FE electrical exam facts, pass rate included

All exam facts

Pass rate

NCEES publishes one first-time rate per half-year on its FE page: takers from EAC/ABET programs within 12 months of graduation. For this exam it has stayed in a narrow band, 64–71%:

• 64% of 732 (Jul–Dec 2022)
• 66% of 1,065 (Jan–Jun 2023)
• 70% of 399 (Jul–Dec 2023)
• 69% of 1,310 (Jan–Jun 2024)
• 70% of 997 (Jul–Dec 2024)
• 71% of 1,515 (Jan–Jun 2025)
• 69% of 1,283 (Jul–Dec 2025)
• 70% of 1,782 (Jan–Jun 2026)

The January–June halves are the large spring cohorts. Earlier halves come from archived copies of the page.

All takers and repeat takers

The annual report counts everyone, not just recent ABET graduates. Over the fiscal year Oct 2024–Sep 2025, all first-time takers passed at 64% and repeat takers at 31%. Graduates of EAC/ABET bachelor’s programs did a little better on both counts: 67% first time, 33% on a retake.

The gap is the useful number. A first attempt passes about twice as often as a retake, so the first attempt deserves the full preparation. The same table for all seven FE disciplines is on FE exam pass rates.

How hard is the FE electrical exam?

Breadth is the difficulty. It has 17 knowledge areas, from semiconductor doping to network security, and most of them are only a handful of questions. That rewards steady coverage over depth in a favorite subject.

The passing score is not published: the number of correct answers is converted to a scaled score against a minimum ability level. A wrong answer costs nothing, so answer every question. There is no fixed percentage cutoff.

Format and test day

• Appointment: 6 h in total. Nondisclosure agreement 2 min, tutorial 8 min, exam 5 h 20 min, scheduled break 25 min (the guide table sums it as 5 h 55 min).
• The break: 25 min; you review and submit the first half before the break and cannot return to it; unscheduled breaks run on the exam clock.
• Where: Pearson VUE center only; no online or at-home option.
• When: year-round, in four testing windows a year.

The full walkthrough, with what you may bring, is on FE exam format.

Calculator

Approved for 2026: Any Casio fx-115 or fx-991 model, the HP 33s or HP 35s, or any TI-30X or TI-36X model; one in the room, plus an on-screen TI-30XS. On this exam the calculator does complex numbers and number bases all day, so pick the approved model whose complex mode you already know, and check its polar-to-rectangular conversion before exam day. Model by model: FE exam calculator.

Reference handbook

The only reference is the FE Reference Handbook, on screen as a searchable PDF; you cannot bring your own copy, and no design standards are supplied. It is one document for all FE disciplines, and electrical formulas sit mostly in its Electrical and Computer Engineering chapter, while state machines are in the Mathematics chapter (NCEES errata notice, June 2023). Download it free from MyNCEES and practice with the same PDF: using the FE Reference Handbook.

Results and retakes

Result: Pass/fail, typically within 7–10 business days, by email and in MyNCEES. A pass carries no score report; a failing result includes a diagnostic report of performance by knowledge area. Use it to re-weight your plan (study plan).

Retake rule: once per testing window, at most 3 times in any 12 months; each attempt is a new registration and a new fee (what attempts cost).

More on the E&C exam

• FE Electrical and ComputerWho takes it, the 17 areas, where each is covered, the PE path
• FE Electrical and Computer practice test60 problems spread by the July 2020 specification, every option explained
• FE Electrical and Computer costThe fee per attempt, expected attempts at E&C pass rates, practice exams and books
• FE Electrical and Computer reference handbookWhich FE Reference Handbook chapters the E&C areas use, and how to search it on exam day
• FE Electrical and Computer study guideA review plan by the July 2020 ranges, with drills and books