July/August 2018

PE Report
Most Popular PE Exams and Pass Rates

The National Council for Examiners for Engineering and Surveying offers 24 PE exams in different engineering specialties. Some, like the recently eliminated Software Engineering PE exam, struggle to capture an audience. For others, it’s no problem. Here are the top 10 PE exams ranked by the number of first-time takers from October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017, as well their pass rates.

1. Civil: Transportation—3,222 First-Time Takers/68% Pass Rate
2. Civil: Water Resources and Environmental—3,173 First-time Takers/70% Pass Rate
3. Civil: Structural—3,007 First-Time Takers/67% Pass Rate
4. Electrical and Computer: Power—2,057 takers/66% Pass Rate
5. Civil: Construction—1,582 First-Time Takers/57% Pass Rate
6. Mechanical: Thermal and Fluids Systems—1,279 First-Time Takers/71% Pass Rate
7. Mechanical: HVAC and Refrigeration—1,049 First-Time Takers /80% Pass Rate
8. Civil: Geotechnical—1,056 First-Time Takers/65% Pass Rate
9. Mechanical: Machine Design and Materials—1,017 First-Time Takers/74% Pass Rate
10. Chemical—615 First-Time Takers/72% Pass Rate

Source: NCEES