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A circle in the x-y plane has its center at (3.0 m, −2.0 m) and a radius of 5.0 m. The area enclosed by the circle, in square meters, is most nearly:
A circular concrete pipe has an outer diameter of 1.2 m and a wall thickness of 100 mm. The cross-sectional area of the pipe wall material, in square meters, is most nearly:
A mechanical engineer is analyzing a 3D surface defined by the equation z = x² − 2y². The point (1, 0, 1) lies on this surface. Which statement about the surface at this point is correct?
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Continue practicing for freeFundamentals of Engineering — Mechanical is a CBT exam of 110 questions over 6h appointment (5h 20m exam time).
13 practice areas in the FE Mechanical question bank, each with its own questions and analytics.
Every question in the bank is written in one of these formats.
The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Mechanical exam is the first of the two NCEES exams on the path to a Professional Engineer license. It is delivered on a computer at Pearson VUE test centers year-round and is usually taken in the final year of an ABET-accredited mechanical engineering program or shortly after graduation. Passing earns the Engineer in Training (EIT) or Engineer Intern (EI) designation in most states, and is the prerequisite for the PE exam once the experience requirement is met.
The exam has 110 questions spread across 14 knowledge areas. Six of those areas (Statics, Dynamics, Mechanics of Materials, Fluid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, and Mechanical Design and Analysis) each carry 9 to 15 questions, so together they can account for well over half of the exam. The remaining eight areas are shorter but are where most candidates leave easy points behind. Electricity and Magnetism is rarely fresh in a mechanical engineer's mind, and neither is Measurements, Instrumentation and Controls. The practice bank on this page follows the same NCEES areas (Mathematics and Probability and Statistics share one bank, so it shows 13) so that your study time follows the exam's weighting instead of the order of your transcript.
Source: NCEES FE Mechanical exam specifications (effective July 2020)
| Knowledge area | Questions | Approx. share |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 6–9 | 7% |
| Probability and Statistics | 4–6 | 5% |
| Ethics and Professional Practice | 4–6 | 5% |
| Engineering Economics | 4–6 | 5% |
| Electricity and Magnetism | 5–8 | 6% |
| Statics | 9–14 | 10% |
| Dynamics, Kinematics, and Vibrations | 10–15 | 11% |
| Mechanics of Materials | 9–14 | 10% |
| Material Properties and Processing | 7–11 | 8% |
| Fluid Mechanics | 10–15 | 11% |
| Thermodynamics | 10–15 | 11% |
| Heat Transfer | 7–11 | 8% |
| Measurements, Instrumentation, and Controls | 5–8 | 6% |
| Mechanical Design and Analysis | 10–15 | 11% |
Question counts are the ranges NCEES publishes. Each exam form draws a fixed number from each range that sums to 110. NCEES labels two of these areas more fully ("Dynamics, Kinematics, and Vibrations" and "Material Properties and Processing"). The shorter names above are the ones used throughout the practice bank. The share column is the midpoint of each range as a percentage of 110. It is a planning aid, and NCEES does not publish it.
The FE is scored pass/fail. NCEES does not publish a passing percentage. Your raw score is converted to a scaled score and compared with a standard set by a panel of licensed engineers, so the number of correct answers needed can differ slightly from one exam form to another. Results are released through your MyNCEES account, usually within 7 to 10 days. Failing results come with a diagnostic report showing your relative performance in each knowledge area. That report is the most useful document you have if you need to plan a retake.
Beyond conventional four-option multiple choice, the exam uses alternative item types (AITs): multiple-correct-answer questions, point-and-click on a diagram (common for free-body diagrams and P-v or T-s plots), drag-and-drop ordering, and fill-in-the-blank numeric entry. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so no question should be left blank.
Candidates who pass commonly report between 100 and 200 hours of preparation. The plan below fits that into 12 weeks at 10 to 15 hours a week and is ordered by how much each area contributes to the exam instead of the order you took the courses.
