by: Tom Mastin

Am I taking the LSIT exam or the FS Exam?

Land Surveyor in Training (LSIT) is a certification given out by the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists.

To see all that is required for the certification go to the Boards website and got to the information page on LSIT EIT/LSIT Certification: Information and Application (Engineer-in-Training/Land Surveyor-in-Training) – Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists

The exam that must be passed prior to applying for the LSIT certification is the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Fundamentals in Surveying (FS) Exam. For information on how to apply for the FS Exam see NCEES surveying

• The FS exam is a computer-based test (CBT). It is closed book with an electronic reference.
• Examinees have 6 hours to complete the exam, which contains 110 questions.
  • The 6-hour time also includes a tutorial and an optional scheduled break.

An important start to your exam preparation is to review the NCEES exam preparation Materials web page. It is a good idea to consider purchasing their exam prep material for the FS exam. This is really just the start of preparation for the exam.

Here is what NCEES says about that FS exam you are preparing for:

What reference Material should I have in my Library

Other references that you might want to consider before sitting for the exam would be (Note: we have some links to various reference materials. You may find better deals by looking around. Some of these items have been out of print for a while, so you may want to talk to some surveyors to see if you can borrow theirs):

• Elementary Surveying by Ghilani
  • Or any other introductory surveying book (There are many out there)
• Restoration of Lost or Obliterated Corners and Subdivision of Sections
  • This is some excerpts out of the Manual of Survey Instructions for the Public Lands (Manual)
    • The Manual is worth reviewing also, but Restoration covers most of what would be tin the FS exam
• Definitions of Surveying and Associated Terms – NSPS
  • This is great dictionary of survey terms and should be in every surveyor’s library
• Boundary Control and Legal Principles by Brown et.al.
  • This is considered the “bible” of boundary principles and all surveyors should have a copy of this. Any boundary questions in the FS exam will be answered in this book and it is what will cover boundary questions for the professional exams also.
• Other reference material to consider would be:
  • Writing Legal Descriptions – Wattles
  • 1001 Solved Surveying Fundamentals problems – Van Sickle
  • Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location
  • Elements of Photogrammetry with applications in GIS – Wolf

There are all sorts of other reference books and books with “Exam Questions”. You can be the judge of what may help you study for the exam. One word of caution, on some of those books with exam questions, is that sometimes the solutions are not correct, so don’t be afraid to ask someone to check the answers.

Caltrans LS/LSIT Exam Preparation

• CALTRANS LS/LSIT Exam Preparation workbook and videos has some great, if not dry, discussions on survey topics important for the exam and for you as a professional
  • I did not find the workbook on the Caltrans site, but a quick search will bring up both the workbook and the videos on various topics.
  • On youtube you can find the following Caltrans Preparation Videos
    • Exam Preparation
    • Basic Survey Math
    • Basic Measurements
    • Azimuth Determination by Celestial Observations
    • Traversing
    • Leveling
    • Route Surveying
    • Areas and Volumes
    • Photogrammetry
    • The Global Positioning System
    • The California Coordinate System
    • U.S. Public Land Survey System
    • Principles of Boundary Determination
    • Water Boundary Location
    • Legal Descriptions
    • California Law for Surveyors

Studying for the exam

Realize this is a Major test

• Try to establish a studying schedule
• Organize, Organize, Organize
• Tab Books
• Organize Notes
• Know the calculator you are going to use
• Familiarize yourself with the calculator policy for the exam(s) you are taking.
• Practice calculation with the calculator you will be using for the exam you are taking.
  • Organize Study Groups if at all possible

Organization for Studying

• Determine the Subjects that need to be Studied
  • See NCEES Subject Matter list
  • Which subjects are you already knowledgeable about and comfortable with.
  • Which subjects are you going to need a lot of help with?
• Determine the weight of each subject
  • ie: How many Boundary questions will be there?
  • How much time can you afford to study in one area
• Determine needed reference material
  • What is needed
  • What do you have
  • What can you borrow
  • What you should buy
• Time schedule
  • What time is going to be set aside for studying
  • Is it practical
  • Is it enough
  • What will the total study time be?
• Use subject list to set times
• REVIEW AND UPDATE
  • As studying goes by review the weight given to each subject.
  • Modify as necessary (Modify to meet time & study criteria)

Test Taking

The current exam process is CBT – Computer Based Testing. We are working at getting a better handle on the best way to take the exam. There are a few items to consider no matter what exam you are taking.

• Relax the day before
• Expect Complications
• If you get flustered on a question move on and go back if you have time.
  • The objective is to answer enough questions correctly to gain enough points to pass the exam.
  • That is not the same as answering all questions.
• If time permits review questions for simple mistakes.