Question 1
A bridge costs $450,000 to build and $10,000 a year to maintain, forever. At 5% interest, what is its capitalized cost?
How to use the FE Reference Handbook
The handbook is the only reference in the exam. It is on screen as a searchable PDF, and you can download the same file free from your MyNCEES account.
| In the exam | On screen beside the question, as a searchable PDF |
|---|---|
| Search | The search box on the left of the PDF; Ctrl + F does not work |
| Cost | Free to download from MyNCEES |
| Your own copy | Not allowed in the exam room |
Its 21 chapters
- Units and Conversion Factors
- Ethics and Professional Practice
- Safety
- Mathematics
- Engineering Probability and Statistics
- Chemistry and Biology
- Materials Science/Structure of Matter
- Statics
- Dynamics
- Mechanics of Materials
- Thermodynamics
- Fluid Mechanics
- Heat Transfer
- Instrumentation, Measurement, and Control
- Engineering Economics
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
What it does not contain
NCEES says the handbook does not hold everything needed to answer every question. Basic theories, conversions, formulas and definitions that examinees are expected to know are left out, and anything unusual is given in the question.
How to practice with it
- Keep the PDF open for every practice question, from the first day.
- Learn which chapter holds each kind of relation, so a search takes seconds.
- Search for a distinctive word ("Manning", "Goodman", "capitalized") rather than a common one.
- Check the units a formula expects before you put numbers in.
Try 2 questions
Question 2
A slender steel column ( GPa) 8 m long with a least moment of inertia of mm⁴ is fixed at the base and free at the top. What is its Euler buckling load?
Next step
Questions people ask
Is the FE exam open book?
It is closed book with one electronic reference: the FE Reference Handbook, shown on screen as a searchable PDF. You cannot bring your own copy or any notes.
Is the FE Reference Handbook free?
Yes. Create or log in to a MyNCEES account to download it free.
Can you search the FE Reference Handbook during the exam?
Yes, with the search box on the left of the PDF. NCEES notes that Ctrl + F is not available.
Do all FE exams use the same handbook?
Yes. All seven FE exams use the same FE Reference Handbook; each exam draws on the chapters for its own knowledge areas.