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Georgia Board of
Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors
These questions are constantly being added to and revised. Should you think of any additional questions which would be of benefit to our applicants, registrants, or the general public, please let us know at: pels@sos.state.ga.us
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[ Board Home Page | Top ] To obtain a license application you may
Please provide your full mailing address with your request.
[ Top | FAQs - Applications ]
[ Top | FAQs - Gen'l Information ] Our office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST [ Top | FAQs - Gen'l Information ] Yes. Application forms may be picked up at our South Georgia Satellite Office in Tifton.
[ Top | FAQs - Gen'l Information ] You may request a roster by downloading the Roster Request Form via http://www.sos.state.ga.us/plb/pels/allforms.htm. The fee for a roster of professional engineers, land surveyors or professional engineering firms is $100 each and $50 for a roster of land surveying firms. A license inquiry or search for a specific professional engineer or land surveyor may be performed from the Board's web site at no charge. [ Top | FAQs - Gen'l Information ] Professional Licensing Boards of Georgia Certain businesses and professions have been determined by
the Legislature as affecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public. Persons
practicing in these businesses and professions, with some exemptions, are required by
state law to be licensed under the professional licensing boards. These requirements are
published in the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Title 43, 26, or 12. You
may directly access the Professional Licensing Boards Division's regulatory boards by
clicking here. Fee and Contract [ Top | FAQs - Gen'l Information ] The Board regulates the
profession;
we may not refer business to registrants. Aside from the Yellow Pages, you could contact
one of Georgia's Professional Associations.
[ Top | FAQs - Gen'l Information ] Exam offerings are consecutive; however, in the event of unusual circumstances which prevented you, or will prevent you from attending consecutive offerings, you may send a written request to the Board explaining why you need to postpone an offering, and the Board will consider your request.
[ Top | FAQs - Examination ] You may request to proctor the exam in another state by sending a letter to the Georgia Board office by the exam deadline (December 1 for the April exam or June 1 for the October exam.) [ Top | FAQs - Examination ] You may request to proctor the exam in Georgia by having the state where you applied to request that Georgia proctor the exam. The deadline for this request is by the exam administrator's deadline. Currently the exam administrator is NCEES. [ Top | FAQs - Examination ] Each registrant is responsible for informing the Board within thirty days of a change in his/her address. Address changes require the registrant's full name, license type and number, old address, new address, social security number, date of birth, and an office telephone number. You may change your address using the online feature at https://secure.sos.state.ga.us/mylicense/. Alternately, the changes may be e-mailed to pels@sos.state.ga.us, faxed to 478-207-1456 or submitted in writing to the Georgia Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, 237 Coliseum Drive, Macon, Georgia 31217-3858. It is incumbent for all registrants to maintain a current address with the Board in order to receive renewal notices and information of changes to regulations pertaining to the practice of engineering and land surveying. A new address on letterhead or envelope is not construed as a request to change an address. [ Top | FAQs - Gen'l Information ] Contact information for all professional engineer and land surveying boards in the US can be found here. [ Top | FAQs - Gen'l Information ] The pass rates are updated semi-annually and may be found by accessing the NCEES web site. For results for the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination (FE), click here. For results for the Principles and Practice Examination (PE), click here.
[ Top | FAQs - Examination ]
For the location of the next examinations, you may contact NCEES at 1-877-536-7729.
[ Top | FAQs - Examination ] NCEES has developed a new Civil Professional Engineer practice mini-examination that is taken via the internet. The practice test amounts to one-half of a full examination with one-half the number of questions taken in one-half the time given during a real exam. For more information you may contact the NCEES at its customer service number (800) 250-3196, or access its web page by clicking the Civil PE Diagnostic Exam link here.
[ Top | FAQs - Examination ] Not usually. The Board will either mail you an application or you may download an application form from our web site.
[ Top | FAQs - Applications ] Experience requirements may vary depending on the extent of your education. You may purchase a copy of the laws and rules and/or request an application packet to be sent to you, or refer to the qualifications as defined in the Georgia laws and rules which are on the web site.
