LSAW Refresher Classes
How to Study For an Exam
April 2, 2015
Contact Information:
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Keith Craig Moore, PLS, PSM
(206) 491-1482 mobile
kcmoore@pcl.com
Background:
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36 years in Surveying
Surveyed in Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota, Colorado, Tennessee, Florida,
Georgia, and Washington
Licensed in Florida in 1999 as a Professional Surveyor and Mapper; Washington in 2008
as a Professional Land Surveyor
Worked for four Land Surveying companies and two Contractors surveying pipeline
(natural gas), commercial (high rises), & heavy civil (highway and bridges)
Worked for the PCL Family of Companies for 27 years. Specializing in Heavy Civil segmental bridges
Acknowledgments:
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Ted Madson. RLS and the LSS Seminars
Jack Keen, PLS and the Land Surveyor’s Workshop
Washington Board of Registration – 2015 LSAW State Conference Presentation
Various websites provided the picture samples of the Recommeded Textbooks
Points of Interest:
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Your application has been approved by the State Board of Registration. The expectation
is that you have the knowledge to pass the exam
Know that you are expected to expect to demonstrate knowledge of the practice of
surveying and mapping
Know that during the exam you are expected to know the laws, rules and regulations of
the State in which you are taking the exam for
Understand that every state is different, the laws are different and the history is different
Understand that you don’t (and can’t) know everything - focus on your strengths. Make
sure that the questions are all answered
Understand that you will have to work quickly to complete the exam
The state of Washington has a Law Review that you must take and pass prior to taking
the two hour Washington State Specific exam
The test is a learing experience. Even the best surveyors have taken a portion of the
exam more than once
STUDY PROCEDURES
General Study Format:
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Have a plan
o Know the topics that the exam you are taking has in it
o Index and tab your Material
o Assemble and bind your study materials
o Have a mentor to give advice and evaluate progress
Take training/education classes
o Associations - LSAW Refresher Classes, Quarterly Seminars, State
Conferences, etc.
o Community Colleges – attend night classes where offered
o Seminars
Utilize online resources
o landsurveyingseminars.com
o lss-seminars.com
o lsaw.org
o ncees.org/exams/study-materials/
o dol.wa.gov/business/engineerslandsurveyors/survexams.html
o http://listserv.wa.gov/cgi-bin/wa?A0=ENGINEERS-LICENSINGBOARD
Set up a study schedule
o Eliminate distractions by picking a quiet area when studying by yourself
o Turn off your phone
o Make study a habit and establish a routine
o Study for about 9 months out of the year
o And for at least once a week for those 9 months
o Review daily before the exam
o Review all your material in one sitting
Have study partners
o Your peers provide accountability and motivation
o It can provide perspectives and knowledge
o Use different environments - libraries, coffee shops, meeting rooms, etc
Practice, Practice, Practice
o In your work group work through the sample problems in the 1001 Solved
Surveying Fundamentals Problems by Van Sickle
o Take pre-tests
o Utilize the sample exam provided by the NCEES or ones provided in the
workbooks that come with Textbooks
RESOURCES
Recommended Study Materials:
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NCEES Materials – FS Reference Handbook, free download. FS and PS practice exams
available to purchase
Washington State Common Law of Surveys and Property Boundaries – Jerry Broadus,
this is for the State portion of the exam for Washington; available through the LSAW
website
LSAW – Reference Manual
Waterfront Titles in the State of Washington – Chicago Title Insurance Company, George
Peters, on the LSAW website as a downloadable pdf
Recommended Publications:
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Definitions of Surveying and Associated Terms, Revised - ACSM
1001 Solved Surveying Fundamentals Problems, Second Edition- Jan Van Sickle, PLS
Boundary Control and Legal Principles, Seventh Edition– Brown, Robillard,& Wilson
Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location, Sixth Edition– Brown, Robillard, &
Wilson
Surveying, Tenth Edition – Moffit and Bossler
Writing Legal Descriptions – Gurdon Wattles
GW’s Workshop Exercise Book: Legal Descriptions and Surveyr Analysis - Wattles
Land Survey Descriptions – Wattles and Wattles
Land Survey Reference Manual - Harbin
Manual of Survey Instructions –Latest Edition
Clark on Surveying, Eighth Edition – Robillard, Bouman, Shelton
Principle and Practice of Surveying, Third Edition – Cole
Black’s Law Dictionary, Tenth Edition - Reuters
Construction Surveying and Layout, Third Edition – Wesley Crawford
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION and TIPS
Follow the exam instructions to the letter; do not do any more or less than what you are instructed
to do. This trips-up many that take the exam.
Answer all the questions, wrong and unanswered questions carry the same weight; Zero!
 Read the complete exam before answering any questions.
 On the second time through grade the difficulty of the questions
Then answer the questions, in the following order;
 Easy 25%, get 100% correct = 25 out of 100
 Medium 50% get 80%correct = 40 out of 100
 Hard 25% get 20% correct = 5 out of 100
 Total 100% = 70% correct = 70 out of 100
When you read the question, scratch out the answers you know are wrong.
