PE Exam Prep Courses & Materials

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Explore PE Exam Prep Options: Choose Your PE Exam

PPI exam bundles provide what you need to pass your PE exam. Choose your PE exam discipline to find the best exam prep option for you.

PE Civil

PE Mechanical

PE Electrical and Computer

PE Structural (SE Exam)

PE Environmental

PE Chemical

PE Control Systems

PE Nuclear

PE Industrial

PE Metallurgical and Materials

PE Architectural

PE Petroleum

PE Fire Protection

About the PE Exam

NEW! Tutoring + Live Online Course Money-Back Guarantee Bundle

Explore our new PE tutoring offerings and find the perfect match for your learning goals. When you put in the work and follow the preparation plan in our Tutoring + Live Online Course Money-Back Guarantee Bundle, we’ll guarantee you pass or your money back. *Conditions apply.

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Trust the Best PE Exam Prep Course Overall

Test Prep Insight names PPI their Editor’s Choice for PE Prep Course and says that PPI provides
“the surest and most comprehensive prep package around for your PE prep.”*

PPI is Proud to Partner with the Society of Women Engineers®

We are thrilled to announce that PPI is the exclusive licensure prep partner for the Society of Women Engineers®. By joining forces with SWE®—the world's largest advocate for all women in engineering and technology and allies—we are doubling down on our commitment to professional excellence and the pursuit of licensure. Through this partnership, SWE® members will gain access to industry-leading resources to help them confidently navigate the path to licensure. Together, we are empowering the next generation of engineering leaders.

What Makes PPI Exam Prep Different?

Lessons from professional engineers. Through lectures, problem-solving demos, strategy sessions, and office hours, your prep will be centered around instruction from experts who know the PE exam inside and out. 

Proven PE exam prep designed to help you pass. You’re ready to take the next step in your career, and our PE prep is made by people who know how to get there. After enrolling in a course, you’ll receive expert reference materials, homework assignments, detailed class notes (plus the NCEES Handbook), as well as access to online quizzes, practice exams, flashcards, and more.

Constantly updated prep materials. Your prep will be the most up-to-date, relevant content available. We pay close attention to whenever the NCEES® PE exam specifications are changed, so you always have practice materials that will help you pass. 

A proud reputation as leaders in PE exam prep. We’ve been helping engineers advance their careers through the PE exam since 1975. Our courses aren’t just updated to the newest standards—they’re also based on decades of experience, which means we know what it takes for our students to succeed.

A passing guarantee. When you take one of our PE Live Online courses, we guarantee you’ll pass. And if you don’t, you can take one of our PE OnDemand courses right afterward for free.*

*Conditions and restrictions apply. See https://ppi2pass.com/pass-guarantee for more details.

 

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You're Next: See Inspiring Stories From Our Students

"Couldn’t be happier about how it all went!"

"Dr. Alzioud was an incredible resource in terms of things to focus on and memorize. His lectures made it very easy to digest the material. He has a great way of breaking topics down so that they don’t seem overwhelming. He provided great advice regarding the mental aspects of studying for and taking the exam, as well. The diagnostic exams, homework, and practice exams on PPI were extremely helpful, as well as the additional question bank. I used the question bank to create mini-exams and full practice exams for myself prior to taking the real thing. Couldn’t be happier about how it all went!"

- Kevin L., PE Civil 

"I am glad I invested in the PPI PE Exam live course"

"The PPI course provided a well-structured study plan that covered all the topics for the PE Environmental Exam. The live course helped me be consistent with my studies and stick to a schedule. Kunal Patel was our professor, and he took the time to answer all our questions and would clarify the challenging questions and topics. There were topics that I did not understand during self-study, but the professor would walk through many examples to reinforce material. This was my second time attempting the exam after self-studying the first time. I am happy to share that I passed the PE exam. I am glad I invested in the PPI PE Exam live course."