[ Top | FAQs - Examination ] These are abbreviations used for different licensure classifications and examinations. EI stands for Engineer Intern; EIT stands for Engineering-In-Training; FE stands for Fundamentals of Engineering examination. Georgia Law refers to certification as Engineer-In-Training rather than Engineer Intern, which is now being used by some state boards. LSI stands for Land Surveyor Intern; LSIT stands for Land Surveyor-In-Training; FLS stands for Fundamentals of Land Surveying examination . The NCEES now refers to the examination as the FE, which was previously the EIT. The same holds true for the FLS and the LSIT. These are different abbreviations but for the same examination. PLS stands for Professional Land Surveyor; LS stands for Land Surveyor. Georgia Law allows licensees to use the term "Land Surveyor" only, at this time. [ Top | FAQs - Licensure ] Current exam specifications for all examinations developed and maintained by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) may be accessed by clicking here. [ Top | FAQs - Examination ] Georgia law currently provides for veteran's preference points to be given when specific criteria are met. In general, the law [General Provisions Volume 30, Title 43-1-9.(1)(2)(3)] provides that veterans meeting certain conditions are eligible for the addition of five or ten percentage points to their examination scores. The veteran must have served for a minimum of one year in active duty status, and must have served during a period of conflict or war for a minimum of 90 days. If you wish to apply for veterans preference points, you may bring a copy of your DD-214 form to the examination site and turn it in to the examination proctor. Following is specific applicable information:
[ Top | FAQs - Examination ] You should look at the examination schedule. Also, please note the dates by which applications must be received by the Board and the Board's examination administrator. [ Top | FAQs - Examination ] The official board sanctioned FE/EIT Reference Handbook is available directly from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) and may be either downloaded directly from its web site or purchased using a FAX or mail in order form which you may also print from its web site. The handbook contains only reference formulas and tables; no example problems are included. The Board does not maintain copies of this handbook in its office. [ Top | FAQs - Examination ] The Board uses the services of a professional examination service, NCEES, to administer its examinations, and requires that fees related to the administration of an examination be paid directly to NCEES. The fee related to an application that determines examination eligibility must be made payable to the Secretary of State. [ Top | FAQs - Examination ] Study guides for engineering and land surveying examinations are available from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) [800-250-3196] and other organizations. [ Top | FAQs - Examination ] Generally, all devices
that
might compromise the security of the examination process are forbidden. Computers with
word processing capability are NOT permitted; however, battery-operated, silent,
non-printing calculators are permitted. [ Top | FAQs - Examination ] The NCEES is responsible for preparing and scoring the exams that it provides to all registration boards. For a detailed description of how examinations are prepared and scored, you should consult the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying's web site. Click on the following appropriate links for questions relating to the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination, Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) examinations, or the Land Surveying (FLS and PLS) examinations. [ Top | FAQs - Examination ] Q. How does the NCEES set the passing score on its exams at 70? A.
The NCEES follows a practice that is very common in the field of testing and reports
scores on a scale that always uses the same passing score.
This is referred to as a converted score or scaled score. For NCEES exams, 70 is used as the passing
score.
Q. Does a passing score of 70 mean that 70% of the questions were answered correctly? A. No. The required number of points (questions
answered correctly) needed to pass the exam is determined in terms of the total points
available on the exam. The required number of
points needed to pass the exam is referred to as the “raw passing score.” This raw passing score is always reported as the
converted or scaled score of 70.
Q. Making this
score conversion is confusing. Is it necessary? A. Score conversion to a uniform scale is a common practice. The practice is used so that the passing score on every administration of the exam is always the same. Furthermore, some licensing boards are required by law to use 70 as the passing score. The NCEES has used this practice for many years.
Q. From the questions and answers above, I gather that the raw
passing score can vary. Why is this? A. The raw
passing score can vary on exams that are no-choice. The
no-choice format has been used for many years by the NCEES on the Fundamentals of
Engineering exam and the two Land Surveying exams.
At the present time (2001) the PE exams are in the process of converting to this
format. The no-choice format permits the
NCEES to perform a statistical analysis and use it to adjust the raw passing score to
account for variations in the level of difficulty of the exams. So, if an exam is more difficult than usual the
raw passing score is lowered accordingly. This
means that the standard required for passing remains the same.
Q.
