What is on the FE Other Disciplines exam?

Fourteen knowledge areas, all of them general engineering rather than a specialism: mathematics, probability and statistics, chemistry, instrumentation and controls, ethics and societal impacts, safety and health and environment, engineering economics, statics, dynamics, strength of materials, materials, fluid mechanics, basic electrical engineering, and thermodynamics and heat transfer. There are no civil, mechanical or electrical discipline areas. That is the defining feature of this exam and the reason it suits candidates whose degree or practice does not map onto one of the named disciplines.

How is FE Other Disciplines different from the other FE exams?

It is the only FE exam with both a statics area and a chemistry area. FE Civil and FE Mechanical have statics but no chemistry area at all; FE Chemical has chemistry but no statics. FE Other has both, plus safety and health and environment, plus basic electrical engineering. It also carries three mechanics areas of exactly equal weight: statics, dynamics and strength of materials at 9 to 14 questions each, 27 to 37 between them, not the 42 their maxima add to: the other eleven areas' minimums already take 73 of the 110 questions.

How many questions are on each FE Other Disciplines topic?

Fluid Mechanics is the largest single area at 12-18 questions. Statics, Dynamics, Strength of Materials, and Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer follow at 9-14 each, then Mathematics at 8-12. Probability and Statistics, Safety and Health and Environment, Engineering Economics, Materials, and Basic Electrical Engineering get 6-9 each; Chemistry and Engineering Ethics and Societal Impacts 5-8 each; Instrumentation and Controls 4-6. The ranges sum to between 100 and 153 across the 14 areas against an exam of 110 questions, so no single exam hits every maximum.

Why is there so much fluid mechanics on FE Other Disciplines?

It is the largest area on the exam at 12-18 questions, which is exactly double the FE Civil allocation of 6-9 at both ends of the range, and more than FE Mechanical's 10-15. A candidate who moved to this exam expecting a lighter version of a named discipline finds the opposite in fluids. If you are triaging study time, this is the area to protect.

What reference material do you get on the FE Other Disciplines exam?

The exam is closed book with an electronic reference: the NCEES FE Reference Handbook is supplied on-screen as a searchable PDF, and no personal copies or outside material are allowed. Because this exam spans so many subjects, searching the handbook well matters more here than on the discipline exams. You will be moving between chapters that have nothing to do with each other, under three minutes a question.

FE Other Disciplines practice problems: breadth, no depth

This is the only FE exam with both a statics area and a chemistry area on its specification. FE Civil and FE Mechanical have statics and no chemistry area; FE Chemical has chemistry and no statics. FE Other Disciplines has both, plus industrial hygiene and basic electrical engineering, and no depth section anywhere. Here are three practice problems from three of those worlds.

Updated October 6, 2026 · by the FE → PE Prep team

110

Questions

5h 20m

Exam time

Knowledge areas

None

Depth sections

What a no-depth exam actually demands

Candidates often choose this exam because no named discipline fits their degree or their work, and then prepare for it as though it were a lighter version of one. It is not lighter. It is wider, and wide costs differently.

Nothing carries you. On a depth exam, strength in your specialism covers weakness elsewhere. Here the three mechanics areas (statics, dynamics and strength of materials) are 9 to 14 questions each, exactly equal, and fluid mechanics is bigger than any of them. There is no block large enough to hide a weakness behind.
Two areas are outside most engineers’ training entirely. Chemistry at 5–8 and Safety, Health, and Environment at 6–9 have no counterpart area on FE Civil, FE Mechanical or FE Electrical. Together they carry 11 to 17 questions, more than Mathematics at 8 to 12.
The handbook search is harder here. You will jump between chapters that share nothing, under three minutes a question. On a depth exam you live in two or three sections; on this one you visit fourteen.
The clock is the same as every other FE. The appointment is 6 hours, but only 5 hours 20 minutes is exam time. The rest is a nondisclosure agreement, a tutorial and a scheduled break. Across 110 questions that is under three minutes each, covering the read, the lookup and the check.

