Alaska Land Surveyor (AKLS) Exam study plan
Alaska Land Surveyor (AKLS) Exam · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Alaska Boundary Law and Property Law
Outline Alaska boundary law topics by weight: federal patents, Native allotments, ANCSA-related boundaries, riparian and navigability doctrines
Define key property law terms (easement, prescription, adverse possession, accretion, avulsion, reliction) in your own words
Map which Alaska statutes and regulations govern boundary establishment versus retracement
Solve 15 practice problems on riparian and water boundary doctrine, writing the rule applied for each
Your checkpoint
A one-page boundary-law rule sheet with at least 12 doctrines defined and the governing authority cited for each
Alaska Boundary Law and Property Law & Boundary Determination and Retracement
Compare monument, course, distance, and area rules of construction and rank their priority
Work through 10 retracement scenarios deciding which evidence controls when sources conflict
Explain how original government survey evidence is weighed against later occupation
Draft a short written rationale for three conflicting-evidence boundary scenarios
Your checkpoint
A written analysis of three conflicting-evidence scenarios (300-500 words each) with a stated controlling rule and conclusion
Boundary Determination and Retracement & Evidence, Records, and Research
Identify the classes of boundary evidence (monuments, occupation, testimony, records) and rank their reliability
Practice proportioning and single-proportion methods on at least 8 computed examples
Build a research checklist for locating federal, state, and local records for a parcel
Summarize how to evaluate and document witness testimony in a boundary dispute
Your checkpoint
A completed research checklist plus 8 worked proportioning problems with answers and method notes
Evidence, Records, and Research & Geodesy and Coordinate Systems
Explain the Public Land Survey System framework (principal meridians, baselines, townships, sections, aliquots)
Compute section subdivision and aliquot-part descriptions for 10 practice parcels
Describe datum, ellipsoid, geoid, and projection concepts and how each affects coordinates
Convert between geographic and state plane coordinates using given parameters for 5 examples
Your checkpoint
A 10-problem PLSS and coordinate conversion worksheet, fully worked, scoring at least 80 percent
Geodesy and Coordinate Systems & Measurement Technology and Field Procedures
Distinguish accuracy, precision, error sources, and misclosure tolerances for common survey methods
Compare total station, GNSS, and leveling procedures and select the appropriate method for 6 field scenarios
Outline a field procedure for establishing and checking control on a project
Describe how to detect and document blunders versus systematic error
Your checkpoint
A field procedure outline for a control survey, including instrument checks, redundancy, and a stated closure tolerance
Measurement Technology and Field Procedures & Subdivision, Platting, and Land Development
Interpret subdivision and platting requirements, including what must appear on a record plat
Sequence the platting process from pre-application through recording and approval
Identify common design and layout constraints affecting lot and street geometry
Review a sample plat description and list every deficiency you can find
Your checkpoint
A deficiency list of at least 10 items from a self-written sample plat scenario, with the requirement each item violates
Subdivision, Platting, and Land Development & Cadastral and Public Land Surveys
Trace how cadastral records are created, indexed, and maintained at federal and state levels
Explain the special-survey and resurvey processes and when each applies
Compare original survey versus resurvey authority and the limits on each
Solve 10 cadastral scenario questions involving subdivision of sections and fraction handling
Your checkpoint
A written comparison of original survey versus resurvey authority (one page) plus 10 worked cadastral problems
Professional Practice, Ethics, and Alaska Statutes and Regulations & Alaska Boundary Law and Property Law & Boundary Determination and Retracement
Summarize Alaska statutes and regulations governing licensure, practice, and professional conduct
Apply an ethics framework to 5 practice dilemmas and justify each decision
Review weak areas from weeks 1-7 and re-work missed problems
Complete a timed 40-question mixed practice set covering all domains
Your checkpoint
A timed 40-question practice exam with a score report and a written remediation plan for any domain below 70 percent
Milestones
Week 2: Can state the priority of boundary evidence and justify a controlling-evidence decision in writing without notes
Week 4: Scores at least 80 percent on the combined PLSS and coordinate conversion worksheet
Week 6: Can list platting requirements and identify at least 8 of 10 planted deficiencies in the sample plat
Week 8: Scores at least 70 percent on the timed mixed practice set and has a written remediation plan for weak domains