Pre-Examination Activities
Scope, contract, and research before mobilizing
The exam treats pre-examination work as everything between award of the contract and the first instrument setup. Expect items on (1) defining scope, deliverables, and the applicable standard in writing, (2) records research, and (3) logistics - permits, right of entry, utility locates, traffic control, and safety planning.
Records research is the highest-yield topic. Pull the subject deed plus adjoining deeds, the subdivision plat, prior survey plats, highway or right-of-way plans, tax maps, and any original government field notes. Research the chain of title far enough back to resolve where the parcel came from; a common trap is a description that only fits the ground once you know the parent tract's senior/junior relationship. Another trap is assuming recorded bearings and distances govern - in a retracement they are the least persuasive evidence.
Equipment and control checks
Verify calibration before mobilizing: EDM baseline or prism-constant check, level collimation test, tribrach and optical plummet adjustment. Document the check in the file. Recover at least two, preferably three, existing control monuments so the work can be tied to the stated datum and held to record values.
Rule of thumb
Before field work, confirm four things in writing: the scope and standard (for example the ALTA/NSPS minimum standards), the datum and units, client-supplied records, and access/permits. Time spent on records research is almost never recovered later in the field.
A frequent exam trap is a question describing a request to survey a boundary with no title research; the correct answer is to obtain the record evidence first, or to limit the deliverable to what can actually be certified.