FE and PE Exam

PE HVAC&R · facts with sources · Oct 29, 2026

PE HVAC&R exam facts, format to pass rate

The exam is 80 questions in a 9 h appointment, of which 8 h is exam time, at a Pearson VUE center. Each row below cites its source; where the exam owner publishes two pass rates for different periods, both are shown with their period.

PE Mechanical HVAC & Refrigeration practice test Study guide

Updated Oct 29, 2026 · Not affiliated with NCEES.

Exam facts

Checked Oct 29, 2026. Sources are numbered and listed under Source notes. What it costs: PE HVAC&R cost. The on-screen reference: reference handbook.
FactDetailSourceChecked
Exam ownerNational Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)NCEES: PE Mechanical exams [1]
Questions80 questionsIncludes unscored pretest questions that are not marked.NCEES: PE Mechanical exams · NCEES: PE Mechanical HVAC and Refrigeration specifications, October 2025 (PDF) · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][2][3]
Question typesMultiple choice plus alternative item types (multiple correct, point and click, drag and drop, fill in the blank)No partial credit on alternative items.NCEES: PE Mechanical exams · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][3]
Appointment9 hoursNondisclosure agreement 2 min, tutorial 8 min, exam 8 h, scheduled break 50 min.NCEES: PE Mechanical exams · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][3]
Exam time8 hoursNCEES: PE Mechanical exams · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][3]
Scheduled break50 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: PE Mechanical exams · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][3]
DeliveryComputer-based at Pearson VUE test centersNo online or at-home option.NCEES: PE Mechanical exams · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][3]
When you can testYear-roundNCEES testing windows run Jan–Mar, Apr–Jun, Jul–Sep and Oct–Dec.NCEES: PE Mechanical exams · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][3]
UnitsUSCS onlySea-level conditions unless a problem says otherwise.NCEES: PE Mechanical HVAC and Refrigeration specifications, October 2025 (PDF) [2]
Reference suppliedPE Mechanical reference handbook, on screen as a searchable PDFThe current version is free in your MyNCEES account; NCEES sells no printed copy; on exam day search with the box on the left (Ctrl+F does not work); no personal copies.NCEES: PE Mechanical exams · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][3]
Design standards suppliedNoneNCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [3]
CalculatorAny 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) [3][4]
ResultPass/fail, typically 7–10 days after the examEmail notice, result in MyNCEES.NCEES: PE Mechanical exams [1]
Passing scoreNot 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]
Diagnostic reportOnly after a failed attempt, by major topicNCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [3]
Exam fee$400 to NCEESFor each attempt, registrations from January 1, 2024.NCEES: PE Mechanical exams · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) · NCEES: new exam prices effective January 1, 2024 [1][3][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) [3]
RetakesOnce per testing window, at most 3 times in any 12 monthsSome boards are stricter.NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [3]
Time to test after approval12 months to test after board approvalThe fee is forfeited if you neither test nor cancel within 12 months.NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [3]
Who can sitSet by your state board; the exam is designed for engineers with at least four years of post-college work experienceNCEES: PE Mechanical exams · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][3]
Specifications in forceOctober 2025 editionNo further change appears in the NCEES notice of July 20, 2026, which lists exam changes through fall 2027.NCEES: PE Mechanical HVAC and Refrigeration specifications, October 2025 (PDF) · NCEES memo to member boards, July 20, 2026: changes through fall 2027 (PDF, Virginia board copy) [2][7]

Exam day

  • The clock: of the 9 h appointment, 8 h is exam time; the rest covers the nondisclosure agreement, the tutorial and the 50 min break.
  • The break: it falls near the halfway point. Finish and submit the first half before the break; it stays locked afterwards, and any extra break you take runs on the exam clock.
  • Reference: on screen beside the question, the PE Mechanical reference handbook; nothing printed is allowed in. Details: reference handbook.
  • Calculator: NCEES-approved models only, the same list as the FE; an on-screen TI-30XS is available during the exam, in addition to your own approved calculator. Model by model: FE and PE calculators.
  • Everything else: ID, accommodations and booking are the same for every PE exam: PE exam overview.

Units and conditions

Units: USCS only, at sea level unless a problem states an elevation. That makes this module different from its two PE Mechanical siblings, which use SI + USCS, and from the FE (SI + USCS). A problem at altitude says so; the outline names 5,000 ft and low temperature as conditions for psychrometric processes (loads and psychrometrics).

