FE Civil · AceFEExam

FE exam format, timing and question types

The FE exam has 110 questions and 5 hours 20 minutes of exam time. NCEES lists a six-hour appointment that includes the nondisclosure agreement, tutorial and a scheduled 25-minute break. Questions include multiple choice and alternative item types.

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Independent resource · Checked 2026-10-28

Your exam-day map

One sitting. A clear plan.

  1. Before the exam

    Check-in, instructions and tutorial

  2. First section

    Answer, flag and review before submitting

  3. Scheduled break

    25 minutes to reset

  4. Second section

    Keep moving and leave time to review

FE exam day timeline: 2-minute nondisclosure agreement, 8-minute tutorial, Section 1, a 25-minute scheduled break, Section 2; 5 hours 20 minutes of working time inside a 6-hour appointment, about 2.9 minutes per question
The six-hour appointment, block by block. Working time is 5 h 20 min across both sections.

How long is the FE exam?

PartTime listed by NCEES
Nondisclosure agreement2 minutes
Tutorial8 minutes
Exam working time5 hours 20 minutes
Scheduled break25 minutes
Appointment6 hours

The appointment is not six hours of answering questions. Plan travel and check-in around the appointment, and use the working-time budget when practising. The listed components do not need to add to exactly six hours: use NCEES’s stated appointment length.

Is the FE exam all multiple choice?

No. Alongside a single correct option, NCEES uses alternative item types: multiple correct, point and click, drag and drop, and fill in the blank. Read the instructions for each item. NCEES says alternative item types are scored correct or incorrect with no partial credit.

An original fill-in example: a 2 m by 3 m rectangle has an area of 6 m². Enter the requested value in the requested units. This is an AceFEExam example, not an NCEES item.

What happens between sections?

The computer-based exam is divided into two sections. Review flagged questions in the current section before submitting it: after submission you cannot return to that section. The working time is shared across the exam; do not assume that each section receives a fresh timer. Follow the on-screen break instructions.

A practical pacing plan

320 minutes divided by 110 questions is about 2.9 minutes per question. That is a practice average, not an official per-question limit. Some items should be quick; flag longer ones and return while you still have access to that section.

Practice checkpointSuggested approach, not an NCEES rule
Before startingDecide how much review time to reserve
During each sectionCheck elapsed time against questions answered
Before submittingReview flags and unanswered items
When practisingInclude handbook lookup time
The mock screen: question, figure, navigator and the section clock, laid out like the test centre.
End-of-section review table listing each item with its knowledge area, answered, flagged or blank status, and time spent
The end-of-section review: every item, its status and its time, before the one-way submit.

Frequently asked questions

Is the FE exam six hours long?

NCEES lists a six-hour appointment, including 5 hours 20 minutes of exam working time and a scheduled 25-minute break.

Can I return to the first section?

Not after you submit it. Review that section before submission.

Does the average pace guarantee a pass?

No. Pacing is one preparation skill; NCEES does not publish a fixed passing percentage.

Official sources

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