Traditionally, for the PE exam in civil engineering you had to get 48 points out of 80
possible points to pass. This was 60% of the
points available. Now that the passing score
is 70 does this mean you have "raised the bar"? A. Not at all. Under the old format prior to October 2000, the raw passing score for the civil engineering exam was always 48 raw points, and this passing score was always reported as a converted score of 70. In the old format candidates could pick and choose the questions they worked. Many candidates worked a unique set of questions. Under this system there was no way to adjust the passing score from 48 to account for variations in the difficulty of the exam. In October 2000, the civil engineering exam changed to a no-choice format. With this format all candidates work exactly the same exam and it will now be possible to use a statistical analysis to determine if any given exam is more difficult or less difficult than previous exams. The information is used to adjust the raw passing score. This means that an examinee's chances of passing the exam remain constant over time and do not depend on the difficulty of the specific exam that was taken. Therefore the new system is fairer to examinees.
Q. How did you determine the passing score on the October 2000 exam in civil engineering? A. The NCEES used the accepted method in the field of occupational testing. Licensed engineers who had not been involved in the assembly of the exams were used to judge or rate the difficulty of each of the questions. The ratings were then summed to rate the difficulty of the entire exam.
Q. In the afternoon session, candidates could choose from one of five different specialty areas within civil engineering. How was this taken into account when the raw passing scores were set? A. Separate panels of judges were used for each of the specialty area exams. Each panel rated the difficulty of the questions on the exam in their area of specialization. Separate raw passing scores were set for each specialty area exam. Coincidentally, the passing scores were all very close to the old raw point passing score of 48 points. However, every examinee is considered to have taken an exam in civil engineering, not a specialty area within civil engineering. Therefore, it is appropriate to convert these varying raw passing scores to a uniform scale, and on this scale 70 is used as the passing score.
Q. Since the
converted score I was given isn't in terms of real points on the exam, how do I know how
many more questions needed to be answered correctly to pass? A. NCEES believes that it is more meaningful to let candidates know which were their weak and strong subject areas so they can focus their studies for the next exam. We are doing this by issuing a diagnostic report for each failing candidate. As a rule of thumb, there is usually a close relation between the raw scores and the converted scores. If a candidate receives a scaled score of 68 it probably means they missed by two points. However, we don't believe this information is as useful as the diagnostic report.
[ Top | FAQs - Examination ] You must complete the application form provided. However, your education, verification of licensure and exams, and your references/endorsements should already be included in the NCEES record verification.
[ Top | FAQs - Applications ] All businesses offering engineering or land surveying services in the State of Georgia through individual registered professional engineers or land surveyors as agents, officers or partners are required to file an Application for Certificate of Authorization with the Board before they are allowed to practice in Georgia. Please refer to § 43-15-23 and §43-15-23.1. Sole proprietorships are exempt from this requirement.
[ Top | FAQs - Businesses ] For any change in the name of your firm, or to register a new (or different) firm, you must send the appropriate information to the Board in writing, by email, or by FAX (478) 207-1456. [ Top | FAQs - Businesses ] Send in writing a request to activate the expired Certificate of Authorization to the Board office. Include the name of the business, name of the principal engineer/land surveyor in charge, current address and phone number. You may send the information by letter to 237 Coliseum Drive, Macon, GA 31217-3858, by e-mail or FAX (478) 207-1456. [ Top | FAQs - Businesses ] All complaints are reviewed by the staff and the Board, and if necessary, an investigation is initiated. If disciplinary action is recommended, Legal Services will mail a Consent Order offering you the option of consenting to these sanctions or allowing you the opportunity to appeal the Board’s recommendations.
[ Top | FAQs - Complaints ] Complaint forms are available from the Board office on request by telephone or you may download the form here. [ Top | FAQs - Complaints ] Investigation of complaints can sometimes be a lengthy process and may take many months to complete. The Board makes every effort to pursue the matter as soon as possible; however, some cases take longer than others due to the technical nature and circumstances of the complaint. All cases are initially reviewed by the Board Cognizant Member who decides if additional evidence is needed. The case may then be sent to the Investigations section, another Board Member, a peer reviewer for another opinion on the matter, Legal Services for voluntary orders, and/or the Attorney General’s office for formal hearings before the Board. The commitment of the Board is that you, as the complainant, will be notified when the case is concluded and told the Board’s recommendations and actions taken. [ Top | FAQs - Complaints ] New licensees are exempt from the first renewal period for CE credits due. The next renewal (as of calendar year 2000) is December 31, 2000. Your first-time PDH's will be due December 31, 2002. Up to fifteen (15) hours may be carried over to the next renewal period.
