Section 1380.260  Examination

a)         Examinations for licensure are administered in a computer-based format.  Applicants may attempt a particular NCEES exam one time per testing window and no more than three times in a 12-month approval period, which begins with the examinee’s first attempt.  Applicants must apply and register directly with the exam administrator to sit for the examinations and then apply to the Division upon successful passage.

b)         The examination for licensure as a professional engineer shall be divided into two Parts. If an applicant wishes only to be enrolled as an Engineer Intern, and if the applicant otherwise qualifies under Section 1380.242, the applicant shall be required to take only Part I of the examination.

1)         Part I – Fundamentals of Engineering 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 an engineering education.

2)         Part II – Principles and practice of Engineering Examination shall consist of problems or other examining techniques relating to designs in or to the practice of professional engineering as described in Section 4(o) of the Act.  The Structural I, Structural II, and 16-hour Structural examinations shall not satisfy the examination requirement for Part II.

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

d)         Part I of the examination will be waived for an applicant who is licensed as a structural engineer and who received such license by passing the fundamentals of engineering examination administered under the Structural Engineering Licensing Act of 1989 [225 ILCS 340].

e)         The scoring of the examinations and determination of scores shall be as approved by NCEES.  Separate scores shall be given for Part I and Part II and shall be reported as pass or fail.

f)         An applicant who sits for both Parts I and II of the examination and passes only Part I shall be eligible to be enrolled as an Engineer Intern.

g)         Retake of Examination

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

2)         If an applicant neglects, fails without an approved excuse, or refuses to take the next available examination offered for licensure under this Act within 3 years after filing the application, the fee paid by the applicant shall be forfeited and the application denied.  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, such applicant may thereafter make a new application for examination, accompanied by the required fee (Section 9(b) of the Act). New applications shall include proof of meeting the qualifications for examination in effect at the time of the new application except as provided in subsection (h).

h)         Successful scores of previously passed Parts of the examination shall be accepted for the purposes of licensure provided the applicant has met all other requirements for licensure as outlined in the Act.  For such 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.

i)          A candidate who fails an examination may not review his/her 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 paper examinations but no retabulation of a computer based examination is allowed.

j)          If an applicant has failed an examination, the examination may not be waived for licensure.

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 876, effective January 5, 2023)