The FE exam for mechanical engineering, area by area
FE Mechanical is the Fundamentals of Engineering exam written for mechanical engineering seniors and recent graduates: 110 questions in 5 h 20 min at a Pearson VUE center, with the FE Reference Handbook on screen. A pass leads to EI/EIT certification and, after supervised experience, to a PE exam.
Checked Oct 29, 2026. Sources are numbered and listed under Source notes. All exam-day rules: exam info · what it costs: cost · how the score works: pass rate.
Fact
Detail
Source
Checked
Exam owner
National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)
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]
Questions
110 questionsIncludes unscored pretest questions that are not marked.
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]
Delivery
Computer-based at Pearson VUE test centersNo online or at-home option.
NCEES: FE exam · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][2]
Units
SI and USCS
NCEES: FE Mechanical 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]
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][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.
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 Mechanical specifications, July 2020 (PDF) · NCEES memo to member boards, July 20, 2026: changes through fall 2027 (PDF, Virginia board copy) [3][6]
Fourteen knowledge areas
NCEES publishes a question range for every area rather than a weight. Three mechanics areas form the largest block: statics (9–14), dynamics (10–15) and mechanics of materials (9–14). Fluid mechanics, thermodynamics and heat transfer are the second block, close behind. Every technical area below links to a page of worked problems.
The other nine areas are on the pages below. Statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials, thermodynamics and heat transfer are explained here once for the whole site; the other disciplines' pages link here for the general theory and keep only their own applications.
Checked against the current specification
What changed:Outline unchanged since the July 2020 edition; the exam fee rose from $175 to $225 on January 1, 2024. Prep material that still quotes the old fee, a numbered Handbook version or a topic list from before July 2020 is out of date. NCEES gives boards at least a year of notice before a new specification, and its July 2026 list of upcoming changes has none for this exam.
Four sample problems
0 / 4 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 4 · Mechanical Design and Analysis · 10–15 items
A cylindrical pressure vessel has a diameter of 1 m and a wall thickness of 10 mm. If the internal pressure is 2 MPa, what is the longitudinal stress in the vessel wall?
FE Reference Handbook, Mechanics of Materials: thin-walled pressure vessels.
This uses the radius in pD/(4t); with the radius the formula is pr/(2t).
Longitudinal stress in a thin-walled cylinder is pD/(4t) = 2 × 1000/(4 × 10) = 50 MPa, half the hoop stress.
100 MPa is the hoop stress pD/(2t), not the longitudinal stress.
pD/t drops the factor that comes from the wall area resisting the end force.
Question 2 of 4 · Dynamics, Kinematics, and Vibrations · 10–15 items
A 1500 kg car traveling at 20 m/s collides with and sticks to a stationary 1000 kg car. What is the velocity of both cars immediately after the collision?
FE Reference Handbook, Dynamics: impulse and momentum (plastic impact).
This uses the struck car's 1000 kg in the numerator; the moving car carries the momentum.
Halving the speed assumes equal masses; the cars are 1500 and 1000 kg.
Momentum is conserved: 1500 × 20 = 2500·v, so v = 12.0 m/s.
This conserves kinetic energy; a collision in which the cars stick together loses kinetic energy.
Question 3 of 4 · Dynamics, Kinematics, and Vibrations · 10–15 items
A single-degree-of-freedom mechanical system has a natural frequency of 10 rad/s and a damping ratio of 0.15. It is subjected to a harmonic excitation force at 15 rad/s. What is most nearly the steady-state phase lag angle between the excitation force and the displacement response?
FE Reference Handbook, Dynamics: forced vibration.
This is the raw arctangent of 0.45/(−1.25) without placing the angle in the second quadrant.
Dropping the sign of 1 − r2 puts the angle below 90°, which holds only below resonance.
A 90° lag occurs only at resonance (r = 1); here r = 1.5.
r = 1.5 and φ = atan2(2ζr, 1 − r2) = atan2(0.45, −1.25) = 160.2°: above resonance the response lags by more than 90°.
Adding 180° to the positive arctangent overshoots; the phase lag of a single-degree-of-freedom system never exceeds 180°.
Question 4 of 4 · Dynamics, Kinematics, and Vibrations · 10–15 items
A uniform rod of length L and mass m is pivoted at one end and released from rest in a horizontal position. What is the angular acceleration of the rod at the instant of release?
Solution
IO = mL2/3, MO = mg(L/2)
α = MO/IO = 3g/(2L)
FE Reference Handbook, Dynamics: plane motion of a rigid body (slender rod).
About the pivot I = mL2/3 and the weight acts at L/2: α = (mgL/2)/(mL2/3) = 3g/(2L).
This puts the weight at the free end and uses I = mL2; the weight acts at the center of the rod.
This uses I = mL2, as if all the mass sat at the free end.
This uses I = mL2/12, the inertia about the center; the rod rotates about its end.
Answer every question to see your score
From the exam to a license
Register and, where your board requires it, apply to the board first: FE exam registration.
Sit the exam at a Pearson VUE center. The result is pass/fail, typically within 7–10 business days, with no numeric score.
Apply for EI/EIT certification with your state board (EIT certification). Model Law requirement:Degree + FE.
Gain experience, then take a PE exam. NCEES writes three PE Mechanical exams, in HVAC and refrigeration, machine design and materials, and thermal and fluid systems; the HVAC one is covered here as PE HVAC&R. The licensing path step by step: how to become a PE.
Only if they want a professional engineering license. Under the NCEES Model Law, the FE is the first of two exams on the way to a PE license, and your state board sets the exact rules. Whether a particular job needs a license depends on the employer, the work and the state.
Which FE exam should a mechanical engineer take?
FE Mechanical is the exam written for a mechanical engineering curriculum. NCEES also offers FE Other Disciplines, a broader exam that this site does not cover yet. Mechanical graduates who chose it in January–June 2026 passed at 60%, against 73% for their peers on FE Mechanical (first-time, EAC/ABET, within 12 months of graduation): pass rates explained.
Is the FE Mechanical exam open book?
Not in the paper sense. You get the FE Reference Handbook on screen as a searchable PDF and nothing else; personal books and notes are not allowed. Search works through a box on the left, not Ctrl+F.
Can I take FE Mechanical online?
No. The exam is given only on computer at Pearson VUE test centers, year-round; there is no remote or at-home option.
FE Mechanical problems on your phone
FE Mechanical questions, answers and worked solutions in a study app.