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PE Electrical and Computer: Power

Analysis, machines, transmission, protection, codes, and more.

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Straight from the PE Electrical and Computer: Power bank — 4,700+ questions, every one with a full worked solution.

medium
A. Three-phase circuits
A three-phase induction motor delivers 50 hp at full load. At this load its efficiency is 91% and its power factor is 0.86 lagging. The motor is supplied at 480 V (line-to-line). The full-load line current is most nearly:
Three-phase induction motor fed by three line conductors A, B and C, with the line-to-line voltage marked between lines A and B and the line current on line A3-phase supplyABCMVLL = 480 VIL50 hpη = 91%pf = 0.86 lag

Figure — drag or pinch to move around

  • 44.9 A
  • 49.3 A
  • 52.2 A
  • 57.3 A (correct answer)

Worked solution

Shaft output: Pout=50×746 W=37.3P_{out}=50\times746\text{ W}=37.3 kW. Electrical input: Pin=Pout/η=37.3/0.91=40.99P_{in}=P_{out}/\eta=37.3/0.91=40.99 kW. The handbook's induction-motor power flow (§4.2.5) gives Pin=3 VTILcos⁡θP_{in}=\sqrt3\,V_TI_L\cos\theta, so IL=40.99×1033(480)(0.86)=57.3I_L=\dfrac{40.99\times10^3}{\sqrt3(480)(0.86)}=57.3 A. Distractors: 52.2 A leaves out the efficiency, taking the shaft output as the electrical input; 49.3 A leaves out the power factor, treating the input kW as kVA; and 44.9 A divides the shaft output by 3 VT\sqrt3\,V_T with neither the efficiency nor the power factor.

Difficulty mix

How this bank splits by our own difficulty rating, from quick wins to multi-step problems.

  • Easy25%
  • Medium49%
  • Hard26%

Study handbook

47 concepts — worked theory, key equations, and common pitfalls for every topic.

Sample concept

Three-Phase Circuits and Power

Wye and delta relationships, balanced three-phase power, and the √3 conventions that underpin nearly every exam calculation.

Three-phase is the native language of power engineering: three sinusoidal sources of equal magnitude displaced 120∘120^\circ apart deliver constant (non-pulsating) total power, use conductors more efficiently than single-phase, and create the rotating magnetic field that motors depend on. A large shar…
VLL=3 VLN∠+30∘,IL=IϕV_{LL} = \sqrt{3}\,V_{LN}\angle{+30^\circ}, \quad I_L = I_\phi
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The PE Electrical and Computer: Power exam at a glance

Sourced from NCEES — the numbers, not the folklore.

Questions
80
scored and pretest, one sitting
Exam time
8h
in a 9h appointment · about 6 min per question
First-time pass rate
58%
41% for repeat takers · NCEES Squared 2025 (FY2024-25)
NCEES fee
$400
per attempt, paid to NCEES; your state board's fees are separate
Retakes
3 per 12 months
at most one attempt per testing window
Reference on screen
PE Electrical and Computer: Power Reference Handbook + NEC 2020, NESC 2017, NFPA 70E-2021, NFPA 497 and 499 (2021), NFPA 30B-2023
closed book: no notes or references of your own

What NCEES says is on it

Every knowledge area in the official PE Electrical and Computer: Power specification, with the number of questions NCEES says each one gets. The three heaviest are about 43% of the exam. Share is our arithmetic, not an NCEES figure: each range's midpoint as a percentage of all the midpoints.

Knowledge areaQuestionsShare
Circuit Analysis10–1514%
Electrical Safety10–1514%
Protection10–1514%
Electric Power Devices8–1211%
General Applications8–1211%
Transmission and Distribution Analysis (High, Medium, and Low Voltage)8–1211%
Measurement and Instrumentation6–99%
Power Electronic Circuits and Control Devices5–87%
Rotating Machines5–87%

Sources: NCEES PE Electrical and Computer: Power exam specification (October 2025) · pass rate: NCEES Squared 2025 (FY2024-25) · fee and retake policy: ncees.org, read 2026-09-15. Your state board sets its own fees and deadlines.

How to prepare for PE Power

Four steps, in the order that pays off — each one built from this exam's own blueprint.

