Scheduling and Taking the NCEES Exams for Professional Engineer (PE) and Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) Applicants

Sep 18, 2026

Uploaded by Dozel

Frequently Asked Questions explain how California professional engineer (PE) and professional land surveyor (PLS) applicants schedule and take NCEES exams for licensure. The FAQ covers whether applicants must pass NCEES fundamentals and principles-and-practice exams, waiver options for FE or FS, and which applicant types are eligible for the principles-and-practice requirement. It also addresses board notification timing, application submission deadlines, PE depth module selection, NCEES Record use, accommodation handling, and guidance to the NCEES Examinee Guide for format, fees, ID rules, calculators, permitted items, and test-day procedures.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Scheduling and Taking the NCEES Exams for Professional Engineer (PE) and Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) Applicants

Fundamentals exam and waiver requirements

Principles and practice exam requirements

Notification, application timing, and exam logistics

Depth modules, NCEES Record, and accommodations

Exam guidance, retesting, and out-of-state verification

STATE OF CALIFORNIA GAVIN NEWSOM, GOVERNOR BOARD FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS, LAND SURVEYORS, AND GEOLOGISTS 2535 Capitol Oaks Drive, Suite 300, Sacramento, California, 95833-2944 Telephone: (916) 999-3600 – Toll Free: 1-866-780-5370 [www.bpelsg.ca.gov](www.bpelsg.ca.gov) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Scheduling and Taking the NCEES Exams for Professional Engineer (PE) and Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) Applicants 1) Are Professional Engineer (PE) and Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) applicants required to pass a NCEES fundamentals exam? | Yes, unless they apply for and are approved for a waiver when applying for licensure. Professional Engineer (PE) applicants are required to pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) applicants are required to pass the Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) exam.
For information on FE or FS waiver requirements view the FE Waiver Flowchart or the FS Waiver Flowchart.
2) What professional applicant types are required to pass a NCEES principles and practice exam for licensure in California? | | --- | | Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) applicants as well as the following Professional Engineer (PE) applicants are required to take and pass a principles and practice NCEES exam as a requirement for licensure: Agricultural, Chemical, Civil, Control Systems, Electrical, Fire Protection, Industrial, Mechanical, Metallurgical, Nuclear, Petroleum and Structural.
Please note that the NCEES Architectural, Environmental, Mining, Naval Architectural and Software exams are not administered in California, and there are no plans to offer the exams in the future.
3) Is there an option to waive the NCEES principles and practice exam forlicensure? | No. Page 1 of 3 (Revised 7/2023) 4) Do I need to notify the Board before I take an NCEES exam? Am I required to pass the NCEES principles and practice exam before I apply for licensure and take the state specific exam(s)? | The only applicants that need to wait for Board approval before they take an NCEES exam are PE and PLS applicants who are requesting a Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) or Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) exam waiver. For additional information , view the applicable webpage for PE applicants requesting a FE waiver or PLS applicants requesting a FS waiver.
All other applicants do not need to notify the Board before they take an NCEES exam. Create a MyNCEES account and register with NCEES. Applicants must pass the appropriate NCEES exam before they submit an application for licensure to the Board and take the state specific exam(s) (if state specific exams are required for the license type they are applying for) .
View the Process Flowcharts-Scheduling Exams and Applying for Professional Engineer (PE) or Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) Licensure for a depiction of the process.
5) After I pass the NCEES exam, is there a timeframe or deadline for when I need to submit my application for licensure to the Board? | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | No, there is no timeframe or deadline.
6) Which depth module should I choose for my Engineering (PE) exam? | Principles | and | Practice | of | | You must take the PE exam in the discipline in which you want to be licensed, but you can choose any depth module that you would like to take within that discipline. For example, if you wish to become licensed as a Mechanical Engineer, you may choose any one of the three Mechanical PE exams.
7) Do I need to submit an NCEES Record (formerly known as an NCEES Council Record) to the Board? | | | | | Submitting an NCEES Record is an option for those applicants already licensed in another jurisdiction and seeking comity licensure in California. The Board does not accept NCEES Records from applicants applying for initial licensure. Additional information is located on the NCEES website. Page 2 of 3 (Revised 7/2023) The Board does not handle Special or Religious Acc

FAQs

Are PE and PLS applicants required to pass a NCEES fundamentals exam?

Yes, unless they are approved for a waiver when applying for licensure. PE applicants must pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, and PLS applicants must pass the Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) exam.

What professional applicant types must take the NCEES principles and practice exam in California?

PLS applicants and specific PE applicants must take and pass the principles and practice NCEES exam, including Agricultural, Chemical, Civil, Control Systems, Electrical, Fire Protection, Industrial, Mechanical, Metallurgical, Nuclear, Petroleum, and Structural. The Architectural, Environmental, Mining, Naval Architectural, and Software exams are not administered in California and there are no plans to offer them.

Do I need to notify the Board before I take an NCEES exam, and is there a deadline to submit my licensure application?

Only PE and PLS applicants requesting an FE or FS waiver need to wait for Board approval before taking the exam. After passing, there is no timeframe or deadline for submitting an application for licensure to the Board.

Sep 18, 2026

Uploaded by Dozel