which civil PE test to take?
which civil PE test to take?
(OP)
I'm a design engineer working in the linear infrastructure public works side of the fence (no plant work). I typically design water, storm, and sanitary lines with minor experience in paving, drainage, and roadwork. I should be taking my PE exam for the first time in October.
Which test should I opt for during the afternoon half of the PE exam? I hear both transportation or hydraulics as good choices, but I'm really not an expert in either.
Which test should I opt for during the afternoon half of the PE exam? I hear both transportation or hydraulics as good choices, but I'm really not an expert in either.





RE: which civil PE test to take?
RE: which civil PE test to take?
So do I try to borrow a copy of the Green Book and have at the Transportation PE or do I go with Water Resources? I'm taking a hydrology class this fall which I do expect to be useful and it may tip me over the edge. At least I'll be able to say after taking the exam that I'm a well-rounded engineer!
RE: which civil PE test to take?
RE: which civil PE test to take?
RE: which civil PE test to take?
When the first person told me to study all 5 cuz ya never know, I didn't take her seriously. When the second person told me two days before my exam (as I was fretting over how hard a time I was having with my chosen discipline, structural) that I might look at the other disciplines, I looked at the sample tests. And lo and behold, EVERYONE else's discipline was significantly easier than the one I'd selected.
I would up taking geotech. I did well. I would not have done well had I not thought to look at the other disciplines.
Hg
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RE: which civil PE test to take?
HgTX - I was under the impression (other post somewhere) that you took the structural PM. But... since geotech and structural are joined at the hip, you keep the bragging rights, eh?
but seriously... watch out for engineering economics. It's all over the exam.
I would like to think that everyone else's discipline was easier than structural, but I can't say that. It is odd that I was the only one of the group who had building codes with him. I also thoguht it was odd that "structural? yuck!" was the group's general concensus.
RE: which civil PE test to take?
I did score about the same on both exams so now I wonder where do I go from here?
RE: which civil PE test to take?
I took the test along with a couple of other co-workers from our bridge design office, all of whom had been cautioned by various parties (including a structural PhD) against taking the structural test.
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376
RE: which civil PE test to take?
Firstly, it's not just the Canadians who "write" exams, it's everyone except the Americans.
Secondly, structural failures critically impact significantly more people than do transportation/water resources/environmental failures. (Geotech is generally lumped in with structures.) We use transportation systems and structures every single day. We spend the greater part of the day inside a structure, though, so the risk (not hazard) due to a structural failure is higher, even if the hazards are on a par. It makes sense, therefore, that professional structural engineers should be held to higher account.
It doesn't make sense, however, that passing the water resources PE qualifies you to be a structural engineer. This is probably why other countries' certification processes frequently require a mix of experience crossing all disciplines, both design and construction.
RE: which civil PE test to take?
"...It doesn't make sense, however, that passing the water resources PE qualifies you to be a structural engineer."
Varies state-by-state... I'm in New York and a PE is a PE; we don't have a separate CE, SE, EE whatever. But just because one passes the PE exam - whatever discipline - doesn't necessarily make you a smarter, better engineer. What it does say is that you have been judged at such a position in your career that you were allowed (key word) to take an exam, the prize for passing being those neat letters after your name.
What makes someone a smarter, better engineer is experience, preferably working for an old salt who's at least 40 years older than you and yells regularly - but doesn't fire you.
Be that as it may, GET YOUR PE. Magic doors open afterwards.
RE: which civil PE test to take?
And that is exactly why there are the Structural I and Structural II exams. States that want to hold SEs to higher standards should and do require those exams instead of or in addition to the general civil exam.
When my test results were reported, it didn't even say which afternoon test I took. What kind of higher standard is completely on the honor system?
Within the general CE exam, all disciplines should be at the same level. I don't necessarily mean the same difficulty level, but require the same level of background. Shouldn't have a couple of undergrad classes be enough for four of the five, and then a significantly deeper level of understanding for the fifth.
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376
RE: which civil PE test to take?