NCEES exam accommodations: how to request them

Request NCEES exam accommodations for the FE, PE, FS, or PS exam when you register in MyNCEES. Pearson, NCEES's test vendor, then reviews your documents. You can register before a decision, but you can't book a test-center seat until the decision comes back (NCEES).

Already registered without requesting? NCEES won't add a request to an existing registration. You'll need to cancel and register again — here's how, and what it costs.

Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team · Last verified October 5, 2026

How to request NCEES accommodations, step by step

Work down the list. Step 1 may end the process for you.

1. Check whether you need a formal request at all. Many medical items — an inhaler, eye drops, a brace, a body-attached insulin pump that makes no noise — are allowed without approval under Pearson's comfort-aid rules. If that covers everything you need, register normally. See items that don't need approval.

   Done when: you know whether you need the formal route.

2. Indicate your need for accommodations during MyNCEES registration. This is the only point where the request can start (NCEES).

   Done when: you've received NCEES's next-steps email about accommodations, not just a payment receipt.

3. Follow that email to Pearson's Reasonable Adjustments Request System. First-time users create a separate login there, then click "Start Your Request Here" (Pearson NCEES process).

   Done when: you can see your NCEES request in Pearson's system.

4. Get the right documentation for your request. For a disability-related request needing documentation, give your evaluator the Pearson guideline that matches your condition (see the documentation table) and the test-day conditions below. An unexpired NCEES approval for the same accommodations does not require new documentation; see testing again. For a nursing-related request, follow the separate nursing and lactation instructions.

   Done when: you have identified the records or arrangement details needed for your request.

5. Upload the required supporting documents on step 6 of the request and submit. You'll get a confirmation email. Pearson asks you to allow 10 business days for review (Pearson).

   Done when: you have the submission email.

6. Read the decision letter. When it's ready, you'll get an email. The letter sits in step 6 under "My Documents" (Pearson FAQs).

   Done when: you understand the decision and any approved conditions.

7. If approved, schedule using the letter's instructions. An approval isn't a booking. Follow the scheduling steps in your letter, and make sure your licensing board has also approved you to test (NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026, p. 4).

   Done when: you have Pearson's appointment confirmation email.

8. Check the appointment against the letter before test day. If the time, breaks, room, or equipment don't match what was approved, contact Pearson before exam day, not at check-in.

   Done when: you've checked the approved setup and raised anything unclear with Pearson.

This guide covers the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE), Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE), Fundamentals of Surveying (FS), and Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) exams, including PE Structural. NCEES is the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES exams).

Three separate things have to happen: your registration (NCEES), your accommodation decision (Pearson), and your eligibility approval (your state licensing board). An accommodation approval doesn't make you eligible to test, and board approval doesn't approve accommodations (Examinee Guide, p. 2).

Already registered or scheduled without requesting?

You need to cancel and register again with your accommodation need indicated. Rescheduling doesn't fix it (NCEES; Pearson). Under the standard cancellation rules below, the cancellation charge is $50. That is not a guarantee that your total cost of starting over will be $50: refund eligibility and separate fees still matter.

Source: NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026, pp. 4 and 7. The two $50 fees don't stack: if you pay Pearson's fee, NCEES waives its own.

A few conditions:

• Check your authorization period. The guide gives you 12 months after approval to take the exam. If you neither take the exam nor cancel the registration during that period, you forfeit the registration fee (Guide, p. 4).
• Inside 48 hours of your appointment? The guide only describes cancelling 48 or more hours ahead. Call Pearson (888-866-8766) right away rather than guessing or skipping the appointment.
• Testing through an international entity? The $25 international scheduling fee is nonrefundable, so expect to pay it again (Guide, p. 3).
• Board fees: Some boards charge their own application fee. Ask your board whether re-registering with NCEES affects your approval.
• Don't open a second MyNCEES account to start over. NCEES allows one account per person (Guide, p. 2).

For reference, the registration fee per attempt is $225 for the FE and FS, $375 for the PS, $400 for the PE, and $350 per PE Structural component (Guide, p. 3).

Items that don't need approval

Pearson's Comfort Aid List covers items you can bring without approval. Staff check them visually and won't touch you or the item. A comfort aid not on the list must be requested and approved before you schedule (Examinee Guide, p. 9).

If a medical device needs an alarm or a phone to work safely, ask about approval. Don't change medically necessary settings to fit the comfort-aid rules.

What breaks allow without approval

These rules come from the Examinee Guide, pp. 12 and 18:

• Unscheduled breaks: You can take one anytime by raising your hand. The exam clock keeps running, and you can't leave the building.
• What you can reach on an unscheduled break: only drinks, food, feminine hygiene products, comfort-aid items, and medication you must take at a specific time (with the test administrator's permission first).
• Scheduled break: You get one optional scheduled break after you submit about the first half of the exam. For PE Structural depth, the break follows the first three scenarios. Unused break time doesn't add to your exam time.

If a disability-related need makes the standard break rules unsuitable, explain the testing barrier in your request for additional break time or testing time. The decision letter determines the approved arrangement (NCEES).

What you can request

NCEES lists these kinds of accommodations: changes to the testing environment, extra testing time, extra break time, auxiliary aids or services, and other changes to standard administration (NCEES). Pearson's materials name extra time, a separate room, and breaks as common examples (Pearson accommodations).

Every request is decided case by case (Pearson NCEES process). There's no automatic extra-time amount for a given diagnosis. Pearson's evaluator guidelines say a diagnosis alone doesn't show a need for accommodations (ADHD guideline, p. 1). Your decision letter sets what you actually get.

Who qualifies? Under the U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, such as reading, concentrating, or thinking, or a major bodily function. "Substantially limits" doesn't mean you can't do the activity at all (U.S. Department of Justice). This page explains the process. It can't decide whether you qualify. Pearson reviews individual requests for NCEES.

What documentation Pearson wants

For disability-related requests that need supporting documentation, Pearson's evaluator guidelines ask for four things:

• a clear diagnosis
• your current functional limitations
• a specific recommended accommodation
• the reason that accommodation is needed

Pick the guideline that matches the basis of your request. The table summarizes Pearson's published guidance on how recent the documentation should be; it is not a separate eligibility test. The prior-approval exception and the rules on reasonable, limited documentation requests still apply (NCEES; 28 CFR 36.309(b)(1)(iv)–(v)).

The learning/cognitive guideline's appendix is not a prescribed shopping list of tests. The evaluator selects assessments for the individual and the referral question (Learning/cognitive guideline, p. 3).

Who can be your evaluator: a professional with graduate-level training in assessing adults for that kind of condition, and the right credentials. Family members can't serve as evaluators, even if they're qualified. The learning/cognitive, ADHD, and psychological/psychiatric guidelines also require a faculty supervisor's signature when a graduate trainee performed the evaluation.

Helpful extras, not required: individualized education programs (IEPs), school records showing special education services, transcripts, and other records of a history of difficulty. Upload them on step 6 (Pearson NCEES process). Records of accommodations you've had on other standardized tests or at work are worth including too (DOJ documentation guidance).

Check the identifying details: Pearson's guidelines ask for your name, date of birth, and assessment dates, plus the evaluator's name and credentials. Use the matching guideline to check the report before submitting it.

Cost of a new evaluation: Before booking, get a quote for the assessment and report, confirm that the evaluator meets the relevant Pearson guideline, and ask when the report will be ready. Before paying for new testing, check the guidance below on using existing accommodation records.

If you've had accommodations before

Past accommodations carry real weight. The federal ADA rule for licensing exams says documentation requests must be reasonable and limited to the accommodation requested. It also says testing organizations must give considerable weight to accommodations you've received in similar testing situations, and under an IEP or Section 504 plan (28 CFR 36.309(b)(1)(iv)–(v)).

The Justice Department's guidance explains that proof of the same accommodations in similar testing situations, together with certification of your current need, is generally enough to support the request. That guidance isn't legally binding (DOJ). Pearson still publishes its own recency guidelines.

Submit the accommodation history and current information you already have; do not assume every request requires a new evaluation. If your evaluation is older than the guideline suggests, ask Pearson what additional information it needs before assuming you need a full new evaluation.

If you've never had accommodations

You can still qualify. A first request does not need a history of school accommodations. DOJ guidance says that having no previous formal accommodations doesn't rule you out, and neither does a strong academic record (DOJ). Your evaluator's explanation of your current limitations carries the request.

NCEES test-day conditions to share with your evaluator

Evaluators write stronger recommendations when they know what the session actually looks like. Share or print this section.

Timing by exam

These are the standard appointment and exam times before accommodations, from the May 2026 guide. Your approved timing and break arrangements come from your decision letter.

Source: NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026, p. 16. Total appointment time includes a 2-minute nondisclosure agreement and an 8-minute tutorial.

What the session is like

These conditions come from the Examinee Guide, pp. 8–12:

• Timing: You get all your exam time at the start. There are no separately timed sections.
• Halfway submit: After about half the questions, you review and submit them. For PE Structural depth, this happens after the first three scenarios. You can't go back to them afterward.
• Re-entry: Every time you re-enter the room, including after an unscheduled break, you go through a palm-vein scan and a security wand check.
• Reference materials: The reference handbook, plus design standards for some exams, appears on screen as a searchable PDF on a 24-inch monitor. Ctrl+F doesn't work; you use a search box instead.
• Scratch work: You write on two reusable booklets with three markers. No paper or pencils.
• Calculator: one NCEES-approved calculator without its cover; an on-screen TI-30XS is also available.
• In the room: No food, drinks, or watches under the standard rules; items approved as accommodations are permitted. Audio and video recording may be running.
• Nearby noise: People taking other exams may be typing nearby. Staff can provide earplugs or headphones.
• Question types: multiple choice, multiple correct, point-and-click, drag-and-drop, and numeric fill-in-the-blank. PE Structural breadth exams are multiple choice only; depth exams use only the other types.

NCEES exams are given only at Pearson test centers. There's no at-home option (Guide, p. 5). If you need a different setting, describe it in your request.

How long review takes and when you can schedule

Pearson asks you to allow 10 business days after you submit (Pearson). That's a review allowance, not a guaranteed decision date. It also covers review only. After the decision you still need to book a seat, at least one business day before your test date (Guide, p. 5).

Leave time for any documentation questions and for arranging an available accommodated appointment. Pearson's NCEES instructions do not specify a holiday calendar or a guaranteed decision date.

While the request is pending, your exam stays on hold and you can't schedule (Guide, p. 3). Gather available records early, and allow time to obtain any additional documentation Pearson needs.

Some PE disciplines run only on set days. The current guide lists October 27–28, 2026 and April 13–14, 2027, depending on the discipline or PE Structural component—not as interchangeable choices for every exam (Guide, p. 16). Check the date for your exact exam. If you're aiming for one of those dates, request accommodations the moment you register; do not assume there is another sitting that month.

Nursing and lactation

If you need a private space to pump or extra break time, indicate it when you register, just like any other accommodation (NCEES). Tell Pearson whether you need pumping space, additional break time, or both, and follow its instructions for that request rather than treating the disability-evaluator table as a nursing checklist.

What to expect from Pearson (Pearson accommodations):

• At Pearson-owned centers in the Americas: The pumping space is either a breakroom with a door or a break area with a privacy screen. It has a chair, table, and electrical outlet, and is available first-come, first-served.
• Your test center may change: The request may mean testing at a different center than the one you'd prefer. At third-party centers and sites outside the Americas, Pearson says it makes reasonable efforts to find suitable space; the same setup is not guaranteed at every location.
• Breastfeeding: It has to happen outside the facility, because children aren't allowed in test centers. NCEES doesn't let you leave the building during unscheduled breaks, though you may leave during the scheduled break (Guide, p. 12). Raise your plan in the request.

Before test day, confirm the approved space and how your break time will be handled.

Approved before, or disagree with the decision?

Testing again

NCEES says previously approved accommodations are valid for two years in most cases. If yours hasn't expired and you want the same accommodations, you don't need new documentation. If it has expired, or you want something different, you need a new request (NCEES).

Two things to keep in mind:

• Indicate your accommodation need again at every registration. The rule against adding a request later still applies.
• Approval validity and documentation age are separate. A two-year approval doesn't reset your evaluation's date.

Pearson's system also has a "Request an Extension" option for expired approvals (Pearson FAQs). Because NCEES's own instructions call for a new request after expiration, ask Pearson which route applies to you. Ask the same thing if you're moving from one NCEES exam to another, such as the FE to the PE.

