Free practice test

Tests

Driving testsCitizenship testsSchool and university admissionsNursing, medicine and healthEnglish and French testsTeachingMoney, law and insuranceTrades and work licencesPilots, drones, boats and radio

Countries

United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomAustraliaNew Zealand

United States · Licensing exam

The mechanical PE exam

There are three versions, and you take one: HVAC and Refrigeration, Machine Design and Materials, or Thermal and Fluid Systems. Each mechanical PE exam has 80 questions in 8 hours of exam time, runs year-round at Pearson test centers and costs $400. All three have new specifications from October 2025.

How to register for the PEFree practice test

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Machine Design and Materials topics

Knowledge areaQuestions
Mechanics of materials17‑26
Mechanical components and assemblies16‑24
Basic engineering practice11‑17
Mechanical attachments9‑14
Power transmission9‑14
Supportive knowledge8‑12

Thermal and Fluid Systems topics

Knowledge areaQuestions
Thermal/fluid principles19‑29
Fluid equipment and distribution systems17‑26
Power systems and components17‑26
Cooling/heating systems and components12‑18
Supportive knowledge5‑8

HVAC and Refrigeration has its own page.

HVAC and Refrigeration topics →

What references do you get in the mechanical PE exam?

You get the NCEES PE Mechanical Reference Handbook on screen. NCEES’s guide lists no design standards for the mechanical exams, so the handbook is all you have. Machine Design and Thermal and Fluids use both SI and US units; HVAC uses US units only.

The FE Mechanical

On the usual path to a license, the FE comes first. It has a Mechanical discipline: 110 questions, year-round, $225.

Mechanical pass rates →Mechanical PE prep →
Sources: NCEES and 4 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

Explore

Everything else, in one place

OverviewPractice testWhere to studyStudy plannerQuestions and timePassing scoreExam datesCostReference handbookCalculatorsResultsRequirementsPass ratesRegistrationTypes of PE exams

PE exams by discipline

CivilCivil: ConstructionCivil: GeotechnicalCivil: TransportationCivil: Water ResourcesStructuralMechanical: HVACElectrical and ComputerElectrical: PowerControl SystemsEnvironmentalChemicalIndustrial and Systems

By state

CaliforniaFloridaMarylandTexasWashington