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Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) Exam — Information & Free Practice

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Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) Exam

Provider
National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES); administered year-round in testing windows at NCEES-approved Pearson test centers
Format
Computer-based test, closed book with an electronic reference (NCEES FS Reference Handbook and the specified standards); includes alternative item types (AITs) in addition to traditional multiple-choice questions; uses both SI and U.S. Customary units
Exam questions
110 questions
Time limit
6-hour appointment: nondisclosure agreement (2 minutes), tutorial (8 minutes), exam (5 hours and 20 minutes), scheduled break (25 minutes)
Passing score
Results reported as pass or fail; failing examinees receive a diagnostic report by major topic
Exam fee
$225 exam fee payable directly to NCEES
Examination outline
  • 1. Surveying Processes and Methods (16–24 of 110 questions)
    • A. Instrumentation (e.g., GNSS/GPS, levels, total stations, robotic total stations, scanners, UAS)
    • B. GNSS/GPS surveys (e.g., static, kinematic, OPUS, real-time networks)
    • C. Control surveys (e.g., horizontal, vertical, network design, accuracy standards)
    • D. Cadastral (e.g., Public Land Survey System [PLSS], boundary, metes and bounds, land title)
    • E. Topographic surveys
    • F. Construction surveys (e.g., layout, as-built, quantity)
    • G. Land development (e.g., subdivision design/platting, land use, environmental, flood plains, wetlands)
    • H. Field record keeping and documentation (e.g., procedures, field books, raw data files)
  • 2. Mapping Processes and Methods (14–21 of 110 questions)
    • A. Basic mapping concepts (e.g., scaling, symbols, features, legend, contours, cartography)
    • B. Types of maps (e.g., plan and profile, cross section, plat, record of survey, ALTA, topographic, planimetric)
    • C. CAD (e.g., 2-D, 3-D, building information modeling [BIM])
    • D. GIS (e.g., feature collection, map projections, coordinate systems, metadata, database design and management, spatial data analysis, GIS applications)
    • E. Digital terrain model (e.g., machine control, triangulated irregular network [TIN], digital surface model, digital elevation model)
    • F. Photogrammetry and remote sensing (e.g., close range, conventional, softcopy, ground control, quality control, flight planning, project planning, UAS, drone, LiDAR, satellite, digital image analysis and processing)
  • 3. Boundary Law and Real Property Principles (19–29 of 110 questions)
    • A. Public records and descriptions (e.g., land descriptions, mineral rights, ownership rights, weighting evidence)
    • B. Common law principles (e.g., controlling elements, unwritten rights, adverse possession)
    • C. Easements (e.g., granted, implied/prescriptive)
    • D. Simultaneous and sequential conveyances
    • E. Metes and bounds
    • F. PLSS
    • G. Water law (e.g., riparian, littoral rights, water marks/levels)
    • H. Sources of law (e.g., federal/state/local, administrative, common, citations, legal research)
    • I. Encumbrances (e.g., restrictive covenants, mortgages, liens)
    • J. Real property law (e.g., deeds, chains of title)
  • 4. Surveying Principles (13–20 of 110 questions)
    • A. Basic surveying (e.g., horizontal surveys, vertical surveys, understanding of historical methods and instruments, route surveying, magnetic declination)
    • B. Geodesy (e.g., spherical trigonometry, geometric, physical, geodetic coordinates, orthometric corrections, convergence, geodetic reductions, gravity modeling, geoid modeling)
    • C. Applied geodesy (e.g., datums and datum conversions, latitude/longitude, coordinate transformations, state plane coordinate system [SPCS], map projections, control networks, reduction of observations, deflection of vertical, satellite coordinate systems)
  • 5. Survey Computations and Computer Applications (17–26 of 110 questions)
    • A. Coordinate geometry
    • B. Traverse closure and adjustments
    • C. Leveling (e.g., differential, trigonometric, reciprocal, precise)
    • D. Least squares adjustments
    • E. Area
    • F. Horizontal curves
    • G. Vertical curves
    • H. Volume (e.g., mass diagrams, earthwork)
    • I. Spreadsheets
    • J. Slopes and grades
  • 6. Business Concepts (11–17 of 110 questions)
    • A. Project planning (e.g., resource management, scheduling, cost estimation, tracking)
    • B. Safety (e.g., signage, basic first aid, safety equipment)
    • C. Liabilities (e.g., negligence, employee behavior, errors and omissions)
    • D. Contracts (e.g., basic elements, scope of work, specifications)
    • E. Supervision (e.g., survey team leadership, personnel management)
    • F. Project documentation and record management
    • G. Ethics
    • H. Communication (e.g., written communication, oral communication, alternate forms of communication, conflict resolution)
  • 7. Applied Mathematics and Statistics (10–15 of 110 questions)
    • A. College mathematics (e.g., trigonometry, analytical geometry and calculus, linear algebra and matrix theory)
    • B. Probability and statistics (e.g., mean, median, mode, hypothesis testing, normal distribution, linear regression)
    • C. Measurement science (e.g., error analysis, error propagation, positional tolerance, positional accuracy, random/systematic/blunder errors, unit conversions)
    • D. Quantitative reasoning (e.g., critical thinking, data analysis and validation, blunder detection, data quality, redundancy)
Examination sources

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