCS curve number method, calculate time of concentration, and determine groundwater flow direction from well data.
Environmental regulations and risk assessment questions require knowledge of major environmental laws (Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, RCRA, CERCLA) and basic risk assessment calculations. Know the difference between carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk assessment approaches.