Retaking the FE Other Disciplines exam
In the most recent NCEES reporting year, FE Other Disciplines was attempted 2,386 times by first-time examinees, who passed at 61 percent — and 951 times by repeat examinees, who passed at 29 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 Other Disciplines 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 — Fluid Mechanics (12-18), Statics (9-14), Dynamics (9-14) and Strength of Materials (9-14) — together account for roughly 42 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 | 8-12 | 9 |
| Probability and Statistics | 6-9 | 7 |
| Chemistry | 5-8 | 6 |
| Instrumentation and Controls | 4-6 | 5 |
| Engineering Ethics and Societal Impacts | 5-8 | 5 |
| Safety, Health, and Environment | 6-9 | 6 |
| Engineering Economics | 6-9 | 7 |
| Statics | 9-14 | 10 |
| Dynamics | 9-14 | 10 |
| Strength of Materials | 9-14 | 10 |
| Materials | 6-9 | 7 |
| Fluid Mechanics | 12-18 | 12 |
| Basic Electrical Engineering | 6-9 | 7 |
| Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer | 9-14 | 9 |
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 Other Disciplines Practice Exam, Form A is a complete 110-problem form in the current FE Other Disciplines 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 sample problem with its complete worked solution.