Three practice problems

One from statics, one from chemistry, one from industrial hygiene: three subjects that share nothing, which is the point. These are drawn from our free FE Other Disciplines set. Try each before opening the solution, and read the distractor notes.

1. Support reaction on a beam with two kinds of load

Statics runs to 9–14 questions here, the same as Dynamics and the same as Strength of Materials. This is the most ordinary problem in the subject, and it is worth watching what the exam does with an ordinary problem.

1
medium
A. Force systems, equilibrium, trusses, friction & area properties
A simply-supported beam of span $L=6$ m carries a uniform load $w=4$ kN/m over its entire length plus a point load $P=12$ kN located 2 m from the left support (A). The pin reaction at A is most nearly:
Figure — drag or pinch to move around
1. 10 kN
2. 16 kN
3. 18 kN
4. 20 kN
Show the answer & worked solution
Answer: D.20 kN
Replace the uniform load by its resultant, $wL=(4\ \text{kN/m})(6\ \text{m})=24$ kN acting at midspan, 3 m from each support. Then take moments about the roller B, which removes $R_B$ (Statics — Equilibrium Requirements, $\Sigma M=0$ ): $R_A(6\ \text{m})=(12\ \text{kN})(4\ \text{m})+(24\ \text{kN})(3\ \text{m})$ , so $R_A=\dfrac{48+72}{6}=20$ kN. Check with $\Sigma F_y=0$ : $R_B=12+24-20=16$ kN. Distractors: the point-load moment arm taken as $a$ instead of $(L-a)$ — moments summed about the wrong support — yielding $R_B$ (16 kN); the point load split evenly regardless of its position ( $P/2$ , giving 18 kN); and the load intensity $w=4$ kN/m used as if it were the distributed load's resultant, instead of $wL=24$ kN, so A gets only $w/2$ from it (10 kN).

What the distractors teach

The two loads have to be handled differently, and two of the wrong answers blur them. Split the point load evenly regardless of where it sits, P/2 rather than P(L−a)/L, and you get 18 kN. Take the intensity w = 4 kN/m as if it were the uniform load’s resultant instead of wL = 24 kN and you get 10 kN. The third comes from summing moments about the wrong support, which gives the far reaction, 16 kN. The 18 is the dangerous one, because splitting a load in half is right for the UDL and wrong for the point load, in the same problem.

2. pH of a diluted strong acid

Here is the part of this exam that surprises people. Chemistry carries 5–8 questions on FE Other Disciplines, and FE Civil, FE Mechanical and FE Electrical have no chemistry area at all. If you came to this exam from a mechanical or civil background, this is unfamiliar ground worth an hour.

2
medium
A. Stoichiometry, equilibrium, acids/bases, oxidation-reduction & gas laws
A technician adds 200 mL of 0.050 mol/L hydrochloric acid, a strong acid, to 300 mL of pure water. Taking the volumes as additive, the pH of the resulting solution at 25 °C is most nearly:
1. 1.30
2. 1.48
3. 1.70
4. 3.91
Show the answer & worked solution
Answer: C.1.70
Molarity is gram moles of solute per liter of solution (FE Reference Handbook 10.6 p. 86). The acid brings $0.050\times0.2=0.01$ mol of $\mathrm{H^+}$ (HCl dissociates completely) into $200+300=500$ mL of solution, so $[\mathrm{H^+}]=0.01/0.5=0.02$ mol/L. Then $\mathrm{pH}=\log_{10}(1/[\mathrm{H^+}])=-\log_{10}0.02=1.70$ (p. 87). Distractors: the dilution ignored, giving the pH of the 0.050 mol/L stock itself ( $-\log_{10}0.05=1.30$ ); the 300 mL of water taken as the final volume, leaving out the acid's own 200 mL ( $[\mathrm{H^+}]=0.0333$ mol/L, pH 1.48); and the natural log used in place of $\log_{10}$ ( $-\ln 0.02=3.91$ ).

