May/June 2018

PE Report
NCEES Reaches Settlement Over Alleged Misuse of Questions

The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying reached an $800,000 settlement agreement with a test preparation company over allegations of the unauthorized use of copyrighted practice questions belonging to NCEES.

In addition to the payment, the test preparation company agreed to permanently remove the NCEES-owned material from its print and online materials on an agreed-upon schedule. Under the agreement, the company does not admit any guilt regarding copyright infringement or liability to NCEES, and NCEES will not disclose the company’s identity.

NCEES produces licensing exams for engineering and surveying, including the FE and PE exams. The nonprofit organization also publishes study materials, including practice exams, to familiarize candidates with the format and content of the exams. NCEES alleged that the test preparation company used NCEES’ copyrighted practice questions in its exam preparation materials without authorization.

“NCEES and its volunteers have literally thousands of hours invested in the development of high-quality examination items that assist licensing boards in performing their important work,” says NCEES CEO Jerry Carter. “We will take whatever steps are required to protect our intellectual property.”