What Is A PE-M:MD&M?

What This Exam Actually Is

The PE-M:MD&M is the Principles and Practice of Engineering examination in Mechanical engineering, specialized in Machine Design and Materials. It is a licensure examination, not a vendor certificate or a membership credential. Passing it is one of the steps toward becoming a licensed Professional Engineer in the mechanical discipline, with the design-and-materials emphasis that separates it from the other mechanical PE exams.

The official NCEES label is "PE Mechanical: Machine Design and Materials." If you have seen the acronym elsewhere attached to other credentials, set that aside: everything in this article concerns only the NCEES licensure exam. For the shortest possible definitions of the term, see our companion pages on what PE-M:MD&M stands for and its meaning.

The exam is aimed at engineers who design, analyze and specify mechanical components: shafts, gears, fasteners, bearings, springs, welded and bolted joints, and the materials they are made from. If your daily work involves deciding whether a part will survive its loads, this is the exam built around that judgment.

Who Runs It and How You Sit for It

The exam is issued and administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). Testing is delivered by Pearson VUE at approved Pearson test centers, in person. Computer-based testing is available year-round, so you are not locked into a single annual sitting; the practical constraints are your board's approval timing and test-center availability. Details on windows and scheduling are in our guide to PE-M:MD&M exam dates.

The exam is assembled using linear-on-the-fly testing (LOFT). In practice that means the form you receive is built for you from the item pool rather than being one fixed printed booklet, so you should not expect to compare notes with a colleague on identical question order.

Format, Item Types and Testing Conditions

The exam contains 80 questions, and that count includes unidentified unscored pretest items. You cannot tell which questions are being tried out, so treat every item as if it counts.

Testing time is 8 hours. The appointment runs 9 hours because it also includes a 2-minute nondisclosure agreement, an 8-minute tutorial and a 50-minute scheduled break. The exam is delivered in two sections that share one testing clock, and once a section is submitted it cannot be reopened. That second rule matters: finish your review of section one before you submit it.

Item types you will see

• Traditional multiple-choice
• Multiple-correct items, where more than one option must be selected
• Point-and-click items, where you select a location on a figure
• Drag-and-drop items
• Numerical fill-in items, where you type a calculated value

Scored items receive correct/incorrect credit only. There is no partial credit on multiple-correct items, and there is no deduction for wrong answers, so never leave an item blank.

Because you work from a searchable electronic handbook rather than your own annotated binder, practice with the handbook interface early. Knowing how to find a stress concentration factor or a fastener property in seconds is a genuine competitive advantage on a long exam. We cover the broader preparation approach in the PE-M:MD&M study guide.

The Six Official Exam Objectives

The current specification, effective beginning with the October 2025 examinations, organizes content into six numbered objectives. These are official exam headings, not a study curriculum, and the illustrative subtopics beneath them are not exhaustive. For a deeper walk-through, read the complete guide to all 6 content areas.

Where the Question Count Concentrates

NCEES publishes question-count ranges for each domain rather than fixed percentage weights, and the specification does not convert those ranges into percentages. Treat the ranges as the authoritative guide to emphasis.

One caution on sources: some public prep pages still summarize the exam as an older eight-topic list, or cite the superseded 2020 outline. Always check your study material against the currently linked October 2025 CBT32 specification.

Concrete Topics You Must Be Able to Work

Listing the domains is easy; knowing what a problem will actually ask is harder. The following are representative of the kind of work these objectives imply, not an exhaustive or official topic list.

Within Mechanics of Materials

• Combined loading on shafts and members: axial, bending, torsion and transverse shear together
• Principal stresses and Mohr's circle, including how to read results off a stress element
• Static failure theories for ductile and brittle materials
• Fatigue life estimation using endurance limit modifiers, mean and alternating stresses and a Goodman-type criterion
• Stress concentrations at shoulders, holes and grooves
• Beam deflection and column buckling

Within the design-focused domains

• Bolted joint analysis: preload, joint stiffness, load sharing and separation, plus fatigue of the fastener
• Welded joint strength under combined loading
• Shaft design with keys, shoulders, bearings and critical speed considerations
• Gear force analysis and tooth bending and contact stress at the level of a design check
• Rolling-element bearing selection and life, and lubrication fundamentals
• Spring design: compression, extension and torsion springs, including fatigue and buckling checks
• Clutch, brake and coupling sizing from torque and energy requirements

Materials judgment

• Choosing among steels, aluminum, titanium and polymers based on strength, stiffness, weight, corrosion and cost
• Heat treatment effects on strength and toughness
• Reading a stress-strain curve and recognizing yield, ultimate strength and ductility

Eligibility and the Licensure Pathway

Eligibility and any required approval to sit for the exam are controlled by the licensing board you select, so requirements vary by jurisdiction. A common pathway runs through an EAC/ABET-accredited engineering bachelor's degree, the FE exam, four years of acceptable engineering experience and then the PE exam. That sequence is typical but is not a universal prerequisite for sitting the exam, so confirm with your board before building your plan. Our requirements guide goes deeper.

NCEES Record applications for engineering use five U.S.-licensed engineer references. This too is not a universal exam-sitting prerequisite; your board's application rules control what you must submit.

Because this is a licensure examination rather than a separately renewable NCEES certification, there is no exam "renewal." After licensure, the issuing state or territorial board sets PE license renewal periods and continuing-professional-competency requirements.

Fees, Pass Rates and Scoring

The NCEES exam fee is US$400 per attempt. Separate board application fees can apply on top of that, and the amounts vary by jurisdiction. For a full budgeting view, see the certification cost breakdown.

On results, NCEES reports first-time examinees at a 61% pass rate (401 examinees) and repeat examinees at 39% (140 examinees), from an NCEES table updated July 2026 covering the January-June 2026 testing population. These are small samples from a short window, so read them as a snapshot rather than a permanent benchmark. The pass rate analysis and the difficulty guide put the numbers in context.

NCEES does not publish a numerical passing score. Your result is a scaled score judged against the minimum-competence standard and reported as pass or fail. If you want to understand that more fully, read about the passing score.

Where This Credential Shows Up in Careers

The PE license itself is what employers and clients recognize, and the machine design and materials focus aligns with roles where component integrity is the product: machinery and equipment manufacturers, industrial and power-generation equipment, automotive and transportation suppliers, aerospace and defense contractors, and consulting firms doing failure analysis or design review. Licensure becomes especially valuable where an engineer must sign and seal drawings or serve as an expert in forensic or review work. More on roles is in our page about PE-M:MD&M jobs.

On pay, the BLS reports a median annual wage of $104,110 for mechanical engineers as of May 2025. That figure describes the whole occupation. It is not specific to this exam track and is not a measured licensure premium, so avoid reading it as what a PE adds. For a broader look, see the salary guide and the ROI analysis.

Sequencing Your Preparation by Domain

Generic study routines matter less than ordering the material sensibly. Because the exam is closed-book with a searchable handbook, a sensible plan builds from analysis outward and reserves time for handbook fluency and timed practice. This is one possible order, not an official template.

Adjust the length to your background and work schedule. If you are weak in one area, spend extra weeks there rather than spreading time evenly. When you are ready to drill, you can try a practice test to find out which domains need the most work, and keep the cheat sheet handy for quick fact review.

Frequently Asked Questions