What the distractors teach

Two steps, and each has its trap. The 200 mL of acid carries 0.010 mol of H⁺, and after mixing it is spread through 500 mL, not 300: leave out the acid's own volume and you get 1.48, skip the dilution altogether and you are reporting the stock's pH, 1.30. Then the logarithm is base 10, and the natural log gives 3.91. The right answer, 1.70, is −log₁₀ 0.020, and it needs both steps done properly.

3. Eight-hour time-weighted average exposure

Safety, Health, and Environment is 6–9 questions, another area FE Civil, Mechanical and Electrical do not have (FE Chemical does). Time-weighted averaging is industrial hygiene rather than engineering analysis, and it rewards reading the question over recalling a formula.

3
medium
A. Industrial hygiene: exposure, radiation, ventilation & gas concentration
Personal sampling over an 8-hour shift (PEL $=100$ ppm) records $100$ ppm for 2 h, $150$ ppm for 4 h, $50$ ppm for 2 h. The 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) exposure is most nearly:
1. 100 ppm
2. 113 ppm
3. 150 ppm
4. 300 ppm
Show the answer & worked solution
Answer: B.113 ppm
A time-weighted average weights each concentration by the hours spent at it and divides by the whole 8-hour shift: $\text{TWA}=\dfrac{\sum C_it_i}{\sum t_i}=\dfrac{(100)(2)+(150)(4)+(50)(2)}{8}=\dfrac{900\ \text{ppm·h}}{8\ \text{h}}=112.5$ ppm $\approx$ 113 ppm, above the 100 ppm PEL. Distractors: the readings averaged without weighting by duration, $\sum C_i/n=300/3$ (100 ppm); the peak reading taken as the average (150 ppm); and the ppm·h total divided by the NUMBER of readings, $900/3$ , instead of by the 8-hour shift (300 ppm).

What the distractors teach

This is the sharpest distractor set of the three. The un-weighted mean of the three readings comes to exactly 100 ppm, which is also the permissible exposure limit, so the tempting wrong answer reads as “right at the limit, compliant”. The correctly weighted average is 112.5 ppm, over the limit. Getting it wrong does not just cost a point; it inverts the engineering conclusion. The other two are the peak reading taken as the average, 150, and dividing the time-products by the number of readings rather than by the eight-hour shift, 300.

Where the 110 questions come from

NCEES publishes how many questions come from each of the fourteen knowledge areas. Read it looking for a discipline specialty and you will not find one. That absence is the exam's defining feature.

FE Other Disciplines knowledge areas and question counts, per the NCEES specification effective July 2020
Knowledge area	Questions
MathematicsAnalytic geometry and trigonometry, calculus, differential equations, numerical methods, linear algebra.	8–12
Probability and StatisticsEstimation and confidence intervals, expected value in decisions, sampling and hypothesis testing, goodness of fit.	6–9
ChemistryOxidation and reduction (including corrosion control), acids, bases and buffers, stoichiometry and equilibrium. FE Civil, Mechanical and Electrical have no chemistry area.	5–8
Instrumentation and ControlsSensors, data acquisition (sampling, filtering, A/D and D/A conversion), logic diagrams.	4–6
Engineering Ethics and Societal ImpactsCodes of ethics and ethical dilemmas, public protection and licensing boards, societal impacts.	5–8
Safety, Health, and EnvironmentIndustrial hygiene and exposure limits, safety equipment, gas detection, electrical safety, confined-space ventilation, hazard communication.	6–9
Engineering EconomicsTime value of money, cost estimation, economic analyses, depreciation.	6–9
StaticsResultants, equilibrium, frames and trusses, centroids, moments of inertia, friction.	9–14
DynamicsKinematics, mass moments of inertia, force and acceleration, work and energy, vibrations.	9–14
Strength of MaterialsStress and strain, shear and moment diagrams, torsion, beams, columns, combined stresses.	9–14
MaterialsPhase diagrams, mechanical, chemical, thermal and electrical properties, material selection.	6–9
Fluid MechanicsThe largest single area on the exam, and exactly double the FE Civil allocation at both ends of the range. Properties, statics, energy and continuity, pipe and open-channel flow, pumps, flow measurement.	12–18
Basic Electrical EngineeringElectrical fundamentals, DC and AC circuits, power factor and impedance, measuring devices, three-phase power.	6–9
Thermodynamics and Heat TransferCombined into one area here, where FE Mechanical splits them into two. Properties, laws, cycles, conduction, convection, radiation.	9–14

