Mapping, Platting, and Control Surveys
Mapping and platting
A plat must communicate boundary geometry, monumentation, and legal intent clearly. Know the standard elements: title, owner and surveyor identification, date, scale, north arrow, bearings and distances, curve data, lot and block designations, areas, adjoining rights-of-way, easements, building lines, dedications, signatures, and the surveyor's seal. A common exam trap is a plat that looks complete but omits a basis of bearings or fails to tie to a durable control monument. Another trap is treating a subdivision plat as a mere drawing; in many jurisdictions an approved and recorded plat is a conveyance and creates rights.
Control surveys
Control work requires a defined horizontal and vertical datum, redundant observations, and an accuracy statement. Know the difference between geodetic and assumed control, and between horizontal and vertical control. For mapping, relative accuracy between adjacent points often matters more than absolute accuracy. Questions may test whether a control network is adequate for the project or whether a single GNSS observation is sufficient.
Worked example
A subdivision plat shows lot lines and distances but no basis of bearings. A surveyor cannot reliably retrace the plat from the drawing alone. The correct response is to research the recorded plat, field evidence, and any controlling deed or ordinance; do not invent a bearing basis.
Rule of thumb
Every plat should answer three questions: where is it, what controls it, and what was monumented? If any answer is missing, flag the plat as deficient.