What is the PE HVAC exam pass rate?

In NCEES's most recent published data (fiscal year 2024-25), 74% of first-time takers passed PE Mechanical: HVAC and Refrigeration, from a volume of 1,439 examinees. Repeat takers passed at 55%. That makes it one of the friendlier PE depths: comfortably above PE Power (58%), and above every PE Civil depth.

Is the PE HVAC exam easier than the FE?

By pass rate, yes: 74% of first-time PE HVAC takers pass, against 61-69% on the FE exams. The problems are not simpler; they are longer and more involved. NCEES does not publish a reason for the gap. Our read is that the people taking it are usually practicing specialists, taking an exam in the one subject they work in every day. The FE asks you to be adequate across more than a dozen subjects; the PE asks you to be genuinely good at one.

How many questions is the PE HVAC exam?

80 questions in 8 hours of exam time, inside a 9-hour appointment that also holds the nondisclosure agreement, an 8-minute tutorial and a 50-minute scheduled break. It is closed book with an electronic reference: NCEES supplies the PE Mechanical Reference Handbook in the exam software, and no personal copies of any material may be brought in. The exam fee is $400, paid to NCEES.

What topics are on the PE HVAC exam?

Four knowledge areas, and NCEES publishes a question range for each: Equipment and Components (24-36 questions), Distribution and Systems (20-30), Loads and Psychrometrics (18-27), and Supportive Knowledge (8-12). Equipment and Components alone can be more than two-fifths of the exam (up to 34 of the 80 questions, because the other three areas still take their minimums), a weighting that is easy to underrate.

Did the PE Mechanical exam specification change?

Yes. NCEES launched new specifications for the PE Mechanical exams in October 2025. If your books, course, or question bank predate that, check them against the current specification at ncees.org. The topic weighting is what should be driving your study plan, and stale weighting sends your hours to the wrong places.

How hard is the PE Mechanical HVAC exam?

Friendlier than its reputation, on the numbers in NCEES Squared 2025 (FY2024-25): 74% of first-time takers pass PE Mechanical: HVAC and Refrigeration, well above PE Power (58%) and above every PE Civil depth. But the repeat rate tells the sharper story, and there is one thing about the exam's topic weighting that is easy to get wrong.

Updated September 24, 2026 · by the FE → PE Prep team

Questions

9 hours

Appointment

74%

First-time pass rate

PE Mech Handbook

Only reference

PE Mechanical pass rates by depth

PE Mechanical first-time and repeat pass rates by depth, NCEES fiscal year 2024–25
Depth exam	First-time	First-time takers	Repeat
Mechanical: Thermal and Fluid Systems	77%	1,125	53%
Mechanical: HVAC and Refrigeration	74%	1,439	55%
Mechanical: Machine Design and Materials	71%	876	48%

Source: NCEES, Squared 2025 (all takers, NCEES fiscal year October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025).

Look at the repeat column. HVAC's 55% is the best repeat rate of the three Mechanical depths, but it still means nearly half of repeat takers fail again. A 74% headline is reassuring right up until you are in the other 26%. NCEES does not say why candidates fail; our read is that many prepare for the wrong shape of exam.

Where the questions actually are, and what is easy to get wrong

NCEES publishes a question range for each of the four knowledge areas. Plan around it:

HVAC Equipment and Components24–36 questions
HVAC and Refrigeration Distribution and Systems20–30 questions
HVAC Loads and Psychrometrics18–27 questions
Supportive Knowledge8–12 questions

Official NCEES PE Mechanical: HVAC and Refrigeration specification.

Psychrometrics tends to get the attention: the chart is intimidating, and it is easy to spend a first month on it. But Loads and Psychrometrics is worth 18–27 questions, while Equipment and Components is worth 24–36, and can take up to 34 of the 80 questions once the other three areas get their minimums: more than two-fifths of the exam. Chillers, boilers, cooling towers, heat exchangers, coils, pumps and fans quietly outweigh it. If you are budgeting your hours, budget them here.

The specification changed in October 2025

NCEES launched new specifications for the PE Mechanical exams in October 2025. Because the specification is exactly what tells you the weighting above, prep material assembled before that date may be pointing your hours at the wrong topics. Check any book, course, or question bank against the current specification at ncees.org before you trust it.

How to prepare for it

Weight your study by the published question counts, not by what feels hardest. Equipment and Components deserves the largest block of your time.
Practice with the PE Mechanical Reference Handbook open from day one. It is your only reference, and lookup speed is a scoreable skill.
Drill psychrometrics until the chart is routine rather than frightening, then stop. It is important, not dominant.
Work problems that carry real equipment schedules, psychrometric charts, and system schematics. The exam does, and clean textbook problems do not prepare you for reading them under time.
Take at least one full 80-question timed mock. Eight hours is an endurance event before it is a knowledge test.

For the full method, a twelve-week plan split by these question counts, see How to prepare for the PE Mechanical HVAC exam.

Common questions

What is the PE HVAC exam pass rate?: In NCEES's most recent published data (fiscal year 2024-25), 74% of first-time takers passed PE Mechanical: HVAC and Refrigeration, from a volume of 1,439 examinees. Repeat takers passed at 55%. That makes it one of the friendlier PE depths: comfortably above PE Power (58%), and above every PE Civil depth.
Is the PE HVAC exam easier than the FE?: By pass rate, yes: 74% of first-time PE HVAC takers pass, against 61-69% on the FE exams. The problems are not simpler; they are longer and more involved. NCEES does not publish a reason for the gap. Our read is that the people taking it are usually practicing specialists, taking an exam in the one subject they work in every day. The FE asks you to be adequate across more than a dozen subjects; the PE asks you to be genuinely good at one.
How many questions is the PE HVAC exam?: 80 questions in 8 hours of exam time, inside a 9-hour appointment that also holds the nondisclosure agreement, an 8-minute tutorial and a 50-minute scheduled break. It is closed book with an electronic reference: NCEES supplies the PE Mechanical Reference Handbook in the exam software, and no personal copies of any material may be brought in. The exam fee is $400, paid to NCEES.
What topics are on the PE HVAC exam?: Four knowledge areas, and NCEES publishes a question range for each: Equipment and Components (24-36 questions), Distribution and Systems (20-30), Loads and Psychrometrics (18-27), and Supportive Knowledge (8-12). Equipment and Components alone can be more than two-fifths of the exam (up to 34 of the 80 questions, because the other three areas still take their minimums), a weighting that is easy to underrate.
Did the PE Mechanical exam specification change?: Yes. NCEES launched new specifications for the PE Mechanical exams in October 2025. If your books, course, or question bank predate that, check them against the current specification at ncees.org. The topic weighting is what should be driving your study plan, and stale weighting sends your hours to the wrong places.

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.

See what the problems look like

Ten PE HVAC practice questions, from supply airflow to refrigeration COP, with fully worked solutions, free and with no signup.

Try 10 free PE HVAC problems Explore PE HVAC

Pass rates, fees, specifications, and exam format are published by NCEES and change over time. Confirm current specifics at ncees.org. Independent study resource; not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NCEES.