Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) – Mechanical: Machine Design and Materials
Build your understanding of Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) – Mechanical: Machine Design and Materials with practice questions you can work through at your own pace.
Try a sample questionExam overview and details
The Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) - Mechanical: Machine Design and Materials exam is a licensure examination administered by NCEES for engineers seeking professional engineering licensure in the machine design and materials discipline. The exam contains 102 questions delivered in a computer-based format and tests your ability to apply engineering principles to the design, analysis, and evaluation of mechanical components, systems, and the materials used to build them. Content spans six knowledge areas: Basic Engineering Practice, Mechanical Attachments, Mechanical Components and Assemblies, Mechanics of Materials, Power Transmission, and Supportive Knowledge. Candidates are typically practicing engineers with at least four years of qualifying post-graduate work experience who have already passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. The exam emphasizes practical judgment as much as calculation, requiring you to select appropriate materials, size components for real loading conditions, evaluate failure modes, and apply codes and standards correctly. Passing demonstrates that you can independently take responsibility for engineering work affecting public health, safety, and welfare. In return, you gain the legal authority to seal and sign engineering drawings, a credential that expands career opportunities in consulting, manufacturing, product development, and forensic engineering, and the professional standing that comes with licensure.
Sample Questions
Choose an answer and explore the explanation to see how practice works.
In estimating cooling loads for a mixed-occupancy space, the adjusted heat gain is based on the normal percentage of men, women, and children. Which of the following correctly states the heat gain of an adult female relative to an adult male?
A facility manager is calculating the Energy Utilization Index (EUI) for a commercial building. Which of the following is a valid basis for determining the EUI?
A mechanical engineer is analyzing the phase change of water from solid ice to liquid water at a constant temperature of 32°F. What is the term for the difference in enthalpy between the saturated solid and saturated liquid states during this transition?
A ball bearing in a conveyor system experiences both a constant radial load and a constant axial load. To calculate the bearing life using the basic load rating equation, what is the correct approach?
A structural engineer is analyzing a column's cross-section and needs to determine the radius of gyration about the x-axis. Which of the following best defines the radius of gyration?
Exam insights and study advice
Machine design decisions have direct physical consequences. A miscalculated stress concentration, an undersized bearing, or a poorly specified material can lead to equipment failure, injury, or loss of life. This exam verifies that you can make those decisions responsibly and defend them under scrutiny. Licensure also carries legal weight: it authorizes you to stamp drawings, testify as an expert, and take professional responsibility for designs. For employers and clients, the PE designation is a recognized signal of competence and accountability. For your career, it often unlocks senior roles, independent consulting, and higher compensation.
What this exam covers
Use the published domain weights to plan your study. Practice results do not predict your certification exam score.
01Performance
Topics
- Environmental performance of meta ls (e.g., corrosion, hydrogen damage,
- Environmental performance, w eathering, and aging of nonmetals
- Mechanical performance (e.g., instan taneous and time-dependent response to static, dynamic, and cyclic loading)
- Thermal performance (e.g., heat transfer, microstructural stability, oxidation/sulfidation, interactions)
- Wear performance and tribology (e.g., erosion, fretting, abrasive, adhesive, galling, lubricant performance)
- Quality assurance (e.g., NDE, application of standards and specifications, inspection, statistical analysis)
- Failure analysis
- Fitness for service, life predicti on and modelling, and life extension
- Material selection (e.g., Ashby plots)
- Lifecycle analysis (e.g., recyclability, CO2 footprint, sustainability)
Learning objectives
- Environmental performance of meta ls (e.g., corrosion, hydrogen damage,
