NCEES PE Agricultural and Biological Engineering · USA · NCEES (ASABE is the content partner)
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersHow the profession is regulated and what an engineer owes the public, the client and colleagues.
In the exams: Explicit in PRC ABE; NCEES FE Ethics 5–8 questions; NCEES PE codes and standards
How our questions for NCEES PE Agricultural and Biological Engineering spread across the units of Professional Practice, Ethics & Laws. Difficulty: 8 easy, 18 medium, 10 hard.
| Safety and liability | 12 | |
| Using and citing standards in design | 9 | |
| Licensure law: RA 10915 (Philippines) and NCEES model law (USA) | 7 | |
| Standards bodies: BIS, ASABE, ISO, PAES/PNS | 6 | |
| Contracts and specifications | 2 |
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
What is the usual sequence to become a licensed Professional Engineer under the NCEES Model Law?
B. Accredited degree, FE exam, supervised experience, then the PE exam
The Model Law path is an ABET-accredited degree, the Fundamentals of Engineering exam (engineer intern), typically four years of progressive experience, and the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam. States vary in details and alternative routes.
A licensed engineer is asked by a developer to seal drainage plans prepared entirely by an unlicensed draftsman whom she has never supervised. What is this practice called, and is it allowed?
B. Plan stamping; prohibited because she had no responsible charge
A seal certifies that the work was prepared by the engineer or under her responsible charge, meaning direct control and personal supervision. Sealing others' work without that control is plan stamping, a ground for discipline in the US and the Philippines.
Under the NCEES Model Rules, if an engineer's judgement is overruled in a way that endangers life or property, the engineer shall:
B. Notify the employer or client and such other authority as may be appropriate
The Model Rules echo the codes: when judgement is overruled under circumstances where life, health, property or welfare are endangered, licensees shall notify their employer or client and other appropriate authority. Silence or simple resignation does not meet the duty.
In specifications and standards written to ISO drafting rules, which verbal form expresses a mandatory requirement?
B. Shall
'Shall' states a requirement; 'should' a recommendation; 'may' a permission; 'can' a possibility or capability. Writing 'should' where a requirement is intended weakens the owner's position.
Which four elements must normally be shown to establish negligence?
D. Duty of care, breach of that duty, causation and damage
Negligence requires a duty of care, a breach by falling below the required standard, causation linking the breach to the harm, and damage that is not too remote. Intent is not required, and negligence can arise without any contract.
In strict product liability, what must an injured person usually prove against the manufacturer?
C. That the product was defective and that the defect caused the injury
Strict liability removes the need to prove negligence; the claimant must show a defect and causation. It applies to manufacturers in the US, the EU and, under the Consumer Protection Act 2019, India. A direct contract is not needed.
Every unit of a model of grain auger has an unguarded intake that a safer, practical design could have guarded. Which kind of product defect is this?
D. A design defect
A design defect affects every unit because the design itself is unreasonably dangerous when a feasible safer alternative exists. A manufacturing defect affects individual units that depart from the design; a warning defect is a failure to instruct or warn.
What is the correct order of preference for dealing with a hazard on a machine?
A. Eliminate by design, then guard, then warn and instruct, then personal protective equipment
The hierarchy of risk reduction puts inherently safe design first, safeguarding second, information for use third and PPE last. Warnings cannot substitute for a feasible safe design or a guard.
Which ISO technical committee develops standards for tractors and machinery for agriculture and forestry?
D. ISO/TC 23
ISO/TC 23 covers tractors and machinery for agriculture and forestry. TC 176 is quality management (ISO 9000 family), TC 207 environmental management (ISO 14000 family), and TC 199 safety of machinery.
A standard cited in a 15-year-old pump-station specification has since been withdrawn and replaced. The specification is being reused for a new project. What should the engineer do?
D. Check the design against the replacement standard and update the specification
Withdrawn or superseded standards may no longer reflect accepted practice. Reusing an old specification requires checking current standards and legal requirements and updating the document. Leaving requirements to the contractor or offering a choice creates ambiguity and risk.
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