CSLB Cadastral Surveying study plan

Define the elements of adverse possession, prescriptive easement, and boundary by agreement, and write a one-paragraph distinction for each.

Rank the hierarchy of boundary evidence (natural monuments, artificial monuments, course and distance, area/quantity) and justify each position with a stated rationale.

Explain junior versus senior rights, acquiescence, estoppel, practical location, and unity-of-title doctrines, giving one worked fact pattern for each.

Differentiate accretion, reliction, erosion, and avulsion, and predict the boundary outcome in six short riparian or littoral scenarios.

List the elements required for a valid conveyance of real property and identify which defects are curable versus fatal.

Classify monument types by evidentiary weight and state the conditions under which each controls over a deed call.

Describe the procedural steps for retracement when a corner is found, disturbed, lost, or obliterated, and when a record versus measured conflict arises.

Apply the rules for proportional and single-proportion repositioning to four written lost-corner fact patterns and defend each result.

Resolve eight conflicting-evidence scenarios (monument versus distance, deed versus plat, occupancy versus record) in a written decision format.

Solve ten metes-and-bounds retracement descriptions by hand, computing each closure and flagging any misdescription.

Map the Public Land Survey System framework, including principal meridian, base line, township and range numbering, section numbering, and aliquot-part subdivision rules.

Compute acreage and write correct aliquot-part legal descriptions for twenty section-subdivision exercises, including fractional and government lots.

Explain the treatment of meander lines, meandered water boundaries, closing corners, standard parallels, and guide meridians in a written outline.

Apply single and double proportioning to four hypothetical lost-section-corner scenarios and record the assumptions used.

Distinguish original government survey evidence from later resurvey evidence and state which controls when they conflict.

Contrast race, notice, and race-notice recording statutes and determine priority of interest in eight written fact patterns.

Trace a thirty-year chain of title for a sample parcel using a recorder index and identify every easement, lien, reservation, and reversionary interest encountered.

Distinguish warranty, quitclaim, grant, and trustee deeds, and list the elements that make a legal description sufficient for recordation.

Interpret plat notes, dedications, vacations, and setback callouts, and explain how each affects a parcel boundary.

Identify what constitutes constructive notice versus inquiry notice and apply both to three described fact situations.

Describe monument-setting and perpetuation procedures, including what must be recorded after setting a corner and who may file a corner record.

Compute and adjust a closed traverse using the compass rule, report the closure ratio, and compute the enclosed area by the coordinate method.

Rank the sources of field measurement error (instrument, refraction, centering, prism constant, and observation) and state a mitigation for each.

Apply positional-tolerance and accuracy-ratio standards to decide whether a measured position is acceptable for recordation.

Explain field procedures for locating and preserving existing monuments before construction or grading disturbs them.

Apply minimum lot area, width, frontage, and setback requirements to sketch a ten-lot subdivision layout and compute each resulting lot area.

Check a subdivision plat for closure, curve-data consistency, and lot-area accuracy by computing R, delta, length, chord, and tangent for five curves.

Resolve a contested boundary using the evidence hierarchy and write a boundary-resolution memorandum stating the basis for the decision.

Identify common plat defects and note them on a written exception list with the corrective action for each.

Explain how easements, building envelopes, and lot-line adjustments interact with minimum-standard compliance.

Explain map projections, grid azimuth, convergence angle, and scale factor, and convert among geographic, State Plane, and UTM coordinates for five worked examples.

Compute grid distance from ground distance using a combined factor and verify the result by the reverse calculation.

Interpret positional-accuracy statements, metadata, datum epochs, and epoch transformation issues, and state when each matters to a boundary survey.

List the statutory duties of a licensed surveyor, including sealing, signing, recordation, continuing competence, and mandatory reporting obligations.

Apply an ethics decision framework to five scenarios involving conflicts of interest, scope of practice, and client or third-party reliance.

Complete two full-length timed practice exams under exam conditions and score each against a corrected answer key.

Re-drill the twenty most frequently missed concepts from the running error log until each is answered correctly twice in a row.

Rebuild the doctrine reference cards and formula sheet from memory, then check them against source notes for gaps.

Practice pacing and flagging strategy on a fifty-question timed set to confirm time per question stays within budget.