NCEES Ethics and Practice 3

Question 1

A PE stamps drawings for a project outside his area of expertise to help a friend meet a deadline. Under NCEES ethical standards, this is:

Accepted Answer

Unethical because engineers must practice only within their competence

Answer

Engineers must only practice in areas of their competence; stamping drawings outside one's expertise violates fundamental ethical principles regardless of circumstances.

Question 2

A state engineering board typically has the authority to do which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Revoke, suspend, or place conditions on a PE license

Answer

State engineering boards are regulatory agencies empowered to discipline licensees, including revoking or suspending PE licenses for violations of the practice act.

Question 3

When an engineer discovers that public safety may be endangered by a client's decision and the client refuses to act, the engineer should:

Accepted Answer

Withdraw from the project and, where permitted by law, notify authorities

Answer

If a client refuses to address a genuine public safety hazard, the engineer must withdraw and may be obligated to notify the appropriate authorities.

Question 4

Under the NCEES Model Law, the primary purpose of engineering licensure is to:

Accepted Answer

Protect the public by ensuring minimum competency standards for practitioners

Answer

Engineering licensure exists to protect the public by establishing minimum competency requirements before practitioners are authorized to offer engineering services.

Question 5

Two engineering firms submit a joint proposal for a project. Firm A's PE will seal all documents, but Firm B will perform most of the technical work without PE oversight. This arrangement is:

Accepted Answer

Unethical because the sealing PE must exercise responsible charge over the work

Answer

A PE may only seal work that was performed under her responsible charge; rubber-stamping another firm's unsupervised work is a serious ethical and legal violation.

NCEES Practice Test

NCEES Practice Test

NCEES Ethics and Practice 3