The Best Study Gear for FE and PE Exam Prep (2026 Guide)

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Preparing for the FE or PE exam is a serious time commitment — most people study for 200 to 400 hours over several months. The right gear will not make you smarter, but it will remove friction from your study sessions and help you stay comfortable and focused for the long haul. This guide covers everything from the calculator you will use on exam day to the desk setup that keeps your back from giving out at hour three.

We have organized this into five sections: the calculator you need for the exam, the reference books that matter most, a desk setup built for long study sessions, exam day essentials, and field gear for PE engineers who are studying while working full time.

NCEES-Approved Calculators: Your Most Important Purchase

This is the one piece of gear where you have zero flexibility. NCEES only allows two calculator models on the FE and PE exams: the Casio FX-115 series and the Texas Instruments TI-36X Pro. If you show up with anything else — even a more expensive scientific or graphing calculator — you will not be allowed to use it. The testing center does not provide a calculator.

Buy your approved calculator early and use it for every single practice problem. You want the key layout to be muscle memory by exam day, not something you are fumbling with under time pressure.

Casio FX-115 Plus — Best for Most Test-Takers

The Casio FX-115 Plus is the calculator we recommend to most people preparing for the FE or PE exam. It has a clean, intuitive interface with a natural textbook display that shows fractions, roots, and exponents exactly as you would write them on paper. The learning curve is minimal.

Why it works well for the exam:

• Natural textbook display — you can see and verify your entire expression before hitting equals
• Built-in equation solver, matrix operations, and complex number support
• Integration and differentiation functions for checking work
• Straightforward menu system that does not require memorizing keystroke sequences
• Solar powered with battery backup — it will not die on you mid-exam

Best for: Students, recent graduates, and anyone who wants a reliable calculator without a steep learning curve. If you do not already have a strong preference, start here.

Buy it: Casio FX-115 Plus on Amazon

Texas Instruments TI-36X Pro — Best for Experienced Engineers

The TI-36X Pro is the other NCEES-approved option, and it is the preferred choice for many working engineers. It has a MathPrint display similar to the Casio, but offers a few additional features that power users appreciate: a built-in numeric solver, polynomial root finder, and system-of-equations solver for up to three unknowns.

Why it works well for the exam:

• Numeric equation solver can save significant time on trial-and-error problems
• Polynomial and system-of-equations solvers built in
• Familiar TI interface if you used TI calculators in school
• Vector and matrix operations
• Statistical distributions and regression

Best for: Working engineers who are comfortable with TI products, and anyone who wants the numeric solver for PE-level problems. The TI-36X Pro has a slightly steeper learning curve, but its advanced solver functions can save real time on the exam.

Buy it: TI-36X Pro on Amazon

Pro tip: Buy two of whichever calculator you choose. Keep one at your desk and one in your bag. On exam day, bring both — if one malfunctions or the batteries die, you have a backup. At under $20 each, this is cheap insurance.

For a deeper dive on calculator features and exam-day tips, see our full FE Exam Calculator Guide.

Reference Books: The Study Materials That Actually Help

There are a lot of FE and PE prep books on the market. Not all of them are worth your money. Here are the ones that have proven most useful based on what we see working for people who pass.

NCEES FE Reference Handbook (Printed Copy)

This is the single most important study resource you can own. The NCEES FE Reference Handbook is the exact document you will have on-screen during the FE exam. Every formula, table, and chart the exam uses comes from this handbook. You can download the PDF for free from NCEES, but a printed copy is far more useful for study — you can tab the pages, mark the sections relevant to your discipline, and build the muscle memory of physically navigating the document.

During the exam, you cannot use Ctrl+F to search the on-screen PDF. You have to navigate by table of contents and scrolling. If you have practiced with a printed copy for weeks, you will know exactly where to find each formula. That kind of speed adds up across 110 questions.

Buy it: NCEES FE Reference Handbook on Amazon — also available as a free PDF from NCEES

Lindeburg FE Review Manual

The Lindeburg FE Review Manual has been the most widely used FE prep book for over two decades. It covers every topic on the exam specification with clear explanations, worked examples, and practice problems with detailed solutions. At 900+ pages, it is a thorough resource for anyone who needs to rebuild their understanding of core engineering topics.

Lindeburg also publishes discipline-specific editions for FE Civil, FE Mechanical, and FE Electrical and Computer. If you know your discipline, the targeted edition is usually more efficient than the general review manual.

Buy it: Lindeburg FE Review Manual on Amazon

NCEES Official Practice Exams

The NCEES Official Practice Exam is written by the same organization that writes the real exam. It is available for each FE discipline for about $30 from the NCEES website. This is the closest you can get to the actual exam experience, and it is the best diagnostic tool available. Take it under timed conditions 2 to 3 weeks before your exam as a final readiness check.

The limitation is that you only get one exam per purchase (110 questions), so once you have seen them, you cannot use it as a fresh diagnostic again.

Buy it: NCEES Practice Exams ($30 per discipline, from NCEES directly)

PPI Practice Problems Books

PPI Practice Problems books offer hundreds of additional practice problems organized by topic for each discipline. They are a useful supplement if you have finished the problems in your review manual and want more drilling before exam day. Each problem includes a detailed solution, which makes them good for self-study.

Buy it: PPI FE Practice Problems on Amazon

For a more detailed comparison of all these books, including who each one is best for, see our Best FE Exam Prep Books guide.

Desk Setup for Long Study Sessions

If you are studying for the FE or PE exam while working full time, you are probably logging 2 to 4 hours of study most evenings and longer sessions on weekends. That adds up to hundreds of hours at your desk. A bad setup leads to back pain, eye strain, and fatigue — all of which kill your ability to focus and retain information. These upgrades are worth the investment.

