Official NCEES FE Mechanical Facts
Key Takeaways
- FE Mechanical is an NCEES computer-based exam for candidates on the engineering licensure path.
- The exam has 110 questions in a 6-hour appointment, including 5 hours 20 minutes of exam time.
- The appointment also includes a nondisclosure agreement, tutorial, and scheduled break.
- The exam is closed book except for the electronic NCEES FE Reference Handbook supplied during the exam.
- NCEES charges a $225 FE exam fee, and state licensing boards may add approval steps or fees.
- NCEES reports FE results as pass or fail using scaled scoring rather than a published raw passing percentage.
Start with the official exam frame
The FE Mechanical exam is the mechanical discipline version of the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering exam. It is usually taken by students near the end of an EAC/ABET-accredited engineering program or by recent graduates who want the Engineer Intern or Engineer-in-Training step on the path to Professional Engineer licensure. State boards control eligibility, approval, and post-pass credential details, but NCEES controls the national exam logistics and content specifications.
| Official fact | Current FE Mechanical detail |
|---|---|
| Administering body | NCEES |
| Delivery | Computer-based test at NCEES-approved Pearson VUE centers |
| Questions | 110 |
| Appointment length | 6 hours |
| Exam time | 5 hours 20 minutes |
| Other appointment time | 2-minute NDA, 8-minute tutorial, 25-minute scheduled break |
| Reference material | Electronic FE Reference Handbook supplied on screen |
| Fee paid to NCEES | $225 |
| Units | SI and U.S. Customary System |
| Score reporting | Pass/fail scaled reporting |
What closed book means here
FE Mechanical is closed book in the ordinary sense: no personal notes, textbooks, printed formula sheets, or copied handbook pages. The important exception is the electronic NCEES FE Reference Handbook supplied inside the exam interface. That handbook contains formulas, tables, charts, and reference data, but it does not teach solution procedures. You still have to recognize whether a question is asking for equilibrium, control-volume momentum, first-law energy balance, heat exchanger analysis, fatigue, bearing life, or another model.
Because the handbook is electronic, preparation should include search and navigation practice. Do not rely on page numbers alone. Search for official terms such as Bernoulli, Reynolds, Mohr, Rankine, psychrometric, bearing, present worth, damping, and uncertainty. The exam also uses both SI and USCS units, so every setup should include a unit line before calculator work.
What changes on exam day
The appointment is longer than the active exam clock. The NDA and tutorial are part of the 6-hour appointment, and the scheduled break is a chance to reset, not extra problem-solving time. Build practice sets around the 5-hour-20-minute exam clock so the pace feels normal before test day. Also practice with the same approved calculator model, because switching calculators late can create mode, parentheses, and stored-value mistakes that have nothing to do with engineering knowledge.
How to use official sources
Use the official NCEES FE exam page for logistics and the official FE Mechanical CBT specifications PDF for topic ranges. The NCEES scoring page explains that results are based on correct answers converted to a scaled score, with no published passing score. The NCEES reference-handbook page explains that candidates can download the handbook for personal study and should review it before exam day.
A practical rule follows from those facts: prepare for the exam NCEES actually gives, not for a classroom final or an old shared FE summary. Any resource that still lists a $175 FE fee, treats the handbook as printed, or promises a fixed raw passing score is stale. Use third-party resources only after the official facts are clear.
Which statement matches the current NCEES FE Mechanical logistics?
What reference material should a candidate expect during FE Mechanical?
Why should FE Mechanical candidates check state board instructions before scheduling?