# Water Resources or Geotech? Which to Take



## Soil_EngineerVA (Mar 17, 2010)

I'm taking the PE in April and I'm undecided as to which discipline to take, water resources or geotech. I'm OK at both, but not great at either. I work in the geotechnical field and I'm not sure how many answers might be answered inherently. Any advice?


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## RJs (Mar 17, 2010)

Soil_EngineerVA said:


> I'm taking the PE in April and I'm undecided as to which discipline to take, water resources or geotech. I'm OK at both, but not great at either. I work in the geotechnical field and I'm not sure how many answers might be answered inherently. Any advice?


If you work in Geotech, then you may feel comfortable in Geotech.


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## sac_engineer (Mar 18, 2010)

RJs said:


> Soil_EngineerVA said:
> 
> 
> > I'm taking the PE in April and I'm undecided as to which discipline to take, water resources or geotech. I'm OK at both, but not great at either. I work in the geotechnical field and I'm not sure how many answers might be answered inherently. Any advice?
> ...


Since the exam is only 4 weeks away, I suggest picking a depth today and stick to it. It's not really about being an expert in a particular civil engineering discipline, it's how you're prepared in answering the questions with a very limited time. Studying through problems is the best method in addition to having a working knowledge of the theory. Attaining a certain comfort level is also key when choosing a depth topic. Look at the test plans provided by NCEES for water and geotech and figure out which one will require the less amount of time to learn and study.

Good luck!


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## jamie (Mar 22, 2010)

advice i've received is that's it's good to have two depth areas in mind that you might take, try and be prepared for both. then during the exam, if you're in a state where you're able to, look over each section quickly and see which one you think has easier problems (or at least ones you can do) and go for that one.


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## TranspoVA (Mar 22, 2010)

Do they still give you all the exams? They did last year when I took it but I thought you had to choose in advance this year


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## jamie (Mar 22, 2010)

I've heard it depends on which state you're in and what they do. some states make you pick a depth section when you submit your application.


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## alison (Mar 23, 2010)

jamie said:


> advice i've received is that's it's good to have two depth areas in mind that you might take, try and be prepared for both. then during the exam, if you're in a state where you're able to, look over each section quickly and see which one you think has easier problems (or at least ones you can do) and go for that one.


I have to disagree with this. Pick a depth in advance and stick to it. With only 6 minutes allocated per question, you probably won't have any time to spare in the afternoon to look over an additional section. The time you waste looking over another section and debating which one you should work on could be better spent answering questions in whichever section you prepare for in advance.

FYI, here in NC, you have to declare your depth area in advance on your application.


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## sac_engineer (Mar 23, 2010)

alison said:


> jamie said:
> 
> 
> > advice i've received is that's it's good to have two depth areas in mind that you might take, try and be prepared for both. then during the exam, if you're in a state where you're able to, look over each section quickly and see which one you think has easier problems (or at least ones you can do) and go for that one.
> ...


I agree with the above disagreement. If you don't know which depth to take, pick a couple to study, then decide which one to take well in advance of the exam. Don't decide during the exam... that's foolish. However, there are folks that are naturally smart and can learn the material in a very short amount of time. Most PE examinees aren't like this. 

I don't know anyone that contemplated their depth choice on the day of the exam because there is a lot of studying time required to cover the depth portion of any civil discipline. There is a lot of material to cover, so you need to be efficient in studying and solving problems.

Good luck!


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## ENGR ASHLEY (Mar 30, 2010)

I'd do geotech. The Water is about half environmental including WWTPs and water treatment. Unless you are familiar with those I'd stick with the geotech.


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## TranspoVA (Mar 30, 2010)

I agree with the geotech...I almost took water..but the deal killer was all the enviro stuff that you either work with every day or you dont.


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