NCEES Ethics and Practice 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An engineer discovers that a colleague's sealed structural design contains a significant error that could lead to building collapse. The colleague is unavailable. What should the engineer do?
- Ignore it since the design is already sealed by another PE
- Report the error to the responsible authority to protect public safety (Correct answer)
- Wait for the colleague to return before taking any action
- Quietly correct the error without notifying anyone
Correct answer: Report the error to the responsible authority to protect public safety
Engineers must prioritize public safety above professional courtesy, and reporting a dangerous error to the responsible authority is ethically required.
Question 2: Under the NCEES Model Law, which of the following activities requires a PE license in most U.S. jurisdictions?
- Teaching engineering courses at a university
- Signing and sealing construction documents for a public building (Correct answer)
- Performing research in a private laboratory
- Writing engineering software for internal company use
Correct answer: Signing and sealing construction documents for a public building
Signing and sealing (stamping) engineering documents for public projects is a licensed practice act that requires a PE in virtually all U.S. states.
Question 3: An engineer employed by a consulting firm is asked by her employer to certify test results she did not personally supervise. She should:
- Certify the results since her employer has approved them
- Refuse to certify results she did not directly supervise or fully verify (Correct answer)
- Certify with a disclaimer limiting her liability
- Certify only if a co-worker vouches for the tests
Correct answer: Refuse to certify results she did not directly supervise or fully verify
Engineers may only certify work they have personally performed or directly supervised and verified; certifying unverified work violates ethical and legal standards.
Question 4: A PE is offered a gift worth $500 from a contractor whose bid she is evaluating for a public client. The most ethical course of action is to:
- Accept the gift if it does not change her evaluation
- Decline the gift and disclose the offer to her client (Correct answer)
- Accept the gift and disclose it only if asked
- Decline without informing the client to avoid embarrassment
Correct answer: Decline the gift and disclose the offer to her client
Accepting gifts from parties with a financial interest in the engineer's decision creates a conflict of interest; the offer must be declined and disclosed to maintain impartiality.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes 'responsible charge' as defined in most state engineering practice acts?
- Being the highest-ranking engineer in a company
- Direct control and personal supervision of engineering work (Correct answer)
- Having a PE license for more than five years
- Reviewing another engineer's completed drawings
Correct answer: Direct control and personal supervision of engineering work
Responsible charge means direct control and personal supervision of engineering work, not merely holding a senior title or performing a cursory review.
Question 6: An engineer's PE license in State A is revoked for gross negligence. He then applies for a PE license in State B without disclosing the revocation. This constitutes:
- Acceptable practice if State B does not ask about other states
- Fraud and grounds for denial or revocation of the State B license (Correct answer)
- A minor procedural omission with no ethical consequence
- Permissible because each state's license is independent
Correct answer: Fraud and grounds for denial or revocation of the State B license
Failing to disclose a license revocation on a new application is fraudulent misrepresentation and constitutes a serious ethical and legal violation.
Question 7: When an engineer provides a professional opinion in a legal proceeding, she must:
- Advocate exclusively for the side that retained her
- Provide an objective, technically accurate opinion regardless of who hired her (Correct answer)
- Decline to testify to avoid conflicts of interest
- Base her opinion on whatever outcome benefits her client
Correct answer: Provide an objective, technically accurate opinion regardless of who hired her
Expert witnesses must provide objective, truthful testimony; an engineer's duty to the court and the truth overrides the interests of the retaining party.
NCEES Ethics and Practice 2
An engineer discovers that a colleague's sealed structural design contains a significant error that could lead to building collapse.
The colleague is unavailable.
What should the engineer do?