What are the PE Mechanical depth options?

NCEES offers three PE Mechanical depth exams: Machine Design & Materials, Thermal & Fluids Systems, and HVAC & Refrigeration. You choose the one that matches your practice; all are computer-based and offered year-round.

Is the FE required before the PE?

Yes. You pass the FE Mechanical to become an EIT, gain qualifying experience (typically about four years), then sit the PE Mechanical depth exam and apply through your state board.

Are the PE Mechanical exams open book?

They are open-book using an NCEES-supplied searchable reference; the exams are computer-based and time-pressured, so fast reference navigation is important.

Which depth is hardest?

Difficulty is individual — it depends on your background. The best choice is the depth that overlaps your day-to-day work, since you’ll have the strongest intuition and reference familiarity there.

📝 Full-Length Practice Exam

PE Nuclear Engineering

Administered by NCEES (Pearson VUE)

5 free / 80

Questions

480 min

Time limit

70%

Pass mark

Open-reference

References

🔓 Free preview, then unlock

The first 5 questions are free. To finish all 80questions with full scoring, a topic breakdown, and answer explanations, you'll unlock the rest with the All-Access Pass.

What this is

A full-length PE Nuclear Engineering practice exam covering reactor theory and physics, thermal-hydraulics, radiation protection and shielding, reactor safety systems, fuel and materials performance, instrumentation and control, plant systems, and codes/standards per the NCEES outline.

References you may use

NCEES PE Nuclear Reference Handbook (on-screen)
Reactor physics, thermal-hydraulics, radiation protection & nuclear systems references

Topics covered

Reactor Theory & PhysicsThermal-HydraulicsRadiation Protection & ShieldingReactor Safety & SystemsMaterials & Fuel PerformanceInstrumentation & ControlNuclear Plant SystemsCodes, Standards & Regulations

📊 What you get at the end

Your overall score and a clear pass/fail result against the 70% pass mark — instantly, no waiting
A performance breakdown by topic, so you can see exactly which areas need more study
Every question reviewed afterward with the correct answer and a full explanation — including the ones you missed

⚠️ These are original practice questions written to mirror the published NCEES topic outline and difficulty of the real PE Nuclear Engineering exam; they are not reproductions of actual exam questions. Use current NCEES references and verify specifics before testing.

EngineersUniverse is an independent educational publisher and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, certified by, or sponsored by NCEES (Pearson VUE) or any other organization named on this page.PE Nuclear and any other credential names referenced are trademarks of their respective owners, used here solely to identify the exam this practice test is modeled on. See our full disclaimer.

The timer starts when you begin. No payment required to try the first 5 questions.