Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  03/04/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  NCEES maintains a monopoly on engineering exams and arbitrary rules surrounding registration. I paid for an authorization to take an exam, but due to life circumstances, I wasn't ready to take it within the 12 month window. I contacted them, paid a cancelation fee to the testing center, and waited for my exam refund. Come to find out you have to also cancel the exam registration through their website. Since it had expired, they refused to give me my money back. The issues here are 1. Arbitrary 12 month authorization. Exactly why is this necessary? Indefinite authorization would cause what problems exactly? Obviously this is just intended to make money and put pressure on applicants. Highly unethical for an exam which is being required more and more for even entry level positions. 2. Convoluted cancelation process. I can't think of any other time where I've needed to cancel something twice for it to be canceled. Once again, what purpose does this serve other than to make money off of new engineers? I know the NCEES rep will respond with the boiler plate "NCEES does not provide refunds of fees when policies and procedures are not met." Frankly I don't care and I'm not arguing the technicalities of their policies. This is pointless and unethical.

  

  Business response

  03/04/2025

  The 12 month authorization period is because these exams are for the purpose of licensure and a US state engineering (or surveying) licensure board has to authorize any individual to take the exam.  This is a national policy that cannot be altered by NCEES.

  The cancellation process is two parts because there are many people who ONLY wish to cancel their appointment and reschedule at a later time when they are ready to test.  Cancelling just the appointment allows them the opportunity to not have to completely re-register (and going through a state board approval process) again.  But this also then means that if you wish to completely cancel your exam, you also have to cancel your registration.  The receipt of the refund is a good indication that you've completed the process.

  Further, all of this is explained in the NCEES Examinee Guide, for which every individual submitting a registration through the NCEES system has to attest that they have read, understood and agreed to abide by.  This document has all information regarding the authorization period and the cancellation process.  NCEES makes every attempt to ensure that registrants through our system understand the entire process and our staff is always available to answer any questions.

• Initial Complaint

  01/30/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am writing to formally express my dissatisfaction regarding an incident that occurred during my recent attempt to take Ncees-FE Civil exam on January 26, 2025, at the examination center (person VUE) in Egypt. I had planned meticulously for this exam. I obtained my visa, booked my flight, and traveled from my workplace in Saudi Arabia to the exam center in Egypt. I arrived at the designated location on the scheduled date and time, fully prepared to take the test. However, upon my arrival, I was denied entry to the examination. The staff at the center informed me that there was a discrepancy with my name. My account with NCEES lists my name as three parts, while my passport and national ID display my name in four parts. Despite the fact that the first three names match exactly and my photograph corresponds with all documents, I was still barred from entering the exam. And the staff open a case for my situation with the test center. This situation is incredibly frustrating, as I had followed all the necessary procedures and made significant investments in time and resources to prepare for this examination. Furthermore, I was disheartened to learn that NCEES refused to allow me to reschedule the exam or offer exam refund. I kindly request your assistance in resolving this matter. I know that I may violated the rules, but I believe that my situation merits reconsideration, given the substantial evidence of my identity and the efforts I made to comply with all requirements. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

  

  Business response

  01/30/2025

  NCEES makes very clear when you register for the exam that your name must match your ID exactly. On a daily basis, NCEES assists customers with adjusting their name so that there are no issues when entering the exam facility.  This information is also very clearly outlined as part of the NCEES Examinee Guide (a document that you attest to having read, understood and agreed to abide by when you register for any of our exams). 

  NCEES does not provide refunds of fees when policies and procedures are not met.

  Customer response

  01/31/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********* and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. 
  
  [I’m not asking for refund. I just asking to allow me to reschedule my FE civil exam even if Ncees cut cancellation fees]
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* *****

  

  Business response

  01/31/2025

  NCEES does not provide refunds or free rescheduling (which isn't an option at this point) for any individual who did not follow our policies and procedures.

