Retaking the FE Civil exam

In the most recent NCEES reporting year, FE Civil was attempted 16,639 times by first-time examinees, who passed at 61 percent — and 9,863 times by repeat examinees, who passed at 32 percent. The retake is a harder exam only in one sense: it is usually taken with the same preparation that already failed once.

Attempt counts and pass rates: NCEES Squared 2025. Policy facts verified against ncees.org on July 31, 2026.

Where the FE Civil exam is won

Your diagnostic report scores you in the same 14 knowledge areas as the current specification, each on a 0–15 scale against the average of passing examinees. Question counts are not uniform, and that asymmetry should drive the plan: the four heaviest areas — Structural Engineering (10-15), Geotechnical Engineering (10-15), Water Resources and Environmental Engineering (10-15) and Mathematics and Statistics (8-12) — together account for roughly 44 of the 110 questions on this form. A below-average score in any of them costs more than a weak showing in a four-question area ever can.

Planning the second attempt

1. Sort the areas on your diagnostic report into below, near, and above the passing-examinee line, then multiply by the weights above. Spend 60–70 percent of your study time where below-line meets high-weight.
2. Practice against the reference handbook on screen, never from memory — locating the governing equation in seconds is a scored skill on this exam.
3. Before booking, take one full 110-problem timed form and score it by knowledge area. Set that column beside your diagnostic report. Book when the below-line areas have visibly moved; adjust the plan when they have not. The exam fee is USD 225 per attempt, and NCEES allows one attempt per testing window and no more than three attempts in a 12-month period — spend attempts on evidence, not hope.