IA Land Surveyor study plan

Draft a one-page outline of boundary-surveying doctrine covering unwritten rights, acquiescence, practical location, and adverse possession, citing at least one Iowa case or statute for each doctrine

Explain in writing how junior/senior rights, intent of the parties, and calls for monuments versus calls for courses and distances resolve a conflicting boundary

Solve eight written boundary-priority problems (monument vs. distance vs. area vs. coordinate) and record the reasoning chain for each

Build a personal glossary of 30 boundary-law terms with one-sentence definitions drawn from your own reading

Summarize Iowa boundary and survey statutes (retracement, corner record, survey recording duties) into a two-page annotated checklist

Compare the roles of the Iowa Board of Examiners for Land Surveyors and the state licensing statute, listing the specific rules a licensee must follow on a boundary survey

Analyze four ethics scenarios (conflict of interest, client pressure to alter a boundary, unauthorized practice, confidential records) and write the defensible course of action for each

Draft the standard elements of a boundary survey report and a surveyor's professional seal block

Diagram the PLSS hierarchy from principal meridian and baseline through township, section, and aliquot parts, annotating the Iowa-specific base lines and meridians

Compute the aliquot-part description and acreage for six given parcel descriptions, including fractional lots and government lots

Explain how section subdivision proceeds (half-section, quarter-section, quarter-quarter) and where the rules create irregular lots

Solve five corner-restoration problems applying proportioning and single-proportion methods, showing each computation step

Describe the difference between NAD27, NAD83, and modern NATRF/NSRS realizations and explain how datum changes affect coordinate values

Compute state plane coordinates from given geodetic positions and explain map projection scale factors and convergence

Set up and check a control network using differential leveling and GNSS static/RTK observations, documenting redundant measurements and misclosure

Explain geoid models, orthometric versus ellipsoid heights, and how to convert between them in a project

Perform traverse computations (bearings, azimuths, latitudes/departures, linear misclosure, precision ratio, compass and transit rule adjustments) for two closed traverses

Compute areas by coordinate method and by double meridian distance, then verify the two methods agree

Solve horizontal and vertical curve problems (PI station, tangent, curve length, deflection angles, elevations) for one horizontal and one vertical curve

Convert between degrees-minutes-seconds and decimal degrees, and propagate coordinate computations through a 4-point traverse without arithmetic error

Lay out a 20-lot subdivision on a given tract, applying zoning setbacks, minimum lot area, frontage, and right-of-way standards, and compute the resulting lot areas and street centerline geometry

Draft plat notes and a title-block checklist that satisfy typical Iowa platting and recording requirements

Plan a construction stakeout sequence (control, offset stakes, grade) for a roadway and a building pad, including checks for blunder detection

Compute cut/fill quantities from cross sections and explain how to document as-built conditions

Write a business-practice summary covering contracts, scope of services, liability exposure, record retention, and Iowa licensing renewal requirements

Apply Iowa Board rules to five disciplinary-style scenarios and state the rule violated and the correct conduct

Review your boundary-law notes and re-solve any week 1 problems you missed, documenting what changed in your reasoning

Draft a client engagement letter outline that limits scope and defines deliverables for a boundary survey

Take two timed 100-question mixed-domain practice exams and log every miss by domain and error type (knowledge, computation, misread)

Re-drill your three weakest domains from the error log until each reaches 80 percent on a fresh 25-question set

Recite from memory the boundary-priority hierarchy, PLSS subdivision rules, traverse adjustment steps, and the Iowa rule set most likely to be tested

Build a one-page exam-day reference card of formulas and rule citations you are permitted to bring or must memorize