• Initial Complaint

  01/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  NCEES claims to provide exams and certifications for college engineering students. I paid NCEES $175.00 for an FE exam, they subcontracted the exam to Pearson VUE. I was sick leading up to the Saturday exam, so I called the test center on Wed, Thur and Fri leaving messages asking to call me back about whether they want me to take the exam when I am coughing, or if they want me to reschedule. They never returned a call. Then Saturday morning the ND DOT issued a no travel advisory across North Dakota due to -34 F weather with windchill of -70 F, I called the test center in the morning to see if they were open, there was no answer. I left another message asking to call me if they open the test center that day. Since the test center was closed they never called back. NCEES was not answering their phones Monday or Tuesday, someone at NCEES finally answered on Wednesday, they told me they will not reschedule me due to the test center being closed, but would reschedule since I was ill. However, they said they need a note from anyone at a doctors office, they assured me it could be a nurse or a doctor. I asked them what the note should say, they said "anything." So I asked if it says "--- was sick on Jan 13th" is this enough? They said Yes. I had an doctors appointment scheduled the next week, so I waited until my appointment and a nurse signed a paper saying "--- was sick on Jan 13, 2024". With the letter in hand I called NCEES again to ask where to send the letter, I also asked to make sure it can be from a nurse, which they again told me yes. I sent the signed letter, then Tracy S*****, Manager of Client Services and Exam Administration Services, followed up asking me personal medical questions, I answered all of them for her, finally she told me a letter from a nurse is not acceptable, she wants a letter from a doctor. Also according to NCEES policy I have less than 24 hours to get this back to them. Tracy says she will not reschedule the exam or provide a refund.

  

  Business response

  01/26/2024

  NCEES requires legitimate proof from a doctor regarding an illness that occurred on or about the exam appointment day to consider a refund of the fees.  The note provided by this individual was not sufficient and the applicant was informed what would be needed.  I have attached the note so you can see how insufficient it is. The note can be from a nurse but must be something more than a handwritten sentence on a piece of paper (must be an official document from a doctor’s office, often filled out by a nurse). This has not been provided.  Per policy, a refund is not provided without this type of necessary documentation.

• Initial Complaint

  08/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have taken the PS exam and “failed”. This negativity impacts not only my well-being but financially sets me back thousands of dollars. The test comes with a “failed” report with a diagnosis of what I should study for. I’ve asked to know the exact questions I’ve missed so I can study these questions. NCEES claims they cannot reveal answers due to security reasons. I’ve asked NCEES for a for some sort of guarantee regarding the honesty and integrity the grading process because they do not disclose this information seeing how I cannot actually get my physical results back question for question. According to Andy B******** at the NCEES, he would not guarantee that tests are being fairly graded or scaled. I asked if there were old practice tests, were Andy directed me the practice exams but disclosed that these practice exams were merely guides, not representative of the actual questions on the exam. I believe NCEES has discriminated against me and will not provide any documentation showing that they graded tests fairly or that my exam was not discriminated against. Because NCEES only receives funds for these types of tests, it is in their interest not to disclose questions/answers to collect additional funds as a predatory business practice and that my exam was in fact a passing exam, yet they fail to provide any proof I am wrong.

  

