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Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam
The first exam on the way to a US professional engineer licence, usually taken near the end of an engineering degree; passing it earns engineer-in-training status.
The exam
- Set by
- NCEES, the US engineering licensing council, delivered by Pearson VUE
- The paper
- 110 questions, mostly multiple-choice, in a six-hour appointment with an electronic reference handbook; one of seven disciplines
- How it is sat
- On demand year-round, on computer at Pearson VUE test centres; at most three attempts in 12 months
- Where
- United States, in English
About the exam
The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam is usually the first exam on the way to a professional engineer (P.E.) licence in the United States. It is written by NCEES, the national council of engineering licensing boards, and taken on computer at Pearson VUE test centres all year round.
Passing it, together with your licensing board's other requirements, normally earns you engineer-in-training (EIT) or engineer intern (EI) status from that board. After the required years of experience you can then sit the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam.
Candidates are often surprised by two things: NCEES never publishes the passing score, and you cannot bring your own notes or books. Everything you may refer to is the FE Reference Handbook, supplied on screen as a searchable PDF, so knowing your way around it matters almost as much as the engineering.
Who has to sit it
The FE exam is aimed at students close to finishing, and recent graduates of, an undergraduate engineering degree accredited by EAC/ABET. Who may sit it is decided by each state or territory licensing board, not by NCEES: some boards require you to apply to them and pay a separate fee before you register, others let you register directly. You choose one of seven discipline exams: Chemical, Civil, Electrical and Computer, Environmental, Industrial and Systems, Mechanical, or Other Disciplines. NCEES also runs the exam outside the US through agreements with certain bodies, for example in several Canadian provinces, Japan, Korea and Saudi Arabia.
What is on it
- Shared foundations
- The discipline exams we checked all include mathematics, probability and statistics, ethics and professional practice, and engineering economics.
- FE Civil
- Statics and dynamics, mechanics of materials, materials, fluids, surveying, water resources and environmental, structural, geotechnical, transportation and construction engineering.
- FE Mechanical
- Statics, electricity and magnetism, dynamics and vibrations, mechanics of materials, material properties, fluids, thermodynamics, heat transfer, measurement and controls, and mechanical design and analysis.
- FE Electrical and Computer
- Circuit analysis, electrical materials, linear systems, signal processing, electronics, power, electromagnetics, control systems, communications, networks, digital and computer systems, and software engineering.
- FE Chemical
- Chemistry and biology, material and energy balances, thermodynamics, fluids, heat and mass transfer, reaction engineering, process design and control, and safety, health and environment.
- FE Environmental, Industrial and Systems, and Other Disciplines
- Each has its own specification on the NCEES FE page; Other Disciplines suits degrees without a dedicated exam, such as architectural, biological or general engineering.
The paper
- 110 questions in a six-hour appointment: a 2-minute non-disclosure agreement, an 8-minute tutorial, 5 hours 20 minutes of exam time and a 25-minute scheduled break.
- Most questions are multiple choice, but the exam also contains alternative item types (AITs): questions in other formats, which NCEES explains on its AIT page.
- The exam is in two parts: after roughly half the questions you submit them, cannot return to them, and may take the scheduled break. Unscheduled breaks come out of your exam time.
- The FE Reference Handbook is supplied on screen; download the same version free from MyNCEES to practise with it. No personal reference material is allowed.
- Only NCEES-approved calculators are allowed: Casio fx-115 and fx-991 models, HP 33s and 35s, and TI-30X and TI-36X models. An on-screen TI-30XS is also available.
- Scored on the number of correct answers, with no deduction for wrong ones, converted to a scaled score and reported only as pass or fail. The passing score is not published.
- All NCEES exams are in English only.
- Reasonable accommodations are available if you meet the criteria and document your request.
How to book it
- Check your licensing board's rules on the NCEES FE page: whether you must apply to the board first and whether it limits attempts more than NCEES does.
- Create a MyNCEES account, with your first and last names in English exactly as on your ID.
- Register for the FE in your discipline and pay the fee to NCEES by card; some boards charge their own application fee on top.
- Schedule a seat at a Pearson VUE test centre through MyNCEES at least one business day ahead. Seats go first come, first served.
- Bring one current physical photo ID with expiry date, name, date of birth and signature, such as a government ID from the country you test in or a passport. Student IDs and digital IDs are refused.
- Results usually arrive by email within 7-10 days and are shown in MyNCEES, with what your board needs next. If you fail you receive a diagnostic report by topic.
- To retake, register and pay again. NCEES allows one attempt per quarterly testing window and at most three in any 12 months.
Fees and dates
- Fee
- USD 225 (about EUR 207) per attempt, paid to NCEES; some boards add their own fee
- When
- Year-round, by appointment at NCEES-approved Pearson VUE test centres
- Results
- Typically 7-10 days after the exam
- Retakes
- One attempt per testing window (January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December), no more than three in 12 months
- First-time pass rates
- 61% (Other Disciplines) to 73% (Mechanical) for first-time ABET graduates, NCEES figures updated July 2026
- Exam specifications
- Current specifications effective since the July 2020 exams
Questions people ask
How many questions are on the FE exam?
110 questions, with 5 hours 20 minutes of exam time inside a six-hour appointment that also covers a tutorial, the non-disclosure agreement and a 25-minute break.
What is the passing score for the FE?
NCEES does not publish one. Your correct answers are converted to a scaled score and compared with a standard set by subject experts, and you only see pass or fail.
Can I take the FE exam online?
No. NCEES exams are given only at Pearson VUE test centres, on computer.
Can I bring my own notes or reference books?
No. You use the electronic FE Reference Handbook supplied on screen, and an NCEES-approved calculator.
Which FE discipline should I take?
Usually the one closest to your degree and planned career: Chemical, Civil, Electrical and Computer, Environmental, Industrial and Systems, or Mechanical. Other Disciplines is the broad option for degrees without their own exam.
What happens if I fail the FE?
You receive a diagnostic report showing your relative strengths and weaknesses by topic. You can sit again in a later testing window, up to three attempts in 12 months, paying the fee each time; your board may be stricter.
Can I take the FE before I graduate?
Many candidates sit it in their final year, but it depends on your licensing board, which decides eligibility. Check its requirements on the NCEES FE page before registering.
Sources
What Licento would give you
- Practice questions written to this exam's syllabus, scheduled up to your exam date.
- Mock exams in the real exam's format, timed and marked the same way.
- How ready you are, topic by topic, so you know where to spend your time.