Generally, the PE exam itself is considered one of the least difficult portions of the process, though it's still stressful for certain disciplines. The PE exam topics are also generally known to lag reality, regardless of discipline, and often by a decade. It's also open book and some people bring entire carts of books, though I find that not to be very effective since you basically only have six minutes per question.
The major part of the application process is that you will need to work under the direct supervision of a PE, and have increasing levels of documented responsibility, which is often harder to satisfy. Depending on the state, three of the five (minimum) of your recommendations must come from licensed PEs, who need to be able to certify more about you than simply your character.
Usually when threads like this appear, too much emphasis is placed on the exam rather than the requirements that allow you to sit for the exam in the first place. The PE license process is not like a Microsoft or Cisco certification. It took me a good six months to get all the paperwork ready to apply for the exam. I minimally studied for the exam itself. Consequently, four years ends up being more like five or six, in my case, due to less than stellar record keeping.
The major part of the application process is that you will need to work under the direct supervision of a PE, and have increasing levels of documented responsibility, which is often harder to satisfy. Depending on the state, three of the five (minimum) of your recommendations must come from licensed PEs, who need to be able to certify more about you than simply your character.
Usually when threads like this appear, too much emphasis is placed on the exam rather than the requirements that allow you to sit for the exam in the first place. The PE license process is not like a Microsoft or Cisco certification. It took me a good six months to get all the paperwork ready to apply for the exam. I minimally studied for the exam itself. Consequently, four years ends up being more like five or six, in my case, due to less than stellar record keeping.