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•	Engineers
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Exams

•	Fundamentals (FE/FS)
•	Principles and Practice (PE/PS)
•	Study materials
•	Exam schedule
•	Exam registration (go to ELS-EXAMREG.org)
•	Special testing accommodations
•	Calculator policy
•	Pass rates
•	Exam scoring
•	Exam formats
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Home

Exams

Principles and Practice (PE/PLS)

•	Study materials
•	PE and PS pass rates

Design standards:

•	Structural
•	Transportation

Detailed specifications for the Principles and Practice exams (in PDF format):

•	PE Agricultural
•	PE Architectural
•	PE Chemical
•	PE Civil
•	PE Control Systems
•	PE Electrical and Computer
•	PE Environmental
•	PE Fire Protection
•	PE Industrial
•	PE Mechanical
•	PE Metallurgical
•	PE Mining and Mineral
•	PE Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
•	PE Nuclear
•	PE Petroleum
•	PE Structural I
•	PE Structural II
•	PS

NOTE: Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF documents. Version 5.x or higher is recommended. (If getting version 6.0, please opt to download the FULL version of the software.)

Summary — Below are answers to commonly asked questions regarding the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam and Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) exam:

•	Why take a Principles and Practice (PE/PS) exam?
•	Who is eligible to take a Principles and Practice exam?
•	What material is covered in the exams?
•	What is the format of the exams?
•	What can I bring to the exam room?
•	After I pass a Principles and Practice exam, what's next?
•	How do the Principles and Practice exams differ from the Fundamentals exams?
•	What is the difference between the Structural I exam and the Structural II exam?

Why take a Principles and Practice (PE/PS) exam?

If you are pursuing a professional license, you must pass one or more of the Principles and Practice examinations:

•	Engineering licensure candidates: take a Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam and any required state-specific exam(s). PE exam disciplines are listed below.
•	In jurisdictions that license structural engineers SEPARATELY from professional engineers, structural engineering licensure candidates must take one or more of the following exams: PE Civil, PE Structural I, PE Structural II, and/or any required state-specific exam(s). See below for information about the difference between Structural I and Structural II exams.
•	Surveying licensure candidates: take the Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) exam and any required state-specific exam(s).

Guidelines vary greatly for each jurisdiction. Please check with your licensing board or review jurisdiction licensing requirements.

To register for an exam, contact your licensing board or go to ELS-EXAMREG.org.

Who is eligible to take a Principles and Practice exam?

Rules vary greatly for each state/jurisdiction, so please contact your licensing board or go to ELS-EXAMREG.org for details.

At a minimum, licensing boards require that you either pass, or be waived of, a Fundamentals exam before taking a Principles and Practice exam:

• Before taking the PE, you must have passed, or be waived of, the FE.
• Before taking the PS, you must have passed, or be waived of, the FS.

Licensure candidates usually obtain at least 4 years of experience (deemed acceptable to their licensing boards) before taking the PE or PS.

What material is covered in the exams?

The Principles and Practice exams test academic knowledge and knowledge gained in engineering or surveying practice. The PE and PS exams cover a comprehensive range of subjects in engineering and surveying, respectively.

See the detailed specifications for the Principles and Practice exams:

•	PE Agricultural
•	PE Architectural
•	PE Chemical
•	PE Civil
•	PE Control Systems
•	PE Electrical and Computer
•	PE Environmental
•	PE Fire Protection

•	PE Industrial
•	PE Manufacturing (This exam is not being offered after October 2003.)
•	PE Mechanical
•	PE Metallurgical
•	PE Mining and Mineral

•	PE Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
•	PE Nuclear
•	PE Petroleum
•	PE Structural I
•	PE Structural II
•	PS

Also, see the listing of design standards publications if you plan to take the Civil, Structural I, or Structural II exam. You must bring your own copy of the applicable publications to the exam site.

Go to Study Materials for reference books and sample exam questions.

What is the format of the exams?

The formats vary for each exam. Please see Exam Formats for details.

•	Exam length ranges from 6–8 hours, divided into morning and afternoon sessions. Examinees must participate in both sessions on the same day.
•	Question type and count: there will be 80–100 multiple-choice questions for all exams, except the PE Structural II. The Structural II consists of 8 essay questions, of which the examinee answers 4.
•	Breadth/depth: the PE Civil, PE Electrical and Computer, and PE Mechanical exams offer a breadth exam in the morning session and a depth exam in the afternoon session. The breadth exam is the same for all examinees. The depth exam is selected by the examinee.
•	Units of measurement vary for each exam. Please see Exam Formats.
•	All exams are open book. Rules may vary for each jurisdiction. Please contact your licensing board for more details.

What can I bring to the exam room?

The following materials are NOT permitted in the exam room:

Devices or materials that might compromise the security of the examination or examination process are not permitted.
Only models of calculators as specified by NCEES are permitted in the examination room. Click here for a list of calculators that are allowed in the exam room.
Devices having a QWERTY keypad arrangement similar to a typewriter or keyboard are not permitted. Devices not permitted include but are not limited to palmtop, laptop, handheld, and desktop computers, calculators, databanks, data collectors, and organizers.
Communication devices such as pagers and cellular phones are not permitted.
Only NCEES-supplied marking and erasing instruments are permitted for use in the examination room. Mechanical pencils will be provided . Each pencil has an eraser and is preloaded with three pieces of 0.7-mm HB lead. This is the only writing instrument allowed. Candidates may NOT bring lead or erasers. If necessary, proctors will issue additional pencils to examinees during the exam.

All exams are open book. PE Civil, PE Structural I, PE Structural II examinees must bring their own copies of the applicable design standards. Rules may vary for each jurisdiction. Please contact your licensing board for more details.

Each licensing board has the final authority on what is permitted at the exam site. You should verify this information with your licensing board.

After I pass a Principles and Practice exam, what's next?

After being licensed in one jurisdiction, you may apply for additional licenses in other jurisdictions. To do this, you must contact each individual licensing board or apply to the NCEES Records Program.

Contact your licensing board regarding its requirements and recommendations.

How do the Principles and Practice exams differ from the Fundamentals exams?

•	The Fundamentals (FE/FS) exams cover subject matter in a typical EAC/ABET-accredited baccalaureate engineering curriculum or ASAC/ABET-accredited baccalaureate surveying curriculum.
•	The Principles and Practice (PE/PS) exams go beyond testing academic knowledge and require knowledge gained in engineering or surveying practice.

Both exams are required for professional licensure.

What is the difference between the Structural I exam and the Structural II exam?

In most jurisdictions that license professional engineers without designating a discipline, the Structural I exam is considered sufficient for licensure.

Jurisdictions that license structural engineers separately from professional engineers may require licensure candidates to do one or more of the following:

• Pass both the Structural I exam and the Structural II exam
• Pass the Civil exam before passing the Structural exams
• Pass both the Structural II exam and a state-specific Structural III exam.

To find out specific requirements, contact the licensing board in the jurisdiction in which you will be practicing.

The Structural I exam contains 80 multiple-choice questions; the Structural II exam contains 8 essay questions (of which 4 must be answered). Please review the exam formats and the detailed exam specifications for the Structural I exam and the Structural II exam for more information.

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