- Environmental performance, w eathering, and aging of nonmetals
- Mechanical performance (e.g., instan taneous and time-dependent response to static, dynamic, and cyclic loading)
- Thermal performance (e.g., heat transfer, microstructural stability, oxidation/sulfidation, interactions)
- Wear performance and tribology (e.g., erosion, fretting, abrasive, adhesive, galling, lubricant performance)
- Quality assurance (e.g., NDE, application of standards and specifications, inspection, statistical analysis)
- Failure analysis
- Fitness for service, life predicti on and modelling, and life extension
- Material selection (e.g., Ashby plots)
- Lifecycle analysis (e.g., recyclability, CO2 footprint, sustainability)
02Processing
Topics
- Deformation processing (e.g., rolling, fo rging, extruding, stamping, drawing)
- Casting and molding (e.g., sand, die, investment, injection, blow, slip)
- Coating applications (e.g., ther mal sprays, paints, vapor deposition, electroplating, galvanizing)
- Cold work, stress relief, and annealing
- Diffusion and thermal surface treatments
- Joining of metals/polymers (e.g ., brazing, soldering, and welding)
- Heat treatment and other strengthening mechanisms (e.g., quenching, tempering, precipitation hardening, solid solution)
- Powder processing of metals and ceramics (e.g., pressing, sintering)
- Additive manufacturing/3D printing (metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites)
- Polymer and composite material processi ng (e.g., injection molding, extrusion of molten polymers, blow molding, autoclaving, hot isostatic pressing)
Learning objectives
- Deformation processing (e.g., rolling, fo rging, extruding, stamping, drawing)
- Casting and molding (e.g., sand, die, investment, injection, blow, slip)
- Coating applications (e.g., ther mal sprays, paints, vapor deposition, electroplating, galvanizing)
- Cold work, stress relief, and annealing
- Diffusion and thermal surface treatments
- Joining of metals/polymers (e.g ., brazing, soldering, and welding)
- Heat treatment and other strengthening mechanisms (e.g., quenching, tempering, precipitation hardening, solid solution)
- Powder processing of metals and ceramics (e.g., pressing, sintering)
- Additive manufacturing/3D printing (metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites)
- Polymer and composite material processi ng (e.g., injection molding, extrusion of molten polymers, blow molding, autoclaving, hot isostatic pressing)
03Characterization and Properties
Topics
- Structural analysis techniques (e.g., XRD, EBSD, TEM, SEM)
- Chemical analysis techniques (e .g., OES, EDS, mass spectroscopy, wet chemistry)
- Polymer characterization techniques (e.g., chemical, thermal, time-dependent mechanical analyses)
- Corrosion testing
- Characterization of meta llic and nonmetallic coatings
- High-temperature behavior (e.g., thermal stability, creep, stress rupture)
- Low-temperature and cryogenic behavior (e.g., ductile-to-brittle transition, toughness)
- Mechanical property evaluation (e.g., tensile, impact, hardness, fatigue, fracture toughness, high temperature)
- Mechanical behavior of com posites and heterogeneous material
- Physical properties (e.g., density, th ermal conductivity, CTE, optical, magnetic, electrical, dielectric)
Learning objectives
- Structural analysis techniques (e.g., XRD, EBSD, TEM, SEM)
- Chemical analysis techniques (e .g., OES, EDS, mass spectroscopy, wet chemistry)
- Polymer characterization techniques (e.g., chemical, thermal, time-dependent mechanical analyses)
- Corrosion testing
- Characterization of meta llic and nonmetallic coatings
- High-temperature behavior (e.g., thermal stability, creep, stress rupture)
- Low-temperature and cryogenic behavior (e.g., ductile-to-brittle transition, toughness)
- Mechanical property evaluation (e.g., tensile, impact, hardness, fatigue, fracture toughness, high temperature)
- Mechanical behavior of com posites and heterogeneous material
- Physical properties (e.g., density, th ermal conductivity, CTE, optical, magnetic, electrical, dielectric)
04Structure
Topics
- Structures of metals, ceramics, and polymers (e.g., FCC/BCC, degree of cross-linking, imperfections or defects in solids)
- Diffusion and phase transformations
- Fractography
- Materials chemistry
- Microstructure/macrostructure
- Binary and ternary phase diagrams
- Non-equilibrium structures
Learning objectives
- Structures of metals, ceramics, and polymers (e.g., FCC/BCC, degree of cross-linking, imperfections or defects in solids)
- Diffusion and phase transformations
- Fractography
- Materials chemistry
- Microstructure/macrostructure
- Binary and ternary phase diagrams
- Non-equilibrium structures