The FE Exam, or Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, is a required exam designed for seniors and recent graduates of an EAC/ABET-accredited program. The FE Exam is a computer-based exam administered year-round and includes 110 questions. The exam appointment time is six hours long.

To learn more about the FE Exam specifications, visit ncees.org/exams/fe-exam/.

Board approval is not required in Nebraska to sit for the FE Exam.    

The PE Exam, or Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam, is a required exam to become a licensed professional engineer. In Nebraska, an individual can take the PE exam after passing the FE exam and graduating from an ABET/EAC- or CEAB-accredited program.

To learn more about the PE Exam specifications, visit ncees.org/exams/pe-exam/.

Board approval is required in Nebraska to sit for the PE Exam.

The SE Exam is the NCEES Structural PE Exam. In Nebraska, an individual can take the Structural PE exam after taking and passing the FE exam and graduating from an ABET/EAC- or CEAB-accredited program.

To learn more about the Structural PE Exam, NCEES has additional information here.

The FE and PE Exams are created and administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).  

Individuals can take the FE exam as seniors in or after graduation from an EAC/ABET or CEAB-accredited program.

To take any PE exam in Nebraska, individuals must have:

• Graduated from an engineering program accredited by EAC/ABET or the Canadian Accredited Board (CEAB) OR met the NCEES Engineering Education Standard;
  • To determine if your program is EAC/ABET or CEAB-accredited, search ABET's or CEAB's database of accredited programs.
  • If your program is not accredited, you must have your education evaluated by NCEES Credentials Evaluation to determine if it meets the NCEES Engineering Education Standard. The evaluation must be submitted directly to the Board by NCEES. Any deficiencies identified must be corrected or removed by the Board prior to receiving approval to sit for an exam. Refer to Rule 2.2.4 of The Nebraska Engineers and Architects Regulation Act (Title 110, NAC).
  • Note: If your degree is in engineering technology only, it has been the Board's experience that these degrees typically do not meet the NCEES Engineering Education Standard due to a deficiency in engineering sciences and design. In addition, NCEES will only conduct evaluations where the applicant has graduated from:
    • ​Bachelor's program in engineering from a non-US based program;
    • Non-EAC/ABET-accredited degree programs in engineering, engineering technology, related science, or mathematics only when coupled with a master's degree or doctorate in engineering; or
    • At the request of an NCEES member board. Such requests must come directly from the member board to the NCEES Manager of Credentials Evaluations.​​
• Passed the FE Exam.
• Three references from individuals unrelated to you who can attest to your good reputation and good ethical character.

You may sit for the exam no sooner than four calendar years after completion of your bachelor’s degree.

No. Individuals can register to take the exam through NCEES without Nebraska Board approval.

Yes. Individuals will need to:

1. Complete and submit the Application for Examination: Principles and Practice of Engineering, along with the applicable filing fee.
2. Either request official verification of your EAC/ABET- or CEAB-accredited degree be sent to the Board directly from the institution, or its authorized agent, or request a copy of your NCEES Credentials Evaluation report to be sent directly to the Board.
3. If you passed the FE exam in another state, have verification of passage sent directly to the Nebraska board from the licensing board in the state in which you passed the exam.

Once all of the above has been received by the Board staff, the Board will review the application and notification of the Board's action will be sent. Approved applicants must then register with and submit any exam registration fees directly to NCEES by the deadline posted on NCEES’ website. 

Applicants must receive approval from the Nebraska board to sit for either the PE or SE exam before registering with NCEES. Failure to do so may result in the loss of registration fees paid to NCEES and/or the eligibility to sit for the exam.

To view Board deadlines, visit our PE Page.

As of 2024, the current schedule for exam offerings is located in the most current NCEES Exam Guide.

No. FE and PE exams do not need to be taken in the same state.

As of 2024, all FE and PE Exams, including the Structural PE Exam, have transitioned to computer-based testing (CBT).

Most questions on exams are in traditional multiple-choice format with a single correct answer. However, exams also use common alternative item types such as:

• Multiple correct options—allows multiple choices to be correct
• Point and click—requires examinees to click on part of a graphic to answer
• Drag and drop—requires examinees to click on and drag items to match, sort, rank, or label
• Fill in the blank—provides a space for examinees to enter a numerical response to the question

Exception—The PE Structural breadth exams contain only traditional multiple-choice questions. The PE Structural depth exams contain only alternative item types. All other exams include both traditional multiple choice and alternative item types.

All questions, including alternative item types, are scored as either correct or incorrect. No partial credit is given. Videos describing alternative item types and other exam functions are posted on the NCEES YouTube Channel.

All exams include a limited number of pretest items that will not be scored and will not have an impact on results. This is common practice within high-stakes testing and allows NCEES to evaluate the pretest items for potential use in future exams. These items are randomly placed within the exam and are not identifiable as pretest items. 

Yes, for both the FE and PE Exams. NCEES offers a variety of exam prep materials that can be found on their website here.

Appointment time for the FE Exam is six hours. For more information, please refer to the NCEES website.

Appointment time for most PE Exams is nine hours.

Appointment times for the Structural PE Exam are six hours for breadth sections, and 5.5 hours for depth sections.

The FE exam costs $225 through NCEES. There is no additional fee to pay to the Nebraska Board.

Most PE Exams cost $400.

The Structural PE Exam costs $350 for each breadth and depth section. The Structural PE exam is composed of two components—vertical and lateral. Each component includes a breadth section and a depth section. Breadth and depth sections are taken separately and at different times and receive independent results.

Individuals who have met the requirements set forth in Neb. Rev. Stat. §§81-3432.01 and Board Rule 2.7.1 may qualify for a $100 educational debt reimbursement. 

Nebraska follows NCEES’s approval policy. To find out more, refer to the NCEES Examinee Guide. 

FE and PE Exam results are normally released by NCEES to the candidate within seven to ten business days.  NCEES will send an email notifying the candidate the results are available for viewing via their MyNCEES account.