FE Mechanical distractors come from the slips this exam is known for. Starting at the correct answer, the item writer computes what you get when lbm and lbf are treated as interchangeable and the gravitational constant is dropped, when a figure in Btu is matched against an answer in kJ, when a property is read from the saturated table instead of the superheated one, or when the work is right and the question asked for power. All four of those numbers end up in the options. PassExams gives you an explanation on every question at every tier, and it covers the option you actually picked as well as the correct one. On Pro each wrong option is labelled with its trap type (reading trick, unit conversion, sign error, formula swap, partial solution), so you can see which step in your own working went wrong.
Across a few hundred answers those labels become a picture of your habits by knowledge area. You might find that Thermodynamics costs you table look-ups while Mechanics of Materials costs you unit slips, and those two need very different practice. Miss a question and the variant engine writes it again at a different state point or with a different shaft loading, so the retry checks whether the method stuck. Hints do not hand over the answer either. The first move a hint makes is to eliminate the most tempting distractor and return you to the assumption you skipped. Six areas each carry 9 to 15 of the 110 questions, so a habit fixed once pays back across the whole exam. That is learning to pass instead of memorizing to pass.
Weight your plan the way the specification weights the exam. Six analysis areas each carry 9 to 15 of the 110 questions, so they take the largest share of the 100 to 200 hours most successful candidates report. Do not write off the three short areas, because Engineering Economics, Electricity and Magnetism, and Measurements, Instrumentation and Controls add up to 14 to 22 questions between them. Work with the NCEES FE Reference Handbook open in every session and watch the conversions between lbm and lbf or Btu and kJ. Leave nothing blank at the end, since nothing is deducted for a wrong answer.
110 questions, delivered in two halves with one scheduled break. Every question counts equally and there is no penalty for wrong answers.
The appointment is 6 hours: roughly 10 minutes for the nondisclosure agreement and tutorial, 5 hours 20 minutes of exam time, and a 25-minute break. That is about 2 minutes 55 seconds per question.
NCEES does not publish a passing percentage. The exam is scored pass/fail on a scaled basis with a cut score set by a standard-setting panel, so it can vary slightly between exam forms. The usual rule of thumb is to aim for consistent accuracy above 70% on realistic practice questions.
The challenge is breadth. NCEES publishes pass rates by discipline, and first-time takers from ABET-accredited programs pass at a meaningfully higher rate than repeat takers. Candidates who fail often cite slow handbook navigation and neglect of the shorter, unfamiliar areas.
Fourteen knowledge areas: Mathematics; Probability and Statistics; Ethics and Professional Practice; Engineering Economics; Electricity and Magnetism; Statics; Dynamics, Kinematics, and Vibrations; Mechanics of Materials; Material Properties and Processing; Fluid Mechanics; Thermodynamics; Heat Transfer; Measurements, Instrumentation, and Controls; and Mechanical Design and Analysis. The practice bank on this page groups Mathematics with Probability and Statistics.
Only models on the NCEES-approved list: Casio fx-115 and fx-991 families, HP 33s and 35s, and TI-30X and TI-36X families. Graphing calculators and anything with alphanumeric text storage are not allowed.
Most candidates who pass report 100 to 200 hours spread over 2 to 3 months. Recent graduates with strong fundamentals sit at the lower end. Candidates several years out of school should plan for the upper end and start with a diagnostic to find what has faded.
Yes. NCEES allows one attempt per testing window (quarterly) and a maximum of three attempts in any 12-month period. The diagnostic report that comes with a failing result shows performance by knowledge area so you can target the retake.
Take FE Mechanical if your degree is in mechanical or aerospace engineering (or a closely related field). Thermodynamics, Fluids, Heat Transfer, and Mechanical Design are where your coursework gives you an advantage. Every FE discipline leads to the same EIT certification, so choose the exam you are best prepared for.
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