The PE Power exam: format, time, cost and codes
The NCEES PE Electrical and Computer: Power exam has 80 questions. It is a 9-hour appointment built around an 8-hour exam, the fee is $400, and it is computer-based and offered year-round at Pearson test centers. Since October 2025 it follows a specification of nine knowledge areas, each with a set range of questions.
Last checked October 17, 2026 against ncees.org. PhasorPrep is not affiliated with NCEES. NCEES and your state board have the final word, so confirm the details with them before you register.
Key facts
- Questions: 80, multiple choice plus alternative item types (AITs). You work all of them.
- Time: a 9-hour appointment: 2-minute nondisclosure agreement, 8-minute tutorial, 8-hour exam and a 50-minute scheduled break.
- Cost: $400 to NCEES. Some boards add their own application fee.
- When and where: year-round, computer-based, at NCEES-approved Pearson test centers. Register through MyNCEES.
- References: closed book with an electronic reference: the NCEES PE Power Reference Handbook and the codes below, as searchable PDFs. No personal copies.
- Units: both SI and US Customary.
- Results: pass or fail, typically 7–10 days after the exam. NCEES does not publish the passing score.
The nine knowledge areas
The October 2025 specification gives each area a range of questions out of the 80. Areas with a PhasorPrep study guide link to it.
| Knowledge area | Questions | Topics |
|---|---|---|
| Measurement and Instrumentation | 6–9 | Instrument transformers and metering, insulation testing, ground resistance testing |
| General Applications | 8–12 | Lightning and surge protection, lighting, energy management and demand, grounding |
| Electrical Safety | 10–15 | Wiring methods and installations, hazardous locations, special occupancies and systems, shock and burns |
| Circuit Analysis | 10–15 | Three-phase circuits, symmetrical components, per-unit system, phasor diagrams, single-phase and DC circuits |
| Power Electronic Circuits and Control Devices | 5–8 | Converters, inverter-based resources, variable frequency drives, relays, switches, Boolean and ladder logic |
| Rotating Machines | 5–8 | Machine types and applications, motor starting |
| Electric Power Devices | 8–12 | Transformers, capacitors, energy storage, alternative generation such as PV and wind, testing |
| Transmission and Distribution Analysis | 8–12 | Voltage drop, voltage regulation, power factor correction, power quality, fault current, transformer connections, power flow, stability |
| Protection | 10–15 | Overcurrent protection, protective relaying, protective devices, coordination |
Codes and standards supplied in the exam
Besides the Reference Handbook, NCEES supplies these editions. Answers that rely on a standard are scored against these editions only. Each standard opens one chapter at a time, and the handbook and standards stay available for the whole exam.
| Standard and edition | Title |
|---|---|
| NFPA 70-2020 | National Electrical Code (NEC) |
| NFPA 70E-2021 | Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace |
| NFPA 30B-2023 | Code for the Manufacture and Storage of Aerosol Products |
| NFPA 497-2021 | Recommended practice for classifying flammable liquids, gases or vapors and hazardous (classified) locations |
| NFPA 499-2021 | Recommended practice for classifying combustible dusts and hazardous (classified) locations |
| NESC (ANSI C2) 2017 | National Electrical Safety Code |
NCEES pass rates
NCEES reports that 62% of first-time takers and 42% of repeat takers passed the PE Electrical and Computer: Power exam in January–June 2026 (1,344 first-time and 721 repeat examinees; table updated July 2026).
Source: NCEES, PE Electrical and Computer exam page (PE Exam Pass Rates table). Last checked October 17, 2026. These are NCEES’s figures for everyone who sat the exam, not a forecast for you.
Scoring
Your number of correct answers becomes a scaled score, which NCEES compares with a minimum ability level set by subject-matter experts. Wrong answers cost nothing, so answer every question. NCEES does not publish the passing score (NCEES exam scoring).
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the PE Power exam?
How long is the PE Power exam?
How much does the PE Power exam cost?
What is the passing score for the PE Power exam?
How hard is the PE Power exam?
When can I take the PE Power exam?
What references can I use during the exam?
Does the exam use SI or US units?
Where to start
Find your weak areas first, then study them in proportion to their weight on the exam.