Mechanical PE Exam FAQs
What is the format of the exam?
What types of problems will there be on the exam?
What units are used on the exam?
What are the exam topics?
What are the exam dates?
Do exam requirements differ from state to state?
What is the exam's calculator policy?
How does exam scoring work, and when will I get my results?
Where can I find an exam review course?
What should I do if my question isn't answered here?
What is the format of the exam?
The Mechanical PE exam is 8 hours long, divided into two 4-hour long sessions (morning and afternoon).
Your Mechanical PE exam morning session will be the same as that of all other Mechanical PE examinees, and will consist of 40 multiple-choice problems drawn from all areas of Mechanical engineering.
In the afternoon, you will work one of three depth exam sections: HVAC and Refrigeration, Mechanical Systems and Materials, or Thermal and Fluids Systems. Each depth section consists of 40 multiple-choice problems that gauge your knowledge of the topics specified.
Refer to the question What are the exam topics? for more information about the exam specifications for your exam section.
What types of problems will there be on the exam?
The problems are all multiple-choice and there are four solution options for each problem. Nearly all problems are unique—that is, there is one problem statement followed by one problem. There may be a few multi-part problems, where one problem statement is followed by two or three problems, but in these cases the solutions to the problems will be independent from one another.
What units are used on the exam?
The Mechanical PE exam uses U.S. Customary (English) units and SI (metric) units.
What are the exam topics?
All Mechanical PE examinees take the same morning exam, and there are three different Mechanical PE exam sections offered in the afternoon. You can find all Mechanical PE exam specifications in the Introduction (pages xviii–xix) to Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual, 12th Edition.
Alternatively, you can download the most current breadth and depth Mechanical PE exam specifications from the NCEES website using the following links.
Note that the specifications are examples of topics that you will see on exam day, but they are not exclusive or exhaustive categories.
What are the exam dates?
The Mechanical PE exam is scheduled twice a year on the same Fridays in every state. Here is a list of exam dates for the next seven years.
- April 16, 2010
- October 29, 2010
- April 8, 2011
- October 28, 2011
- April 13, 2012
- October 26, 2012
- April 12, 2013
- October 25, 2013
- April 11, 2014
- October 24, 2014
- April 17, 2015
- October 30, 2015
- April 15, 2016
- October 28, 2016
Do exam requirements differ from state to state?
Yes, they often do differ from state to state. Click here to find a link to each state board's website and to find out more about each state's FE and PE exam requirements.
What is the exam's calculator policy?
The NCEES often changes their calculator policy. Click here for the current calculator policy.
How does exam scoring work, and when will I get my results?
The maximum number of points you can earn on the Mechanical PE exam is 80. The minimum number of points for passing (referred to by the NCEES as the cut score) varies from exam to exam. The cut score is determined through a rational procedure (not on a curve). Each correct solution is worth one point.
Your state board (not the NCEES) will typically send exam results by mail within four months of the exam date. Your score may or may not be revealed to you, depending on your state's procedure. Generally examinees receive results of "Pass" or "Fail" only.
For more information about historical passing rates on all PE exams, visit our Passing Rates page.
Where can I find an exam review course?
PPI offers a number of Mechanical PE Review Courses. Click here for more information.
An alternative to our review courses is the Passing Zone, which you can learn about here.
What should I do if my question isn't answered here?
For anecdotes and tips about the Mechanical PE exam, refer to our advice from previous Mechanical PE examinees.
You can find extensive Mechanical PE exam information in the Introduction to Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual, 12th Edition.
In addition to these Mechanical PE exam-specific FAQs, we also have General FAQs for all PE candidates.
For unresolved questions about exam licensing and accreditation processes visit NCEES.org.
Click here to return to our Mechanical PE exam overview page.
Mechanical Engineering PE Exam FAQs
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