  Business response

  08/22/2023

  All results are reported as pass or fail.  If a candidate fails the exam, they receive a diagnostic report showing their performance for each of the major topics covered on the exam. The diagnostic report is provided to help identify the knowledge areas where improvement is needed before retaking the exam. The purpose of this report is to provide general information on performance; it is not designed or intended to be used for any other purpose.
  The candidate’s performance in each knowledge area tested is compared to the average passing candidate.  Upon review of Mr. ********* performance on his most recent attempt at passing the PS exam, he performed significantly poorer than the average passing candidate in 3 out of the 4 knowledge areas being tested.  Exam results are based on the total number of correct answers that are selected. There are no deductions for wrong answers. The score is then converted to a scaled score, which adjusts for any minor differences in difficulty across the different exam forms. This scaled score represents an examinee’s ability level and is compared to the minimum ability level for that exam, which has been determined by subject-matter experts through psychometric statistical methods. NCEES does not publish the passing score. NCEES scores each exam with no predetermined percentage of examinees that should pass or fail.
  I can guarantee that all exams are scored the same way and graded fairly.  First-time takers and repeat takers are graded to the same standard.   Each exam is machine graded, and prior to the release of weekly results, a batch of random exams are hand-checked to confirm that the scoring is being executed properly. 
  A review of actual exam items that were administered, whether a candidate answered them correctly or not, is not something NCEES permits.  The exam items are Intellectual Property and considered secured material considering they represent the determining factor as to whether an individual who successfully passes the exam will be deemed minimally competent and presented a license to practice with the expectation, they will be able to do so in a way that safeguards the life, health, safety, and welfare of the public.  For as long as an item is relevant to the discipline’s practice, meets the exam blueprint, and performs statistically in a way that will determine those who are competent, it shall remain confidential for potential use on future exams.
  This is the case with all high-stakes exams, and to violate that protocol would represent a breach in the exam bank and a loss of NCEES Intellectual Property.  Mr. ******* should review all knowledge areas of the specifications in the 3 out of 4 domains he underperformed in on the exam.  They represent a wholistic failure across the knowledge areas, not just one or two specifications within them, and they should be treated as such.
  NCEES does publish and sell practice exams. The sample problems are intended to familiarize candidates with the format of the exam and the way the specifications can be tested. It is in no way intended to cover or demonstrate all possible knowledges to be tested in the specifications or the maximum (or minimum) level of difficulty for each of those knowledge areas.
  I can confirm that Mr. ******* did fail the NCEES Professional Surveying (PS) exam that he took on August 8, 2023, and we have provided him with everything that we provide to all failing candidates and extended him every courtesy that he will allow.  I am unable to comment on how it has impacted his well-being or his financial situation, but I can say his interactions with the NCEES staff was disrespectful and showed a lack of professionalism.  Mr. ******* also failed the Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) exam twice, once on February 6, 2018, and again on July 2, 2018, and the same procedures for scoring and reporting results were in effect, and there was no such complaint lodged.  He has failed the PS exam once, and now believes that the same procedures for scoring and reporting results do not apply, but in essence, they have not changed.
  The mission of NCEES is to advance licensure for engineers and surveyors to safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of the public.  We do so in many ways, two of which include:
  •            Providing outstanding nationally normed examinations for engineers and surveyors
  •            Promoting professional ethics among all engineers and surveyors
  It is a mission that the men and women affiliated with this organization take very seriously, and they do so to the tune of 85,000 candidates a year.  To accuse a national organization charged with such an important mission with discrimination due to an unsuccessful attempt is unprofessional, disrespectful, and slanderous at best.  What Mr. ******* has suggested represents a conspiracy that would be on a scale far grander than he could imagine for the number of people that would be involved, and this organization has neither the inclination, time, nor temper to partake in such things.  In the meantime, we will return to executing our mission, and we will continue to do so without pride or prejudice because there are too many people depending on us, including Mr. Samberg, to do just that regarding the safe and competent practice of Engineering and Surveying. 
  He signed up for, paid for, and took the exam.  No refund is appropriate.

• Initial Complaint

  03/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am a State Civil Engineer (Range C), and I am going through the worst and most distressing experience ever, Wednesday, December 21, 2022. After minutes of starting my Professional Engineer PE (Civil - Transportation) - CBT exam, at ******* Professional Centers in *********, Sacramento, I discovered that I couldn't open any references. I kept trying to click on it, but it didn't come up. I asked for help, and after many trials with changing the station and connecting the technical support. ******* Professional Centers representative agreed that there is a technical problem with my exam version and my exam must be canceled. I was following up with NCEES for two weeks, and finally I got the authorization to reschedule the exam again. I had to keep checking every hour to find any availability, I asked for help to get an earlier date as a minimum make up for what happened, but I didn’t get any support with that. I scheduled the exam again for Wednesday, March 1st with different ******* Professional Center in Sacramento, and I contacted NCEES before my exam to make sure this technical issue has been solved, and it will not happen again, and the answer was (No, it was a unique incident, it will not happen again). But unfortunately, IT HAPPENED AGAIN, after minutes of starting my exam on March 1st, and after stopping and restarting the exam twice, I had to wait for more than two hours and finally, I chose to complete the exam, but I also experienced interruptions that hindered my concentration. This included the time lost when I was forced to stop and restart the exam twice, plus having to keep trying with the glitch of the references, this was all very disappointing and difficult for me. I am losing hundreds of dollars every minute without taking this exam, and I am losing a lot of opportunities for being stuck for months on (Range C) because I am not able to finish this exam for such a technical issue occurs two times in a row.

  

  Business response

  03/09/2023

  Note: NCEES offices were closed during the week of 12/26/2022. There were also delays by ******* VUE with receiving candidate’s partial results which were required to reauthorized her exam.
  
