FS Surveying study guide
FS Surveying, administered by NCEES (National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying), is mapped here as 8 topic areas; the heaviest are Boundary Law and Real Property Principles (19%), Survey Computations and Computer Applications (17%) and Surveying Processes and Methods (16%).
About this course: Fundamentals of Surveying practice with worked COGO and leveling calculations step by step, boundary-law order-of-calls drills, and a confusable trainer. The FS is criterion-referenced PASS/FAIL — NCEES prints no percent cut.
FS Surveying at a glance
- Questions
- 110
- Time allowed
- 6-hour appointment: 2-minute nondisclosure agreement + 8-minute tutorial + 5 hours 20 minutes exam + 25-minute optional scheduled break
- Passing standard
- PASS/FAIL only
- Format
- Computer-based test (CBT) at NCEES-approved Pearson VUE test centers, administered year-round in testing windows
- Standard / edition
- FS CBT Exam Specifications effective beginning with the July 2020 examinations
- Administered by
- NCEES (National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying)
Source: FS CBT Exam Specifications effective beginning with the July 2020 examinations, NCEES (National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying). Confirm current details with the exam owner before you book.
Topic areas and weights
| Topic area | Weight | Concepts | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam Orientation | 0% | 1 | Section below |
| Surveying Processes and Methods | 16% | 3 | Section below |
| Mapping Processes and Methods | 14% | 1 | Section below |
| Boundary Law and Real Property Principles | 19% | 4 | Section below |
| Surveying Principles | 13% | 3 | Section below |
| Survey Computations and Computer Applications | 17% | 4 | Section below |
| Business Concepts | 11% | 0 | Section below |
| Applied Mathematics and Statistics | 10% | 0 | Section below |
Study plan in this course
- The Tailgate Brief: Your FS Exam — 5 cards · free
- The Field Crew: Instruments, Control & Survey Types — 5 cards · free
- The Drafting Table: Scale, Maps, CAD/GIS & Photogrammetry — 4 cards · full course
- The Retracement: Order of Calls, PLSS & Property Rights — 6 cards · full course
- The Datum: Geodesy, State Plane & Heights — 4 cards · full course
- The COGO Bench: Traverse, Leveling, Area & Curves — 6 cards · full course
- The Office: Contracts, Liability & Ethics — 3 cards · full course
- The Math Bench: Trig, Statistics & Error — 4 cards · full course
Exam Orientation
Exam Orientation is one of the 8 areas in this course's FS Surveying blueprint. It spans 1 concept. The course teaches it in 1 study unit: The Tailgate Brief: Your FS Exam.
What Exam Orientation covers
- How is the FS scored? — ncees.org/exams/fs-exam/ + ncees.org/exams/exam-scoring/
Official references for Exam Orientation
- ncees.org/exams/fs-exam/
- ncees.org surveying licensure model
- ncees.org/exams/fs-exam/ + ncees.org/exams/exam-scoring/
- NCEES FS CBT Exam Specifications PDF
- NCEES FS CBT specs
In the app this area comes with 5 memory cards and 5 module-quiz questions and is part of the free starting modules.
Surveying Processes and Methods
Surveying Processes and Methods carries 16% of the FS Surveying blueprint used in this course, the third-largest of its 7 weighted areas. It spans 3 concepts. The course teaches it in 1 study unit: The Field Crew: Instruments, Control & Survey Types.
What Surveying Processes and Methods covers
- Which field instrument does which job? — FS Reference Handbook
- Why does control come first? — FS Reference Handbook
- Why are field records legal evidence? — FS Reference Handbook
Official references for Surveying Processes and Methods
- FS Reference Handbook
In the app this area comes with 5 memory cards and 16 module-quiz questions and is part of the free starting modules.
Mapping Processes and Methods
Mapping Processes and Methods carries 14% of the FS Surveying blueprint used in this course, the 4th-largest of its 7 weighted areas. It spans 1 concept. The course teaches it in 1 study unit: The Drafting Table: Scale, Maps, CAD/GIS & Photogrammetry.
What Mapping Processes and Methods covers
- How do CAD and GIS differ? — FS Reference Handbook
Official references for Mapping Processes and Methods
- FS Reference Handbook
In the app this area comes with 4 memory cards and 14 module-quiz questions in the full course.
Boundary Law and Real Property Principles
Boundary Law and Real Property Principles carries 19% of the FS Surveying blueprint used in this course, the largest of its 7 weighted areas. It spans 4 concepts. The course teaches it in 1 study unit: The Retracement: Order of Calls, PLSS & Property Rights.
What Boundary Law and Real Property Principles covers
- How does a metes-and-bounds description work? — FS Reference Handbook
- What does adverse possession require? — Standard property law
- What is an easement? — FS Reference Handbook
- How does water law set boundaries? — FS Reference Handbook
Official references for Boundary Law and Real Property Principles
- Standard boundary law
- FS Reference Handbook
- BLM Manual of Surveying Instructions
- Standard property law
In the app this area comes with 6 memory cards and 19 module-quiz questions in the full course.
Surveying Principles
Surveying Principles carries 13% of the FS Surveying blueprint used in this course, the 5th-largest of its 7 weighted areas. It spans 3 concepts. The course teaches it in 1 study unit: The Datum: Geodesy, State Plane & Heights.
What Surveying Principles covers
- How do magnetic and true north differ? — FS Reference Handbook
- What datums reference horizontal and vertical position? — FS Reference Handbook
- How do ellipsoid and orthometric heights relate? — FS Reference Handbook
Official references for Surveying Principles
- FS Reference Handbook
In the app this area comes with 4 memory cards and 13 module-quiz questions in the full course.
Survey Computations and Computer Applications
Survey Computations and Computer Applications carries 17% of the FS Surveying blueprint used in this course, the second-largest of its 7 weighted areas. It spans 4 concepts. The course teaches it in 1 study unit: The COGO Bench: Traverse, Leveling, Area & Curves.
What Survey Computations and Computer Applications covers
- How does differential leveling compute elevation? — FS Reference Handbook
- How do you get area from coordinates? — FS Reference Handbook
- How do you compute a horizontal curve? — FS Reference Handbook
- Why does least-squares adjustment need redundancy? — FS Reference Handbook
Official references for Survey Computations and Computer Applications
- FS Reference Handbook
In the app this area comes with 6 memory cards and 17 module-quiz questions in the full course.
Business Concepts
Business Concepts carries 11% of the FS Surveying blueprint used in this course, the 6th-largest of its 7 weighted areas. The course teaches it in 1 study unit: The Office: Contracts, Liability & Ethics.
Official references for Business Concepts
- FS Reference Handbook
In the app this area comes with 3 memory cards and 11 module-quiz questions in the full course.
Applied Mathematics and Statistics
Applied Mathematics and Statistics carries 10% of the FS Surveying blueprint used in this course, the 7th-largest of its 7 weighted areas. The course teaches it in 1 study unit: The Math Bench: Trig, Statistics & Error.
Official references for Applied Mathematics and Statistics
- FS Reference Handbook
In the app this area comes with 4 memory cards and 10 module-quiz questions in the full course.
Official references
- ncees.org/exams/fs-exam/
- ncees.org surveying licensure model
- ncees.org/exams/fs-exam/ + ncees.org/exams/exam-scoring/
- NCEES FS CBT Exam Specifications PDF
- NCEES FS CBT specs
- FS Reference Handbook
- BLM Manual of Surveying Instructions
- Standard boundary law
- Standard property law