What to bring to the FE exam, and what stays in the locker

Bring one physical photo ID and one calculator from NCEES's approved list. Almost everything else, from your phone and watch to your notes and snacks, goes in a locker outside the testing room. The test center gives you the reference handbook on screen, two booklets and three markers for scratch work, and earplugs if you want them. Here is the full list, from NCEES's November 2026 Examinee Guide. How long the day runs is in our FE exam length guide.

Updated November 11, 2026 · by the FE → PE Prep team

One physical photo ID

Current, and matching the name on your appointment confirmation.

One approved calculator

Without its cover. Spares stay in the locker.

Glasses and a light sweater

Glasses without the case; a sweater or light jacket, not a coat.

Your appointment confirmation, printed

NCEES asks you to bring it; a printed copy speeds up check-in.

Food and a drink, for the locker

Food and other drinks stay outside the room. Our tip: pack a snack for the break.

Every rule on this page is NCEES's, read on November 11, 2026. Where a line is our own tip, we say so.

Your ID: one physical photo ID

NCEES accepts one of these, shown in person. A digital ID on your phone is refused.

An ID issued by a government in the country where you're testing
A passport in roman characters from your country of citizenship
A U.S. military ID

The ID must be current and show an expiration date, your name, your date of birth, a recognizable photo and your signature. A valid U.S. military ID without a signature is accepted. Student IDs are not.

The first and last names you register with must be in English, and the names on your appointment confirmation must match your ID. If they don't, or the ID fails any of these rules, NCEES says you won't be allowed to test and you'll have to register and pay the exam fees again. Check the names the day the confirmation email arrives, and contact NCEES straight away if they differ. A printed copy of the confirmation speeds up check-in.

Your calculator: one, from NCEES's list

NCEES's calculator policy names the only models acceptable on its exams through 2027:

NCEES-approved calculators
Maker	Approved models
Casio	Any model with fx-115 or fx-991 in its name
Hewlett Packard	The HP 33s and HP 35s, no other HP model
Texas Instruments	Any model with TI-30X or TI-36X in its name

One calculator goes into the testing room, without its cover. NCEES lets you keep spare calculators and covers with your belongings. Our tip: a second approved calculator in the locker covers one that fails before you go in. During the exam you can't fetch it, and the on-screen TI-30XS is your backup.
A TI-30XS is also available on screen during the exam.
No graphing calculator is on the list. NCEES reviews the list every year, so check its calculator policy before you buy.
Our tip: do your practice problems on the exact model you'll bring, so its keys are second nature by exam day.

What the test center gives you

The current FE Reference Handbook, on screen as a searchable PDF beside the question on a 24-inch monitor. Search it with the box on the left of the handbook: Ctrl + F doesn't work. You can download the same version from your MyNCEES account to study with.
Two reusable booklets and three markers for scratch work. You can't write in them until the exam starts. Raise your hand to swap a full booklet for a new one. They stay in the room and go back to the proctor at the end.
Earplugs, noise-canceling headphones and tissues, with no request needed in advance.

Which methods the handbook prints, and which it leaves to you, is in our FE Reference Handbook guide.

Allowed in the testing room, and not

NCEES's list of what may go in is short, and it's the whole list:

The ID you checked in with
One calculator from NCEES's approved list, without the cover
The key to your locker
The booklets and markers the test center gives you
Eyeglasses, without the case
A light sweater or a light jacket that isn't outerwear (no nylon, polyester or similar)
One water bottle, if your test center permits it (the rules are below)
Comfort items on the test center's list, such as earplugs, noise-canceling headphones and tissues, which the center provides
Anything approved in advance as a testing accommodation

Not allowed in the room, among other things:

Phones, computers and any other electronic device
Smartwatches, fitness trackers, smart glasses, and ordinary watches too
Wallets, purses and bags
Coats, and hats or other head coverings unless they're religious apparel
Books and notes
Pens, pencils and erasers
Food, and any drink other than water in an approved bottle
Weapons of any kind, anywhere in the test center

Everything not allowed goes in a locker or another storage area outside the room; most test centers have small lockers. Turn your devices off before you store them. The test center isn't responsible for anything lost from storage. Other comfort aids, such as braces, hearing aids, eye drops and mobility devices, are allowed after the staff look them over. Anything else needs a testing accommodation, requested when you register and approved before you schedule.

