Effective July 1st, 2020, these are the categories and subcategories specified by the NCEES that this discipline covers. It includes an estimate of the number of questions you will see on the official exam for each category. We've covered the specification changes in this blog post. PrepFE provides hundreds of questions in proportional amounts to the official exam.
For the prior categories and topics that were discontinued at the end of June, 2020, please see the categories here.
Analytic geometry, logarithms, and trigonometry
Calculus (e.g., single-variable, integral, differential)
Differential equations (e.g., ordinary, partial, Laplace)
Numerical methods (e.g., error propagation, Taylor’s series, curve fitting, Newton-Raphson, Fourier series)
Algebra (e.g., fundamentals, matrix algebra, systems of equations)
Accuracy, precision, and significant figures
Probability distributions (e.g., discrete, continuous, normal, binomial)
Expected value (weighted average) in decision making
Hypothesis testing and design of experiments (e.g., t-test, outlier testing, analysis of the variance)
Measures of central tendencies and dispersions (e.g., mean, mode, standard deviation, confidence intervals)
Regression and curve fitting
Statistical control (e.g., control limits)
Basic dynamics (e.g., friction, force, mass, acceleration, momentum)
Work, energy, and power (as applied to particles or rigid bodies)
Electricity, current, and voltage laws (e.g., charge, energy, current, voltage, power, Kirchhoff's law, Ohm's law)
Chemical, electrical, mechanical, and physical properties (e.g., effect of temperature, pressure, stress, strain, failure)
Material types and compatibilities (e.g., engineered materials, ferrous and nonferrous metals)
Corrosion mechanisms and control
Polymers, ceramics, and composites
Inorganic chemistry (e.g., molarity, normality, molality, acids, bases, redox reactions, valence, solubility product, pH, pK, electrochemistry, periodic table)
Organic chemistry (e.g., nomenclature, structure, balanced equations, reactions, synthesis)
Analytical chemistry (e.g., wet chemistry and instrumental chemistry)
Biochemistry, microbiology, and molecular biology (e.g., organization and function of the cell; Krebs, glycolysis, Calvin cycles; enzymes and protein chemistry; genetics; protein synthesis, translation, transcription)
Bioprocessing (e.g., fermentation, biological treatment systems, aerobic, anaerobic process, nutrient removal)
Fluid properties
Dimensionless numbers (e.g., Reynolds number)
Mechanical energy balance (e.g., pipes, valves, fittings, pressure losses across packed beds, pipe networks)
Bernoulli equation (hydrostatic pressure, velocity head)
Laminar and turbulent flow
Flow measurement (e.g., orifices, Venturi meters)
Pumps, turbines, compressors, and vacuum systems
Compressible flow and non-Newtonian fluids
Thermodynamic properties of pure components and mixtures (e.g., specific volume, internal energy, enthalpy, entropy, free energy, ideal gas law)
Properties data and phase diagrams of pure components and mixtures (e.g., steam tables, psychrometric charts, T-s, P-h, x-y, T-x-y)
Thermodynamic laws (e.g., first law, second law)
Thermodynamic processes (e.g., isothermal, adiabatic, isentropic, phase changes)
Cyclic processes and efficiencies (e.g., power, refrigeration, heat pump)
Phase equilibrium (e.g., fugacity, activity coefficient, Raoult's law)
Chemical equilibrium
Heats of reaction and mixing
Steady-state mass balance
Unsteady-state mass balance
Steady-state energy balance
Unsteady-state energy balance
Recycle/bypass processes
Reactive systems (e.g., combustion)
Conductive heat transfer
Convective heat transfer (natural and forced)
Radiation heat transfer
Heat-transfer coefficients (e.g., overall, local, fouling)
Heat-transfer equipment, operation, and design (e.g., double pipe, shell and tube, fouling, number of transfer units, log-mean temperature difference, flow configuration)
Molecular diffusion (e.g., steady and unsteady state, physical property estimation)
Convective mass transfer (e.g., mass-transfer coefficient, eddy diffusion)
Separation systems (e.g., distillation, absorption, extraction, membrane processes, adsorption)
Equilibrium stage methods (e.g., graphical methods, McCabe-Thiele, efficiency)
Continuous contact methods (e.g., number of transfer units, height equivalent to a theoretical plate, height of transfer unit, number of theoretical plates)
Humidification, drying, and evaporation
Particle properties (e.g., surface and bulk forces, particle size distribution)
Processing (e.g., crushing, grinding, crystallization)
Transportation and storage (e.g., belts, pneumatic, slurries, tanks, hoppers)
Reaction rates and order
Rate constant (e.g., Arrhenius function)
Conversion, yield, and selectivity
Type of reactions (e.g., series, parallel, forward, reverse, homogeneous, heterogeneous, biological)
Reactor types (e.g., batch, semibatch, continuous stirred tank, plug flow, gas phase, liquid phase)
Catalysis (e.g., mechanisms, biocatalysis, physical properties)
Time value of money (e.g., present worth, annual worth, future worth, rate of return)
Economic analyses (e.g., break-even, benefit-cost, optimal economic life)
Uncertainty (e.g., expected value and risk)
Project selection (e.g., comparison of projects with unequal lives, lease/buy/make, depreciation, discounted cash flow)
Process flow diagrams and piping and instrumentation diagrams
Equipment selection (e.g., sizing and scale-up)
Equipment and facilities cost estimation (e.g., cost indices, equipment costing)
Process design and optimization (e.g., sustainability, efficiency, green engineering, inherently safer design, evaluation of specifications, product design)
Design standards (e.g., regulatory, ASTM, ISO, OSHA)
Dynamics (e.g., first- and second-order processes, gains and time constants, stability, damping, and transfer functions)
Control strategies (e.g., feedback, feedforward, cascade, ratio, PID controller tuning, alarms, other safety equipment)
Control loop design and hardware (e.g., matching measured and manipulated variables, sensors, control valves, conceptual process control, distributed control system [DCS] programming, programmable logic controller [PLC] programming, interlocks)
Hazardous properties of materials, including SDS (e.g., corrosivity, flammability, toxicity, reactivity, handling, storage, transportation)
Industrial hygiene (e.g., toxicity, noise, PPE, ergonomics)
Process safety, risk assessment, and hazard analysis (e.g., layer of protection analysis, hazard and operability [HAZOP] studies, fault and event tree analysis, dispersion modeling)
Overpressure and underpressure protection (e.g., relief, redundant control, inherently safe)
Waste minimization, waste treatment, and regulation (e.g., air, water, solids, RCRA, CWA, other EPA, OSHA)
Reactivity hazards (e.g., inerting, runaway reactions, compatibility)
Codes of ethics (professional and technical societies)
Agreements, contracts, and contract law (e.g., noncompete, nondisclosure, memorandum of understanding)
Public health, safety, and welfare (e.g., public protection issues, licensing, professional liability, regulatory issues)
Intellectual property (e.g., copyright, trade secrets, patents, trademarks)