FREE STUDY · 5 MIN LESSON
The Tailgate Brief: Your FS Exam
Read the lesson, then use the free narrated cards in the app to check what you remember. Knowledge practice does not replace approved training or any skills evaluation your certifying body requires.
Tailgate Brief Before the Boards
- Before you sit the FS, know the format cold.
- One hundred ten questions, criterion-scored pass or fail.
- Study time follows exam weight — the biggest areas first.
How is the FS exam structured within its 6-hour appointment?
- How is the FS exam structured within its 6-hour appointment?
- 110 questions, 5 hours 20 of exam time inside a 6-hour day — about 3 minutes each.
Where does the FS sit in surveying licensure?
- Where does the FS sit in surveying licensure?
- FS first (Surveyor-in-Training), then experience, then the PS (plus, typically, a state-specific exam) for licensure.
How is the FS scored?
- How is the FS scored?
- Pass/fail on a criterion cut — there is NO fixed passing percentage.
What are the 7 FS knowledge areas and their weights?
- What are the 7 FS knowledge areas and their weights?
- Boundary Law is biggest (19-29), then Computations (17-26), then Processes (16-24).
What references are open during the FS exam?
- What references are open during the FS exam?
- Closed book, but the Handbook plus standards are electronic — one document open at a time.
The Percentage Trap
- There is no fixed passing percentage on the FS.
- Do not chase a magic number-correct target.
- Aim to be a competent entry-level surveyor everywhere.
Check Yourself: The Format
- How many questions, and how is it scored?
- Which knowledge area is the largest?
- Answer out loud before you move on.