[ Top | FAQs - Continuing Education ] The Board does not pre-approve particular courses or activities. A course or activity does not have to be presented by an “approved” sponsor/provider for the licensee to claim credit for the course or activity. You may claim PDH credits only for activities that conform to those described in Chapter 180-11 of the Rules of the Board. These activities should advance the professional or technical competence of the licensee. See “General Information and Procedure” in the Continuing Education link. [ Top | FAQs - Continuing Education ] Yes, up to 15 hours for professional engineers and 7.5 hours for land surveyors.
[ Top | FAQs - Continuing Education ] You may not renew until the PDH requirements are satisfied. Enrollment in a course does not ensure the Board that you will complete it satisfactorily. After completion, you can renew. [ Top | FAQs - Continuing Education ] Because the Georgia Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors has licensees who live all over the United States, as well as abroad, there is no requirement that the course, seminar, etc. must be offered in Georgia.
[ Top | FAQs - Continuing Education ]
[ Top | FAQs - Continuing Education ] The Board normally meets the first Tuesday of each month, with the exception of those months during which there are national or state meetings scheduled, usually in April and October, and when there is a holiday, in which case the meeting is usually moved to the following Wednesday. A meeting calendar is kept up-to-date on the web site.
[ Top | FAQs - Gen'l Information ] If you do not renew before the end of the renewal year, the fee is $300.00 for the next four (4) years. See fee schedule. Your license is considered in "Lapsed" status for four (4) years. To reactivate your license any time in that four (4) year period, you may pay the applicable fees and provide proof of Professional Development Hours (PDH) credits (30 for each renewal period for Professional Engineers and 15 for Land Surveyors.) A license that has been expired for four (4) years will be administratively revoked. The licensee must then request to be reinstated. The fee for reinstatement after four (4) years is $1000.00.
[ Top | FAQs - Licensure ] The Board may issue a Professional Engineer Certificate of Licensure to an individual who holds a certificate of licensure that was obtained through the National Council of Engineering Examiners' Council Records Program, or from any state or territory of the United States, if the requirements of the licensure that was issued are of a standard not lower than that specified or are not in conflict with O.C.G.A. Chapter 43-15-16(a). It may issue a Land Surveyor Certificate of Licensure to an individual who holds a certificate of licensure that was obtained through the National Council of Engineering Examiners' Council Records Program, or from any state or territory of the United States, obtained by written examination or other qualifications listed in O.C.G.A. Chapter 43-15-16(b), and in addition, passes a written examination on the laws of Georgia relating to land surveying and an examination on the principles of hydrology.
[ Board Home Page | FAQs - Licensure ] General requirements for professional engineer licensure by comity are as follows:
General requirements for land surveyors seeking licensure by comity are as follows:
[ Top | FAQs - Licensure ] The Board adopted a policy of no longer accepting temporary permit applications at the May 2004 Board meeting.
[ Top | FAQs - Licensure ] Board Rule 180-8-.02 requires that a registrant be over the age of 65 and retired or disabled in order to apply for inactive status. You must submit a request in writing or so indicate during the biennial license renewal process to be considered for inactive status. [ Top | FAQs - Licensure ] Your application will not be processed without the correct fee and will not be considered a timely submission. It will be returned to you to re-submit with the appropriate fee.
[ Top | FAQs - Applications ] The best way to track your application status is to check the new online feature at https://secure.sos.state.ga.us/mylicense/. The staff will notify you of missing information; however, it is in your best interest to follow-up until your file is complete. [ Top | FAQs - Applications ] When transcripts, references/endorsements, etc. are received prior to receipt of an application, they are placed in a holding file until the application is received. An application file is not started for an applicant until such time as an application and the appropriate fee have been received. [ Top | FAQs - Applications ] All applications are reviewed by staff, then by the Board on an on-going basis. Review of PE Comity applications take approximately 3-4 months to complete, and may take longer if there is a high volume of applications. PE comity applicants are notified in writing when the review is complete, not necessarily in correlation with a Board meeting.
Exam applications
are reviewed before the NCEES application deadline. Exam applicants are
notified in writing in time to apply with NCEES to sit for the exam. Notices
are sent out to the exam applicants as soon as they are reviewed; therefore,
your co-worker or friend may be notified sooner than you are, but you will be
notified in time to apply with NCEES.
[ Top | FAQs - Applications ] The high volume of applications dictates that deadlines are necessary in order for the staff to have sufficient time to process all applications for Board review, order the correct number of exam booklets, secure appropriate exam space and hire the appropriate number of proctors.
