FE
SCE FE General Part Syllabus: 14 Topics and 90 Questions
The 14 topics of the SCE FE general part with questions per topic, what each tests and how to prepare, including the 22 general-skills questions.
- Questions and time
- 90 questions · 180 minutes
- Pass mark
- You must pass both the general part and your discipline part
- Exam fee
- SAR 400 for the general part and SAR 400 for the discipline part
Start with 10 free questions to find what needs more work. No sign-up, with answer explanations.
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Start with 10 free questions to find what needs more work. No sign-up, with answer explanations.
Try 10 free questions and see your levelLast checked: 1 November 2026. Check the General Engineering Standards, the General Engineering Exam Study Guide and the SCE frequently asked questions before you start.
The general part tests the engineering knowledge shared by every discipline: 14 topics, 90 questions, all in English. The 22 general-skills questions, a quarter of the paper, are scenario, data and decision questions rather than formula drills. The topics and question counts below come from the table of specifications in the study guide; the indicators come from the standards document. Both are the 2014 edition.
Exam format at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Questions | 90 in the general part; the discipline part is a separate session with 50 |
| Time | 3 hours (180 minutes), about 2 minutes per question |
| Question type | Multiple choice with four options, and no penalty for wrong answers according to the study guide |
| Language | English |
| Calculator | Approved models are allowed. Formula sheets and data from codes are handed out in the hall; books and notes are not allowed |
| Result | You must pass both the general part and your discipline part |
The 14 topics, what is asked and how to prepare
| Topic | Questions | Weight | What is tested | How to prepare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 9 | 10% | Derivatives and extrema, integrals and area, first-order and second-order differential equations, lines, planes and circles, matrices and determinants, dot and cross products, and hand iterations of bisection, Newton, Euler, Runge-Kutta and golden section. | Ten indicators for 9 questions, so skipping one is a risk. Solve each type by hand with your calculator until a numerical-method step takes a few minutes. |
| Probability and Statistics | 4 | 4% | Mean, mode and standard deviation, conditional probability, binomial and normal distributions, confidence intervals, one-sample hypothesis tests, expected value in decisions, and linear regression. | Start with the short calculations: standard deviation, conditional probability, binomial and normal table look-ups. Then learn when to reject the null hypothesis. |
| Computer Literacy | 6 | 7% | Hardware and internet terms, converting between binary, octal and hexadecimal, spreadsheet cell references and functions, logic-gate truth tables, and reading a flowchart or pseudocode to find its output. | Number conversions and tracing a loop by hand can be practised until they are fast. Learn the terms in English, since the exam is in English. |
| Statics and Dynamics | 6 | 7% | Equilibrium of particles and rigid bodies, friction, linear and angular kinematics, Newton's second law, impulse and momentum, and work and energy. | Draw a free-body diagram for every problem and write the units at each step. Practise choosing between Newton's law, momentum and energy for the same situation. |
| Chemistry | 6 | 7% | Chemical names and formulas, metals and nonmetals in the periodic table, balancing equations, molarity and dilution, equilibrium and Le Chatelier's principle, atomic structure and bonds, and pH and acid dissociation constants. | Split your time: names, bonds and the periodic table are memory work; molarity, equilibrium and pH are calculations to practise. |
| Thermodynamics | 3 | 3% | Ideal gas law, steam tables, gas mixtures, heat and work in processes, first and second laws, efficiency of power and refrigeration cycles, and entropy and enthalpy. | Seven indicators for 3 questions. Cover the ideal gas law, the first law and cycle efficiency first, and practise reading a steam table instead of memorising values. |
| Fluid Mechanics | 3 | 3% | Measurement devices, pressure and depth (P = ρgh), continuity, Bernoulli and Manning equations, pipe friction and Reynolds number, and dimensional analysis. | Bernoulli with continuity and pressure-depth problems come first. Then learn which dimensionless number belongs to which situation. |
| Materials Science and Engineering | 6 | 7% | Material properties and selection, testing methods, crystal structures and atomic packing factor, corrosion, elastic and plastic deformation, normal, shear, bending and torsion stresses, sizing a member from allowable stress, and torsion of circular shafts. | Separate concept questions (properties, testing, corrosion, elastic versus plastic) from calculations (packing factor, stresses, sizing, torsion), and practise the calculations with units. |
| Electricity and Magnetism | 3 | 3% | Basic electrical quantities, Coulomb's law, Ohm's and Kirchhoff's laws, series and parallel equivalents, complex-number algebra, and AC quantities and circuit basics. | Master series and parallel circuits and Kirchhoff's laws first. Complex-number arithmetic then carries over to AC circuits. |
| Engineering Drawing | 4 | 4% | Line types, dimensioning and scales, computer drafting concepts (layers, commands, coordinate input), and reading orthographic, section and isometric views. | Reading views is a skill, so do many matching exercises between views and isometric drawings. Learn the drafting terms in English. |
| Engineering Economics | 6 | 7% | Financial statements, incremental, average and sunk costs, cash-flow diagrams, present, annual and future worth, and comparing alternatives by PW, AW, IRR, payback and benefit-cost ratio. | Learn the interest factors and draw the cash-flow diagram before you calculate. Compare alternatives on a common basis, such as present worth. |
| Project Management | 6 | 7% | Project organisation, contracts and life cycle, work breakdown structure, critical path method with slack, and cost and schedule monitoring. | Practise the forward and backward pass and float on small networks. Learn the earned value formulas and what a negative variance means. |
| Ethics and Professionalism | 6 | 7% | Codes of ethics, conflict of interest and whistle-blowing, decisions that weigh standards, safety and ethical impact, and intellectual property, agreements and contracts. | Most questions are scenarios. Learn the definitions (conflict of interest, patent, copyright, confidentiality agreement), then practise reading each option against the scenario. |
| General Skills | 22 | 24% | Twelve indicators: logic and arguments, communication, teamwork, goals, conflict resolution, time and resources, environmental and social impact, the decision process, engineering concepts outside your discipline, measurement uncertainty, data interpretation, and choosing the best design by evaluation criteria. | The biggest block. Do a few questions every day, not only in one week; see the section below. |
General skills: 22 questions
General skills carries 24% of the paper, more than mathematics and probability and statistics together (13 questions). Few candidates prepare for it, so it is the cheapest place to gain marks. Practise three kinds of question: reading a table or graph and drawing a conclusion, comparing designs against weighted criteria (a decision matrix), and scenario questions on teamwork, conflict and time. For measurement uncertainty, review significant figures and how errors add up in a calculation.
Use your time by weight
Topics worth 6 questions or more (computer literacy, statics and dynamics, chemistry, materials, economics, project management, ethics) deserve more time than the 3-question topics (thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, electricity and magnetism). Start with the 10 free questions to see where you stand, then follow the 6-week study plan.
Finished reading? Try a set of questions
Start with 10 free questions to find your weakest units. Keep practising with the full question bank and mock exams from SAR 26.