Scoring, results and retakes

  • Passing score: Not published. Correct answers are counted and scaled; a wrong answer scores the same as a blank, and repeat takers face the same standard as first-timers.
  • Results: Pass/fail in 7–10 days, announced by email and shown in your MyNCEES account.
  • Diagnostic report: only on a fail, broken down by topic.
  • Retakes: 1 per window, 3 in 12 months; your board may set a tighter limit.

What changed in October 2025

The current specifications replaced the April 2020 edition, whose topics dated from April 2017.

  • Gone: the split into Principles (28–43 questions) and Applications (42–64). Stand-alone thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics and energy balances are no longer areas; they come back inside applied problems.
  • Regrouped: ventilation and air quality, controls and refrigeration systems now sit together in distribution and systems; energy recovery moved to equipment.
  • Added: low-temperature psychrometric processes, thermal storage, and cavitation, pump curves and NPSH.
  • Grown: supportive knowledge, which now takes economic analysis and electrical concepts.

The exam owner's July 2026 notice to boards lists changes through fall 2027 and none for this module, so the October 2025 edition stays in force.

Pass rate

Two NCEES publications, two periods. Read each pair within its own period.

  • Jan–Jun 2026, exam page: first-time 71% of 799 takers; repeat 40%.
  • Fiscal year Oct 2024–Sep 2025, annual report: first-time 74%, repeat 55%; graduates of EAC/ABET programs 75% and 58%.
  • Fiscal year Oct 2023–Sep 2024: first-time 73%, repeat 51%.

In all three periods a repeat attempt passed at a lower rate than a first attempt, and in the latest half-year the gap was the widest. What that means for the bill: expected attempts and fees. FE pass rates by discipline: FE pass rates.

Checked Oct 29, 2026. Sources are numbered and listed under Source notes.
FactDetailSourceChecked
First-time pass rate71%First-time takers under NCEES member boards, Jan–Jun 2026 (799 takers; NCEES table updated July 2026).NCEES: PE Mechanical exams [1]
First-time takers799Same population and half-year as the pass rate.NCEES: PE Mechanical exams [1]
First-time pass rate, all takers (FY 2024–25)74%All first-time takers, NCEES fiscal year Oct 2024–Sep 2025 (1,439 takers).NCEES Squared 2025: pass rates, fiscal year Oct 2024–Sep 2025 (PDF) [8]
Repeat pass rate (FY 2024–25)55%All repeat takers, NCEES fiscal year Oct 2024–Sep 2025 (388 takers). The PE Mechanical page shows 40% of 229 repeat takers for Jan–Jun 2026.NCEES Squared 2025: pass rates, fiscal year Oct 2024–Sep 2025 (PDF) [8]

Who can sit

Who can sit: Set by your state board; the exam is designed for engineers with at least four years of post-college work experience. Under the Model Law the experience for a license is 4 years (EAC/ABET degree); whether you can sit before your experience is finished is a board decision. The full path: how to become a PE.

Source notes

  1. NCEES: PE Mechanical exams ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026
  2. NCEES: PE Mechanical HVAC and Refrigeration specifications, October 2025 (PDF) ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026
  3. NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026
  4. NCEES: calculator policy (2026 list) ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026
  5. NCEES: exam scoring ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026
  6. NCEES: new exam prices effective January 1, 2024 ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026
  7. NCEES memo to member boards, July 20, 2026: changes through fall 2027 (PDF, Virginia board copy) dpor.tl.virginia.gov · checked Oct 29, 2026
  8. NCEES Squared 2025: pass rates, fiscal year Oct 2024–Sep 2025 (PDF) ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026

PE HVAC&R exam facts, quick answers

How long is the HVAC PE exam?

The appointment is 9 h; 8 h of it is exam time. The rest is the nondisclosure agreement, the tutorial and the 50 min break.

Can I take the exam online?

No. You sit it at a Pearson VUE center; remote testing is not offered.

Which pass rate should I quote?

Name the period. The exam page shows 71% for first-time takers in Jan–Jun 2026; the annual report shows 74% for Oct 2024–Sep 2025.

HVAC&R problems by area, on your phone

PE Mechanical HVAC & Refrigeration questions, answers and worked solutions in a study app.

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