Engineering Exams

Required Exams

All applicants for licensure must take and pass three examinations.

  1. FE Exam: Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination
  2. PE Exam: Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) Examination
  3. Ethics: The Texas Ethics of Engineering Exam

Exam Waivers

The board has provisions for waivers of the FE and the PE exam. See the Exam Waivers page for more information.

Exam Dates and Deadlines

All new applications for exam must be submitted at least 4 months prior to each exam. Exam application approval times can be longer depending on receiving all application items and technical review complications. Exam registration deadlines are determined by NCEES and cannot be influenced by the Board. Refer to NCEES Exam Registration for additional information. Requests for special testing accommodations are made through the NCEES online registration system. NCEES will determine the deadline for accommodation requests. For information refer to: NCEES Special Accommodations.

NCEES

NCEES is an accredited standards developer with the American National Standards Institute. They are responsible for all PE and FE exam coordination, payment, registration, scheduling, scoring and communication regarding pass and fail rates throughout the United States. NCEES also provides services facilitating professional mobility.

Computer Based Testing (CBT) - NCEES began the process of transitioning exams from a paper format to computer-based testing (CBT) in 2011. Refer to the linked page for the conversion schedule.

For more information:

NCEES Exam Registration Exam Statistics

Exam Study Materials

The board does not endorse any particular study courses or study materials for the FE or PE exams. Many Universities or Professional Societies or Associations have study information for the exams. (See our Links Page for more information.) Information concerning the examinations is also available from NCEES. (www.ncees.org)

FE: Fundamentals of Engineering Exam

The FE is a discipline specific examination and is administered and managed by NCEES. Please refer to the NCEES Exams Website for registration, scheduling, and grades.

NCEES: FE Exam

Student & Non-Student Eligibility

Non-Student

A qualified non-student individual is defined as someone who has a Bachelor of Science or post-graduate degree in engineering or a related science field that has been approved by the Board.

Such degree programs must include: (or these courses must be taken in addition to the Bachelor or Graduate degree)

  • 8 semester hours of mathematics beyond trigonometry, including differential and integral calculus.
  • 20 semester hours of engineering science which include subjects such as mechanics, thermodynamics, electrical and electronic circuits, and others selected from material science, transport phenomena, computer science and comparable subjects depend on the discipline or branch of engineering. Course work should incorporate hands-on laboratory work and contain sufficient design curricula to provide minimal competency in the use of engineering algorithms and procedures.

Candidates must have a four-year Baccalaureate Degree as follows:

  • An engineering degree approved by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology, Inc. (EAC/ABET).
  • An engineering technology degree of four years or more that is accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology, Inc. (ETAC/ABET).
  • Other degree programs of four years or more in an engineering or related science curriculum which fulfill the minimum educational requirements defined in Board Rule 133.31.

Exam for Record Purposes: Individuals who are licensed to practice professional engineering in Texas may take the examination for record purposes.

Students

An undergraduate student who is within two full-time semesters (not including summer sessions) of graduating and who is enrolled in an EAC/ABET-accredited engineering program, an ETAC/ABET-accredited four year baccalaureate engineering technology program, or an engineering-related science program of four years or more that has been approved by the Board.

A graduate student enrolled in a Master's or Ph.D. engineering program may take the FE exam.

PE: Principles and Practice of Engineering Examination

All of the NCEES PE exams have now been converted to computer based tests. Some exams are now offered year around and some are offered only a few times or once per year. Due to this variable timing of exam events, in Texas, NEW applications to be approved to sit for the NCEES exams must be submitted to the TBPELS at least 4 months prior to the exam date. It is the responsibility of the examinee to know when the NCEES exams are offered and submit their new application at least 4 months ahead.

The PE exam tests your ability to practice competently in a particular engineering discipline. It is designed for engineers who have gained at least four years' post-college work experience in their chosen engineering discipline.

If you are a Texas Engineer in Training (EIT), you may register to take the PE exam. Refer to the Certification of Engineer in Training webpage.

Each PE exam lasts 8 hours and is split into a morning and an afternoon session.

Refer to NCEES for specific rules regarding books, calculators, cell phones, computers and security procedures.

Scoring and reporting

Exam results are released by NCEES 8 to 10 weeks after the exam. You will be notified of your exam result online through your My NCEES account. You will be notified of your exam results on a pass or fail basis. Please do not write or telephone the Board office to inquire about your test score. Refer to the NCEES Scoring Page for additional information.

Cheating and/or Compromising

Board Rule 133.75 covers examination irregularities and declares that cheating on examinations will not be tolerated. Furthermore, examination proctors who conclusively observe that a candidate is giving or receiving assistance, compromising the integrity of the examination, or participating in any other form of cheating during an examination will require the candidate to surrender all examination materials. The candidate will be required to leave the room and will not be permitted to return.

Evidence of cheating, as described above, found after the examination shall also be a cause for action. The Executive Director will be informed of such instances of suspected cheating at the earliest possible opportunity and will determine appropriate action.

When the Executive Director has determined that cheating has occurred, the examination results of the candidate will be disallowed, the candidate will be barred from taking any examination in Texas for a period of two years, and any application for licensure pending an approval for examination will be automatically proposed for rejection and will be evaluated or re-evaluated on that basis.

Special Accommodations

If you have a disability and require special accommodations in taking the examination, please contact NCEES.

Name/Address Changes

If you have a change of address after you take the examination, you MUST notify the Board office in writing using the "Applicant Address Change Form" posted on our website.

If you change your name, you MUST notify the Board office in writing (email, fax or letter) and include applicable documents relative to a legal name change.

Ethics: The Texas Ethics of Engineering Exam

The Texas Ethics of Engineering Exam is an open book examination concerning the Texas Engineering Practice Act and the Board Rules. You may either take the exam online or download the Ethics Exam from this website and complete it at your convenience. Click here to go to Ethics Exam Links.