PE-S Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows

Why There Is No Single PE-S Pass Rate

Candidates searching for "the" pass rate for the Principles and Practice of Engineering - Structural exam, administered by NCEES and commonly called the SE exam, usually want one clean number. That number does not exist, and any source that gives you one is blending populations that NCEES deliberately reports apart.

The reason is structural. The exam is not one sitting. It is four separately scheduled computer-based sections delivered through Pearson VUE: Vertical breadth, Vertical depth, Lateral breadth, and Lateral depth. Each has its own question count, its own content scope, and its own population of examinees. Depth adds another split, because candidates choose either Buildings or Bridges and must use the same option in both components. NCEES therefore reports results by section and, for depth, by option.

This article walks through the pass-rate table NCEES updated in July 2026, explains what the patterns suggest about how the exam behaves, and connects those patterns to practical decisions about what to study and in what order. If you want the broader difficulty picture, our guide on how hard the PE-S exam is covers the qualitative side, and the canonical PE-S pass rate page tracks this topic over time.

The Six Published Rates, Side by Side

NCEES's July 2026 table reports first-time and repeat cohorts for each section or depth option. Here is the complete set:

Two things stand out immediately. First, no section has a first-time pass rate above 63%, and the two breadth sections sit in the mid-40s. Second, the repeat columns behave very differently from one another, which is where the most interesting interpretation lies.

Reading the Breadth Numbers

Breadth is the part of the exam that tests range. Each 2026 breadth section has 55 multiple-choice, single-response questions: 45 scored and 10 pretest, with 5 hours 30 minutes of actual testing inside a 6-hour appointment. Breadth covers both Buildings and Bridges, so you cannot specialize your way out of it.

The published first-time rates for the two breadth sections are close: 45% for Lateral and 44% for Vertical. These are also the two largest-volume first-time populations alongside Buildings depth, so they are statistically the most stable numbers in the table.

What a mid-40s first-time rate suggests

A rate in this range suggests that well over half of first-time breadth candidates are not clearing the equated minimum-competence standard on their first attempt. NCEES does not publish a universal passing score; it uses an equated standard so that difficulty differences between exam forms are accounted for. That means the rate reflects candidate readiness against a fixed competence bar, not a curve against other examinees. Our page on the PE-S passing score explains how that scoring approach works in practice.

The Vertical vs. Lateral repeat split

The repeat-taker behavior in breadth diverges sharply. Vertical breadth repeat takers pass at 45%, essentially matching first-timers at 44%. Lateral breadth repeat takers pass at just 26%, well below the 45% first-time rate. Both repeat cohorts are modest in size (64 and 54 examinees), so avoid over-reading the gap, but the direction is worth noting: a failed Lateral breadth attempt does not appear to convert into an easier second try the way many candidates assume.

Reading the Depth Numbers: Buildings vs. Bridges

Depth is where you commit to either Buildings or Bridges, and the 2026 format is distinctive. Each depth section has 60 questions, with 6 hours of actual testing in a 6-hour-30-minute appointment. The questions are organized as five 12-item alternative-item-type scenarios. Four scenarios contain 10 scored and 2 pretest items each; one contains 12 pretest items. That works out to 40 scored and 20 pretest questions per depth section. Alternative item types receive no partial credit.

The table shows depth first-time rates of 63% for both Lateral options, 54% for Vertical Buildings, and 37% for Vertical Bridges. Vertical Bridges at 37% is the lowest first-time rate anywhere in the table.

The Vertical Bridges outlier

Vertical depth for Bridges draws only 46 first-time examinees, so the 37% figure rests on a relatively small base. Still, the gap relative to Lateral Bridges (63% on 32 first-timers) is large enough to be worth considering. The Vertical Bridges scenario topics are concrete superstructure, other elements of bridges (culverts, abutments, retaining walls), and steel superstructure. Lateral Bridges instead centers on piers or abutments, foundations, and general analysis of seismic forces. One plausible reading is that Vertical Bridges asks for broad superstructure design fluency under a no-partial-credit format, while Lateral Bridges is a narrower, more tightly bounded topic set. That is an interpretation, not something the pass-rate table itself establishes.

Buildings depth: large cohorts, strong repeat performance

Buildings is where most candidates are. Lateral Buildings has 131 first-time and 161 repeat examinees; Vertical Buildings has 188 and 152. Both show repeat rates above first-time rates (73% vs. 63% for Lateral, 68% vs. 54% for Vertical). With cohorts this size, the repeat advantage is probably real: candidates who fail depth once and return tend to pass at higher rates, which is consistent with having seen the format and targeted weak scenario topics.

For the full breakdown of how the 54 headings map across breadth and depth, see our complete guide to all 54 PE-S content areas.

First-Time vs. Repeat Candidates: What the Gap Tells You

The relationship between first-time and repeat rates varies enough across sections that it deserves its own comparison.

The pattern is not uniform, so the common assumption that "repeat takers always do better because they know the exam" does not hold across this table. Three practical readings follow:

1. Depth repeat takers tend to improve. In both Buildings options and in Vertical Bridges, repeat rates exceed first-time rates. A failed depth attempt exposes the alternative-item-type format and the scenario structure, and that exposure appears to pay off.
2. Breadth repeat performance is not reliably better. Vertical breadth is flat; Lateral breadth is markedly lower. Retaking breadth without changing how you prepare appears to carry real risk.
3. Repeat cohorts are self-selected. Repeat examinees are people who failed before and chose to return. They are not a random sample, and their composition differs from first-timers in ways the table does not reveal.

