Exam facts · sources and check dates in every table
FE Environmental exam facts, handbook to retakes
You get one reference on exam day: the FE Reference Handbook, on screen as a searchable PDF. Everything else on this page, from timing to retakes, is the shared FE rule set applied to this discipline, with the source beside each line.
FE Environmental practice test Study guide
Updated Oct 29, 2026 · Not affiliated with NCEES.
- ExamFE Environmental
- appointment6 h
- unitsSI + USCS
- resultPass/fail in 7–10 business days
- retakes1 per window, 3 in 12 months
- Checked
All exam facts
| Fact | Detail | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam owner | National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) | NCEES: FE exam [1] | |
| Leads to | Engineer intern (EI) or engineer-in-training (EIT) certification from a state boardNCEES writes and scores the exam; the state licensing board issues the EI/EIT certificate. | NCEES: FE exam · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][2] | |
| Who can sit | Set by your state board; the exam is designed for students close to finishing and recent graduates of EAC/ABET-accredited engineering programs | NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) · NCEES: FE exam [1][2] | |
| Questions | 110 questionsIncludes unscored pretest questions that are not marked. | NCEES: FE exam · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][2] | |
| Question types | Multiple choice plus alternative item types (multiple correct, point and click, drag and drop, fill in the blank)No partial credit on alternative items. | NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [2] | |
| Appointment | 6 hoursNondisclosure 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). | NCEES: FE exam · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][2] | |
| Exam time | 5 hours 20 minutes | NCEES: FE exam · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][2] | |
| Scheduled break | 25 minutes, after about half the questionsYou review and submit the first half before the break and cannot return to it; unscheduled breaks run on the exam clock. | NCEES: FE exam · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][2] | |
| Delivery | Computer-based at Pearson VUE test centersNo online or at-home option. | NCEES: FE exam · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][2] | |
| When you can test | Year-roundNCEES testing windows run Jan–Mar, Apr–Jun, Jul–Sep and Oct–Dec. | NCEES: FE exam · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][2] | |
| Units | SI and USCS | NCEES: FE Environmental specifications, July 2020 (PDF) [3] | |
| Reference supplied | FE Reference Handbook, on screen as a searchable PDFThe current version is free in your MyNCEES account; on exam day search with the box on the left (Ctrl+F does not work); no personal copies. | NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) · NCEES: FE exam [1][2] | |
| Design standards supplied | None | NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [2] | |
| Calculator | 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-30XSThe list is reviewed every year; spares stay in your locker. | NCEES: calculator policy (2026 list) · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [2][4] | |
| Passing score | Not published (a scaled score against a minimum ability level)The number of correct answers is converted to a scaled score; wrong answers cost nothing; first-time and repeat takers are graded to the same standard. | NCEES: exam scoring [5] | |
| Result | Pass/fail, typically within 7–10 business daysEmail notice, result in MyNCEES. | NCEES: FE exam [1] | |
| Diagnostic report | Only after a failed attempt, by major topic | NCEES: FE exam · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][2] | |
| Exam fee | $225 to NCEESFor each attempt, registrations from January 1, 2024 ($175 before). | NCEES: FE exam · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) · NCEES: new exam prices effective January 1, 2024 [1][2][6] | |
| Reschedule or cancel | $50 to Pearson, at least 48 hours before the appointmentCanceling the registration refunds the NCEES fee minus a $50 administrative fee (waived if you already paid Pearson a cancellation fee). | NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [2] | |
| Time to test after approval | 12 months to test after board approvalThe fee is forfeited if you neither test nor cancel within 12 months. | NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [2] | |
| Retakes | Once per testing window, at most 3 times in any 12 monthsSome boards are stricter. | NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [2] | |
| Specifications in force | July 2020 editionNo FE change appears in the NCEES notice of July 20, 2026, which lists exam changes through fall 2027; NCEES gives boards at least one year of notice. | NCEES: FE Environmental specifications, July 2020 (PDF) · NCEES memo to member boards, July 20, 2026: changes through fall 2027 (PDF, Virginia board copy) [3][7] | |
| PE exams in this field | PE Environmental, or PE Civil (Water Resources and Environmental)PE exams NCEES offers in this field (examinee guide exam table). | NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [2] |
The FE Reference Handbook for environmental problems
One handbook serves every FE discipline, so the environmental material sits beside chapters you will never open. Download the current copy from MyNCEES and study with it; at the test center it is the only reference, and you search it with its own box, not Ctrl+F.
