Retaking the FE Electrical and Computer exam
In the most recent NCEES reporting year, FE Electrical and Computer was attempted 5,882 times by first-time examinees, who passed at 64 percent — and 2,020 times by repeat examinees, who passed at 31 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, set beside every other discipline on FE exam pass rates by discipline. Policy facts were checked August 31, 2026 against the NCEES FE exam page, scoring page, and May 2026 Examinee Guide.
Where the FE Electrical and Computer exam is won
Your diagnostic report scores you in the same 17 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 — Mathematics (11-17), Circuit Analysis (DC and AC Steady State) (11-17), Digital Systems (8-12) and Electronics (7-11) — together account for roughly 41 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.
| Knowledge area (as on your diagnostic report) | NCEES range | This form |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 11-17 | 12 |
| Probability and Statistics | 4-6 | 5 |
| Ethics and Professional Practice | 4-6 | 4 |
| Engineering Economics | 5-8 | 5 |
| Properties of Electrical Materials | 4-6 | 4 |
| Circuit Analysis (DC and AC Steady State) | 11-17 | 12 |
| Linear Systems | 5-8 | 6 |
| Signal Processing | 5-8 | 6 |
| Electronics | 7-11 | 8 |
| Power Systems | 8-12 | 8 |
| Electromagnetics | 4-6 | 5 |
| Control Systems | 6-9 | 7 |
| Communications | 5-8 | 6 |
| Computer Networks | 4-6 | 4 |
| Digital Systems | 8-12 | 9 |
| Computer Systems | 5-8 | 5 |
| Software Engineering | 4-6 | 4 |
Anchor the retake in mathematics and circuit analysis
Mathematics and circuit analysis account for 24 problems on this form, while electronics, power systems, controls, and digital systems form the next large block. First decide whether the diagnostic report points to a foundation problem or to one applied system; the study order should be different.
Repair sequence
- Work short circuit sets that require a fresh schematic, reference direction, and phasor or time-domain choice before any calculator entry.
- Pair each weak applied area with its prerequisite: electronics with circuit models, controls with linear systems, and communications with signal processing.
- Use a mixed digital, power, and electronics block to test rapid context changes, then tag every miss as concept, convention, handbook lookup, or computation.
Readiness check
Do not let a strong software or networks section offset unchanged circuit-analysis performance in the total score. Compare the 12-question mathematics and 12-question circuit rows independently before booking.
Planning the second attempt
- 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.
- Practice against the reference handbook on screen, never from memory — locating the governing equation in seconds is a scored skill on this exam.
- 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.
The FE Electrical and Computer practice exam is a complete 110-problem form in the current FE Electrical and Computer specification: every problem original and independently verified, worked solutions that name the governing handbook equation, and a score sheet grouped by knowledge area so the result reads like your diagnostic report.
Not sure yet? Every knowledge area has a free problem with its complete worked solution. Start with the free FE Electrical and Computer mathematics practice problem — 12 of the 110 problems on this form sit in that area.