Preparation Tips for the NAME PE Exam

The NCEES Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NAME) PE exam covers a wide swath of engineering disciplines. Preparation requires a targeted, resourceful approach, and there are some clear strategies that can help. With a systematic approach to studying, along with participating in our PE Review Course (PERC), you will have the resources needed to pass.

Based on input from past PERC attendees and test takers, and the latest test specification from October 2025, we have collected some tips on how to prepare for the test. But the best tip is - Take the SNAME PE Review Course! PERC offers lectures and materials developed by SNAME, and past examinees agree that it’s a good, comprehensive review of the topics covered in this test. 

Preparation and Study

Review the Exam Specification. The NCEES Exam Specification lists all the topics to be covered on the NAME PE Exam, along with the estimated number of questions apportioned to each topic. This will help you focus on which subjects to study, based on your education and experience. 

Whether your specialty is hydrostatics and stability or not, you’ll need to focus some study on this topic as it can have as many as 15 questions on the test. On the other hand, if ocean engineering isn’t your specialty, you might better use your time focusing your studies elsewhere, since it’s only 4-6 questions. It's always good to study as many topics as possible; but if you’re short on time, the specification will help you choose which subjects offer the most advantage for you.  

Stick to a Study Regimen. Review all the information distributed during PERC and use the course cadence to keep your preparation on track. Attend all sessions, even if you think you have the topic well in hand; students have found the discussions during the live sessions to be valuable. But if you’re not taking the course, use the exam specification as your study program. Break up the topics into weeks of study as you head toward the October exam, giving extra time to those topics you need to brush up on more.  

Your Technical Library. You can find a suggested professional library on the PERC webpage. The reference library has a list of the latest books, including links to digital publications, where available. While you cannot take any texts or references into the exam, these may offer some good material while studying for the test. They also form the basis for a solid technical library as you progress in your career. If you’d like to see a copy of a book before deciding to purchase, reach out and plan to stop by SNAME headquarters to look through them. Send an email to Education@SNAME.org, and we will make sure the books are readily available for you. 

Master the NCEES Reference Book. Be as familiar with the NCEES reference handbook as possible it is the only resource you can access during the test. Use it for every practice problem you do and for day-to-day engineering tasks at work if you can (verify the accuracy of the contents if applying it to real work). 

Game day (taking the exam) is not the time to figure out where information is in the book! 

• Some information may be unintentionally hidden or added in sections not necessarily intuitive to the topics.

• Information may be published in non-searchable formats (such as photocopies or screengrabs). This is particularly applicable for formulas and charts, so a quick ‘Alt-F’ search will often have zero results. 

• You’ll need to be explicit in your searches, using appropriate hyphens and apostrophes. For example, you need to search for ‘Hazen-Williams’, and not 'HazenWilliams' for the pipe flow equation. Learn the exact keyword triggers and the specific layout of sections, so you can navigate to any major equation or chart within seconds. 

Replicate the Exam Environment. The exam is computer based and held at test centers. The typical format is to have a split screen with the exam on one side and the NCEES Reference book on the other. Get used to this test configuration; practice solving problem sets at home with a split screen, placing practice problems on one half of the monitor and the reference book on the other, to mimic the exact testing center layout. For a good overview of the computer-based testing (CBT) used for the PE exam, review the NCEES videos found here. These videos cover topics like flagging items for review, types of questions, and calculator choices. 

*Contact NCEES for ADA accommodation requests, if required. 

Practice, Practice, Practice. Utilize any and all practice problems, exams, etc. you can get your hands on. While the NCEES-published practice exam is the most reflective resource of the actual exam, use the problems provided during PERC, both in the lectures and the SNAME Study Guide. The SNAME questions provide a deeper level of knowledge than you may typically find on the exam, which is a good thing!  

Diversify Academic References. Supplement your weak areas using classic foundational texts, such as Principles of Naval Architecture (PNA) or Zubaly's Applied Naval Architecture, and a standard marine engineering textbook to look up root concepts. 

Emphasize Marine Systems. Examinees often find the "morning" naval architecture section (buoyancy, weights, intact/damage stability) straightforward. The "afternoon" marine engineering section is notoriously tricky due to wording of questions and breadth of topics. Be sure to participate in those PERC live sessions with the instructors; they can give you tips on approaching these problems.  

Use the Official NCEES Practice Exam. Save the official NCEES practice test until 1 to 2 months before your exam date. Take it under strict, timed conditions to gauge your true preparedness. This gives you some extra time to brush up on topics you might need to study more. Also, try the practice exam provided with our PERC classes. It’s given as a reference for every student taking the course, and a new version is being updated in time for the next PERC. 

Taking the Examination

Which Calculator Can I use? To protect the integrity of its exams, NCEES limits the types of calculator examinees may bring to exam sites. The list of approved calculators is reviewed annually. The following calculator models are the only ones acceptable for use during the 2026 exam: 

• Casio: All fx-115 and fx-991 models (Any Casio calculator must have “fx-115” or “fx-991” in its model name.)
• Hewlett Packard: The HP 33s and HP 35s models, but no others