Is the FE exam multiple choice?

Yes. The FE exam consists of 110 computer-based, multiple-choice questions. What to Expect on FE Exam Day

How do I prepare for the FE exam?

There are a few ways to begin your FE prep depending on time available, content knowledge, and more—but these six steps will put you on a path for success no matter where you stand. Get the NCEES FE Reference Handbook , and use it alongside your FE Review Manual. Determine which knowledge areas you need more help with through your FE Review Manual’s diagnostic exams. Make a schedule before beginning to ensure you can cover all of the exam topics. Work through every exam subject—skipping your weaker subjects won’t prepare you for success. Be thorough. Don’t skip over any problems, solutions, or necessary reference materials. Complete as many practice problems as possible. Fast recall will be critical on the FE exam and developing an instinct for how problems look will help you succeed.

What are the current FE exam pass rates?

The current FE exam pass rates as of January 2022 are: FE Chemical: 73% FE Civil: 62% FE Electrical and Computer: 73% FE Environmental: 70% FE Industrial: 62% FE Mechanical: 71% FE Other Disciplines: 65%

How long is the FE exam, and what is the current format?

The FE exam includes 110 questions. The exam appointment time is 6 hours and includes: Nondisclosure agreement (2 minutes) Tutorial (8 minutes) Exam (5 hours and 20 minutes) Scheduled break (25 minutes)

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The FE exam is your first step toward becoming a professionally licensed engineer. With PPI’s exam prep bundles leading your study routine, you’ll have all the expert guidance you need to pass.

FE Civil Exam Prep

Tests your baseline understanding of civil engineering principles.

FE Mechanical Exam Prep

Tests your proficiency in the fundamentals of mechanical engineering.

FE Chemical Exam Prep

Measures your knowledge of the basics of chemical engineering.

FE Electrical & Computer Exam Prep

Tests your understanding of fundamental principles in electrical and computer engineering.

FE Industrial Exam Prep

Assesses your baseline understanding of industrial engineering fundamentals.

FE Environmental Exam Prep

Tests your knowledge of environmental engineering principles.

FE Other Disciplines

Designed for engineers who haven’t decided on one track, this FE exam tests your knowledge of general engineering fundamentals.

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“Ray Burynski’s lectures were great for providing a review of all of the material that I had learned throughout my undergraduate career. I thought the pace was excellent, and the choice of practice problems really helped me solidify my understanding of concepts that I had either struggled with in college or I had forgotten about completely since graduating. The practice problems were also incredibly helpful to build my confidence in the material before taking [and passing!] the exam.”

Exam Details for the FE Exam

The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam is a computer-based test that can be taken year round. The FE exam is 110 questions which needs to be completed in 6 hours. The exam is offered in seven disciplines.

About the FE Exam

FAQs for the FE Exam

The FE exam fee is $175. Some licensing boards also require you to file a separate application and pay an application fee to sit for your exam. Reasonable accommodations are available for examinees who meet certain eligibility criteria and accurately document their requests.

Bring proper identification (a government-issued ID, military ID, or passport) with you on exam day. The NCEES also recommends bringing a copy of your appointment confirmation letter to speed up the check-in process. You can take one NCEES-approved calculator, eyeglasses, a sweater or jacket, and anything else on the Comfort Aid List into the exam room as well.

What to Bring to the FE Exam

You can take the FE exam once per three-month testing window and a maximum of three times per year.

The FE exam is offered year-round in four testing windows: January–March, April–June, July–September, and October–December.

Yes. The FE exam consists of 110 computer-based, multiple-choice questions.

What to Expect on FE Exam Day

The average pass rate for first-time FE examinees is 68.3% across all disciplines. The FE Environmental exam has the highest first-time pass rate at 76%, while FE Other Disciplines has the lowest at 60%.

We use a process called continuous improvement to ensure our materials are always up-to-date with the latest exam specifications and handbook references. We are constantly reviewing and our revising our materials, and when a new handbook or new specifications come out, we specifically revise content related to that update.

Our exam practice questions are exam-like, which means they reference the appropriate NCEES Handbook, they are a similar length to the real exam, and they use multiple-choice questions like the exam. Some questions may be a little easier or a little harder than the actual exam, but they are all designed to bring you success on exam day.

There are a few ways to begin your FE prep depending on time available, content knowledge, and more—but these six steps will put you on a path for success no matter where you stand.

Get the NCEES FE Reference Handbook, and use it alongside your FE Review Manual.
Determine which knowledge areas you need more help with through your FE Review Manual’s diagnostic exams.
Make a schedule before beginning to ensure you can cover all of the exam topics.
Work through every exam subject—skipping your weaker subjects won’t prepare you for success.
Be thorough. Don’t skip over any problems, solutions, or necessary reference materials.
Complete as many practice problems as possible. Fast recall will be critical on the FE exam and developing an instinct for how problems look will help you succeed.

The current FE exam pass rates as of January 2022 are:

FE Chemical: 73%
FE Civil: 62%
FE Electrical and Computer: 73%
FE Environmental: 70%
FE Industrial: 62%
FE Mechanical: 71%
FE Other Disciplines: 65%

The FE exam includes 110 questions. The exam appointment time is 6 hours and includes:

Nondisclosure agreement (2 minutes)
Tutorial (8 minutes)
Exam (5 hours and 20 minutes)
Scheduled break (25 minutes)

The FE exam is administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). This national nonprofit organization requires all potential examinees to read the NCEES Examinee Guide before registering for the exam. As of January 2016, FE exams are administered year-round.

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Learn from thousands of test-like FE exam questions that you can group into customized quizzes.

Diagnostic Exams

Find out where to focus your study efforts right from the start. With our comprehensive diagnostic exams, you’ll know exactly where you stand on each FE exam topic.

Activity Library

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Full-Length Practice Exams

Simulate test day with practice tests designed by our dedicated FE exam experts to be just like the real exam.

Web Books: Review Manual and Practice Problems

This is where you’ll tie all of your studies together. Start with a chapter of FE Review by Michael R. Lindeburg, PE, then solve all related practice problems from FE Practice.