The FE Exam in California: What It Is, Who Can Write It

Author: Mike Grossman, Professional Engineer │ Editor: Chantal Flores, Education Facilitator

🕜 7 Minute Read │ 🗓️ Updated: February 20, 2023

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You likely already have a basic idea of what the FE Exam is, but let’s define it, see who can write it, and find out how to best prepare for it.

🔑 Key Takeaways

A 5 hour and 20 minute exam with 110 multiple choice questions covering your engineering degree.
It is wise to write the exam within 12 months of graduation (before or after graduation), as the material will be fresh in your mind.
The FE is a skill-based exam, requiring skill sets that are developed with practice. Watching instructors solving problems is not an effective strategy.
Keep a sharp eye out for outdated products that are common online and in the Amazon Marketplace.

ON THIS PAGE

What is the FE Exam?
∙ FE Exam dates
∙ FE Exam fees
∙ The 7 different FE Exam disciplines

Who can take the FE Exam?

How to register for the exam

Critically evaluate study materials

What is the FE Exam?

The exam is a measure of your competency to enter the profession, since it is the first step to becoming a licensed professional engineer in California and the United States.

The FE Exam is also known as the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering Exam or the EIT Exam. It’s a computer-based exam given any time of the year at most Pearson VUE test centres. There's 29 centres located throughout the state.

It’s a 5 hour and 20 minute exam with 110 multiple choice questions covering most of your engineering degree. During the exam, you’re allowed to use an approved calculator and the FE Reference Handbook (free download from the NCEES | MyNCEES).

FE Exam dates

Main article: EIT / FE Exam Dates

The exam is offered every month of the year, from Monday to Saturday, excluding holidays. The dates for the 2023 FE Exam are:

January 2023: Monday - Saturday
February 2023: Monday - Saturday
March 2023: Monday - Saturday
April 2023: Monday - Saturday
May 2023: Monday - Saturday
June 2023: Monday - Saturday

July 2023: Monday - Saturday
August 2023: Monday - Saturday
September 2023: Monday - Saturday
October 2023: Monday - Saturday
November 2023: Monday - Saturday
December 2023: Monday - Saturday

You can book an exam date anytime a seat is available at your nearest testing centre. Know that the testing centres have limited seats and can book out 2 weeks or more.

You can reschedule your exam date or even cancel it, within the MyNCEES portal. All things equal, it’s up to you when to book the exam, but know that there’s a rescheduling fee to postpone your exam date, and you must reschedule at least 48 hours in advance.

📎 Tip: Some test centres are open 24 hours a day, so note whether you’ve chosen an AM or PM time.

FE Exam fees

The exam fees for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam are $175. California does not require an application or a fee prior to scheduling an exam with the NCEES.

The 7 different FE Exam disciplines

The FE Exam is offered in seven disciplines, each with a syllabus to match your degree:

FE Mechanical
FE Civil
FE Electrical and Computer
FE Other Disciplines

FE Environmental
FE Chemical
FE Industrial and Systems

If your degree doesn’t fit in the first six categories, then the FE Other Disciplines is for you.

Who can take the FE exam?

The California state board decides who is eligible to write the exam. It’s generally available to anyone with an engineering degree, but know that it is designed for students or graduates of a EAC-ABET accredited engineering program. You can determine if your degree is accredited with the EAC-ABET Accredited Programs list.

Graduate students in a Master's or Ph.D. engineering program may take the FE exam as well.

You’ll have one exam attempt for each testing window (Jan - Mar, Apr - Jun, Jul - Sep, Oct - Dec) and no more than three attempts in a 12-month period.

📎 Tip: It is wise to write within 12 months of graduation (before or after graduation). It is common to write outside that time, but the material will be freshest within a year of graduation.

How to register for the FE Exam?

Main article: EIT / FE Exam Certification: Get Certified in 5 Easy Steps

The registration system for FE Exam is accessible 24 hours a day through your MyNCEES account.

Step 1: Check the California state board (BPELSG) requirements
Confirm that you meet the eligibility requirements of the board, before registering with the NCEES.

Step 2: Create an account at NCEES and register
Log into or start a MyNCEES account at NCEES, and follow the registration process. You’ll select the FE Exam tab, choose your discipline (e.g. FE Mechanical), and choose the state board where you wish to write and practice engineering.

Step 3: Pay the NCEES fee
The fee is $175 to write the exam, and it is paid directly to NCEES. You’ll receive an email authorizing you to now schedule the exam at a location of your choice.

Step 4: Schedule the exam
Log into your MyNCEES account, select the schedule button, select a time and location (29 locations in the State), and follow the checkout process. You’ll then receive another email confirming your appointment, including a PDF entitled “Appointment Confirmation Letter”, that you will bring to the exam.

📎 Tip: Download a free copy of the NCEES FE Reference Handbook from your MyNCEES account. During the checkout process, you’ll see an offer to buy a physical copy handbook. Yet, you’re not allowed a physical copy during the exam, and you’ll want to simulate the exam day experience with a digital copy.

📎 Tip: the exam day PDF search function is much more specific than your computer’s PDF search function. Your search terms must match exactly during the exam; punctuation, spelling, and spaces.

To get your EIT certificate after passing the FE exam, apply to the California board, have your transcripts forwarded by your university, and pay a fee. Once you have the EIT certificate you can then register to take the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam.

Critically evaluate preparation materials

The FE exam continually evolves, so keep a sharp eye out for old and obsolete preparation materials. The recent NCEES FE exam updates include:

2021: updates to the FE Reference Handbook formulas and formatting updates.
2020: updates to the exam specifications or syllabus of all disciplines.
2017: introduction of AIT (alternative item types) questions, that include multiple correct, point and click, drag and drop, or fill in the blank.
2014: adoption of CBT (computer-based testing), new content criteria, and complete audit of 40,000 questions.
2011: removal of the AM-PM system and a move to complete discipline-specific exams.

📎 Tip: Many of the available preparation materials are out of date. Most of the products listed on Amazon are published before 2017, missing 2017 AIT, the 2020 syllabus, and the 2021 handbook updates.

Compare the current FE exam preparation materials: