Hawaii Land Surveyor Exam study plan
Hawaii Land Surveyor Exam · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Land Surveying Fundamentals and Practice (source does not enumerate content domains)
Inventory the full exam content outline and map every listed subtopic into a personal checklist with a confidence rating from 1 to 5
Assemble the core reference set: current Hawaii Revised Statutes chapter 457 (and related boundary statutes), Hawaii Administrative Rules for land surveying, and the manual of standard practice for boundary surveys in Hawaii
Build a one-page formula sheet covering coordinate geometry, traverse closure, area by coordinates, and curve elements, writing each formula from memory before checking it
Set up a weekly study log tracking hours, topics, and practice-question accuracy so progress is measurable from week one
Your checkpoint
A completed topic checklist with confidence ratings plus a verified reference list of Hawaii statutes, rules, and standards, saved as a single study binder index
Land Surveying Fundamentals and Practice (source does not enumerate content domains)
Explain the hierarchy of evidence in boundary retracement, ranking natural monuments, artificial monuments, courses and distances, and area, and justify the ranking in writing
Describe the legal principles governing riparian and littoral boundaries, including accretion, erosion, reliction, avulsion, and the ordinary high water mark
Summarize the rules for monumentation, perpetuation of corners, and recording of survey maps under Hawaii practice
Work through at least fifteen boundary-law scenarios and write a short reasoned conclusion for each
Your checkpoint
A written evidence-hierarchy and water-boundary summary of at least 800 words with fifteen worked scenario conclusions and cited statutory or rule authority for each
Land Surveying Fundamentals and Practice (source does not enumerate content domains)
Compute latitudes, departures, linear misclosure, and precision ratio for three closed traverses, including one with a compass rule adjustment
Adjust a traverse using the transit rule and compare results against the compass rule adjustment for the same data
Compute areas by coordinates, by double meridian distance, and by trapezoidal rule, and reconcile the three answers
Solve at least ten coordinate geometry problems involving bearings, azimuths, intersections, and offsets
Your checkpoint
A worked problem set of at least twenty traverse and coordinate geometry computations with all intermediate values shown and misclosure ratios stated
Land Surveying Fundamentals and Practice (source does not enumerate content domains)
Compute horizontal and vertical curve elements, including tangent, length, external, middle ordinate, and stationing for at least five horizontal curves and three vertical curves
Derive elevations along a vertical curve at full stations and at the high or low point
Compute earthwork volumes by average end area and by prismoidal formula and explain when each applies
Complete a timed forty-question mixed practice set covering weeks one through four and log every missed item by cause
Your checkpoint
A timed practice exam score with an error log categorizing each miss as knowledge gap, computation error, or misread question
Land Surveying Fundamentals and Practice (source does not enumerate content domains)
Describe the construction, adjustment, and use of horizontal and vertical control networks, including order and class standards for accuracy
Explain procedures for differential leveling, loop closure, and level network adjustment, and compute a loop misclosure
Summarize the capabilities and limitations of total stations, digital levels, GNSS static and RTK methods, and their appropriate use in boundary and control work
Identify sources of systematic and random error in angle, distance, and elevation measurement and state a mitigation for each
Your checkpoint
A control and instrumentation reference sheet listing accuracy standards, closure tolerances, and error sources with mitigations, plus one fully computed level loop adjustment
Land Surveying Fundamentals and Practice (source does not enumerate content domains)
Describe the public land survey system as it applies to Hawaii and explain how Hawaii's land tenure history, including the Great Mahele and government surveys, differs from mainland PLSS practice
Explain the purpose and content of a record of survey, boundary survey map, and corner record under Hawaii requirements
Outline the steps of a boundary survey from research through field evidence, analysis, and monumentation
List the professional and ethical obligations of a licensed surveyor in Hawaii, including sealing, certification, and continuing education requirements
Your checkpoint
A written procedure document of at least 700 words describing a complete Hawaii boundary survey from research to monumentation, with the statutory and rule citations for each required filing
Land Surveying Fundamentals and Practice (source does not enumerate content domains)
Compute geodetic positions, state plane coordinates, and scale factors, and explain map projection distortion in survey practice
Solve problems converting between geographic coordinates, grid coordinates, and ground distances
Review descriptions of real property and write corrected descriptions that resolve ambiguities in calls, distances, and area
Complete a second timed sixty-question practice exam spanning all topics and compare accuracy against week four
Your checkpoint
A second timed practice score with a side-by-side comparison to week four showing accuracy gain by topic and a list of the three weakest areas
Land Surveying Fundamentals and Practice (source does not enumerate content domains)
Re-drill every missed item from weeks four and seven until each can be explained aloud without notes
Recite from memory the key Hawaii statutory and rule provisions on licensing, survey standards, and filing requirements
Complete two full-length timed practice exams under exam conditions and review every answer
Assemble a final one-page quick-reference sheet of formulas, tolerances, and legal citations to review in the days before the exam
Your checkpoint
Two full-length timed practice exams completed with scores recorded, all missed items reworked to correct reasoning, and a finalized one-page quick-reference sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Can state the boundary evidence hierarchy and the water-boundary rules from memory and cite the governing Hawaii authority for each without notes
Week 4: Scores at least 65 percent on the first timed forty-question mixed set and can compute a traverse adjustment and curve elements without reference material
Week 6: Can describe a complete Hawaii boundary survey procedure and name the required filings and ethical obligations with correct citations
Week 7: Scores at least 75 percent on the second timed sixty-question set and shows measurable improvement over week four in at least three topics
Week 8: Scores at least 80 percent on both full-length timed practice exams and can explain every previously missed item correctly