How hard is the FE Mechanical exam?

Eight half-years of first-time results

What the series says

• Stable and high. Over the eight halves the rate stayed at 65–73%, and every half since January 2024 has been within one point of the latest figure.
• Spring cohorts are bigger. January–June halves hold the large group of spring graduates, several thousand takers; July–December halves are smaller, and the two weakest halves in the series were both July–December.
• Top of the table. In January–June 2026, mechanical had the highest first-time rate of the seven FE disciplines. All seven side by side: FE exam pass rates.

First attempt versus repeat

The half-year table above covers first-time takers only. For repeat takers the source is NCEES's annual Squared report, which counts every taker in a fiscal year (October to September). To compare like with like, use the same year for both:

• Fiscal year 2024–25, all takers: first-time 69%, repeat 37%.
• Same year, EAC/ABET bachelor's degree only: first-time 72%, repeat 40%.
• Same year, ETAC/ABET bachelor's degree: first-time 33%, repeat 24%.
• Same year, no EAC/ETAC/ABET degree or none reported: first-time 59%, repeat 30%.
• Fiscal year 2023–24, all takers: first-time 68%, repeat 35%.

A repeat taker passes roughly half as often as a first-time taker. Part of that is selection: the people retaking include those furthest from passing. The practical lesson is the same either way: the first attempt is the one to prepare for properly.

Mechanical graduates on FE Other Disciplines. In January–June 2026, first-time EAC/ABET mechanical graduates who sat FE Other Disciplines instead passed at 60%, a small group, against 73% for the same population on FE Mechanical.

So how hard is it?

The topics come from a standard mechanical engineering curriculum, and the Handbook gives you the formulas, so the difficulty is not depth. It is breadth and time:

• Fourteen areas in one sitting, from vector statics to GD&T, and the four shared FE areas on top.
• Under three minutes per question: 5 h 20 min for 110 questions, with formulas looked up rather than recalled.
• No partial credit on the alternative item types, and no return to the first half after the break.
• Distance from school. The rate above is for takers within a year of graduation. Candidates further from their coursework do not appear in it.

A plan that budgets time by the weight of each area and drills Handbook search covers most of that: FE Mechanical study guide.

More on FE Mechanical

• FE MechanicalThe FE exam for mechanical engineers: 14 areas, format, fees, where to practice each topic
• FE Mechanical practice testA mixed set across all 14 areas, sized by the specification's question ranges
• FE Mechanical exam infoTest dates, scoring, retakes, results and the on-screen Handbook
• FE Mechanical costFee, expected attempts at this pass rate, optional extras
• FE Mechanical study guideA study plan for FE Mechanical split by the weight of each knowledge area, with its traps