Which topics are on every FE exam?
Every FE exam tests mathematics, probability and statistics, ethics, and engineering economics. NCEES lists those subjects on all seven specifications effective July 2020, under slightly different names: FE Civil combines mathematics and statistics into one area, FE Chemical calls the money area Economics, and FE Other Disciplines calls ethics Engineering Ethics and Societal Impacts. The question count for each area depends on the exam.
Question ranges for the shared areas
Each specification states a range of questions for each knowledge area. The seven exams are Chemical, Civil, Electrical and Computer, Environmental, Industrial and Systems, Mechanical, and Other Disciplines. On FE Civil, mathematics and probability share one area titled Mathematics and Statistics, with 8 to 12 questions covering both; in the table, those two civil cells are that single pool.
| Discipline | Mathematics | Probability and statistics | Ethics | Engineering economics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical | 6 to 9 | 4 to 6 | 3 to 5 | 4 to 6 |
| Civil | 8 to 12 combined | Included in the 8 to 12 | 4 to 6 | 5 to 8 |
| Electrical and Computer | 11 to 17 | 4 to 6 | 4 to 6 | 5 to 8 |
| Environmental | 5 to 8 | 4 to 6 | 5 to 8 | 5 to 8 |
| Industrial and Systems | 6 to 9 | 10 to 15 | 4 to 6 | 9 to 14 |
| Mechanical | 6 to 9 | 4 to 6 | 4 to 6 | 4 to 6 |
| Other Disciplines | 8 to 12 | 6 to 9 | 5 to 8 | 6 to 9 |
Naming varies by discipline: Chemical titles the money area Economics, and Other Disciplines titles ethics Engineering Ethics and Societal Impacts. On the other specifications, ethics is Ethics and Professional Practice and the money area is Engineering Economics.
The width of a column is part of which FE exam you should take. Probability and statistics and engineering economics run much higher on FE Industrial and Systems than on FE Mechanical, and mathematics runs much higher on FE Electrical and Computer than on FE Environmental, while ethics stays in a narrow band on every exam. The rest of the civil specification, beyond this core, is on what is on the FE Civil exam.
Why the shared areas are efficient to study first
This block stays useful if you switch disciplines. Time-value calculations, statistics, calculus with analytic geometry, and codes of ethics are on every specification, while knowledge areas that define a single exam, such as Surveying, Software Engineering, and Mass Transfer and Separation, stay on the exam that lists them.
We suggest learning the shared areas until you can work them from the handbook, then giving later study time to the specification you will sit. A 60-day FE study plan is one way to schedule that second block. That order is a study suggestion: each specification gives you the knowledge areas and the question ranges, and you choose the sequence.
What those areas ask you to do
Mathematics
Analytic geometry and calculus are part of mathematics on every exam. FE Civil specifies single-variable calculus, analytic geometry, and vector operations, and places statistics in that same area. Several other exams add differential equations, linear algebra, trigonometry, or numerical methods. FE Electrical and Computer also includes complex numbers and discrete mathematics, and its mathematics range is the longest in the table.
Probability and statistics
Distributions and simple summaries, including the mean, mode, and standard deviation, sit at the center of this area. Several specifications ask you to use an expected value when you compare choices. Confidence intervals are named on the civil, mechanical, chemical, environmental, industrial and systems, and other disciplines specifications. Hypothesis testing is named on the chemical, environmental, industrial and systems, and other disciplines specifications. Regression or curve fitting is named on the civil, mechanical, chemical, environmental, and industrial specifications. FE Industrial and Systems also includes design of experiments, and FE Other Disciplines includes goodness of fit, such as correlation.
Ethics
You apply a code of ethics from a professional or technical society to a short set of facts. FE Civil includes licensure, professional liability, and contracts; contracts also appear on FE Chemical and FE Industrial and Systems. Intellectual property appears on FE Mechanical, FE Electrical and Computer, and FE Chemical. FE Environmental adds compliance with environmental and workplace regulations, and FE Electrical and Computer adds safety items such as grounding and personal protective equipment. FE Other Disciplines titles the area Engineering Ethics and Societal Impacts and includes sustainability, public safety, and public protection.
