How long the FE exam is, and how it runs

The format at a glance

Two halves and one break

The exam is split in two. You review and submit the first half, take the 25 min break, and cannot return to those questions afterward. The clock you manage is the 5 h 20 min of testing; the tutorial and the agreement at the start sit outside it.

Pace accordingly: about 2 minutes 55 seconds per question on average, and leave time to review the first half before you submit it. An unscheduled break is allowed but the exam clock keeps running.

Question types

Most items are multiple choice with one answer. The rest are alternative item types: multiple correct (choose all that apply), point and click on a figure, drag and drop, and fill in the blank. No partial credit on alternative items. A fill-in answer must be computed, not recognized, so practice carrying your own calculation to the end.

Leaving an item empty earns nothing, and guessing costs nothing, so fill every answer before the clock runs out.

The passing score is not published

Passing score: Not published. NCEES turns your count of correct answers into a scaled score and compares it with a minimum ability level, the same standard for a first or a repeat attempt.

There is no raw cutoff to aim for, so a “70% to pass” rule from a forum is a guess. What NCEES does publish is the share of candidates who pass, by discipline: FE pass rates.

Results and the diagnostic report

• When and how: pass/fail, typically within 7–10 business days, by email and in MyNCEES, with no score.
• If you fail: a diagnostic report with a scaled score of 0–15 for each knowledge area, next to the average of passing examinees. Pass, and you get no breakdown.

How to turn the report into a retake plan: FE exam prep.

What to bring

• ID: Photo ID, name must match. Student IDs and digital IDs are not accepted.
• Calculator: one approved model; spares stay in your locker, and an on-screen one is also available (calculator rules).
• Nothing else. No books, notes or formula sheets: the reference is the on-screen FE Reference Handbook, and scratch material is supplied.

Who can sit

Eligibility: Set by your state board; the exam is designed for students close to finishing and recent graduates of EAC/ABET-accredited engineering programs. Some boards let you register with NCEES directly; others require their own application and fee first, and the amounts vary by board. Steps and costs: FE exam registration. What you earn by passing: EIT certification.

Accommodations are requested inside the NCEES registration; skip that step and the registration has to be canceled and redone (registration steps).