United States · Licensing exam
Start with the free NCEES material: the reference handbook you’ll use in the exam and the specifications for your discipline. NCEES also sells official practice exams. After that, most people pick one prep course or question bank. We checked what each option costs and what’s free in October 2026.
This is the only reference you get in the FE exam, shown on screen as a searchable PDF. Study with it open from day one. You need a free MyNCEES account to download it.
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Each FE and PE discipline has its own. They tell you which topics are tested and how many questions each gets. For the PE, the last page lists the design standards you’ll have on screen.
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Each PE exam comes with its own electronic NCEES reference handbook, and some also supply design standards. NCEES doesn’t sell printed handbooks or give out the standards ahead of time. You buy the standards from their publishers if you want to study with them.
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Written by NCEES, so they’re the closest thing to the real exam. They’re interactive and sold through your MyNCEES account. We couldn’t confirm the current price without logging in.
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One of the best-known names in FE and PE prep, and the publisher of the PE Civil Reference Manual. It sells live online and on-demand courses, tutoring and a Learning Hub of practice problems. Its passing guarantee offers one free repeat of the 3-month on-demand course, with conditions.
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Covers the FE Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Other/General, Environmental, Chemical and Industrial exams, plus most big PE exams. It also offers onsite classes for groups. It advertises a pass guarantee; read the terms before you buy.
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An online FE question bank for the FE disciplines, with step-by-step solutions and a pass guarantee (a free repeat subscription if you fail). The iPhone apps are rated poorly, mostly over sign-in problems: FE Other Disciplines has 2.2 stars from 22 ratings. The website is the better way in.
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Best known for PE Mechanical (HVAC and Refrigeration, Thermal and Fluids, Machine Design and Materials) and PE Electrical Power. It also covers FE Mechanical, Electrical and Computer, and Other Disciplines.
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The most-rated FE app on the App Store: 4.4 stars from 192 ratings. It leans toward FE Civil, though much of it applies to other disciplines. Its last update was in August 2022, so treat it as extra practice, not your main source.
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Explore
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.