NCEES pass rates for the FE and PE exams
First-time and repeat pass rates for every FE and PE exam NCEES reports in Squared 2025 (FY2024-25), with the number of examinees behind each one, from a single named NCEES table and a single reporting period. No averages, no adjustments, no estimates.
· by the FE → PE Prep team
61–69%
FE first-time pass rates
42–81%
PE first-time pass rates
30
FE and PE exams
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 a common mistake in the pass-rate figures published elsewhere, and it can be off by several points in either direction. The same applies to the PE, a family of 23 exams whose first-time rates run from 42% to 81%, before counting the separately scored PE Structural sections.
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% | 31% | 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
Every PE exam in the publication, grouped by discipline and ordered by first-time rate within each group. First-time rates run 42% to 81%, but the extremes are small exams: read the examinee counts first.
PE Civil
| Exam | First-time | Repeat | First-time takers | Repeat takers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PE Civil: Water Resources and Environmental | 71% | 50% | 4,313 | 1,384 |
| PE Civil: Geotechnical | 65% | 42% | 782 | 360 |
| PE Civil: Construction | 62% | 40% | 1,565 | 716 |
| PE Civil: Structural | 61% | 42% | 2,879 | 1,314 |
| PE Civil: Transportation | 59% | 42% | 3,677 | 1,783 |
PE Electrical and Computer
| Exam | First-time | Repeat | First-time takers | Repeat takers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PE Electrical and Computer: Electronics, Controls, and Communications | 69% | 38% | 172 | 24 |
| PE Electrical and Computer: Computer Engineering | 67% | 0% | 21 | 5 |
| PE Electrical and Computer: Power | 58% | 41% | 2,632 | 1,319 |
PE Mechanical
| Exam | First-time | Repeat | First-time takers | Repeat takers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PE Mechanical: Thermal and Fluid Systems | 77% | 53% | 1,125 | 203 |
| PE Mechanical: HVAC and Refrigeration | 74% | 55% | 1,439 | 388 |
| PE Mechanical: Machine Design and Materials | 71% | 48% | 876 | 242 |
Other PE exams
| Exam | First-time | Repeat | First-time takers | Repeat takers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PE Agricultural and Biological | 81% | — | 31 | 0 |
| PE Mining and Mineral Processing | 80% | 45% | 45 | 11 |
| PE Fire Protection | 78% | 44% | 281 | 48 |
| PE Metallurgical and Materials | 68% | 29% | 44 | 7 |
| PE Environmental | 67% | 51% | 645 | 200 |
| PE Chemical | 63% | 35% | 451 | 166 |
| PE Control Systems | 61% | 31% | 249 | 67 |
| PE Industrial and Systems | 61% | 39% | 95 | 18 |
| PE Architectural | 59% | 20% | 109 | 20 |
| PE Naval Architecture and Marine | 54% | 71% | 37 | 7 |
| PE Nuclear | 54% | 0% | 13 | 2 |
| PE Petroleum | 42% | 33% | 52 | 21 |
A dash in the repeat column means NCEES reports no repeat takers for that exam in the period, so there is no rate to print.
PE Structural (SE)
The SE is taken as separate breadth and depth sections, vertical and lateral, with the depth sections in either bridges or buildings. NCEES reports each section on its own, so these rows are sections, not exams, and they do not compare directly with the PE rates above.
| Exam | First-time | Repeat | First-time takers | Repeat takers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structural Vertical Breadth | 40% | 31% | 442 | 100 |
| Structural Vertical Depth: Bridges | 36% | 60% | 53 | 15 |
| Structural Vertical Depth: Buildings | 13% | 16% | 342 | 160 |
| Structural Lateral Breadth | 46% | 46% | 318 | 105 |
| Structural Lateral Depth: Bridges | 48% | 38% | 58 | 29 |
| Structural Lateral Depth: Buildings | 20% | 21% | 241 | 155 |
Where these numbers come from
- Publication:
- NCEES Squared 2025
- Table:
- Overall takers
- Reporting period:
- FY2024-25 (2024-10-01 to 2025-09-30)
- Document:
- Squared 2025 (PDF, ncees.org)
Nothing on this page is derived, averaged or estimated by us. A dash marks a figure this table does not include; it is never filled in with an estimate. 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.
One clarification, because it is a common way these figures get misquoted. NCEES publishes each discipline more than once: for all takers, and separately for subsets such as takers holding an EAC-accredited bachelor's degree. For the FE, the EAC first-time rates are 1 to 3 points higher in every discipline. FE Electrical and Computer, for instance, is 31% for repeat takers overall and 33% among EAC-degree holders. The PE tables carry the same split, and there the EAC figure is not always the higher one: PE Civil: Geotechnical is 65% first-time overall and 62% among EAC-degree holders. Both columns are real, and quoting one as the other is an easy mistake to make. Every figure on this page is from the overall-takers columns.
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 exams, and quoting one number for all of them is a 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. NCEES does not publish a reason. Part of the gap is selection, since every repeat taker has already fallen short once. The rates do not show that repeat takers are weaker engineers, or that any particular way of preparing works or fails.
Which PE exam has the lowest pass rate?
PE Petroleum had the lowest first-time rate in NCEES Squared 2025 (FY2024-25), 42% of 52 first-time examinees, and PE Agricultural and Biological the highest, 81% of 31. Both are small exams. Among the PE exams with more than 1,000 first-time examinees, PE Electrical and Computer: Power is lowest at 58% (2,632 examinees) and PE Mechanical: Thermal and Fluid Systems highest at 77%. The separately scored PE Structural (SE) sections run lower still, 13% to 48% first-time. A rate computed over a few dozen examinees is not comparable to one computed over a few thousand, 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 you can control is how you practice: under exam conditions, with the reference handbook open. Every exam we cover has a free set of practice questions here, with fully worked solutions and no signup. Deciding whether to pay for a course as well? Read do you need a prep course first.
Try free practice questions