FE Exam

Last updated: June 2024 

Important Note

  • Be sure to visit the NCEES website to check for any updates and changes to the FE Exam.
  • Most of the information here is sourced from the NCEES EXAMINEE GUIDE located at the bottom of the website.

Structure

Total Time: 6 hrs

  • Nondisclosure agreement (2 minutes)
  • Tutorial (8 minutes)
  • Exam (5 hours and 20 minutes)
    • 110 Questions
    • Scheduled break (25 minutes)
      • Optional after the 55th question

Format: In-person, computer-based

Registration

  • Be Sure to MAKE AN ACCOUNT and book the appointment at least a month or two prior to when you plan to take the FE.

MyNCEES Account

  1. Create a NCEES account.
  2. Use your personal email, not your Rice email.

Texas Board Of Professional Engineers And Land Surveyors

  • The Texas board does not require examinees to submit an application or an additional fee prior to registering with NCEES and scheduling an exam.
  • Examinees will be provided one attempt per testing window.
  • No more than three attempts in a 12-month period.

Price & Subsidy

  • Price: $225 to register (Starting January 1, 2024).
    • NOTE: the CEVE Department will subsidize $125 of the registration fee! 
    • Email your test scores to Caroline Leggett (cl185@rice.edu) as proof, and you will obtain the subsidy/reimbursement.

Exam Scheduling

  • After you complete the registration process and have been approved by your licensing board, you will receive an email (NCEES Exam Ready to Schedule) from NCEES. This is the authorization notice to schedule your exam.
  • Once you are approved to test, you have 12 months to take your exam.
    • You will forfeit your registration fee if you fail to take your exam or fail to cancel your registration during this 12-month period.
  • Seats are usually only available ~1.5 months in advance.
  • During the registration process, examinees select their exam location. Next, they are presented with a list of available exam dates. If examinees are not happy with the choices, they can browse through the available dates at other NCEES-approved test centers.
    • Test Center Closest to Rice: Pearson Professional Centers-Bellaire (Houston) TX
      • 6800 West Loop S
        Suite 405
        Truist Bank Building
        Bellaire, Texas 77401
        United States

ADA/Military Accommodations

  • Visit this site for more information.

Cancellations/Refunds

  • Refer to the section on computer-based exams in the NCEES Examinee Guide for information about cancellations, refunds, rescheduling, and discipline changes.
  • You will be eligible for a refund of the NCEES registration fee less a $50 administrative fee.
    • If you canceled an exam appointment and paid Pearson VUE a cancellation fee, NCEES will waive the $50 administrative fee.

Test Material

*From order of quantity

  1. Water Resources and Environmental Engineering: 10-15 Q
    • Relevant Courses: CEVE 310, CEVE 412, and/or CEVE 401
  2. Structural Engineering: 10-15 Q
    1. Relevant Courses: CEVE 311/312, CEVE 325, CEVE 431/432, and/or CEVE 439
  3. Geotechnical Engineering: 10-15 Q
    1. Relevant Courses: CEVE 471/472
  4. Transportation Engineering: 10-14 Q
    1. Relevant Courses: CEVE 452
  5. Construction Engineering: 8-12 Q
    1. Relevant Courses: UPDATE, CEVE 301
  6. Mathematics and Statistics: 8-12 Q
    1. Relevant Courses: Algebra, Calculus I, II, III (differential), IV (multivariable), Linear Algebra, and STAT 310
  7. Statics: 8-12 Q
    1. Relevant Courses: CEVE 211 and/or PHYS 101
  8. Mechanics of Materials: 7-11 Q
    1. Relevant Courses: CEVE 311/312
  9. Surveying: 6-9 Q
    1. Relevant Courses: UPDATE
  10. Fluid Mechanics: 6-9 Q
    1. Relevant Courses: CEVE 363
  11. Materials: 5-8 Q
    1. Relevant Courses: CEVE 311/312, CEVE 431/432, and/or CEVE 400
  12. Engineering Economics: 5-8 Q
    1. Relevant Courses: CEVE 301
  13. Ethics and Professional Practice: 4-6 Q
    1. Relevant Courses: Read the PDF -> higher on the code of ethics = higher priority
  14. Dynamics: 4-6 Q
    1. Relevant Courses: PHYS 101

 

Study Material

*If you have any other recommendations, please let us know and we can add it here. Much appreciated!

  • Make sure to try to keep your old homeworks and tests from CEVE, MATH, STAT, and PHYS.
    • Ensure that you are confident in materials from section 1-8 above as these are the most significant.
    • Look back at old, forgotten material like MATH, STAT, and PHYS as you have taken CEVE classes recently.

 

 

  • Review the Reference PDF that will be given during the exam.
    • Solve practice problems with the pdf to establish a workflow.
    • *Note: The pdf is technically only available after you make an account.
    • It includes most necessary formulas and the ability to ctrl+F
  • Figure out how to use your calculator.
    • There are some helpful functions buried in there that will solve equations much faster.
    • There are many tutorials on Youtube and the provided calculator manual.

 

Tips

  • Exam results are based on the total number of correct answers that you selected.
    • There are NO DEDUCTIONS FOR WRONG ANSWERS.
  • There’s ~3 minutes per question, which is a LOT given that most of them are multiple choice, with a couple of matching/fill-in-the-blanks. ANSWER EVERYTHING!
    • Take your time, and save hard questions for later! 6 hours is a long time, but it can quickly dwindle if you remain stuck on 1 question.
  • There will be a scheduled break after you complete half of the exam.
    • Time: 25 minutes
    • You may exit the building during the scheduled break BUT return on time!
  • You can ask the proctor for unscheduled breaks
    • *Note: the amount of time you take for unscheduled breaks will be deducted from your testing time.
    • You can access your beverages, food, and items on the Pearson VUE Comfort Aid List.

 

Results

  • Exam results are typically available within 7–10 business days.
    • You will receive an email notification from NCEES with instructions to view your exam results in your MyNCEES account.
    • Results will include a link to your licensing board for additional state-specific information or instructions.
    • All results are reported as pass or fail.
    • If you fail the examination, you will receive a diagnostic report showing your performance for each of the major topics covered on the exam.
  • As long as you pass a certain threshold, you have passed the exam.
    • Beyond that, it does NOT matter whether you know the rest of the questions, so do not stress if you struggle with a few sections of the exam.
  • You can always retake the FE Exam.

 

What to Bring

  • Calculator
    • Casio: All fx-115 and fx-991 models (Any Casio calculator must have “fx-115” or “fx-991” in its model name.)
    • Hewlett Packard: The HP 33s and HP 35s models, but no others
    • Texas Instruments: All TI-30X and TI-36X models (Any Texas Instruments calculator must have “TI-30X” or “TI-36X” in its model name.)
  • An official and valid government ID that is one of the following
    • ID issued by a government entity in the country in which you are testing
    • International travel passport in roman characters from your country of citizenship
    • U.S. military ID
  • Refreshments: 6 hours is LONG, so bring something for the scheduled break.
    • Water
    • Food
  • Printout of your registration
  • You will be provided with:
    • 2 reusable booklets and 3 markers for scratch work
    • Noise-canceling headphones or earplugs (if noisy room, ask the proctor)

 

 

Best of luck! If you’ve taken it and see anything you’d like us to add or change, please let us know. Overall, remember that you are a Rice Owl and that you were chosen as a Rice Owl because of your abilities and determination. Remain calm and do your best!