Sample Sizes and Why Small Cohorts Mislead

Several cells in the table rest on small examinee counts: Lateral Bridges depth has 32 first-time and 14 repeat examinees; Vertical Bridges depth has 46 and 16. A pass rate calculated on 14 people can swing several percentage points on a single examinee. That does not make the numbers meaningless, but it does mean you should avoid precision claims such as "Lateral Bridges repeat takers are X points less likely to pass."

The sturdier signals come from larger cohorts: both breadth first-time populations (167 and 209), Lateral Buildings depth (131 and 161), and Vertical Buildings depth (188 and 152). If you are choosing a depth option, the Buildings numbers give a more reliable picture of how that option behaves. If you are considering Bridges, treat the published rates as directional and weigh them against your own background and the topic lists above.

One more caution: the table reports separate section and option populations. It does not tell you what fraction of candidates who start the exam eventually complete all four sections. Because an acceptable completed-component result does not expire, candidates can spread sections over time, and the table cannot be turned into a start-to-finish completion rate.

How Format and Scoring Shape Outcomes

Pass rates are partly a function of how the exam asks questions. Three format features matter for PE-S in particular.

Pretest items dilute your effective question pool

Each breadth section includes 10 pretest questions among its 55, and each depth section includes 20 pretest among 60. You cannot identify which items are unscored, so you must treat every question as live. Across a full attempt at all four sections, that is 230 questions, 170 scored and 60 pretest, over 23 hours of actual testing in four separate sittings. Total appointment time is 25 hours once you add the nondisclosure agreement, tutorial, and scheduled break to each session.

No partial credit on alternative item types

Depth scenarios use alternative item types with no partial credit. In a design-heavy scenario, a single upstream error can propagate through connected items. This is a plausible contributor to the lower first-time depth results in some options, though the table does not isolate causes.

Closed book, with specific supplied references

You work from the supplied electronic NCEES PE Structural Engineering Reference Handbook and specified electronic design standards, presented by chapter and searchable. No personal references are allowed, and calculations use USCS units with approved calculators. Candidates who rely on hand-tabbed personal binders in practice and have not drilled the electronic search workflow often lose time that should go to analysis.

What the Data Implies for Your Domain Priorities

Pass rates by section cannot tell you which topic to study, but combined with the published scope they can sharpen your priorities.

Breadth: protect your Design and Details score

In both breadth outlines, Design and Details of Structures carries the larger question range (30-48 in Vertical; 28-46 in Lateral). Within breadth, that heading spans the material and system areas: structural steel, cold-formed steel, concrete, wood, masonry, and foundations and retaining structures, plus general structural considerations and structural systems integration. If you are strong in one material and thin in another, breadth is where thin spots get exposed, because it covers Buildings and Bridges without letting you opt out.

Depth: choose the option you can defend

Your Buildings-or-Bridges choice must be the same in both components. The pass-rate data cannot tell you which is easier for you, but it can inform risk. If your daily work is building design, Buildings depth has the largest, most stable cohorts and strong repeat outcomes. If you work in bridge design, Bridges is a legitimate choice, but the smaller cohorts mean less certainty, and Vertical Bridges in particular posted the lowest first-time rate in the table. Match the choice to the scenario topics you can already work fluently, not to a pass-rate headline.

Our PE-S study guide goes deeper on building a review plan around these topic areas.

Sequencing the Four Sections Using the Data

Breadth is offered year-round, while depth is administered twice a year. The next Lateral depth administration is October 27, 2026, and Vertical depth follows on October 28, 2026. That asymmetry gives you scheduling flexibility on breadth and fixed windows on depth. For the full calendar mechanics, see PE-S exam dates.

This is the one place where a study template is useful, and only because it is tied to the exam's actual structure:

Because a completed component's acceptable result does not expire, many candidates take breadth and depth for one component close together, then repeat the pattern for the other. Whether you pair Vertical or Lateral first is a personal call; the pass-rate table shows similar first-time breadth rates, so there is no strong data-driven reason to prefer one.

If you want timed practice that mirrors these constraints, you can start with our PE-S practice tests.

What the Pass-Rate Table Cannot Tell You

Responsible use of this data means knowing its limits.

• It is not an overall rate. The six rows are separate populations. Averaging them would produce a number that corresponds to no real group of candidates.
• It does not forecast your result. Population rates describe who sat, not whether you will pass. Your preparation, experience, and time on task dominate.
• It does not reveal the passing score. NCEES uses an equated minimum-competence standard and does not publish a universal cut score.
• It is not October 2026 data. The July 2026 table predates the October administrations.
• It does not apply to the 2027 depth format. Starting April 2027, each depth section changes to 48 questions (40 scored, 8 pretest) with 6 hours of actual testing, using multiple-choice plus alternative item types. The published rates reflect the current 60-question format, so do not assume they carry over unchanged.

Passing the four sections is also only one step toward licensure. Board eligibility, acceptance of the exam, and license issuance are separate decisions made by your licensing board. See PE-S requirements for how eligibility fits in, and PE-S certification cost for the fee side. At USD 350 per section, one attempt at all four comes to a calculated USD 1,400, excluding board charges, preparation costs, and retakes, which is a financial reason to prepare thoroughly the first time.

Frequently Asked Questions

For related planning, see whether the PE-S certification is worth it and the PE-S salary guide to weigh the effort against the career payoff.