Engineering economics
Every economics area includes the time value of money, both the value of a cash flow today and its value later, plus break-even comparisons and comparisons of benefits with costs. An annual series is included on every exam, described as annual worth, equivalent annual worth, or annuities, and most specifications also include a rate of return. Civil, chemical, and other disciplines add uncertainty through expected value and risk, while FE Electrical and Computer includes cost estimation and risk identification. FE Industrial and Systems goes further into depreciation, taxes, and inflation, and FE Chemical uses the title Economics for this whole area.
Handbook chapters for the shared areas
FE Reference Handbook 10.6 includes the chapters that match this core. NCEES provides that edition as a free PDF in MyNCEES. These are the printed start pages.
| Handbook chapter | Starting page |
|---|---|
| Ethics and Professional Practice | 4 |
| Mathematics | 36 |
| Engineering Probability and Statistics | 64 |
| Engineering Economics | 235 |
Ethics opens near the front of the book, mathematics and probability follow in the early reference chapters, and engineering economics starts on page 235. For how the handbook works on exam day, see how to use the FE Reference Handbook during the exam.
Practice problems for economics and ethics
Economics and ethics are the shared areas where repeating problem types do most of the teaching. For the money problems, practice equivalence until present worth, annual worth, future worth, and rate of return are familiar setups. The time value of money practice problems are 10 solved problems on that skill. For ethics, practice a short scenario and the duty it triggers under a code, a license, or public protection. The ethics practice problems on the NCEES Model Rules are 10 solved problems in that form.
Frequently asked questions
Is ethics on every FE exam?
Yes. Every FE specification effective July 2020 has an ethics knowledge area. The title is Ethics and Professional Practice on the chemical, civil, electrical and computer, environmental, industrial and systems, and mechanical exams, and Engineering Ethics and Societal Impacts on FE Other Disciplines. The ranges are 3 to 5 questions on FE Chemical, 4 to 6 on FE Civil, FE Mechanical, FE Electrical and Computer, and FE Industrial and Systems, and 5 to 8 on FE Environmental and FE Other Disciplines. Around the code, a specification may add licensure, contracts, intellectual property, safety, or a duty to the public.
How much math is on the FE exam?
Mathematics is on every FE exam, and the count depends on the specification. FE Environmental lists 5 to 8 questions, FE Chemical, FE Mechanical, and FE Industrial and Systems list 6 to 9, FE Other Disciplines lists 8 to 12, and FE Electrical and Computer lists 11 to 17. FE Civil publishes a combined Mathematics and Statistics range of 8 to 12 questions. Probability and statistics is a separate area on the other exams: 4 to 6 questions on the chemical, electrical and computer, environmental, and mechanical exams, 6 to 9 on FE Other Disciplines, and 10 to 15 on FE Industrial and Systems.
Is engineering economics on FE Civil?
Yes. The FE Civil specification lists Engineering Economics as its own knowledge area, with 5 to 8 questions. Expect time value of money, cost types such as fixed, variable, and sunk, analyses such as break-even, benefit-cost, and life cycle, and uncertainty such as expected value and risk. Related cash-flow questions are on every other FE exam as well, titled Engineering Economics, except on FE Chemical, which uses the title Economics.
Is engineering economics on the FE Chemical exam?
Yes. FE Chemical titles the area Economics and lists 4 to 6 questions. The topics include time value of money (present worth, annual worth, future worth, and rate of return), comparisons such as break-even and benefit-cost, uncertainty, and project selection, including depreciation and discounted cash flow. It is the same family of problems other specifications title Engineering Economics.
Sources
- NCEES FE Civil CBT exam specifications (PDF). Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES FE Mechanical CBT exam specifications (PDF). Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES FE Electrical and Computer CBT exam specifications (PDF). Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES FE Chemical CBT exam specifications (PDF). Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES FE Environmental CBT exam specifications (PDF). Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES FE Industrial and Systems CBT exam specifications (PDF). Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES FE Other Disciplines CBT exam specifications (PDF). Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES FE Reference Handbook 10.6 (free PDF in MyNCEES). Retrieved October 3, 2026.