NCEES pass rates for every FE and PE exam
Every first-time and repeat pass rate NCEES publishes, with the number of examinees behind each one, from a single named table and a single reporting period. No averages, no adjustments, no estimates.
· by the FE to PE Prep team
61–69%
FE first-time pass rates
58–77%
PE first-time pass rates
13
exams published
FY2024-25
reporting period
There is no single FE pass rate
The FE is seven different exams. Quoting one number for all of them is the most common mistake in the pass-rate figures published elsewhere, and it is usually wrong by several points in whichever direction flatters the argument. The same applies to the PE, which is a family of depth exams whose rates span nearly twenty points.
Examinee counts are printed beside every rate for the same reason. A 67% pass rate computed over 21 candidates and a 61% computed over 16,639 are not the same kind of fact, and a table that hides the difference invites a false comparison.
FE exams
First-time rates run 61% to 69%. Repeat rates run roughly half that.
| Exam | First-time | Repeat | First-time takers | Repeat takers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FE Mechanical | 69% | 37% | 11,552 | 2,120 |
| FE Chemical | 68% | 35% | 1,873 | 316 |
| FE Environmental | 67% | 37% | 2,543 | 1,092 |
| FE Electrical and Computer† | 64% | 33% | 5,882 | 2,020 |
| FE Industrial and Systems | 62% | 25% | 547 | 118 |
| FE Civil | 61% | 32% | 16,639 | 9,863 |
| FE Other Disciplines | 61% | 29% | 2,386 | 951 |
PE exams
The PE depths NCEES reports separately, ordered by first-time rate. Repeat-taker counts are not published for these.
| Exam | First-time | Repeat | First-time takers | Repeat takers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PE Mechanical: Thermal and Fluid Systems | 77% | 53% | 1,125 | — |
| PE Mechanical: HVAC and Refrigeration | 74% | 55% | 1,439 | — |
| PE Mechanical: Machine Design and Materials | 71% | 48% | 876 | — |
| PE Electrical and Computer: Electronics, Controls, and Communications | 69% | 38% | 172 | — |
| PE Electrical and Computer: Computer Engineering | 67% | 0% | 21 | — |
| PE Electrical and Computer: Power | 58% | 41% | 2,632 | — |
Where these numbers come from
- Publication:
- NCEES Squared 2025
- Table:
- Overall takers
- Reporting period:
- FY2024-25 (2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30)
Nothing on this page is derived, averaged or estimated by us, and where NCEES publishes no figure the cell reads em-dash rather than being filled in. If you are checking our numbers against the source and find a disagreement, tell us — that correction is worth more to this site than the traffic.
† FE Electrical and Computer's repeat rate is pending a re-check against the published table. It appeared on this site as both 31% and 33% before these figures were consolidated; 33% is shown because it is what most pages carried, which makes the site consistent but is not itself evidence. It is flagged rather than quietly picked.
Common questions
What is the pass rate for the FE exam?
In NCEES Squared 2025 (FY2024-25 (2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30)), first-time FE pass rates ranged from 61% to 69% depending on discipline. FE Mechanical was highest at 69%; FE Civil and FE Other Disciplines were lowest at 61%. There is no single "FE pass rate" — the exam is seven different papers, and quoting one number for all of them is the most common error in figures published elsewhere.
Why are repeat pass rates so much lower than first-time rates?
Across the seven FE disciplines, repeat takers passed at 25-37% against 61-69% for first-time takers — roughly half. The gap is consistent enough that it is worth reading as information rather than discouragement: it says that whatever a candidate did the first time, doing more of it does not work. It does not say that repeat takers are weaker.
Which PE exam has the lowest pass rate?
Of the PE depths covered here, PE Electrical and Computer: Power has the lowest first-time rate at 58%, from 2,632 first-time examinees. The highest is PE Mechanical: Thermal and Fluid Systems at 77%. Note that PE depths are not equally popular — a rate computed over 21 examinees is not comparable to one computed over 2,632, which is why examinee counts appear beside every figure on this page.
Where do these numbers come from?
All of them come from a single source: NCEES Squared 2025, the "Overall takers" table, covering FY2024-25 (2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30). Nothing on this page is derived, averaged, adjusted or estimated by us. Where NCEES publishes no figure, this page says so rather than filling the gap.
What score do you need to pass?
NCEES does not publish a passing score, and there is no fixed percentage to hit. Raw answers are converted to a scaled score representing ability, compared against a standard set by subject-matter experts. Two things follow: you do not need anything close to 100%, and there is no penalty for a wrong answer, so never leave a question blank.
The number that matters is your own
A pass rate describes a cohort, not a candidate. What separates the two groups is not talent but practice under exam conditions with the reference handbook open. Every exam above has a free sample here, with fully worked solutions and no signup.
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