1.1 Current Exam Facts

Anchor your prep to the official frame

The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Electrical and Computer exam is the electrical/computer discipline version of the NCEES FE exam. It is usually taken by students near the end of an EAC/ABET-accredited (Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) program, or by recent graduates pursuing the Engineer Intern (EI) or Engineer-in-Training (EIT) step toward Professional Engineer (PE) licensure. The FE is the first of the two NCEES exams on the licensure path; the discipline-specific PE Electrical and Computer exam comes years later after qualifying experience.

The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) controls the national exam content and logistics. Individual state licensing boards control eligibility, approval to test, and how a passing result becomes an EI/EIT designation. Some boards require board approval before you may register; others let any candidate sit the FE. Before you choose books or a study schedule, lock in the facts below so you prepare for the exam NCEES actually gives.

How the appointment time breaks down

The appointment is longer than the time you spend answering questions. A short nondisclosure agreement (NDA) that you must accept within about 2 minutes comes first, then an 8-minute tutorial on the testing interface, then the 5-hour-20-minute exam clock, with a 25-minute scheduled break you may take after roughly the halfway point. The break clock and the exam clock are separate, so stepping away does not consume problem-solving time — but if you skip the break, you do not add that time to the exam.

Build your timed practice around the 5:20 exam clock so the pace feels normal on test day, and plan to use the break to reset rather than to keep working.

Scheduling, results, and what "no expiration" means

You register through your MyNCEES account, pay the $225 fee, and then schedule a seat at a Pearson VUE center. Because the FE is offered year-round, you can pick a date that fits your study runway rather than waiting for a national test window. Popular centers and dates fill up, so schedule early once you commit.

Results are released to your MyNCEES account, usually within 7 to 10 business days, as a simple pass or fail. No numeric score is reported. If you fail, you receive a diagnostic report showing relative performance across the major topic areas, which guides a retake; if you pass, you get no diagnostic because none is needed. A passing FE result does not expire at the national level. However, the EIT/EI designation and any time limits on using it toward PE licensure are set by your state board, so check your board's rules before assuming a years-old pass still counts the way you expect.

Trap: Candidates sometimes confuse the FE fee with older figures or with the PE fee. As of 2026 the FE fee is $225 to NCEES; that is separate from any state board application fee.

Eligibility, registration, and the EIT/EI step

Unlike the PE exam, the FE has no work-experience requirement — it is designed to be taken while exam-relevant coursework is fresh, typically in the final year of an accredited engineering program. Some state boards require you to apply and be approved before you may register with NCEES; others let any candidate register directly. Always check your specific state board first, because that determines whether you register through NCEES only or through the board.

Registration runs entirely through your MyNCEES account: create the account, select FE Electrical and Computer as your exam, pay the $225 fee, and then schedule your seat at a Pearson VUE center within the registration window NCEES opens for you. You choose the discipline at registration, and switching disciplines later may require re-registration, so confirm you are signing up for the Electrical and Computer version rather than another FE discipline.

Once you pass, the credential you earn is governed by your state. Most boards confer an Engineer Intern (EI) or Engineer-in-Training (EIT) designation upon a passing FE plus (often) graduation from an accredited program. The EI/EIT is the formal acknowledgment that you have cleared the first NCEES exam; it is a milestone on the road to the PE, not a license to practice independently.

After gaining the required years of qualifying engineering experience under a PE, you become eligible to sit the discipline-specific PE Electrical and Computer exam and apply for full licensure. Understanding this sequence keeps your expectations correct: passing the FE opens the door to the EIT/EI step, and the rules for that step belong to your state board, not to NCEES.