What is the FE exam pass rate?
NCEES’s latest FE pass rates, updated July 2026, run from 61% for Other Disciplines to 73% for Mechanical. Those figures cover first-time examinees from EAC/ABET-accredited programs who tested within 12 months of graduation. Among the seven exams, Civil was 66% on 6,247 examinees and Electrical and Computer was 70% on 1,782. Chemical was 68%, Environmental was 71%, and Industrial and Systems was 67%.
FE pass rates by exam for July 2026
NCEES lists a volume and a pass rate for each of the seven FE exams. In the July 2026 table, Civil (6,247) and Mechanical (5,153) are the two largest groups, together 11,400 of the 16,168 first-time examinees listed. Industrial and Systems is the smallest exam-level row, at 259 first-time examinees.
Pair each percentage with its count. A rate based on 259 people can shift more from one reporting window to the next than a rate based on 6,247 people. Both rows use the same counting rules. NCEES draws each update from a January to June window or a July to December window, and it refreshes the public table in January and in July.
| Exam | First-time examinees | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical | 743 | 68% |
| Civil | 6,247 | 66% |
| Electrical and Computer | 1,782 | 70% |
| Environmental | 1,063 | 71% |
| Industrial and Systems | 259 | 67% |
| Mechanical | 5,153 | 73% |
| Other Disciplines | 921 | 61% |
Electrical and Computer and Environmental sit with Mechanical near the top of that spread. Chemical and Industrial and Systems sit beside Civil. Other Disciplines is the low end among the seven exams, and those examinees come from several degree backgrounds.
Who is included in the FE pass rate
Each rate above uses the same filter. NCEES includes first-time examinees from EAC/ABET-accredited programs who tested within 12 months of graduation. The half-year window is part of the filter: an examinee from the other half of the year belongs in the other update.
Repeat attempts stay out of these percentages. Exams taken more than 12 months after graduation stay out too, so taking the FE exam years after graduation is a different question from the headline rate. Programs without EAC/ABET accreditation stay out as well. A classmate, a campus, or a review course can describe a different mix of people than the NCEES row for that exam.
The filter decides who enters the statistic. People outside the filter still receive a score. Their results leave the published first-time rate as it stands.
Other Disciplines pass rates by degree
Other Disciplines is one exam. NCEES also reports that exam’s first-time results by degree, and only for degrees with more than 25 first-time examinees. The labels below match the July 2026 table, including Biological (not Bio-Medical). If you are matching the exam to your courses, read the FE Other Disciplines exam along with these rates.
The larger July 2026 degree rows are Architectural, Biological (not Bio-Medical), General Engineering, and Mechanical.
| Degree | First-time examinees | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural | 156 | 55% |
| Biological (not Bio-Medical) | 159 | 68% |
| General Engineering | 143 | 65% |
| Mechanical | 70 | 60% |
The remaining reported degrees are smaller.
| Degree | First-time examinees | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Physics/Engineering Science | 34 | 62% |
| Materials | 33 | 67% |
| Mining/Mineral | 46 | 41% |
| Naval Architecture and Marine | 48 | 83% |
| Nuclear | 55 | 65% |
Naval Architecture and Marine is 83% on 48 examinees, and Mining/Mineral is 41% on 46. On 46 or 48 examinees, a small number of additional results moves the percentage in the next window. Architectural is a larger cell at 55% on 156 examinees. A Mechanical degree inside Other Disciplines (70 examinees, 60%) is a different row from the FE Mechanical exam (5,153 examinees, 73%).
How the pass rate relates to scoring
NCEES sets no quota of examinees who should pass or fail. The pass rate for a window is the share of counted examinees who met the standard on that window’s forms. NCEES does not publish the passing score, because it varies slightly with the difficulty of the form.
The score starts as the number of correct answers. Wrong answers leave that count unchanged. NCEES converts the count to a scaled score that adjusts for small differences in difficulty between exam forms, then compares the scaled score with the ability level required to pass. How the FE exam is scored walks through that comparison. People sitting again are held to the standard used on a first attempt. The pass-rate table still describes the first-time group.
What the pass rate cannot tell you
The July 2026 rates describe one cohort in one reporting window. They leave your courses, your time since graduation, and your practice outside the calculation. Two people can sit the same exam under the same scaled standard while only the person who meets the filter changes the published rate.
A higher rate is a weak reason to treat one exam as easier. The seven exams draw different degree backgrounds. Civil and Mechanical are large populations next to Industrial and Systems or a single degree inside Other Disciplines, and a gap between those populations is still a gap in who sat each exam. Choose the exam that fits your degree, which is the decision on which FE exam to take. How hard the FE exam is treats difficulty apart from this table.
Thin rows deserve less weight if you are ranking exams. Industrial and Systems rests on 259 first-time examinees. In the smaller degree table, counts run from 33 (Materials) to 55 (Nuclear). Read those percentages as results for the July 2026 window.
FE results and PE results are separate. PE exam pass rates belong to the PE exam and to that exam’s own reporting.
Frequently asked questions
What is the FE Civil pass rate?
In the July 2026 update, the FE Civil pass rate is 66% on 6,247 first-time examinees. The figure covers graduates of EAC/ABET-accredited programs who tested within 12 months of graduation. Repeat attempts are graded to the same standard and stay out of this 66%.
Which FE exam has the highest pass rate?
Mechanical has the highest pass rate among the seven FE exams in the July 2026 first-time table, at 73% on 5,153 examinees. Other Disciplines is the lowest of the seven, at 61% on 921 examinees. Degree rows inside Other Disciplines are a separate split: Naval Architecture and Marine is 83% on 48 examinees, and that row is one degree group on the Other Disciplines exam.
Is the FE pass rate for repeat takers published?
No repeat-taker rate is included in the July 2026 FE pass rates, which cover first-time examinees only. NCEES grades a repeat attempt to the same standard as a first attempt. The published percentage describes that recent EAC/ABET cohort on a first sitting, taken within 12 months of graduation.
How often does NCEES update FE pass rates?
NCEES updates FE pass rates in July and in January. One release covers January to June, and the other covers July to December. The figures on this page are the July 2026 update. The next release replaces both the examinee counts and the pass rates with the next window of first-time examinees.
Sources
- NCEES: FE exam. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES: Exam scoring. Retrieved October 3, 2026.