Ergonomic Desk Chair

A good chair is arguably more important than any study book. If your back hurts after 30 minutes, you are not going to push through a three-hour practice exam. Look for a chair with adjustable lumbar support, adjustable armrests, and a seat height that lets your feet sit flat on the floor with your thighs parallel to the ground.

You do not need to spend $1,000+ on a premium office chair. There are solid options in the $200 to $400 range that provide genuine lumbar support and will hold up through months of heavy use.

Browse options: Ergonomic desk chairs on Amazon

Desk Lamp with Good Lighting

Poor lighting causes eye strain faster than anything else. A dedicated desk lamp with adjustable brightness and color temperature makes a noticeable difference during evening study sessions. LED desk lamps with multiple brightness levels and a warm-to-cool color range let you dial in the right light for reading textbooks or working on a screen.

Position the lamp on the opposite side of your writing hand to minimize shadows when working calculator problems on paper.

Browse options: LED desk lamps on Amazon

Blue Light Glasses

If you study primarily on a computer or tablet, blue light filtering glasses can reduce eye fatigue during long sessions. This is especially relevant if you are doing practice problems on a screen after a full day of work that also involves screen time. They are inexpensive (most are under $25) and widely available.

Some people notice an immediate difference in eye comfort; others find the effect subtle. At the price point, they are worth trying.

Browse options: Blue light glasses on Amazon

Noise-Canceling Headphones

This is the gear upgrade that most study-focused engineers say made the biggest difference. A good pair of noise-canceling headphones blocks out household noise, coffee shop chatter, and office distractions so you can maintain deep focus. They are useful during study sessions and also during timed practice exams when you need to simulate the quiet concentration of a testing center.

Over-ear models generally provide better noise cancellation and are more comfortable for long sessions than earbuds. You can use them with music, white noise, or just silence — the noise cancellation alone is worth it.

Browse options: Noise-canceling headphones on Amazon

Exam Day Essentials

The Pearson VUE testing centers where FE and PE exams are administered have strict rules about what you can bring into the testing room. All personal belongings go into a locker. You cannot bring your phone, your bag, food, or drinks into the exam area. Here is what you should have with you.

Clear Bag or Pouch

Many test-takers find it helpful to use a clear bag or pouch to organize their allowed items: calculator, ID, car keys, and any permitted personal items. Clear bags make the check-in process faster because the proctor can see everything at a glance. Some testing centers require transparent storage for items you bring to the locker area.

Browse options: Clear exam pouches on Amazon

Comfortable Layers

Testing center temperatures are unpredictable. Some rooms run cold; others can be warm. Wear layers so you can adjust without distraction. A light zip-up jacket or cardigan over a comfortable shirt is the standard approach. Avoid anything bulky — testing centers sometimes ask you to remove heavy outerwear before entering the exam room.

Foam Earplugs

Most testing centers provide noise-reducing headsets, but they are bulky and not always comfortable for a 5+ hour exam. Foam earplugs are a lightweight alternative that many test-takers prefer. They block keyboard clicking from other test-takers and ambient room noise without the weight of over-ear headsets.

Important: Only simple foam earplugs are allowed — no electronic or custom-molded earplugs. Check with your testing center in advance if you are unsure about their policy.

Browse options: Foam earplugs on Amazon

For a complete exam day checklist covering what to bring, what to expect at the testing center, and how to manage your time during the exam, see our FE Exam Day Checklist.

Field Gear for PE Engineers Who Are Also Studying

If you are preparing for the PE exam, you are almost certainly working full time as a practicing engineer. Many PE candidates squeeze in study time during lunch breaks, before site visits, or while traveling between job sites. These items make it easier to study in non-ideal environments.

Engineering Field Notebook

A quality engineering field notebook is useful both for your day job and for jotting down formulas, problem-solving approaches, and topics you need to review. The best options have weather-resistant pages, grid or engineering paper, and a durable cover that survives being tossed in a work bag. Writing key formulas and concepts by hand also reinforces memory more effectively than just reading them.

Browse options: Engineering field notebooks on Amazon

Quality Mechanical Pencil Set

A good mechanical pencil makes working through practice problems more pleasant, especially when you are writing equations and drawing free-body diagrams for hours. Look for a set that includes 0.5mm and 0.7mm lead sizes — 0.5mm for detailed diagrams and calculations, 0.7mm for general note-taking. A quality drafting pencil with a comfortable grip reduces hand fatigue during long study sessions.

Browse options: Mechanical pencil sets on Amazon

Portable Whiteboard for Problem Practice

A portable whiteboard (or a small desktop whiteboard) is one of the most underrated study tools. It is perfect for working through multi-step problems where you need to see the full solution process, practice drawing diagrams, and drill formulas from memory. The act of writing and erasing forces you to reconstruct solutions from scratch rather than just recognizing correct answers — which is closer to what the exam demands.

Desktop-sized whiteboards (roughly 12 by 16 inches) fit easily on a desk or kitchen table and are inexpensive.

Browse options: Desktop whiteboards on Amazon

Quick Reference: Study Gear Checklist

Category	Item	Priority
Calculator	Casio FX-115 Plus or TI-36X Pro	Required
Reference	NCEES FE Reference Handbook (printed)	Essential
Reference	Lindeburg FE Review Manual	Recommended
Reference	NCEES Practice Exam	Essential
Desk	Ergonomic chair	Recommended
Desk	Noise-canceling headphones	Recommended
Exam Day	Foam earplugs	Nice to have
Exam Day	Clear bag/pouch	Nice to have
Field	Desktop whiteboard	Nice to have

Frequently Asked Questions