The water bottle rule

New in the November 2026 Examinee Guide: if your test center permits it, you may bring one water bottle into the room. It must be clear, colorless plastic with no glass or metal, hold only water, be 750 mL (25 oz) or smaller, seal with a leak-proof spout that has no metal parts, and carry no labels, stickers, sleeves, writing, electronics or accessories. Your center may not allow it, so be ready to leave it in the locker. NCEES's guide still bans drinking during the exam, so ask the staff whether you may drink from the bottle at your seat.

Check-in: arrive 30 minutes early

NCEES asks you to arrive at the test center 30 minutes before your appointment.
You sign NCEES's exam rules, and staff check that you carry only allowed items. Everything else goes into storage.
Staff take your photo and scan your palms. The scan is changing from palm vein to palm scans, so you may be asked for both.
At the testing room you scan your palms again, empty your pockets, may be asked to roll up your sleeves (and, if your hair covers your ears, to show them), and pat yourself down.
You may also be scanned for hidden electronics. NCEES has zero tolerance: if an unauthorized device turns up once the pat-down begins, you leave and forfeit your exam fees.
The proctor hands you the booklets and markers, takes you to your seat and starts the exam.

Breaks and your locker

NCEES's guide still says no eating, drinking or gum during the exam. If your center lets a water bottle in, ask the staff whether you may drink from it at your seat.
The scheduled break comes after about half the questions. You may leave the building during it, and the exam clock starts again when it ends, whether you're back or not.
On an unscheduled break the exam clock keeps running and you can't leave the building. From your stored things you may use only food, drinks, feminine hygiene products and comfort-list items. Medication you need at a set time needs the administrator's prior permission.
Every break is taken outside the room. To come back in, you show your ID and may scan your palms again.

How long the break is and how it affects your exam time is in how long the FE exam is.

Taking the PE instead?

The same ID, calculator and testing-room rules apply to NCEES's PE exams. Two things differ. For some PE exams, NCEES also supplies codes and standards on screen, listed on the last page of that exam's specifications. And the day is longer: NCEES lists a 9-hour appointment for PE Civil, PE Electrical Power and PE Mechanical, against just under 6 hours for the FE.

Common questions

What ID do I need for the FE exam?: One physical photo ID: an ID issued by a government in the country where you test, a passport in roman characters from your country of citizenship, or a U.S. military ID. It must be current and show an expiration date, your name, date of birth, photo and signature (a U.S. military ID without a signature is accepted). Digital IDs and student IDs are not accepted.
What happens if my ID doesn't match my registration?: NCEES says you won't be allowed to test, and you'll have to register and pay the exam fees again. Check that the first and last names on your appointment confirmation match your ID as soon as the confirmation arrives, and contact NCEES right away if they don't.
Which calculators are allowed on the FE exam?: Only NCEES's approved list, which runs through 2027: any Casio with fx-115 or fx-991 in the model name, the HP 33s and HP 35s, and any Texas Instruments with TI-30X or TI-36X in the model name. You take one into the testing room, without the cover.
Can I bring two calculators?: Only one goes into the testing room. NCEES lets you keep spare calculators and covers with your belongings in the locker.
Is a graphing calculator allowed?: No graphing calculator is on NCEES's approved list. The list names scientific models from three makers, and NCEES says those are the only models acceptable.
Is there a calculator on the screen?: Yes. NCEES says a TI-30XS calculator is available on screen during the exam. You can still bring your own approved calculator.
Can I bring my own FE Reference Handbook?: No. Books and notes are not allowed in the testing room. NCEES supplies the current handbook on screen as a searchable PDF, and you can download the same version from your MyNCEES account to study with.
Can I bring scratch paper or a pencil?: No. Only the items on NCEES's list go into the room. The test center gives you two reusable booklets and three markers for scratch work, and you can swap a full booklet for a new one during the exam.
Can I bring water into the FE exam?: Since the November 2026 Examinee Guide, one water bottle may go into the testing room if your test center permits it. It must be clear, colorless plastic with no glass or metal, hold only water, be 750 mL (25 oz) or smaller, seal with a leak-proof spout that has no metal parts, and carry no labels, stickers, sleeves, writing, electronics or accessories. Any other drink stays in the locker. The guide still bans drinking during the exam, so ask the staff whether you may drink from the bottle at your seat.
Can I wear a watch?: No. Watches of every kind, smart or not, are on NCEES's list of items not allowed in the testing room.

Sources

All three were read on November 11, 2026. The tips on a spare calculator, practicing on your own model and packing a snack are ours. NCEES updates its rules and its calculator list, so check ncees.org and your appointment confirmation before exam day.

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The rules on this page are NCEES's, from ncees.org and the NCEES Examinee Guide (November 2026), read November 11, 2026. Independent study resource; not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NCEES.

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