Two rows deserve a second look. Fluid Mechanics at 12 to 18 is the largest area on the exam, exactly double FE Civil's allocation at both ends of the range, and more than FE Mechanical's. And Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer are combined into a single 9 to 14 area here, where FE Mechanical splits them into two. Neither of those is what a candidate expects from an exam described as general.

For the pass-rate picture across all seven FE disciplines, the companion guide covers it: how hard is the FE exam?

Common questions

What is on the FE Other Disciplines exam?: Fourteen knowledge areas, all of them general engineering rather than a specialism: mathematics, probability and statistics, chemistry, instrumentation and controls, ethics and societal impacts, safety and health and environment, engineering economics, statics, dynamics, strength of materials, materials, fluid mechanics, basic electrical engineering, and thermodynamics and heat transfer. There are no civil, mechanical or electrical discipline areas. That is the defining feature of this exam and the reason it suits candidates whose degree or practice does not map onto one of the named disciplines.
How is FE Other Disciplines different from the other FE exams?: It is the only FE exam with both a statics area and a chemistry area. FE Civil and FE Mechanical have statics but no chemistry area at all; FE Chemical has chemistry but no statics. FE Other has both, plus safety and health and environment, plus basic electrical engineering. It also carries three mechanics areas of exactly equal weight: statics, dynamics and strength of materials at 9 to 14 questions each, 27 to 37 between them, not the 42 their maxima add to: the other eleven areas' minimums already take 73 of the 110 questions.
How many questions are on each FE Other Disciplines topic?: Fluid Mechanics is the largest single area at 12-18 questions. Statics, Dynamics, Strength of Materials, and Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer follow at 9-14 each, then Mathematics at 8-12. Probability and Statistics, Safety and Health and Environment, Engineering Economics, Materials, and Basic Electrical Engineering get 6-9 each; Chemistry and Engineering Ethics and Societal Impacts 5-8 each; Instrumentation and Controls 4-6. The ranges sum to between 100 and 153 across the 14 areas against an exam of 110 questions, so no single exam hits every maximum.
Why is there so much fluid mechanics on FE Other Disciplines?: It is the largest area on the exam at 12-18 questions, which is exactly double the FE Civil allocation of 6-9 at both ends of the range, and more than FE Mechanical's 10-15. A candidate who moved to this exam expecting a lighter version of a named discipline finds the opposite in fluids. If you are triaging study time, this is the area to protect.
What reference material do you get on the FE Other Disciplines exam?: The exam is closed book with an electronic reference: the NCEES FE Reference Handbook is supplied on-screen as a searchable PDF, and no personal copies or outside material are allowed. Because this exam spans so many subjects, searching the handbook well matters more here than on the discipline exams. You will be moving between chapters that have nothing to do with each other, under three minutes a question.

Build your study plan

Tell us how long you have. We'll budget your hours across every knowledge area using the official NCEES question weights. The heaviest areas get the most time, which is the opposite of how most people study.

Work through eight more

The free FE Other Disciplines set has ten problems, eight of them not on this page: pipe continuity, bending stress, a loaded voltage divider, capital recovery, specific heat, normal distributions and more, spanning as many subjects as the exam does, each with the full worked solution and every distractor named. No signup.

Try the free FE Other Disciplines set Explore FE Other Disciplines

Format, knowledge areas and appointment length are from the NCEES FE Other Disciplines specification effective beginning with the July 2020 examinations. The per-question time and the comparisons drawn against other FE specifications are ours, not NCEES figures. Specifications and fees change over time, so confirm current specifics at ncees.org. Independent study resource; not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NCEES.