  1. 1

    Study to the blueprint, not the textbook

    Circuit Analysis, Electrical Safety, and Protection are about 43% of the exam. Give them that share of your hours — Rotating Machines is only 5–8 questions.

    See every area's question range
  2. 2

    Practice one area at a time, then mix

    Work a knowledge area until its worked solutions stop surprising you, then switch to mixed sets so recognizing the problem type becomes the skill.

    Practice PE Power questions
  3. 3

    Sit timed mock exams at the real pace

    The real exam gives you about 6 minutes per question. Full-length timed mocks are the only way to find out whether you can hold that pace for 8h.

    Take a mock exam (with a pass)
  4. 4

    Read what the exam actually asks

    The lowest first-time pass rate of any PE depth most engineers take: 58%. What NCEES's data says, why prepared engineers fail it, and how to prepare.

    How hard is the PE Power exam?

Questions, answered

How hard is the PE Electrical and Computer: Power exam?

NCEES reports a 58% pass rate for first-time takers of PE Electrical and Computer: Power and 41% for repeat takers in NCEES Squared 2025 (FY2024-25). It is 80 questions in 8h, about 6 minutes per question, so pacing matters as much as knowledge. The heaviest areas are Circuit Analysis, Electrical Safety, and Protection.

What topics are on the PE Electrical and Computer: Power exam?

NCEES's PE Electrical and Computer: Power specification lists 9 knowledge areas with a question range for each. The heaviest are Circuit Analysis (10–15 questions), Electrical Safety (10–15 questions), and Protection (10–15 questions) — together about 43% of the exam. The full list is in the exam-at-a-glance table on this page.

How long is the PE Electrical and Computer: Power exam?

The PE Electrical and Computer: Power exam is 80 questions in 8h of exam time, inside a 9h appointment that also covers the nondisclosure agreement, the tutorial and a scheduled break. It is a closed-book, computer-based test offered year-round at Pearson VUE test centers.

What reference material do you get on PE Electrical and Computer: Power exam day?

The PE Electrical and Computer: Power exam is closed book. NCEES provides an electronic reference on screen (PE Electrical and Computer: Power Reference Handbook + NEC 2020, NESC 2017, NFPA 70E-2021, NFPA 497 and 499 (2021), NFPA 30B-2023). No notes, books or references of your own come into the room; you may bring one NCEES-approved calculator, and an on-screen TI-30XS calculator is also available during the exam. Practicing with that same reference in front of you, so you already know where each method lives, is half the preparation.

How much does the PE Electrical and Computer: Power exam cost, and can you retake it?

The NCEES fee for the PE Electrical and Computer: Power exam is $400, paid per attempt when you register through your MyNCEES account; some state licensing boards also charge their own application fee. NCEES allows one attempt per testing window and no more than three attempts in a 12-month period.

What do I get with PE Electrical and Computer: Power on FE → PE Prep?

4,700+ PE Electrical and Computer: Power practice questions, every one with a step-by-step worked solution; unlimited full-length timed mock exams weighted to the NCEES blueprint; a 47-concept study handbook, 420+ flashcards, and an AI tutor. Access is a one-time pass for 1, 3, 6 or 12 months — no subscription, no auto-renew — and the free sample questions need no account. Within 7 days, with little or no paid content used, you can ask for a refund, which we consider under the Refund Policy.

Can you help with the PE experience requirement?

Yes — a built-in PE Experience Tracker helps you record and organize the qualifying engineering experience and references your state board needs for licensure, right alongside your exam prep.

Free reading for PE Power

No account needed — pass rates, worked problems, and what the exam actually asks.

Free PE Power practice problemsReal questions from the bank, with the figures and full worked solutions.PE Power reference diagramsThree-phase, per-unit, machine and fault formulas with the diagrams they go with.PE Power exam: what the problems actually look likeThree PE Power practice problems, fully worked, plus the six codes and standards NCEES supplies in the exam, and why one of these questions is not in the handbook at all.How hard is the PE Power exam?The lowest first-time pass rate of any PE depth most engineers take: 58%. What NCEES's data says, why prepared engineers fail it, and how to prepare.Do you need a prep course to pass the FE or PE?Nothing in NCEES's rules asks for one, and the handbook is free. What a course adds, who gains from one, and a ten-problem test to run before paying anyone.

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