Search works best with the names the specification itself uses; practice them on the free copy before exam day:
- Hydraulics: Darcy-Weisbach, Hazen-Williams, Manning, Moody.
- Groundwater: Darcy, Thiem, Theis, Jacob.
- Surface water: Streeter-Phelps, time of concentration.
- Chemistry: Henry, octanol.
- Air: stability, lapse rate, baghouse, cyclone.
No codes or design standards are supplied for this exam. Access and search habits for every discipline: FE Reference Handbook.
SI and USCS: the conversions that cost points
Problems mix SI and USCS units. The handbook's Units and Conversion Factors chapter has the factors; four are worth knowing cold:
- mg/L to lb/day: concentration in mg/L × flow in MGD × 8.34 gives lb/day; 8.34 is the weight of a gallon of water in pounds.
- Flow: 1 MGD ≈ 1.547 ft3/s.
- Pressure and head: 1 psi ≈ 2.31 ft of water.
- ppm means two things: in water it is close to mg/L (by mass); in air it is by volume, and turning it into µg/m3 needs the gas temperature and pressure (air quality).
Exam day
- Two halves, one way. The questions come in two sections around the break. Review the first half before you submit it: after the break it is locked.
- The clock. 5 h 20 min for 110 questions leaves a little under 3 minutes each, and any break you take outside the scheduled one runs on that clock.
- Calculator: one approved model of your own (the list); backup: an on-screen TI-30XS.
- ID: Photo ID, name must match.
Question types and the screen layout: FE exam format.
Scoring and results
- A blank is a sure loss. Each right answer adds to a scaled score and a miss subtracts nothing, so put an answer on every question before time runs out.
- Result: Pass/fail in 7–10 business days, sent by email and posted in MyNCEES.
- Diagnostic report: Only on a fail, with your performance on each major topic. Use it to choose what to restudy before a retake.
Registration, rescheduling and retakes
- Fee: $225 each attempt (Oct 2026), plus whatever your state board charges.
- Window: 12 months from board approval; let it lapse without testing or canceling and the fee is gone.
- Rescheduling: $50 to Pearson VUE, up to the deadline in the table.
- Retakes: 1 per window, 3 in 12 months, never twice in one quarterly window. Fail in February and the April–June window is your next chance; some boards wait longer.
The registration steps: FE exam registration. What the whole path costs: FE Environmental cost.
Pass rate in one line
71% of first-time takers from EAC/ABET programs passed in Jan–Jun 2026. Over the NCEES fiscal year Oct 2024–Sep 2025, 67% of all first-time takers passed and 37% of repeat takers. Eight half-years of data: pass rate.
After a pass
The state board, not NCEES, issues the EI/EIT certificate. The PE exam in this field is PE Environmental, with a civil water-resources alternative (PE exam). How experience and the PE fit together: FE vs PE and how to become a PE.
- FE EnvironmentalThe 15 areas of the July 2020 specification, the exam facts and where each area is covered
- FE Environmental practice testProblems in the proportions of the specification, every step worked
- FE Environmental costFee per attempt, expected attempts at this exam’s pass rates, other path costs
- FE Environmental pass rateEight half-years of first-time pass rates, repeat takers, and the comparison with FE Civil
- FE Environmental study guideStudy time by the weights of the specification, traps per area, handbook drill
Source notes
- NCEES: FE exam ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026
- NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026
- NCEES: FE Environmental specifications, July 2020 (PDF) ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026
- NCEES: calculator policy (2026 list) ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026
- NCEES: exam scoring ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026
- NCEES: new exam prices effective January 1, 2024 ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026
- NCEES memo to member boards, July 20, 2026: changes through fall 2027 (PDF, Virginia board copy) dpor.tl.virginia.gov · checked Oct 29, 2026
Exam facts, quick answers
Where do I get the FE Environmental reference handbook?
There is one FE Reference Handbook for every discipline, free in your MyNCEES account. On exam day the current version opens on screen; you cannot bring a copy.
Can I use Ctrl+F in the handbook during the exam?
No. Use the search box on the left of the handbook window, and practice with it before exam day.
Is there a published passing score?
No. Your raw count is scaled against a minimum ability level, and the cut itself is not released.
When can I sit again after a fail?
1 per window, 3 in 12 months; some boards are stricter. Each attempt costs $225 again.
Environmental problems by area, on your phone
FE Environmental questions, answers and worked solutions in a study app.
Not affiliated with NCEES.