How is the FE exam scored, and what is the passing score?
NCEES scores the FE exam from the items you got right. A wrong answer does not lower your total. That total is scaled so small gaps in difficulty between exam forms are evened out, and the scaled result is set against the ability level required to pass. NCEES does not publish that passing score or a percent correct that clears it. You are told only whether you passed or failed.
How the raw score becomes a scaled score
The scoring process starts with your raw count of correct answers. Because exam forms differ slightly in difficulty, NCEES converts that raw count into a scaled score, which adjusts for those differences and is what gets compared with the ability level required to pass.
Year-round computer-based exams are assembled using a linear-on-the-fly (LOFT) algorithm, which gives every examinee the same number of questions per topic and the same relative difficulty, even though no two examinees see the same set of questions. Scaling ties these different forms to one standard, so a slightly harder form and a slightly easier form are both judged against the same required ability level.
Why NCEES does not publish a passing score
NCEES does not publish a fixed passing score or a percentage of correct answers needed to pass, because the passing score itself varies slightly with the difficulty of each form. After scaling, your result is compared with the ability level required to pass, so two examinees can face forms that are not identical and still be held to that same standard.
NCEES sets no quota of examinees who should pass or fail, and results are not shifted to produce a target share of passes in any day, month, or year. Published FE exam pass rates describe how examinees have performed, but they do not reveal the passing score or change the ability level used on your form.
First-time and repeat takers are graded to the same standard: someone retaking the exam is scored exactly like someone taking it for the first time. For another attempt, read how many times you can take the FE exam.
Partial credit and pretest items
Every question, including alternative item types, is scored right or wrong with no partial credit. NCEES marks the whole item correct or incorrect, so a response that only partly matches counts as incorrect and does not add to your total. Practice the question types on the FE exam with that rule in mind.
Every exam also includes a limited number of unscored pretest items, placed at random so you cannot identify them. Since you cannot set any item aside as unscored while testing, treat every question as one that counts.
What the diagnostic report can tell you
Results are reported only as pass or fail, but examinees who fail also receive a diagnostic report by knowledge area. Each area is shown as a scaled score from 0 to 15 compared with the average of passing examinees, so you can see which areas sit near that average and which fall far short. Put your next study time into the areas that need it most.
You cannot use this report to calculate the passing score or how many answers you got right, since the area scores are not item counts and combining them will not rebuild your exam result. When FE exam results come out only covers the schedule for seeing pass or fail.
How to answer when you are unsure
Only correct answers raise the raw count, and a blank adds nothing either, so a guess you get right helps you while a guess you get wrong simply leaves the count unchanged. When you can eliminate an option or narrow the result, mark your best choice and move on.
If time runs out before you submit, any answers you marked are still submitted and scored, but unmarked items never enter that submission and cannot raise your number correct. Pace yourself using how much time you have per question so later items are still marked, since leaving a topic blank only removes chances to record correct answers there.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage do you need to pass the FE?
NCEES does not publish a percentage of correct answers needed to pass the FE exam. Instead, it converts your correct answers to a scaled score that adjusts for small differences in difficulty between forms, then compares that score with the ability level required to pass. Because the passing score varies slightly with difficulty, one percentage would not fit every form. Focus on recording as many correct answers as you can, since that count is where the score starts.
Is the FE graded on a curve?
The FE exam is not graded on a curve. NCEES sets no quota of examinees who should pass or fail, so your result is not moved to hit a preset pass rate. The scaled score is compared with the ability level required to pass. First-time and repeat takers are graded to that same standard.
Do unanswered questions count against you?
Unanswered questions do not lower your score, and neither do wrong answers. A blank simply does not add a correct answer, which is the only way the raw count grows. If time runs out before you submit, answers you have already marked are still submitted and scored, so mark a choice on every item you reach, even ones you are unsure about.
Can the diagnostic report show your percent correct?
The diagnostic report cannot show your percent correct. Examinees who fail receive scaled scores from 0 to 15 for each knowledge area, compared with the average of passing examinees. Those figures cannot be converted into the passing score or into the number of correct answers. Use the comparison to pick knowledge areas to study before you test again.
Are pretest items included in the FE score?
A limited number of pretest items on every exam are unscored. They are placed at random, and you cannot identify them, so you should answer every item as if it counts. Scored items, including alternative item types, are marked right or wrong with no partial credit.
Sources
- NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF). Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES: Exam scoring. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES: Computer-based testing. Retrieved October 3, 2026.