  On 12/28/2023, NCEES advised candidate as follows:
  NCEES and ******* VUE endeavor at all times to ensure that exams are properly prepared, handled, and scored. This was an unlikely event which requires your PE Civil: Transportation exam to be rescheduled. NCEES is working with ******* VUE to update your current exam status of Scheduled. Once the appropriate information is received, NCEES will reauthorize your exam which will allow you to schedule a new PE Civil exam appointment. NCEES will contact you once this has been completed. NCEES and ******* VUE apologize for the inconveniences you encountered.
  
  On 01/05/2023, NCEES advised candidate as follows:
  NCEES just received an updated exam status from ******* VUE; there was delay in receiving this information due to the holidays. As previously discussed, a technical issue occurred which prevented you from taking your exam. Because of this, your exam has been reauthorized; please log into your MyNCEES account to schedule a new exam appointment. Please note that your exam must be taken prior to 08/19/2023.
  If you need assistance with scheduling your exam, you should contact ******* VUE (888-********). Be sure to advise that your exam had to be rescheduled due to a technical issue at the test center.
  
  On 02/27/2023, NCEES advised candidate as follows:
  Appointments are available on a first come, first serve basis. ******* VUE will not cancel another candidate's appointment to allow a candidate to schedule their appointment.
  As previously advised, a technical issue occurred that limited access to your reference material; it had nothing to do with your MyNCEES account.
  Good luck when you take your PE Civil: Transportation exam.
  
  
  On 03/02/2023, NCEES advised candidate as follows:
  ******* VUE is responsible for delivering exams to the test center. When a technical issue occurs, ******* VUE has a team to assist with those issues. When I received the call from the test center, I immediately contacted ******* VUE and had them contact the test center and advise them to follow the prescribed protocols for handling technical issues.
  NCEES and ******* VUE again apologize for the inconveniences you encountered. The technical issues appear to be a unique occurrence. NCEES will ensure that ******* VUE determines and corrects those issues.
  I understand that you did complete your exam. NCEES did receive an answer response for each question. At this point, we need to wait until your results have been processed and released. If you do not pass the PE Civil: Transportation exam, NCEES will determine the appropriate corrective action and contact you.
  
  On 03/05/2023, NCEES advised candidate as follows:
  ******* VUE did notify NCEES that you had technical issues during your exam. However, ******* VUE has not defined the cause of those technical issues. NCEES is also disappointed that you encountered these issues during your exam. NCEES is working with ******* VUE to ensure they determine the cause and corrects those issues. Since this was a unique occurrence, it may take ******* VUE several days to determine the cause and notify NCEES.
  Your exam results will be based on the total number of correct answers that you selected; this is how exam results are determined as directed by the licensing boards; NCEES has no other means for evaluating exam results. As previously advised, NCEES needs to wait until your results have been processed and released. If you do not pass the PE Civil: Transportation exam, NCEES will determine the appropriate corrective action and contact you.
  
  On 03/06/2023, candidate’s account showed a failed result. NCEES advised candidate as follows:
  That is the result for your PE Civil: Transportation exam that was delivered on 12/21/2022. Those results will be superseded by your results for your PE Civil: Transportation exam delivered on 03/01/2023. Your results will be released on 03/08/2023. NCEES apologizes for the confusion.
  
  On 03/07/2023, NCEES advised candidate as follows:
  Your PE Civil: Transportation exam that was delivered on 12/21/2022 was scored based on the answer responses you provided. NCEES reauthorized that exam, so it is the same exam record. Those results will be superseded by your results for your PE Civil: Transportation exam delivered on 03/01/2023.
  
  Note: ******* VUE has escalated this case to a Level 2 technician to see if they can determine what caused this issue.
  
  Note: Candidate’s results (Pass) were released on 03/08/2023 at 09:34 am EST.
  

  Customer response

  03/09/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. 
  
  I lost money and many opportunities during those months since the exam has been cancelled last December until I pass the exam March 8.

  I have experienced a worst experience ever being ready for the exam after studying hard for months and then the exam has been cancelled easily for the technical issue reason.

  I have experienced anxiety of going through the experience again, and unfortunately it happened again. 

  I have experienced suffering for two hours during the March 1st exam to get any help just to complete the exam.

  I have experienced to complete the exam with this glitch of references, and with all this stress and the time I lost.

  I have experienced the feelings of (Failed) just because the status couldn't be (Not completed) or (cancelled) due to the technical difficulties.

  
  Regards,
  
  ******* *******

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