What happens on FE exam day, and is there a break?
NCEES asks you to arrive at the Pearson test center 30 minutes before your appointment. After ID check-in, a photo, and a palm vein scan, you accept a 2-minute nondisclosure agreement and take an 8-minute tutorial. The exam is 5 hours and 20 minutes with 110 questions in two sections and no separate section timers. After about half the questions you submit them and may take a 25-minute break. You may leave the building only during that scheduled break.
Arrival and admissions
Bring one current physical photo ID that has an expiration date, your name, your date of birth, a photo, and a signature. Accepted IDs are a government ID from the country where you test, a passport in roman characters, or a U.S. military ID. Digital IDs and student IDs are not accepted.
The first and last name on your appointment confirmation must match the name on your ID. NCEES suggests you bring a printed copy of the confirmation. Check both against what should be on your FE exam day checklist and against what you can bring to the FE exam before you leave home.
What check-in includes
Check-in includes a digital photo and a palm vein scan, both of which repeat every time you enter or leave the testing room. Staff also complete a pocket check, a self pat-down, and a security wand scan.
After check-in, the proctor gives you 2 reusable booklets and 3 markers for scratch work. You may not bring pens, pencils, or erasers into the testing room, so use the booklets and markers for calculations and notes.
In the testing room you may have your ID, one NCEES-approved calculator without its cover, a locker key, the booklets and markers Pearson supplies, eyeglasses without the case, a light sweater or a light jacket that is not outerwear, comfort items Pearson allows, and items approved as testing accommodations. Confirm your model against which calculators are allowed on the FE exam, and remove the cover before you enter.
Phones, computers, smartwatches and other wearables or electronics, watches, wallets, purses, bags, coats, books, notes, food, and beverages are not allowed in the testing room. Hats and head coverings are excluded too, with an exception for religious apparel.
At the workstation
You test on a 24-inch monitor, so the question and the reference handbook fit side by side on screen. The current NCEES reference handbook is supplied as a searchable PDF, and you search it with the search box on the left, since Ctrl + F does not work. References are usually best viewed at 100% zoom.
A TI-30XS calculator is also available on screen during the exam. Practice that search using how you use the FE Reference Handbook during the exam before test day.
Before the exam you have 2 minutes to accept the nondisclosure agreement. Clicking No ends the exam and you forfeit the fees.
The tutorial takes 8 minutes and shows how to move between questions, flag items for review, and open the reference handbook. Try each control during the tutorial so flagging and handbook search are familiar on the first item.
The first half and the scheduled break
After about half the questions, you review them, submit them, and lose access to that section. You may then take the scheduled break, which lasts 25 minutes. Unused time does not carry over, you may leave the building only during this break, and a late return reduces the time for the second part by the amount you are late.
The Florida board describes the FE as two sections of approximately 55 questions each. For pacing, see how long the FE exam is and how many questions it has and how much time you have per question on the FE exam.
The second half and the verification letter
You repeat the entry screening to re-enter the testing room, and the first section stays closed. The remaining questions use whatever time is left from the total given at the start, since minutes already used are gone and any late return from the break has already shortened what remains.
When you finish, submit the second section. Before you leave the test center you receive a verification-of-testing letter.
Unscheduled breaks
You may take an unscheduled break at any time. The clock keeps running, you may not leave the building, and the entry screening repeats on every exit and entry.
Food and beverages are not allowed in the testing room, so a snack or a drink means stepping out while the clock runs, while still staying inside the building.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a break during the FE exam?
Yes. After about half the questions you review that section, submit it, and lose access to those items. You may then take the scheduled break, which is 25 minutes, and unused break time does not carry over. You may also take unscheduled breaks at any time, but the clock keeps running on those.
Can you leave the building during the FE break?
You may leave the building during the scheduled 25-minute break. You may not leave the building on an unscheduled break. If you return late from the scheduled break, the second part is reduced by the amount of time you are late.
How early should you arrive for the FE exam?
NCEES asks you to arrive at the Pearson test center 30 minutes before your appointment. That window covers the digital photo, palm vein scan, pocket check, self pat-down, and security wand scan. Bring one current physical photo ID with an expiration date, your name, date of birth, a photo, and a signature. Also bring a printed confirmation, which NCEES suggests, and make sure the first and last name match the ID.
Does the clock stop for bathroom breaks?
On an unscheduled bathroom break, the clock keeps running, and you may not leave the building. The scheduled break is 25 minutes. Unused time does not carry over, and a late return reduces the second part by the amount you are late. Each entry and exit repeats the digital photo and the palm vein scan.
Sources
- NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF). Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES: FE exam. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- Florida board: Engineering exams. Retrieved October 3, 2026.