Taking the PE Power exam outside the US

Where NCEES offers the PE exam outside the US

NCEES lists the foreign entities it has agreements with on its international professionals page. Its PE exam page (under “International”) says these administer PE exams:

• Alberta, Canada: Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA).
• Egypt: The American University in Cairo (AUC). NCEES says AUC graduates apply for approval through AUC.
• Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates: American University of Sharjah (AUS).
• Japan: Japan PE/FE Examiners Council (JPEC).
• Korea: Korean Professional Engineer Association (KPEA).
• Saudi Arabia: Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE).
• Taiwan: Chinese Institute of Engineers (CIE). NCEES says only Taiwan residents are eligible.
• Turkey: Istanbul Technical University (ITU). NCEES says only currently enrolled seniors and graduates of ITU may take NCEES exams.

NCEES does not say which PE disciplines each entity offers, and we found no NCEES statement that the Power exam is given at any particular site outside the US. Some notes on the NCEES page still show deadlines from past years, so ask the entity for its current dates and whether it offers Power. The other entities on the NCEES list (British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan in Canada, and EES in Egypt) say they do not offer the PE exam.

Fees

• Examinees approved through a foreign entity pay a nonrefundable $25 international scheduling fee when they register (Examinee Guide, p. 3).
• NCEES's notes for most of the entities state “A $425 exam fee is payable directly to NCEES.” The Power exam fee in the US is $400 (NCEES Power exam page). NCEES does not say whether the $425 includes the $25 scheduling fee; check when you register.
• Some entities also require their own application and may charge a fee for it.

Which country you test in

• Examinees may test at any NCEES-approved test center in Canada, the United States or US territories.
• If an international entity other than Canada approved you, you must take the exam at an NCEES-approved test center in that country.
• Active-duty members of the US armed forces, or their spouses, serving outside North America can ask to test at an NCEES-approved test center outside North America.
• NCEES exams are given only at Pearson test centers.

Source: NCEES Examinee Guide, pp. 4–5.

Approval, registration, ID and language

1. Eligibility is set by the licensing board or, abroad, by the foreign entity. Apply to the entity for approval first.
2. Once approved, register with NCEES through MyNCEES, pay, and schedule at a Pearson test center.
3. On exam day, bring one of: an ID issued by a government in the country where you test, an international travel passport in roman characters from your country of citizenship, or a US military ID.

The names you register with must be in English and match your government-issued ID, and all NCEES exams are given in English only (Examinee Guide, pp. 2, 8).

Licensure is still through a US state board

Passing the exam does not by itself give you a license. There is no single, nationwide license: a US state licensing board grants it when you meet its requirements in education, experience and exams. Most US boards ask candidates whose degrees are not from EAC/ABET-accredited programs to have their credentials evaluated, and NCEES offers a Credentials Evaluations service (source: NCEES international professionals page).

Preparing from outside the US

The exam supplies US codes and standards (the NEC, NFPA 70E and the NESC among them) and uses both SI and US Customary units. The exam facts page lists the code editions and the nine knowledge areas, and the handbook and codes guide covers searching them on screen.

PhasorPrep passes are not currently sold in the EU, the UK, India, South Korea or Saudi Arabia.