[ Top | FAQs - Examination ] Distribution of examination results may take up to seventeen (17) weeks. The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), and its designated subcontractor(s), score all national engineering and surveying examinations. The results are distributed as soon as possible after they are received in the Board office. [ Top | FAQs - Examination ] Examination grades are generally mailed out in mid-July for April examinations, and mid-February for October examinations. Wall certificates are generally mailed within four months of examination grade notifications.
[ Top | FAQs - Examination ] All foreign education shall be evaluated by a Board-approved evaluation firm to receive any educational credit. Georgia currently accepts foreign degree evaluations from AACRAO (http://www.aacrao.org/), Center for Professional Engineering Education Services (www.cpees.org) and Foreign Credentials Services of America (www.fcsa.biz) (revised 1/19/07)
[ Top | FAQs - Education ] It depends on when you received your license. The Board’s grandfather clause ended July 1, 1956. If your PE registration was acquired in another state after that date, you will be required to pass an examination. Based on education and experience, an applicant may be exempt from the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE/EIT) exam; however, Georgia Law does not provide for an exemption to the Principles and Practice examination after July 1, 1956.
[ Top | FAQs - Licensure ] Your registration must be renewed every two years. All registrant licenses expire on December 31 of even-numbered years. Renewal forms are mailed from the Board office in November. To renew without penalty, you should return your renewal forms and fees to the post office box indicated on the form by December 31. Remember that your "individual" registration has a different expiration date from a "firm" registration date. All "firm" registrations expire on June 30 of even-numbered years. [ Top | FAQs - Licensure ]
Most vendors of seals and stamps described under "Rubber Stamps" in the Yellow Pages of your classified telephone directory can make a rubber stamp seal in the size required by the Board. If they are unable to make a crimp type seal, they should be able to refer you to a company that is able to make it. Most dealers know the requirements for our seals. The specifications for the seal authorized by the Board may be found at Board Rule 180-12-.01. [ Top | FAQs - Licensure ] Yes, you must complete all sections of the application form. If all sections are not completed your application may be returned to you for completion. It is not necessary, however, to submit the documentation which should be contained in the Council Record, e.g. transcripts, references/endorsements, and verifications.
[ Top | FAQs - Applications ] The NCEES Records Verification Program provides this service. For more information you may contact the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) at 800-250-3196 or click here. [ Top | FAQs - Licensure ] Georgia does not have an expiration date for EIT certification. Your exam results for the EIT are good indefinitely. NOTE: This does vary from state to state. States that impose expiration dates on EIT certification’s may be unable to verify EIT/FE exam results for completion of your PE application in Georgia if your certification has expired. You would need to check with the state from which you received your EIT certification.
[ Top | FAQs - Examination ] No, Georgia does not license by discipline; however, applicants must be examined in their field of practice in order to demonstrate competency in their discipline. The Board may determine that you must be examined in a discipline other that the discipline you indicate in your application.
[ Top | FAQs - Licensure ] You may check to see whether or not your engineering or engineering technology degree was accredited by ABET at the time you were awarded your degree by reviewing the programs listing maintained by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) or the Technology Accreditation Commission (TAC) of ABET. Also, a complete description of the ABET accreditation process may be found here. You may contact the ABET accreditation director regarding programs which are not contained on this list by accessing ABET's main web site at http://www.abet.org/
[ Top | FAQs - Education ] The Board requires that you notify us within thirty days of a change in your address. Your notification must include your name, license number, social security number, both your old and new addresses, and your date of birth.
You may change your
address by:
Future plans for this web site include an on-line change of address capability.
[ Top | FAQs - Licensure ] Yes. It's called Continuing Professional Competency and all professional engineers are required to obtain 30 Professional Development Hours (PDH) every two years before they can renew. All land surveyors are required to obtain 15 Professional Development Hours (PDH) every two years before they can renew. Instructions for meeting the requirements for continuing professional competency are described at the Board's General Information and Procedures. Also, a complete description of the requirements, unit definitions, credit determinations, recordkeeping requirements, exemptions, and required forms may be found in Chapter 180-11 of the Board Rules.
[ Top | FAQs - Licensure ] No, since you are not permitted to stamp any plans, you do not need to register your EIT certification from another state to work in Georgia. When you apply for the PE exam, you will need to indicate the state where you obtained EIT certification and it will be verified at that time.
[ Top | FAQs - Licensure ]
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