FE Exam study plan
FE Exam · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Mathematics
Solve 40 mixed algebra, trigonometry, and analytic geometry problems without a calculator shortcut sheet
Differentiate and integrate 20 functions covering product, quotient, chain, and integration-by-parts rules
Compute areas, centroids, and volumes of revolution for 8 plane and solid regions
Apply vector dot and cross products to 10 force, work, and moment problems
Solve 10 first-order and second-order linear differential equations with given initial conditions
Your checkpoint
A closed-book 35-question Mathematics timed set (60 min) scored at 80% or above, with every miss reworked in writing.
Probability and Statistics & Mathematics
Compute descriptive statistics (mean, median, mode, variance, standard deviation) for 8 raw data sets
Apply binomial, Poisson, and normal distributions to 20 word problems and read z-tables and t-tables fluently
Construct 10 confidence intervals and perform 10 one- and two-sample hypothesis tests at stated significance levels
Fit a least-squares linear regression and interpret slope, intercept, and coefficient of determination for 5 data sets
Re-solve the 10 highest-error items from the Week 1 Mathematics set
Your checkpoint
A one-page handwritten formula card plus a 30-question Probability & Statistics set with all hypothesis-test conclusions stated in engineering language.
Engineering Mechanics
Draw complete free-body diagrams and solve equilibrium for 15 statics systems including trusses, frames, and friction
Locate centroids and moments of inertia for 8 composite cross sections
Solve 12 kinematics and kinetics problems using Newton's second law, work-energy, and impulse-momentum
Compute stresses in axial, torsional, and bending members for 10 simple load cases
Work 8 circular-motion and projectile problems to a numeric answer with units checked
Your checkpoint
A 25-problem Mechanics solution packet where every problem shows a labeled free-body diagram or an explicitly stated governing equation.
Fluid Mechanics
Convert and manipulate fluid properties (density, specific weight, viscosity, surface tension) across 15 unit-conversion problems
Apply the continuity and Bernoulli equations to 15 pipe and nozzle systems, including head loss terms
Compute Reynolds number and classify flow, then size a pipe for a target velocity in 6 design scenarios
Solve 8 hydrostatic pressure and submerged-gate force problems
Derive and apply the Darcy-Weisbach equation to 6 pipe-flow friction problems
Your checkpoint
Midpoint checkpoint: a 40-question mixed set drawn from Domains 1, 2, 5, and 7, completed in one 2-hour sitting with a written error log by domain.
Thermodynamics
Apply the first law of thermodynamics to 12 closed-system and 10 open-system (steady-flow) control volumes
Evaluate ideal-gas processes (isothermal, isobaric, isochoric, adiabatic) for 10 cycles and compute work and heat
Compute entropy change for 8 reversible and irreversible processes and state whether each violates the second law
Determine thermal efficiency and coefficient of performance for 6 Rankine, Brayton, and refrigeration cycles
Solve 8 heat-transfer problems spanning conduction, convection, and radiation
Your checkpoint
A completed property and cycle diagram packet (T-s and P-v sketches for each of the 6 cycles) plus a 25-question Thermodynamics set at 75% or above.
Electrical and Computer Engineering & Materials Science
Solve 12 DC and AC circuit problems using Ohm's law, Kirchhoff's laws, series-parallel reduction, and Thevenin equivalents
Compute power, impedance, and phase relationships in 8 RLC and three-phase circuits
Convert between number systems and evaluate 10 Boolean expressions using truth tables and Karnaugh maps
Classify 15 material properties (elastic modulus, yield strength, hardness, ductility, thermal conductivity) and match them to design requirements
Interpret a phase diagram and a stress-strain curve in 8 reading-comprehension items
Identify the dominant corrosion and failure modes in 6 described service scenarios
Your checkpoint
A single reference sheet covering circuits plus materials with 20 worked examples, and a 30-question combined set at 75% or above.
Engineering Economics & Ethics and Professional Practice
Compute present worth, future worth, and annual worth for 12 cash-flow scenarios using the standard factor tables
Calculate rate of return, payback period, and benefit-cost ratio for 6 project alternatives and select the better one
Determine depreciation and after-tax cash flow for 5 asset scenarios under straight-line and MACRS
Apply the ASCE/NSPE canons to classify 15 short ethics scenarios as ethical, unethical, or ambiguous, citing the governing canon
Write a 150-word response to one ambiguous conflict-of-interest scenario using the Code of Ethics as the sole authority
Your checkpoint
An economics worked-problem set of 20 items plus a written ethics case analysis (one page) that names the specific canon applied at each decision point.
Safety, Health, and Environment & Ethics and Professional Practice
Identify hazard categories, exposure routes, and required controls for 15 workplace scenarios using the hierarchy of controls
Apply OSHA recordkeeping, permissible exposure limit, and lockout/tagout concepts to 10 compliance questions
Select the correct personal protective equipment and confined-space or fall-protection procedure for 8 described tasks
Assemble a cumulative one-page master formula and reference sheet spanning all ten domains
Re-solve all previously logged error items across the eight weeks
Your checkpoint
Full-length timed practice exam completed in one sitting with a scored breakdown by domain and a written remediation list for any domain below 70%.
Milestones
Week 2: Mathematics timed set scored at 80% or above and the Probability & Statistics set completed, with a formula card in hand.
Week 4: Midpoint 40-question mixed set (Domains 1, 2, 5, 7) completed under a 2-hour time limit; every domain in that set at 65% or above.
Week 6: All of Domains 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 6 have at least one scored practice set on record, and the combined Week 6 set is at 75% or above.
Week 8: Full-length practice exam finished, all ten domains scored and recorded, and no domain below 70%; any domain below 70% has a scheduled retake date before exam day.