To get your Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certification, you need to pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and then apply through your state’s engineering licensing board. The FE exam costs $225, is offered year-round at computer-based testing centers, and serves as the first major milestone on the path to becoming a licensed Professional Engineer (PE). Here’s how to move through each step.
What EIT Certification Gets You
The EIT designation signals that you have a solid grasp of core engineering principles and are qualified for entry-level engineering work. It’s not just a credential to hang on the wall. Many job postings specifically ask for EIT certification, and having it gives you a clear edge over candidates without it. More importantly, EIT status is the first formal step toward full PE licensure, which requires additional years of professional experience and passing a second exam (the Principles and Practices of Engineering exam). You can’t skip ahead to PE without completing the EIT stage first in most states.
Education and Experience Requirements
Requirements vary by state, but most boards look for some combination of engineering education and work experience. A common eligibility threshold is at least three years of postsecondary engineering education, three years of engineering-related work experience, or a combination of the two totaling three years. Many candidates take the FE exam during their senior year of an engineering bachelor’s program or shortly after graduating.
If you attended an ABET-accredited engineering program, the education requirement is straightforward. If your degree is from a non-accredited or foreign institution, your state board may require transcript evaluation or additional documentation. Check with your state’s licensing board before registering, because some states require you to submit an application or get approval from the board before you can even sign up for the exam.
Register for the FE Exam
The FE exam is administered by NCEES (the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying) at Pearson test centers across the country. Registration and scheduling happen through your MyNCEES account at ncees.org. During registration, you select a test center location and then choose from available dates. If the dates at your preferred location don’t work, you can browse openings at other nearby centers.
The exam fee is $225, paid directly to NCEES. Some states charge an additional application fee on top of that, so budget accordingly. You’re allowed one attempt per testing window and no more than three attempts in any 12-month period. If you need to cancel, you can do so through your MyNCEES account before the registration deadline and receive a refund minus a $50 processing fee. After the deadline, no refunds are available unless you have a documented emergency such as illness, a death in the family, jury duty, or military orders, and you submit documentation within 30 days of your exam date.
Prepare for Exam Day
The FE exam has 110 questions and a total appointment time of six hours. That breaks down to about five hours and 20 minutes of actual testing time, plus a 25-minute scheduled break, a brief tutorial, and a nondisclosure agreement. The exam is computer-based, and NCEES provides a searchable digital reference handbook on screen during the test, so you don’t need to memorize every formula.
You do need to bring an approved calculator. NCEES has a strict calculator policy, and only specific models are permitted:
- Casio: Any fx-115 or fx-991 model
- Hewlett Packard: HP 33s or HP 35s only
- Texas Instruments: Any TI-30X or TI-36X model
No other calculators are allowed. If you show up with the wrong one, you won’t be able to use it. Buy your approved calculator well before exam day so you’re comfortable with it.
The FE exam covers a broad range of engineering fundamentals. NCEES offers the exam in seven discipline-specific versions (such as Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and others), so pick the one closest to your background. Each version has its own content outline published on the NCEES website, which tells you exactly what topics and subtopics will appear. Structure your study plan around that outline.
Get Your Results
Results are typically available within 7 to 10 business days after you take the exam. NCEES will send you an email with instructions to view your results in your MyNCEES account. Results are reported as pass or fail. If you don’t pass, you’ll receive a diagnostic report breaking down your performance by topic area, which helps you target weak spots before retaking the exam.
Apply for Your EIT Certificate
Passing the FE exam does not automatically make you an EIT. You still need to apply for certification through your state’s engineering licensing board. The process, fees, and requirements differ from state to state, but generally you’ll submit an application, provide proof of your education or experience, and pay a certification fee. Some states also require fingerprinting as part of the background check process.
Processing times vary, but plan for at least a few weeks for your application to be reviewed. After approval, your certificate number is issued, and a wall certificate typically arrives by mail several weeks later. You can usually track your application status through your state board’s online portal.
Total Cost and Timeline
At minimum, expect to spend $225 on the NCEES exam fee plus your state’s certification application fee, which varies but often runs in the range of $25 to $100. Some states also charge a separate application fee just to be approved to sit for the exam, so your total out-of-pocket cost could reach $300 to $400 depending on where you live. Add in a prep course or study materials if you use them, which can range from free (using the NCEES reference handbook and practice problems) to several hundred dollars for a commercial review course.
From start to finish, the timeline depends largely on how long you need to prepare. If you’re a recent engineering graduate, many candidates study for two to three months before sitting for the exam. After passing, the state certification process adds another few weeks. A realistic total timeline from “I’m going to do this” to “I have my EIT certificate” is roughly three to five months for someone who’s already educationally eligible.