The Fundamentals
of Land Surveying (FS) exam is an 8-hour test consisting of 170 multiple-choice problems.
There are two sessions, morning and afternoon, each with 85 problems.
The ONLY reference material that may be used during the FS exam is a small
reference handbook that is provided at the exam site.
The FS exam is given on the
same date (and always on a Saturday) in every state. The forthcoming dates are:
April 21, 2007
October 27, 2007
April 12, 2008
October 25, 2008
April 25, 2009
October 24, 2009
The NCCES-developed Principles
and Practice of Surveying (PS) exam is 6 hours long. Many states administer
this exam in conjunction with a state-specific exam. Contact your state
board to determine the exam format in your state.
The PS exam contains 100 multiple-choice questions. It is administered in
two parts: 67 questions in the morning session (4 hours) and 33 in the afternoon
session (2 hours). The exam is open-book, with few limits on the number or type
of books that may be used as references. Be sure to check with your state
board to verify what is and is not allowed into the exam.
The PS exam is given on the
same date (and always on a Friday) in every state. The forthcoming dates are:
April 20, 2007
October 26, 2007
April 11, 2008
October 24, 2008
April 24, 2009
October 23, 2009
This varies significantly
by state, ranging from 45 to more than 180 days before the exam date.
Contact your state
board for the exact application deadline that applies to you. Your board
will also tell you what locations are available for taking the exam.
The FS and PS exams use
US customary units.
Your calculator should be
battery-powered, silent, and nonprinting, and it must not have word-processing
capabilities. Actually, you should bring two calculators of the same model
in case one fails.
Some states have restrictions on what models of caluclators are allowed into
the exam, and a few restrict the use of ROM cards in calculators. It doesn't
hurt to contact
your state board to get definitive information.
Guess! No points are subtracted
for incorrect answers.
The passing rates for the
April 2007 exams are:
| Exam |
1st Timers |
Repeats |
| FS |
63% |
29% |
| PS |
66% |
29% |
Reference manuals, sample
exams, and other materials to aid your preparation are located in the
PPI catalog.
FS and PS Exam FAQs from PPI
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