NCEES PE exam pass rates

PE exam pass rates

NCEES has successfully converted, or is in the process of converting, all exams to a computer-based format. To learn more about how a particular exam is administered, select a discipline from the table below.

Pencil-and-paper (P&P) exam format

Most PE exams are currently offered in pencil-and-paper format and available once or twice per year depending on the examinee population. Pass rates are updated after results are released—typically in May for the April exams and in December for the October exams. See the current pencil-and-paper exam schedule.

Computer-based testing (CBT) exam format

Some PE exams are administered year-round via computer-based testing. For these exams, pass rates are shown for the January–June or July–December population (updated in July and January, respectively).

Other CBT exams that have a smaller examinee population are administered on a single day in October each year. For these exams, the pass rates are updated in November. Learn more about the conversion to computer-based testing.

Exam	First-time takers		Repeat takers		Format	Availability	Last updated
	Volume	Pass Rate	Volume	Pass Rate
PE Agricultural and Biological Engineering	18	83%	1	0	CBT	Once per year	Jan 2023
PE Architectural Engineering	115	58%	N/A	N/A	CBT	Once per year	Jan 2023
PE Chemical	169	58%	42	38%	CBT	Year round	Jan 2023
PE Civil: Construction	767	47%	219	33%	CBT	Year round	Jan 2023
PE Civil: Geotechnical	413	46%	77	31%	CBT	Year round	Jan 2023
PE Civil: Structural	1318	57%	295	39%	CBT	Year round	Jan 2023
PE Civil: Transportation	1480	60%	276	41%	CBT	Year round	Jan 2023
PE Civil: Water Resources and Environmental	1524	63%	223	40%	CBT	Year round	Jan 2023
PE Control Systems	241	49%	N/A	N/A	CBT	Once per year	Jan 2023
PE Electrical and Computer: Computer Engineering	32	38%	3	67%	CBT	Once per year	Jan 2023
PE Electronics, Controls, and Communications	149	72%	21	57%	CBT	Once per year	Jan 2023
PE Electrical and Computer: Power	923	59%	373	41%	CBT	Year round	Jan 2023
PE Environmental	300	72%	73	53%	CBT	Year round	Jan 2023
PE Fire Protection	207	74%	24	38%	CBT	Once per year	Jan 2023
PE Industrial and Systems	92	54%	21	29%	CBT	Once per year	Jan 2023
PE Mechanical: HVAC and Refrigeration	537	72%	169	53%	CBT	Year round	Jan 2023
PE Mechanical: Machine Design and Materials	301	63%	73	40%	CBT	Year round	Jan 2023
PE Mechanical: Thermal and Fluid Systems	303	71%	96	47%	CBT	Year round	Jan 2023
PE Metallurgical and Materials	48	79%	N/A	N/A	CBT	Once per year	Jan 2023
PE Mining and Mineral Processing	48	65%	12	25	CBT	Once per year	Jan 2023
PE Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering	59	53%	N/A	N/A	CBT	Once per year	Jan 2023
PE Nuclear	15	73%	1	0%	CBT	Once per year	Jan 2023
PE Petroleum	83	65%	30	43%	CBT	Once per year	Jan 2023

View the PE Structural pass rates.

*The pass rates for the PE Mechanical, PE Fire Protection, and PE Industrial and Systems exams represent the final pencil-and-paper exam administrations. These exams transition to computer-based testing in 2020. View the exam transition schedule.