GA Land Surveyor study guide
GA Land Surveyor · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) exam is the entry-level examination in the U.S. professional surveyor (P.S.) licensure path. NCEES describes it as generally the first step toward becoming a licensed professional surveyor, designed for recent graduates and students who are close to finishing an undergraduate surveying degree from an ABET-accredited program. It is delivered as a computer-based exam administered year-round in testing windows at NCEES-approved Pearson test centers, and a $225 exam fee is payable directly to NCEES. The exam contains 110 questions. The appointment time is 6 hours long and includes a nondisclosure agreement (2 minutes), a tutorial (8 minutes), the exam itself (5 hours and 20 minutes), and a scheduled break (25 minutes). Topics on this exam: Surveying fundamentals and mathematics and Surveying practice and professional responsibilities. The GA Land Surveyor study guide has 2 sections and about 959 words.
01Surveying Fundamentals and Mathematics
This domain tests the measurement and computational core of land surveying: unit systems, angular and linear closure, leveling, coordinate geometry, projections, GNSS-derived positions, and the statistical treatment of error. Expect questions that require you to select the correct formula, carry units, and decide whether a computed misclosure is acceptable before adjusting it. Georgia state-plane work is commonly published in US survey feet, while GNSS and many modern data sets are metric. The US survey foot is exactly 1200/3937 m; the international foot is exactly 0.3048 m.
472 words, about 2 min02Surveying Practice and Professional Responsibilities
This domain tests how Georgia law and professional standards govern boundary evidence, plat preparation, sealing, business practice, and ethics. Questions often turn on the surveyor’s legal authority: what may be certified, what must be recorded, how boundary evidence is weighed, and when a surveyor must decline or disclose. Georgia follows the general common-law priority of calls: natural monuments, artificial monuments, courses and distances, then area. Original monuments and undisturbed evidence carry great weight; a deed distance generally yields to a certain monument.
487 words, about 2 minMore study resources for GA Land Surveyor
- Practice questionsA closed traverse has the following departures: +150.00 m, -80.00 m, +60.00 m, and -120.00 m.
- FlashcardsCurvature and refraction correction. Combined effect that makes a level line appear to drop: about 0.0206 times the square of the distance in kilometers, subtracted from the rod reading.
- Cheat sheetCurvature and refraction combined correction: C = 0.0206·(D² in meters) when D is in kilometers squared form 0.0675K²; refraction bends sights toward the earth, so combined correction is subtracted from rod readings for leveling.
- Key termsBearing. A direction stated as an angle east or west of a north-south reference line, always written with a quadrant label such as N45°E.
- Study planBuild a formula sheet covering coordinate geometry, traverse closure, and area computation, then solve 15 practice problems using only that sheet.
- Common mistakesCandidates study ALTA/NSPS land title surveys because they are widely published and appear in reference materials, then assume the same numeric tolerances govern all Georgia boundary work.
- Exam-day guideBring the exact name and ID type your authorization to test requires.