LA Land Surveyor study plan

Define and distinguish the core retracement doctrines (monument control, original vs. subsequent surveys, intent of the original surveyor) and state where each applies

Classify boundary evidence into natural monuments, artificial monuments, courses and distances, and area, and rank them by evidentiary weight

Solve at least 10 proportioning and single-proportion problems involving lost corners on straight and curved lines

Explain how California case law treats conflicting monuments versus record measurements in a retracement

Reconstruct a full boundary from a written deed description without any figure, resolving calls in priority order

Analyze water-boundary and riparian/littoral questions, including meander lines, accretion, reliction, and avulsion

Apply rules for easements, rights-of-way, and prescriptive or agreed boundaries to a fact pattern

Compute the effect of a discrepancy between record distance and measured distance on a closing boundary

Outline the legal elements of a valid deed and identify which defects are curable versus void

Explain the surveyor's duty of care, standard of care, and the four elements of negligence in a boundary dispute

Describe the California boundary-monument recordation process and the surveyor's role in it

Draft a short engagement scope that limits liability and clarifies deliverable standards

Convert between geodetic, State Plane, and ground coordinates, and compute a combined scale factor for a given project

Distinguish NAD27, NAD83, and modern datum realizations and state the practical consequence of mixing them

Select the correct instrument and procedure for a stated accuracy requirement (total station, GNSS static, RTK, level)

Compute misclosure and adjust a traverse by compass rule and by least squares, then compare the results

Outline the Subdivision Map Act process from tentative map through final map, including approval timelines and findings

Distinguish parcel maps, final maps, and lot line adjustments by applicability and filing requirements

Identify the surveyor's statutory duties in preparing and certifying a map, including monumentation obligations

Explain how conditions of approval, dedications, and exactions affect the boundary surveyor's scope

Compute photo scale, ground coverage, relief displacement, and stereoscopic parallax from given flight and camera parameters

Explain orthorectification and identify the error sources that remain after it

Interpret map projection choices and scale effects for a mapping product, including distortion at the edges of a zone

Evaluate a map's fitness for a stated purpose using accuracy standards and metadata

Set out a horizontal and vertical alignment from control, including stationing, offsets, and cut/fill checks

Explain construction staking tolerances and how to document as-built conditions

Compare vector and raster data models and choose an appropriate one for a parcel-mapping use case

Describe coordinate system handling, datum transformation, and metadata requirements in a GIS that ingests survey data

Diagnose weak domains from practice-test results and re-drill the two lowest-scoring areas

Re-derive the highest-yield formulas (proportioning, scale factor, traverse closure, photo scale) from memory

Work a full mixed-topic practice exam under timed conditions and review every miss

Compile a final one-page reference sheet of rules, formulas, and case-law principles for exam day