NSPS Certified Survey Technician Level I study plan

NSPS Certified Survey Technician Level I · Give each week a clear focus.

8 weeks · About 7 hours per week

Week 1

Field Track

Define the field-survey workflow from project kickoff to field-notes handoff in your own words
Identify the major equipment classes (total station, level, GNSS, data collector) and state what each measures
Practice setting up and leveling an instrument to a repeatable routine until it becomes automatic
Explain the difference between horizontal and vertical control and why each matters

A one-page written summary of the field workflow plus a labeled sketch of instrument setup steps

Week 2

Convert between degrees-minutes-seconds and decimal degrees without a calculator aid
Compute angular closure and apply an allowable misclosure to a closed traverse
Reduce a set of field angles into bearings and azimuths
Read and interpret a sample field-notes page for angle, distance, and station data

A completed traverse-angle reduction worksheet with closure checked and adjusted

Week 3

Describe how distances are measured and corrected for temperature, tension, and sag in principle
Explain level-loop procedure and compute a simple level-loop misclosure
List the common sources of field error and how each is detected or avoided
Practice documenting field data with correct stationing, codes, and signatures

A mock field-notes packet for a level loop and a traverse, with errors flagged and corrected

Week 4

Summarize field-safety practices and the surveyor's role on a crew
Define coordinate systems, datums, and the difference between grid and ground distances
Explain how field observations become coordinates in the office
Identify what data the office needs back from the field to close a job

A written field-to-office handoff checklist covering data, metadata, and quality checks

Week 5

Compute coordinates from bearings and distances and close a traverse in the office
Perform a coordinate transformation between two local systems by hand
Explain scale factor, convergence, and when each matters
Set up and check a simple coordinate file for consistency

A closed traverse computed to coordinates with a documented closure check

Week 6

Interpret a plat and a metes-and-bounds description and extract the boundary geometry
Compute area of a closed figure using coordinates
Explain the purpose of a boundary retracement and the role of evidence
Draft a simple boundary sketch from a written description

An area computation and boundary sketch derived from a metes-and-bounds description

Week 7

Explain map projections and their effect on measured distances
Describe how a digital terrain model is built from spot elevations and breaklines
Compute cut-and-fill volumes for a simple grid using average-end-area or grid method
Interpret contour lines and slope from a sample surface

A volume computation worksheet for a small grid with a contour sketch

Week 8

Review weak areas identified in earlier deliverables and rework the two hardest problems
Assemble a one-page quick-reference sheet of formulas and definitions you must memorize
Take a timed mixed-domain practice set and score it
Write a short reflection on remaining gaps and a plan to close them

A scored timed practice set plus a personal formula quick-reference sheet

Week 2: Can reduce a closed traverse from field angles to bearings and azimuths and state the closure within an allowable tolerance

Week 4: Can explain the full field-to-office data flow and produce a handoff checklist without notes

Week 6: Can compute a closed traverse to coordinates and compute an area by coordinates with no reference

Week 8: Scores at or above a self-set passing target on a timed mixed-domain practice set and has a written gap-closing plan