MI Land Surveyor study plan

Reconstruct the federal rectangular survey hierarchy from principal meridian down to aliquot part, from memory, on a blank sheet, and label where Michigan lands fit.

Classify 20 boundary-evidence scenarios (monument vs. distance vs. bearing vs. area vs. course) using the priority-of-calls rules and the 'follow the footsteps of the original surveyor' retracement doctrine.

Solve 10 problems on junior/senior rights, adjoins, excess-and-deficiency, and riparian/meander boundaries, showing each step and the controlling principle.

Draft a one-page evidence-hierarchy checklist you will apply to every boundary question on the exam.

Map the Survey and Remonumentation Act (Public Act 74 of 1990) - county remonumentation boards, the corner-recordation process, and how recorded corner records function as evidence in a retracement.

Diagram the plat path under the Land Division Act (Public Act 591 of 1996) from pre-application through preliminary plat, final plat approval, and recording with the register of deeds.

Distinguish the surveyor's statutory authority and duties under Article 20 of the Occupational Code (Public Act 299 of 1980) from what a local unit of government may require in a plat or survey ordinance.

Interpret 5 deed descriptions (metes and bounds, lot-and-block, aliquot-part, and one with an obvious ambiguity) and write the legal reasoning for each interpretation.

Complete a closed-book Michigan-law quiz of at least 30 items and log every miss by statute or principle.

Convert 5 test points among geographic coordinates, geocentric coordinates, and Michigan State Plane coordinates, showing grid scale factor, elevation factor, and combined factor at each step.

Reduce two ground baselines longer than 2,000 feet to grid and state the ppm effect of ignoring the combined factor on a boundary of that length.

Contrast NAD27, NAD83(2011), and the modernized terrestrial reference frame in terms of epoch and datum tag, and explain how a datum shift perturbs record coordinates.

Design a control network for a 40-acre site, specifying order/class, redundancy, geometry, and the accuracy standard you would hold the survey to.

Work 15 problems on ellipsoid geometry, geoid separation, curvature and refraction, and map projection distortion.

Plan a static GNSS campaign for 6 control points: session lengths, baseline geometry, satellite windows, and independent checks.

Run a least-squares traverse or network adjustment on a 5-station dataset and interpret residuals, error ellipses, reference variance, and the chi-square test.

Evaluate a differential leveling loop for misclosure against an appropriate allowable limit and identify the likely source of any error.

Explain the processing steps and quality indicators of an OPUS-style static solution and state what you would check before accepting the coordinates.

Complete a timed 40-question geodesy and control quiz without notes.

Compute and tabulate stakeout data for simple, compound, spiral, crest, and sag curves across 8 field-style scenarios, including station equations and sight distance checks.

Write the setup-and-check procedure for a total station or GNSS base/rover layout, including a resection and an independent check shot on known control with a stated tolerance.

Compute cut/fill volumes for a corridor by average end area and by prismoidal method and explain the difference between the two results.

Build an as-built documentation checklist covering horizontal location, elevation, utilities, and tolerance verification for a roadway and a sanitary line.

State the accuracy you would expect from machine control, robotic total station layout, and laser scanning, and match each method to a construction tolerance.

Sequence a Michigan subdivision through the Land Division Act: pre-application, preliminary plat, final plat, local approvals, and recordation, noting the surveyor's deliverable at each stage.

Lay out a 20-lot concept on a 40-acre parcel that satisfies typical zoning setbacks, frontage, road width, and stormwater requirements.

Compute lot areas, frontage, and density, check them against the ordinance, and flag any lot that would be nonconforming.

Write a closed boundary description for the plat perimeter and prove closure at 1:10,000 or better.

Compare plat, site condominium (Public Act 59 of 1978), and unplatted land division as delivery methods for the same parcel, listing the survey implications of each.

Outline the licensing and disciplinary process for surveyors in Michigan - complaint, investigation, administrative hearing, sanctions, and continuing-education obligations.

Distinguish negligence, breach of contract, and misrepresentation, then apply the standard of care to three fact patterns involving boundary and construction work.

Prepare a scope of work and fee estimate for a boundary survey and for an ALTA/NSPS land title survey, identifying the assumptions and exclusions that limit liability.

Answer 10 ethics vignettes by naming the specific rule or principle that controls each answer.

Re-drill the highest-frequency misses from weeks 1–6 using your error notebook, then re-quiz those topics.

Sit two full-length timed mock exams covering all five domains and record a score for each domain separately.

Reduce your open-issue list to five items or fewer and close each one with a targeted drill.

Reproduce from memory the evidence hierarchy, the Michigan statutory flow for platting and corner recordation, the combined-factor computation, and the curve formulas.

Review the entire error notebook end to end and confirm that every entry has been re-tested after the miss.

Assemble a single one-page formula and statute sheet you can mentally reconstruct on exam day.