Do this excersise with 5-10 minutes remaining with your unanswered questions
 You have 100 questions in the test
 A B C D E - Each question has 5 possible solutions
 20 20 20 20 20 – Typically the test is set up with the solutions totals balancing out.
 19 14 17 18 15 - Questions you have answered on your test
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1 6 3 2 5 - Answers needed to finish and balance at 20.
This gives you an opportunity to get 2 or 3 more questions answered correctly. It might make the
difference between passing and failing the test
TESTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
To successfully complete the exam, you should:
 Have a thorough knowledge of the HP-35, or other Board approved calculator
 Know the Statutes (WACs and the RCWs) of the State the exam is for
 Be prepared physically for the exam. Don’t pull an all-nighter right before the exam
 Have the materials you are allowed to take into the exam prepared ahead of time. Don’t
put it off to the last minute
 Arrive for the exam early.
General Rules:
Review the NCEES site for the current rules. The NCEES exam is transitioning to a computer
based format and the rules change from year to year. It is getting more restrictive about taking
reference material into the exam with you. The PS exam is closed book. They will provide
reference material on exam day.
Grading Policies:
The grading policy is published on the NCEES website and on the website for the State Board.
Grading Scale:
Typically the exam is graded on a curve.
Grade Results:
With the implementation of Computer Based Testing, the examiners expect to have your test
results in the range of two weeks.
NCEES Computer Based
Testing
A. The NCEES 6 hour examination in land
surveying will be offered in computer
based testing format about October 2016.
B. The last administration of the paper and
pencil LS exam will be April 2016.
C. Appointments for exam access will open
about mid 2016.
D. Specific administration protocols
Computer Based Testing
State Exam
Exam will remain 25 questions-multiple choice (a-d)
Exam items will be a combination of text or
text/illustrations.
Exam will be based upon existing approved outline.
Exam duration will remain at 2 hours, including
instructions and review time.
Exam will remain as open book.
Approved calculators (based upon NCEES policy) are
permitted
A small note tablet (which will be collected by the
proctor) will be provided for sketching and
calculations.
No notes will be permitted to be removed from exam.
Results available within one week (estimate)
Computer Based Testing
Exam Section Topics
LAW:
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
3 items
Boundary, Platting & Subdivisions.
Washington Boundary Case Law.
Survey Recording Act & Survey Standards.
Ethics of Surveying Practice.
Easements & Rights of Way.
Shore lands Management Act
Condominiums
GLO/CADASTRAL:
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2.
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5.
6.
5-7 items
Government Land Office Corners.
Regular & Irregular Sections.
Meander Lines & Corners.
Donation Land Claims; Tribal; Federal
Reservations; Homestead Entry & Mining
Claims.
Government Lots.
Public Land Survey System.
Computer Based Testing
Exam Section Topics
LEGAL DESCRIPTIONS:
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2.
3.
4.
5.
SURVEY PRINCIPLES:
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
4-5 items
Unwritten Rights.
Definitions of Terms.
Elements of Descriptions.
Interpretations of Intent.
Types of Descriptions
Measurement & Error Analysis.
Excess & Deficiencies.
Simultaneous Conveyances.
Monuments & Rules of Evidence.
Conflict Remedy.
Topography.
Datums.
4-5 items
Computer Based Testing
(Sample Question)
To stake the boundaries of tidal property that was
patented prior to statehood you refer to which
case law?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Smith v. Jones
Harris v. Valentine, Inc.
United States v. State of Washington
Tidal v. Shoreline
Computer Based Testing
(Sample Question)
The original closing corner for Sections 5 and 6 has been found
to be 15.10 feet south of the 5th
Standard Parallel. What is the
approximate length of the west line
of the S1/2, NW1/4, Sec 5?
a)
b)
c)
d)
1,193
1,199
1,206
1,218
EXAMINATION RESULTS
April 2014 - Washington
Total
Pass
%Pass
Principles and Practice
of Land Surveying
NCEES – 6 Hour
WA Specific
14
34
13
15
93%
44%
2014 Computer Based Testing
(January –June)
Fundamentals
of Land Surveying (LSIT)
13
5
38%
Data from the Fall 2014 – Number 54 issue of the Washington Board Journal
LEARNING NEVER ENDS
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Once you are licensed you will be required to have accumulated 30 professional
development hours (PDH) during your two year renewal period. In Washington State you
document your PDH’s yourself. And the BOR does perform random checks. Several
people have recently been found to not have all their CE’s completed.
Every state is different. Some states don’t have any requirements for Continuing
Education or Professonal Development Hours
In Florida, you are required to take 24 CEC biennially, 6 of which must be in Florida’s
minimum technical standards or Florida’s laws affecting the practice of surveying and
mapping. The licensee shall rotate these courses so that, for one biennium, the licensee
obtains minimum technical standards and, for the next biennium, the licensee obtains
laws affecting the practice of surveying and mapping. The Continuing Education Classes
have to be taken from the Board approved Roster of Providers. The information is
submitted the to Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
If you are not striving to learn and improve, surveying may not a good career choice for
you