FE Chemical · cost · as of Oct 29, 2026
FE Chemical cost, attempts included
The NCEES fee is $225 per attempt for every FE discipline. What differs by discipline is how many attempts the typical candidate pays for: with the Chemical pass rates that comes to about $344 in exam fees, before board fees and prep.
FE Chemical practice test Exam facts
Updated Oct 29, 2026 · Not affiliated with NCEES.
- ExamFE Chemical
- per attempt$225
- expected attempts1.53
- expected NCEES fees$344
- Checked
What you pay and to whom
| Fact | Detail | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam fee | $225 to NCEESFor each attempt, registrations from January 1, 2024 ($175 before). | NCEES: FE exam · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) · NCEES: new exam prices effective January 1, 2024 [1][2][3] | |
| Board application fee | Some boards require their own application and fee before you can sit; amounts vary by board | NCEES: FE exam · NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [1][2] | |
| Reschedule or cancel | $50 to Pearson, at least 48 hours before the appointmentCanceling the registration refunds the NCEES fee minus a $50 administrative fee (waived if you already paid Pearson a cancellation fee). | NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [2] | |
| Retakes | Once per testing window, at most 3 times in any 12 monthsSome boards are stricter. | NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) [2] | |
| Official practice exam | Two interactive practice exams (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2), 50 questions each, $50 eachBuilt on the July 2020 specifications; retired when new specifications take effect.as of Oct 29, 2026 · NCEES store price | NCEES: FE Chemical Interactive Practice Exam Vol. 1 · NCEES exam prep store (product list) [4][5] |
Expected attempts with the Chemical pass rates
Fiscal 2025 rates for all takers: 68% first time, 35% on a repeat. The retake rule caps you at three attempts in 12 months, so the estimate stops there.
Calculation steps
- 1First attempt, everyone pays1
- 2Second attempt, paid by those who failed the first1 − 0.680.32
- 3Third attempt, paid by those who failed twice0.32 × (1 − 0.35)0.21
- 4Expected attempts1 + 0.32 + 0.211.53
- 5Expected exam fees1.53 × $225$344
- =Our estimateAbout $344 in NCEES fees within 12 months
Source: Squared 2025 report, FE table; fee and retake rule from the Examinee Guide.
What the estimate leaves out
- Board fees: separate from NCEES and vary by board; some boards charge their own application fee before you can sit. The EI/EIT certificate itself comes from your board, under its own rules (EIT certification).
- Rescheduling: $50 to Pearson VUE when you move the appointment 48 hours or more ahead; canceling the registration costs a $50 administrative fee taken from the NCEES refund.
- Prep: the practice test and section pages here cost nothing; the paid options are below.
Chemical-specific materials worth paying for
- NCEES practice exams: 2 × 50 questions, $50 each, the only problems written by the exam owner. They follow the July 2020 outline and will be retired when it is replaced.
- A discipline review manual, such as PPI’s FE Chemical Review Manual. Check that its contents list Solids Handling and the microbiology and bioprocessing parts of Chemistry and Biology: both arrived with the July 2020 outline, and a manual without them follows the 2014 one.
- The FE Reference Handbook costs nothing: the current version is free in your MyNCEES account; on exam day search with the box on the left (Ctrl+F does not work); no personal copies. Buying a printed copy only teaches you to flip pages you will not have.
More on FE Chemical
- FE Chemical overviewWhat FE Chemical covers, how it is scored, its pass rate and the path to a PE
- FE Chemical practice testProblems weighted like the July 2020 Chemical outline, every option explained
- FE Chemical exam info and pass rateFormat, rules, reference and eight half-years of pass rates
- FE Chemical reference handbookThe data the Chemical outline expects you to read, and a search drill
- FE Chemical study guideA study plan by the July 2020 weights, plus the costly traps
Source notes
- NCEES: FE exam ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026
- NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF) ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026
- NCEES: new exam prices effective January 1, 2024 ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026
- NCEES: FE Chemical Interactive Practice Exam Vol. 1 account.ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026
- NCEES exam prep store (product list) account.ncees.org · checked Oct 29, 2026
Money questions
What does one Chemical attempt cost?
Each sitting costs $225 (checked Oct 2026), and your board may add its own fee. The NCEES fee rose from $175 at the start of 2024.
Does a retake cost the full fee?
Yes, every attempt is paid in full. Repeat takers passed at 35% in fiscal 2025, so after a first fail a third fee is more likely than not.
Is an exam-owner practice volume worth buying?
For one timed rehearsal, yes: it is the only set written by the exam owner. For volume and explanations, use free sets such as ours.
Chemical practice for your phone
FE Chemical questions, answers and worked solutions in a study app.
Not affiliated with NCEES.