AZ Land Surveyor study plan
AZ Land Surveyor · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Boundary Surveying & Legal Principles and Land Descriptions
Define retracement versus original survey and explain why the distinction controls which evidence hierarchy applies
Rank the order of boundary evidence (senior rights, natural monuments, artificial monuments, courses and distances, area) and justify the ranking in writing
Identify the elements required for a legally sufficient boundary description in Arizona and flag defective language in sample descriptions
Set up a case-brief template capturing parties, holding, and the boundary principle established
Your checkpoint
A one-page evidence-hierarchy reference sheet plus three completed case briefs, each with a stated holding and the practice rule it implies
Boundary Surveying & Legal Principles and Land Descriptions
Analyze how Arizona treats water boundaries, accretion, reliction, and avulsion in setting a property line
Explain adverse possession, boundary by agreement, and boundary by acquiescence as recognized in Arizona and distinguish their elements
Interpret metes-and-bounds calls for ambiguity and apply the rule of construction that resolves the conflict
Draft a short opinion letter resolving a hypothetical conflicting-call problem
Your checkpoint
A 500-word practice opinion resolving a hypothetical conflicting-call and adverse-possession fact pattern, citing the controlling principle for each conclusion
Boundary Surveying & Arizona Statutes, Rules, and Standards of Practice
Outline the statutory duties of an Arizona registered land surveyor at the moment a boundary is established or reestablished
Describe the record-research sequence: chain of title, subdivision plats, GLO notes, and prior survey records
Practice reconstructing a section subdivision from GLO plat data and check for closing error
List the records a surveyor must file or retain under Arizona practice requirements
Your checkpoint
A record-research checklist for a hypothetical parcel, plus a completed section-subdivision reconstruction with closure computed and error stated
Legal Principles and Land Descriptions & Arizona Statutes, Rules, and Standards of Practice
Summarize Arizona statutes and rules governing licensure, firm registration, and the surveyor's seal and signature
Explain the standards of practice for boundary surveys, including monumentation and filing obligations
Compare the surveyor's duty to the client against duties owed to the public and to adjoining owners
Identify common disciplinary violations and the conduct that avoids them
Your checkpoint
A two-page statute-and-rule summary organized by topic (licensure, practice standards, discipline) with each item tied to its source section
Measurement and Positioning (Field Procedures and Computations)
Compute traverses by both compass rule and transit rule and compare the resulting coordinate differences
Perform a least-squares adjustment on a small network and interpret residuals and error ellipses
Convert between geodetic, state plane, and ground coordinates, including combined scale factor application
Propagate error through a closed traverse and state the resulting positional uncertainty
Your checkpoint
A worked adjustment packet: one traverse closed by two methods, one least-squares solution, and a coordinate-conversion example with the combined factor shown step by step
Measurement and Positioning (Field Procedures and Computations)
Reduce field observations for total station and GNSS work, including atmospheric and scale corrections
Analyze horizontal and vertical control networks for blunder detection and redundancy checks
Compute areas, curves, and parcel splits from coordinate geometry and verify results independently
Evaluate accuracy standards and select the appropriate tolerance for a given survey class
Your checkpoint
A computation portfolio of five solved problems (curve, area, split, GNSS reduction, blunder detection), each with an independent check and a stated tolerance
Measurement and Positioning (Field Procedures and Computations) & Boundary Surveying
Integrate field measurements with boundary evidence to produce a defensible position for a disputed line
Prepare a plat-ready drawing set that correctly depicts monuments, bearings, distances, and area
Explain how measurement uncertainty is disclosed in a survey report and why it matters legally
Rehearse explaining a boundary determination to a client in plain language
Your checkpoint
A complete mock boundary survey package: plat, report, and a one-page plain-language client summary for a hypothetical parcel
Boundary Surveying & Legal Principles and Land Descriptions & Measurement and Positioning (Field Procedures and Computations) & Arizona Statutes, Rules, and Standards of Practice
Complete two full-length timed practice exams and score each by domain
Diagnose the two weakest domains from exam results and remediate with targeted review
Recite the evidence hierarchy, statutory duties, and adjustment formulas from memory
Build a final one-page formula and rule sheet for exam-day reference
Your checkpoint
Scored results from two timed practice exams with a written remediation plan naming the specific weak subtopics and the review completed for each
Milestones
Week 2: Can state the boundary evidence hierarchy and the elements of adverse possession and boundary by agreement without notes, and score at least 70 percent on a 20-question Domain 1 and 2 self-quiz
Week 4: Can cite the Arizona provisions for licensure, seal, monumentation, and filing from memory, and complete the statute summary with every item sourced
Week 6: Close a traverse by two methods with results agreeing within tolerance, and correctly apply a combined scale factor in a worked example
Week 8: Score at least 75 percent overall on both timed practice exams with no single domain below 65 percent