How long is the FE exam, and how many questions does it have?
The FE exam gives you 110 questions and 5 hours 20 minutes of exam time. The full appointment also includes a 2 minute nondisclosure agreement, an 8 minute tutorial, and a 25 minute scheduled break. NCEES describes that full appointment as 6 hours on its FE exam page, while the May 2026 Examinee Guide table lists it as 5 hours 55 minutes, the sum of the agreement, tutorial, exam time, and break.
What the 6-hour appointment includes
NCEES describes this total appointment length in two places that group the pieces differently. The FE Civil exam specifications state that examinees have 6 hours, which includes the tutorial and an optional scheduled break, matching the figure on the main FE exam page. In sequence, you complete the agreement and tutorial, work the first section, take the optional break, then finish the second section on whichever exam time remains. The exam is computer based and runs year round at NCEES approved Pearson test centers. The FE exam day timeline shows how these pieces fit into the appointment, and What the FE exam is along with the FE exam fee cover the exam’s purpose and cost.
How the two sections share one clock
The exam is split into two sections, and NCEES gives you the full exam time at the start on a single clock. After about half the questions, you review that set, submit it, and lose access to it, and you may then take the scheduled break. The Florida board’s engineering exams page describes the FE as two sections of approximately 55 questions each. NCEES sets the single clock and the point at which the first section closes.
The scheduled break lasts 25 minutes, and unused break time does not carry over into the second section. You may leave the building during the break, but returning late reduces the time left for the second section by the amount you are late. Unscheduled breaks are allowed at any time, though the clock keeps running and you may not leave the building during one.
Splitting the 5 hours 20 minutes evenly across the two sections gives each half 2 hours 40 minutes for about 55 questions. That split is a planning figure rather than a hard rule, since the exam still runs on one clock and time spent on the first section reduces what remains for the second.
What kinds of questions those 110 include
Most questions are multiple choice with one correct answer. NCEES also uses alternative item types, including multiple correct, point and click, drag and drop, and fill in the blank, and any of these can change how long an item takes relative to a single choice question. What types of questions are on the FE exam covers how each format works.
Every exam includes a limited number of unscored pretest items, placed at random and not identifiable, sitting inside the 110 questions and the same 5 hours 20 minutes. Answer them as you answer the rest, since nothing on the item indicates that it is unscored.
How much time that allows per question
5 hours 20 minutes for 110 questions works out to about 2.9 minutes, or 2 minutes 55 seconds, per question. That average spreads the full exam time across every item, pretest items included, and you can use it to time a practice sitting of the same length. The published exam time remains one block for the whole exam, so a quick item leaves unused time in that block available for a slower one. A fuller look at this pace is on how much time you have per question on the FE exam.
What happens if time runs out
If time runs out before you submit, any answers you have marked are still submitted and scored, so mark your intended answer on each item you have solved as you go. Submitting the first section after you review it closes that section and makes the scheduled break available, and only the second section stays open afterward, on the same exam clock you were given at the start.
Frequently asked questions
Is the FE exam 6 hours long?
NCEES describes the appointment as 6 hours long, and the FE Civil exam specifications say examinees have 6 hours, including a tutorial and an optional scheduled break. The May 2026 Examinee Guide table lists the appointment as 5 hours 55 minutes, equal to the 2 minute agreement, the 8 minute tutorial, 320 minutes of exam time, and the 25 minute break. The time you spend on the questions themselves is 5 hours 20 minutes.
How many questions are on the FE exam?
The FE exam has 110 questions. NCEES has you review and submit after about half of them, and the Florida board describes the exam as two sections of approximately 55 questions each. A limited number of the 110 are unscored pretest items placed at random, and since they are not identifiable, you should answer every item.
Can you go back to questions after the break?
You cannot go back to the first section once you submit it. That submission closes those questions and is when you may start the scheduled break. After the break, only the second section is open. Both sections share the exam time given at the start, and returning late from the break reduces the second part by the amount you are late.
What happens if you run out of time on the FE exam?
If time runs out before you submit, any answers you have marked are still submitted and scored. The full exam time is 5 hours 20 minutes, given once at the start, so the second section uses whatever remains. Unused minutes from the 25 minute scheduled break do not carry over onto that clock. A late return from the scheduled break shortens the second part by the amount you are late, while an unscheduled break leaves the clock running.
Sources
- NCEES: FE exam. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF). Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES FE Civil CBT exam specifications (PDF). Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- Florida board: Engineering exams. Retrieved October 3, 2026.