Appealing a decision

Pearson's appeal process (Pearson NCEES process):

1. On step 6 of your request, click Request an Appeal.
2. An appeal form appears under "My Forms." Complete it.
3. Upload the form under "My Documents," along with any new supporting documents (use "Upload Additional Documents").
4. Click Submit.

Pearson says disability experts review all appeals. Respond directly to the reason given in your decision letter. Include any additional evidence that addresses the stated reason for the decision.

Outdated NCEES accommodation pages you may find

The older NCEES help-center FAQ, last updated December 16, 2020, describes parts of an earlier process. Here's what to use now.

Privacy and who to contact

Privacy: NCEES says the medical and mental-health information you submit is confidential. NCEES and its vendors use it only to evaluate and provide accommodations (NCEES). The exceptions are narrow:

• a valid request from an administrative agency
• a subpoena or court order
• legal or administrative proceedings about your accommodation request

Researchers may access accommodation records, but not in a way that shows who you are.

Contacts, from the Examinee Guide, pp. 3 and 24:

• Pearson (start here): accommodationspearsonvue@pearson.com, or 888-866-8766, Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–9 p.m. Central; closed on local holidays
• NCEES, if concerns remain after contacting Pearson: accommodations@ncees.org
• NCEES general line: 800-250-3196, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Eastern; closed on local holidays

When you write, name your exam, where you are in the process (registered, submitted, decided, scheduled), and your question. Use Pearson's request system for supporting medical records; do not send them to Castleport. If something goes wrong on test day, tell the test administrator immediately (Guide, p. 10).

Quick answers

Is test anxiety enough for extra time? Anxiety does not establish an automatic extra-time allowance. Pearson's psychological guideline asks for a diagnosis, current functional limitations, and a reason for the recommended accommodation, with documentation from within one year or more recently when needed. Pearson reviews the individual request.

Is there a fee to request accommodations? Neither NCEES's fee list, p. 3 nor Pearson's NCEES accommodation page lists an accommodation-request fee. The ADA's public-accommodation rule prohibits surcharges for measures required to provide nondiscriminatory treatment (28 CFR 36.301(c)). Your evaluator's fees, normal exam fees, and any registration-change charges are separate issues.

What about the military exception? It's a different registration option, not a disability accommodation. It allows active-duty U.S. service members, or their spouses, stationed outside North America and the U.S. territories listed in the guide to request testing at an NCEES-approved center abroad (Guide, p. 4).

Does this cover the PLSS exam? The current Examinee Guide's format table doesn't list the PLSS exam. NCEES's Public Land Survey System exam page announces the first administration for fall 2027 and links to the same accommodation entry point. Confirm the registration instructions for that new exam rather than applying this page's FE/PE/FS/PS timing table to it.

Sources and independence

Official sources used on this page:

• NCEES — Reasonable Accommodations
• NCEES Examinee Guide (May 2026 PDF)
• Pearson — Accommodation process: NCEES
• Pearson — Request system FAQs
• Pearson — Test accommodations and nursing arrangements
• Pearson VUE Comfort Aid List
• Pearson evaluator guidelines: Learning and cognitive · ADHD · Psychological and psychiatric · Physical and chronic health
• 28 CFR 36.309 — Examinations and courses and 28 CFR 36.301(c) — Charges
• U.S. Department of Justice — ADA Requirements: Testing Accommodations
• NCEES Member Licensing Board Directory — for eligibility questions

Last verified October 5, 2026. We checked NCEES's accommodation page and May 2026 Examinee Guide, Pearson's NCEES request instructions, FAQs, evaluator guidelines, comfort-aid list, and nursing-mother guidance, the cited federal regulations, DOJ guidance, and NCEES's PLSS announcement. The checks cover the published procedures, not an individual application or live appointment availability.

This guide was developed with AI-assisted research and editing. Source checking is not professional legal or clinical review. See how Castleport uses sources and AI assistance.

Castleport Test Prep is an independent exam prep publisher, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by NCEES or Pearson. Exam and organization names are used for identification; trademarks belong to their respective owners. This guide explains published procedures. It doesn't decide accommodation eligibility or give legal or medical advice. Your state licensing board decides whether you're eligible to take the exam.