You’ve come to the right place. Here are the essentials for preparing for and acing the PE Civil Water Resources and Environmental (WRE) test.
Tip #1: Create a Study Plan and Stick to It
Easier said than done, but trust me you will not want to just wing it when it comes to studying for this test.
First you want to determine how long you will need to study for this exam. This can be anywhere from three months (a new grad fresh out of college) to over a year (a working professional with a family).
Once you have a rough timeline, establish what resources you will use to study for the test.
Whether you purchase the (awesome) CEA Water Resources Review Course, the Civil Engineering Reference Manual, or any other books, gather all of your materials before you start studying.
Ask your employer or coworkers if there are any useful books collecting dust in your office that you can snag for a few months.
Pro tip: make sure you have the correct version of the TSS 2014 and WATER 2018 specs!!
Tip #2: Organize What You’ll Study
Now, it’s time to map out what you will review and when.
I recommend using a schedule building tool — like a Gantt chart. (We all know how much civil engineers love schedules). This will help you visualize what your studying goals are each week.
I also recommend taking one exam specification from the NCEES Civil WR&E CBT specifications to review each week of your study schedule.
This may vary with how familiar/unfamiliar you are with certain topics. It also helps to have taken some classes in college or have work experience in water resources and environmental work.
Schedule time to review and map out the TSS 2014 and WATER 2018 specifications — these will help with the theory problems.
Leave at least two weeks of study time to review all the topics and take plenty of practice problems and exams.
Also, be sure to incorporate half and full practice tests periodically throughout your study plan.
I recommend at least one full practice test a month, and one full practice test within the two weeks leading up to exam day — specifically The Ultimate PE CBT Exam Simulator to get a feel for the real deal.
Check out CEA’s Quick Tip Video on how to build a PE Exam study schedule for more in depth tips.
Tip #3: Create a Study Routine and Test Day Routine
If you’ve ever played a sport then you’ll know this saying by heart: practice like you play. This same logic must be applied to taking the PE.
Creating a test day routine and practicing that routine whenever I took a full practice PE test really helped reduce the test day anxiety.
This is completely up to you how you want to go about test day, but here is what helped me pass the PE Civil WRE test on the first try:
- Waking up at least 1.5 hours before getting to the testing facility
- Get to the testing facility 30 minutes before your test start time
- Getting in a morning walk, cold shower, and coffee to make sure I was wide awake and ready to attack the test
- Eating a big breakfast before the test to ensure I wasn’t hungry during the test
- Wear comfortable clothes – the same clothes as when you take the real test
- Playing calming music on the drive over to the testing facility to set a calm and positive state of mind for the test
Creating a studying routine is also important to retain the information you’re studying without having to study long hours or cramming your study sessions as you get closer to test day.
Again, this is completely up to you but here are some habits that helped me study on top of a 40-plus-hour work week without completely losing my marbles:
- Limit study sessions to 90 minutes (even on weekends).
- Do at least 3 practice problems in every study session.
- Eliminate all distractions during these study sessions — wear ear plugs or headphones if you have to, your the phone needs to be in another room, turn off all notifications on your computer, and eat before or after studying (not during)
- Start the study session with a walk (get the blood flowing to your brain) and end with a cold shower or cold plunge. (Crazy, I know) — this is a research-backed technique that has been shown to improve memory and cognition!
- Treat yourself. You are working so hard and it’s important to have some form of joy in the process.
Tip #4: Remain Calm and Trust Yourself
If you have truly been putting in the effort during your study sessions, doing practice problems religiously, and getting in those full grueling eight-hour practice test sessions, trust that you have prepared for this test to the best of your ability.
Stop studying the 2-3 days before the test and do something fun to destress before the test. At this point, you know what you know and it’s not worth trying to cram in some last minute studying.
When you arrive at the testing center on your test day, tensions in the room may be high, but remain as calm as you can and remember that you have put in the hard work needed to pass this test.
Besides using CEA’s Ultimate Civil PE Water Resources Review Course to guide my studying, I also attribute my passing the test on the first try to staying cool, calm, and collected while I was taking the test.
Freaking out about the fact that you’re taking an eight-hour test will not do you any good, so just treat it like how you’ve treated your practice tests.
Conclusion
And that’s my recipe for success!
Try it out, let me know what you think, and feel free to send in other tips to successfully pass the PE Civil WR&E exam.
Author: Taylor Austin
Taylor is an Environmental Engineer for WSP. She works to ensure clients are in compliance with stormwater permits, solid and hazardous waste management policies, and groundwater monitoring requirements. She's a past student of The Ultimate Civil PE Review Course, who crushed the Water Resources PE Exam. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.