- Guillermo R., PE Environmental

"This course has set me up well to pass my upcoming exam"

"In my opinion, PE licensure allows you to 'write your own story' when it comes to making career moves. This course has set me up well to pass my upcoming exam. The recorded lectures were fantastic. Some lectures I needed to watch at 0.75x speed, while I was able to conduct a comprehensive review of all topics by re-watching the lectures at 2.00x speed. Without this functionality, I would not have been able to conduct a thorough re-review of all materials."

- Kristian C., PE Civil 

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FAQs for the PE Exam

The best PE prep course depends on your exam discipline, schedule, and how deep a review you need, but strong courses share three traits: structured review aligned to NCEES specifications, an extensive exam-like practice-problem bank, and full-length practice exams with diagnostics. PPI offers live-online and self-paced options across PE disciplines so you can match the format to how you learn.
Plan for 200–300 hours of study. With a full-time job, that's about five to seven months at 10–15 hours per week; six months is a good default. Focus your hours on practice problems and the discipline-specific reference material, and take full-length practice exams to build endurance for the 8-hour format.
The PE exam is rigorous and discipline-specific, so difficulty varies by field. Per NCEES (January 2026), first-time pass rates ranged widely: for example, Mechanical: Thermal & Fluid Systems 77%, Environmental 67%, Civil: Water Resources & Environmental 71%, Civil: Structural 61%, and Chemical 63%. The exam becomes more manageable when its content matches your day-to-day work, so most candidates plan several months of focused study.
The most effective PE prep combines structured review of your discipline's topics, a large bank of exam-like practice problems, and full-length timed practice exams to build pace for the 8-hour day. Master your reference materials so lookups are fast, target weak areas first, and simulate exam conditions. PPI's discipline-specific review courses and practice exams structure all three.

Some states require a BS degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program to sit for the PE exam. Other states allow you to take the PE exam with a degree in engineering technology, physics, math, or chemistry—or without any degree—as long as you’ve met the required work experience. Check your state requirements to see if you can take the PE exam without an engineering degree.

You should prioritize your engineering interests and professional background when determining which PE exam to take. The difficulty level of each discipline is also important to consider. Reach out to licensed engineers in your network for additional perspectives, too.
You can take most PE exams once per three-month testing window and no more than three times per year. Certain PE exams are only offered once per year in October. Some licensing boards are more restrictive, so check your state licensing board to confirm how often you can retake the exam.

Most states allow you to take the PE exam after passing your FE exam and gaining at least four years of post-college work experience. However, some states now allow examinees to sit for the PE exam before completing their work experience. Check your state requirements to see when you’re qualified to sit for the exam.

By NCEES pass rates (January 2026), the highest first-time pass rates were PE Agricultural & Biological (81%), Mining & Mineral Processing (80%), Fire Protection (78%), and Mechanical: Thermal & Fluid Systems (77%). But the truly 'easiest' PE exam is the one whose content matches your daily work: alignment with your experience beats raw pass-rate statistics. Choose the discipline that supports your career goals.

It is an 8-hour exam. It contains 80 total questions: 40 multiple-choice questions in the 4-hour AM session, and 40 multiple-choice questions in the 4-hour PM session.
PE exams are closed-book, computer-based test (CBT)s; your only reference is an electronic resource(s) supplied by NCEES on-screen. For the PE exam, NCEES will typically provide a discipline-specific reference handbook and one or more design standards. NCEES states which design standards will be available on the exam website in the specifications documentation.
The PE exam tests for a minimum level of competency in engineering. You need a minimum of four years of post-college work experience to be able to sit for the exam.

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Industry Insights

2025-2026 PE Exam pass rates
2025-2026 PE Exam Pass Rates
Review the latest 2026 PE exam pass rates, including the easiest and most difficult PE disciplines by pass rate.
PE Civil exam changes 2027: what is changing and how to prepare
NCEES is updating PE Civil design standards in April 2027. See changes by discipline and how to plan your exam.
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Ultimate Guide to the PE Civil Exam
Everything you need to know about the PE Civil Exam - a required step to becoming a licensed professional engineer.

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