Ethics and Professional Practice practice questions

Answer: C) Improper, since it threatens objectivity

• AIncorrect. Size doesn't fix the conflict.
• BIncorrect. Contingent fees aren't required.
• CCorrect. Testimony must be unbiased.
• DIncorrect. Disclosure afterward doesn't fix it.

Answer: B) Disclose the conflict and step aside from the evaluation

• AIncorrect. That hides a conflict.
• BCorrect. Conflicts must be disclosed and avoided.
• CIncorrect. That's improper.
• DIncorrect. The conflict exists now.

Answer: A) Report it to the licensing board and cooperate with the board as requested

Under the NCEES Model Rules, a licensee who knows of or has reason to believe in a violation by another person or firm shall report it to the board and cooperate with the board and other authorities. Proof is not required before reporting, and reporting only to the employer or the police is not enough.

• ACorrect. The Model Rules require a licensee who has knowledge or reason to believe that another person or firm has violated the rules or laws on engineering practice to report it to the board, and to cooperate with the board and other authorities as requested.
• BIncorrect. Telling the employer does not meet the obligation. The Model Rules require the report to go to the board.
• CIncorrect. The duty starts with knowledge or reason to believe a violation occurred. The licensee does not have to prove the case first; the board investigates.
• DIncorrect. A licensee may also report to legal authorities, but the Model Rules still require reporting to the board.

Answer: A) Make sure Engineer B knows about the review before carrying it out

An engineer reviewing another engineer's work for the same client should make sure the original engineer knows about the review, unless that engineer's connection with the work has ended. The reviewer does not need the original engineer's approval of the findings.

• ACorrect. Ethics codes say an engineer should not review another engineer's work for the same client unless that engineer knows about it, or unless that engineer's connection with the work has ended. Engineer B is still engaged, so B must be informed.
• BIncorrect. B is still working on the project, so a review done without B's knowledge breaks the professional-courtesy rule. Keeping the review independent doesn't require keeping it secret.
• CIncorrect. The rule requires that B know about the review, not that B approve the results. Letting B control the findings would undercut the review that the client is paying for.
• DIncorrect. Reviews of another engineer's work are allowed. The condition is that the original engineer knows about the review, or that their involvement has ended.

Answer: A) Decline to seal the set, because it was not prepared under the engineer's responsible charge

The NCEES Model Rules allow a licensee to seal only documents prepared under their responsible charge, meaning direct control and personal supervision. Reviewing the work afterward, relying on another engineer's license, or adding a disclaimer does not meet that requirement.

• ACorrect. The NCEES Model Rules say licensees must not put their signature or seal on plans or documents that were not prepared under their responsible charge. Responsible charge means direct control and personal supervision of the work, and the engineer had neither.
• BIncorrect. Checking someone else's finished work after the fact is not direct control and personal supervision. A review does not put the work under the engineer's responsible charge, so the engineer still may not seal it.
• CIncorrect. A seal certifies that the work was done under the sealing engineer's own responsible charge. Another engineer's license, in any state, does not change that, and that engineer did not seal the work.
• DIncorrect. A disclaimer does not make it acceptable to seal work done outside the engineer's responsible charge. The seal itself still tells permit officials that the engineer is responsible for the work.

Answer: B) Applying for comity licensure, often supported by verified materials in an NCEES Record

Engineers already licensed in one state usually get licensed in another by comity. An NCEES Record often supports the application, but each state board issues its own license.

• AIncorrect. Each state board reviews the applicant's education, exams, experience and references against its own requirements before issuing a license. Nothing is converted without review.
• BCorrect. Comity licensure is based on existing licensure. NCEES says an NCEES Record contains most, if not all, of the materials needed to apply for comity licensure in additional states.
• CIncorrect. NCEES does not issue licenses, and it states that an NCEES Record does not guarantee licensure in any jurisdiction. Only state boards issue licenses.
• DIncorrect. Licenses are not transferred between states. An engineer can hold separate licenses in several jurisdictions at the same time.

Answer: A) Only with consent or when law or safety requires

• ACorrect. Client confidences must be protected.
• BIncorrect. That breaches confidentiality.
• CIncorrect. The duty continues.
• DIncorrect. Consent is required.

Answer: B) 15 PDHs per calendar year, no carryover, at least 1 PDH on ethics

The current NCEES CPC Standard requires 15 PDHs per calendar year with no carryover, and at least 1 of those PDHs must cover engineering or surveying ethics.

• AIncorrect. Some boards use two-year cycles with carryover, but the NCEES CPC Standard is set per calendar year, allows no carryover, and requires ethics content.
• BCorrect. The NCEES CPC Standard requires the equivalent of 15 PDHs each calendar year (January 1 to December 31) and allows no carryover. At least 1 of those PDHs must come from a course or activity focused on engineering or surveying ethics.
• CIncorrect. This matches older Model Rules language that allowed carryover. The current NCEES CPC Standard allows no carryover and requires at least 1 PDH on ethics.
• DIncorrect. The NCEES CPC Standard requires 15 PDHs per year with at least 1 PDH on ethics, not 24 PDHs and 4 PDHs.

Answer: C) Decline to seal and, if overruled, notify the employer and appropriate authorities

The Model Rules allow licensees to seal only documents that conform to accepted standards and protect the public. If overruled when the public is endangered, the engineer must notify the employer or client and other appropriate authorities.

• AIncorrect. Licensees may seal only documents that conform to accepted engineering standards and protect the public. A note in the file does not make a noncompliant design acceptable.
• BIncorrect. A second signature does not fix the code violation or take away the sealing engineer's responsibility.
• CCorrect. Licensees seal only conforming documents. When their judgment is overruled and public safety is endangered, they must notify the employer or client and other appropriate authorities.
• DIncorrect. Code requirements protect the public, and a private owner cannot waive them. The design still endangers people.

Answer: B) Include it in the report and, if overruled, notify the client and other appropriate authorities

Under the NCEES Model Rules, reports must include all relevant information truthfully. If the engineer's judgment is overruled while public safety is endangered, the engineer must notify the employer or client and other appropriate authorities.

• AIncorrect. The Model Rules require reports to include all relevant and pertinent information in an objective and truthful manner. Moving a known hazard into a private memo still makes the report misleading.
• BCorrect. Licensees must include all relevant information truthfully. When their professional judgment is overruled and public health, safety, or welfare is endangered, they must notify the employer or client and other appropriate authorities.
• CIncorrect. The confidentiality rule has exceptions for disclosures authorized or required by law or the rules. It does not override the licensee's first duty to protect the public.
• DIncorrect. Walking away in silence leaves the hazard unreported. The engineer must still tell the client and, if overruled, the appropriate authorities.