NCEES Squared 2025 data
FE exam pass rates by discipline
NCEES reported 57,902 FE attempts in its 2024–25 fiscal year. The headline pass rates hide the split that actually matters: first-time examinees pass at 61–69 percent depending on discipline, while repeat examinees pass at 29–37 percent. Most pages quote one blended number; the table below keeps the two populations separate, because they face different odds and need different plans.
Source: NCEES Squared 2025 (fiscal year October 2024 – September 2025), cross-checked July 31, 2026 against independent aggregations. Chemical and Industrial repeat-pass rates are not published separately.
| Discipline | First-time attempts | First-time pass | Repeat attempts | Repeat pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FE Civil | 16,639 | 61% | 9,863 | 32% |
| FE Mechanical | 11,552 | 69% | 2,120 | 37% |
| FE Electrical and Computer | 5,882 | 64% | 2,020 | 31% |
| FE Environmental | 2,543 | 67% | 1,092 | 37% |
| FE Other Disciplines | 2,386 | 61% | 951 | 29% |
| FE Chemical | 1,873 | 68% | 316 | — |
| FE Industrial and Systems | 547 | 61% | 118 | — |
What moves the numbers
- Time since coursework. Among candidates from accredited programs, 71.3 percent pass when testing before graduation, 70.6 percent within a year of it, and 63.4 percent beyond a year. The exam rewards recency, which is also why repeat attempts — usually made further from coursework — sit so much lower.
- Degree type. In FE Civil, graduates of EAC/ABET-accredited engineering programs pass 64 percent of first-time and 34 percent of repeat attempts; engineering-technology (ETAC) graduates pass 34 and 24 percent. The specification is the same for everyone; preparation distance differs.
- The repeat gap is a planning gap. Repeat examinees have seen the exam, hold a diagnostic report naming their weak areas, and still pass at half the first-time rate — because the second preparation usually repeats the first. If that is your situation, the retake guide shows how to plan from the report instead.
Whichever population you are in, the pass rate that matters is conditional on preparation. Each EngineerProof practice exam is a full 110-problem form in the current specification of its discipline, with worked solutions and a score sheet by knowledge area — one timed sitting tells you where you stand before the real appointment does.
FE Civil · FE Mechanical · FE Electrical and Computer · FE Environmental · FE Other Disciplines