Section 1480.150  Examination

a)         Beginning with the April 2011 exam administration, the examination for licensure as a structural engineer shall be divided into 2 Parts.

1)         Part I - Fundamentals of Engineering.  This examination shall consist of problems or other examining techniques designed to evaluate the applicant's knowledge of the basic and engineering sciences and related subjects normally considered as the fundamentals of engineering.

2)         Part II – 16-hour Structural Examination.  This examination replaces the Structural I and Structural II examinations.  This examination shall consist of two 8-hour components:  the Vertical Forces (gravity/other) and Incidental Lateral component and the Lateral Forces (wind/earthquake) component.  An applicant must receive acceptable results on both 8-hour components to pass the Structural Examination.  The problems may include, but not be limited to, bridges, buildings, foundations, and the practice of structural engineering as described in Section 5 of the Act.

3)         An applicant may sit for each component in separate exam administrations but must receive acceptable results on both components within a five-year period.  If both components are not satisfactorily completed within the five-year period, the applicant shall be required to retake the first component.

4)         Part I of the examination shall be waived for an applicant who is enrolled as an engineer intern or licensed as a professional engineer and who received a license by passing the fundamentals of engineering examination administered under the authority of the Illinois Professional Engineer Practice Act of 1989 or by another jurisdiction.

b)         A state constructed Structural III examination shall not be accepted towards meeting the examination requirements for licensure.

c)         The NCEES 8-hour Principles & Practice of Engineering Civil/Structural examination shall not be accepted towards meeting the examination requirement for licensure as a structural engineer.

d)        The examination administered by the Division shall be provided by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).  The specific examination content shall be as determined by periodic evaluations of the test specifications by NCEES.

e)         The scoring of the examinations and determination of scores shall be as approved by NCEES.

f)         Separate scores shall be given for the Fundamentals of Engineering and/or the 16-hour Structural.  All scores shall be graded as pass or fail.  Once an applicant fails a Part of the examination, that Part shall not be waived.

g)         Candidates may not review their examination booklet or the associated answer sheets.  Rescoring of the examination or any individual problem is not permitted; however, a retabulation of the numerical score will be permitted for a paper examination, but no retabulation of a computer-based examination is allowed.

h)         Retake of Examination

1)         Applicants shall be required to retake only the Part on which a passing score was not achieved.

2)         If an applicant fails to pass an examination for licensure under this Act within 3 years after filing the application, the application shall be denied.  However, the applicant may thereafter make a new application for examination, accompanied by the required fee (Section 1480.195).  New applications shall include proof of meeting the qualifications for examination in effect at the time of the new application except as provided for in subsection (h)(1).

i)          Successful scores of previously passed Parts of the examination shall be accepted for the purpose of licensure provided the applicant has met all other requirements for licensure as outlined in the Act.  For these purposes, the most recent score on a Part shall be the score of record.  In no circumstances shall the Division accept a previous passing score on a Part for an applicant whose score of record is a failing score.

j)          After the October 2010 examination administration, if an applicant has not passed both the Structural I and II examinations, the applicant will be required to take and pass the 16-hour Structural examination and will receive no credit for passing either the Structural I or the Structural II examinations.

k)         Examinations may be given in various formats with different application submittal dates depending on the examination format.

1)         For examinations administered in paper form in October and April, there is an examination assignment cutoff date that varies depending on the actual date of the examination.  For examinations administered in the spring, receipt of the applications after November 15 for the April exam or, for examinations administered in the fall, after May 15 for the October examination, may not provide sufficient time for required credentials to arrive at the Department and be reviewed by the Board prior to the exam assignment cutoff date.  If this occurs, the applicant will be approved to sit for a later examination if all requirements are met.

2)         For examinations administered continuously in a computer-based format, there is no deadline for submittal of the application and the applicant, if approved to sit for the exam, will be allowed to test for three years after date of receipt of the application by the Department.  For the computer based examinations, there will be four windows in a year, with a maximum of three attempts in any calendar year, and no more than one attempt in a window.

l)          Any person who is licensed in Illinois as a Structural Engineer will not be allowed to retake a passed examination or take a different version of the structural examination unless specifically required to do so by the Board.

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 946, effective January 5, 2023)