Need Advice on Florida Professional Engineer Exam (Vanity)

I need some advice on how to handle some problems I've recently encountered in attempting to sign up to re-take the Professional Engineers exam in Florida. The events form into a long story so I'm hoping someone will be patient and bear with me. I have taken the exam three times and for various reasons failed. The rules have always been that a person can take the exam 5 times, after that the Board of Professional Engineers requires you to take college level classes in areas of deficiency. It ultimately is my fault I've failed, but I think I have some pretty darn good reasons, as far as reasons for failing a test go! The first time I took it I was getting married the next month; I obviously had other things on my mind. The second time my husband and I were in the process of buying our first house. The third time I was signed up to take a review course, but the company I was working for at the time started sending me out of town 3 days a week so I was unable to attend the class. I wasn't going to take the test, but my husband talked me into taking it at the last minute because Hey! I'd have 2 more times to take if I needed to. The last time I took the test I got a 68, 70 is passing. So, on June 11 I download the re-application from the Board's website and it has some ambiguous directions on when and were to send my application fee, so I emailed the liscensure technician for clarification. The outcome of his email (and I still have the documentation of this) was that if I wait until July 1 to send my application in I would not need to send a fee to the Board, only my application, but would have to send a fee to a company the Board has hired to proctor the exam. If I sent in my fee before July 1 I would have to pay the board and pay this outside company and then wait for a refund check from the Board. On July 1 I promptly mailed my application in, without the fee and on July 7 I got the application returned to me with a letter stating that I had not included the proper $100 fee. On Monday morning, July 9 I called the Board to get clarification and got an email response that they had changed their process, that I needed to send my check for $125 to the Board. I searched the Board's website and found no information that the fee had changed, in fact the application still said $100. They just changed the web page July 19, yesterday. Second problem with the Board is this. Apparently the state legislature changed the rules, you can only take the exam 3 times now, instead of 5. I'm having a hard time getting a legal interpretation of the new wording of the statute though. And, given the wrong information the Board has given me on something as simple as a fee, I'm not inclined to rely on them for an interpretation or intention of the new law. The new wording reads: Every applicant who is qualified to take the fundamentals examination or the principles and practices examination shall be allowed to take either examination three times, notwithstanding the number of times either examination has been previously failed. If an applicant fails either examination three times, the board shall require the applicant to complete additional college-level education courses as a condition of future eligibility to take that examination.

My question is, does this basically say that from this point forward the slate is wiped clean and everyone has three times to take the test (notwithstanding the number of times the examination has been previously failed), or that since I've failed the test three times previously I now am required to take additional college courses?

In addition, the law was signed into effect on June 17, so had I been given proper information about sending the fee when I asked on June 11, I would have been registered before the law took effect and would have been allowed to take it.

The other problem I have with this is that as of this morning, none of this rule change information is listed on the Board's web page, nor in the Florida Administrative Code online. The only way I knew about it was from someone who took the exam this past April and failed, that got a notice in their paperwork. But, I did not take the test this past April and received no notice of the rule change. The only place to find the rule is to go to www.flsenate.gov and look up the House Bill number. And, I'm pretty sure that if I sent my application in and it was denied the Board gets to keep my fee.

Dealing with the Board directly has been a nightmare. The liscensure tech I contacted basically told me that he gets a lot of email and he's sorry if he answered me wrong, but I'd just have to be mad at him. His supervisor will not return my phone calls. I have contacted my local representative in the Florida House and they are trying to get further information, but the deadline for application is July 30.

Anyone out there having a similiar problem or know who else I can contact to get more information?

The thing is, it's not just a matter of taking 1 class. I'd have to take 4 classes (12 credit hours). While working, that would take me 4 semesters to complete, plus about $2000.
Florida also has this rule that I can go to Georgia and take the exam and have the results tranferred here if I pass. I'd be able to take the exam next April. I'm thinking this is my alternative if I don't get the answer I'm looking for on the law interpretation.

I'd attempt to register for the fall exam as you planned.

If that does not work, try taking the exam in GA or elsewhere. I did this myself to get around rediculous experience requirements.

If you go to another state, you are most likely going to have to do the full application just to take the exam. Get that state's registration is your original, it'll make things easier. You can always go back to FL and obtain licensure by comity/reciprocity anyway. Besides, it'll be nice to have an actual stamp, rather than that hand/palm wrecking crimp seal as in FL.

I currently have a license application pending in GA. The application process is pretty simple there. You ought to be able to take the expirience information straight off of your FL application. I pulled mine, in condensed form, from my CA application. Good luck if you go for TX, you'll be writing a novel.

What discipline are you testing for?

I'm an electrical dude. I tried the NSPE study guides, and gave up on them, despite several hundred $$ spent. I found the Practices & Principles guide editted by Potter to be invaluable for preparation.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.