Exam-day policies
Admission to the exam
To be admitted to the exam, you must bring two items:
- Your exam authorization notice. In most cases, this will be available for download via your My NCEES account 2–3 weeks prior to the exam date. A few states will mail authorization notices to your physical address. Check your state’s registration page for details.
- A current, signed, government-issued photo identification. This is typically a driver’s license or passport. The first and last name on the photo ID must match the name on the exam authorization notice. Please note that a student ID card is not acceptable for admittance.
Exam-day schedule
The report time for the exam will be printed on your exam authorization notice. (Check your state's registration page for details on how you will receive this notice). Normally, you will be given a 1-hour break between morning and afternoon sessions.
Be sure to arrive at the exam site on time for both the morning and afternoon sessions. Late-arriving examinees will not be allowed into the exam room once the proctor has begun to read the exam script.
What can I bring to the exam?
Calculators: To help protect exam content, NCEES only allows candidates to use approved calculator models. Candidates who are found using unapproved calculators after the exam has begun will be dismissed from the exam site.
View the NCEES calculator policy.
Writing materials: Do not bring your own pencils or scratch paper to the exam. NCEES will provide pencils, and your exam booklets can be used for scratch paper.
Reference materials: The PE, PS, and SE exams are open-book. Candidates may bring printed reference materials as long as they are bound and remain bound during the exam. Loose paper may be bound with ring binders, brads, plastic snap binders, spiral-bound notebooks, and screw posts, but not with staples. Sticky notes and flags are permitted only when they remain attached to book pages.
The FE and FS exams are closed-book. FE exam candidates will receive a copy of the FE Supplied-Reference Handbook on exam day. FS exam candidates will be supplied with surveying reference formulas.
Candidate Agreement: The NCEES Candidate Agreement (PDF) describes references and other personal materials allowed in the exam room. It also describes other exam policies designed to protect exam content. This document will be printed in your exam book. When you register to take an NCEES exam, you will be asked to affirm that you will abide by the policies and procedures this agreement describes.