Activity Feed › Discussion Forums › Education & Training › I took the FS Exam today.
The 1 man crews don’t help but it seems to me guys are so busy making money they don’t really want to mentor anyway. I’ve heard plenty a PLS say they’d like to find another 1-man army PLS so they could take on more projects, not so much someone to show how to do things the right way.
I took the PS 9 days ago. 2 days ago I received an email stating that I passed. Also took the PA state-specific exam 4 days ago, and while checking out of the testing center, received a printout saying I passed.
The only updated practice test is the one directly from NCEES. The rest I recommend going through them anyways but they are pretty outdated and just serve to refresh the formulas and general concepts, it is no longer that test where you ‘need to find the inverse of 2 pts’. The horizontal curve exercises on the test are mind blowing and if you go in with the mentality of just applying formulas to solve them with a programmed calculator you’re going to fail. A few weeks before I took mine I drew a horizontal curve in AutoCAD and just played with dimensioning angles from any conceivable angle and solving crazy problems made on my own, because really, none of the practice test had the same level of difficulty of COGO or horizontal curve problems like the actual test.
The PS was a much easier test though. My advise, go through the NCEES practice test and reinforce it with the Reference Manual. The FS is the hardest one.
Back when I took the exams (’97-’98) there was the “1001” and “Land Surveyor in Training Sample Exam” books, which were immense help to me. There were other sample exam books which I used – noteably the NCEES version – but they just didn’t have the breadth of questions to truly prepare me.
Today there is Surveying Solved Problems for the FS and PS Exams (which replaces 1001) and Fundamentals of Surveying Sample Exam (which replaces Land Surveyor in Training Sample Exam). Not cheap. It’s an investment.
It sounds like you relied on a single book for your studying. Get Brown’s 2 books as well. I tell people to get early Curt Brown editions of Boundary Control & Legal Principles and Evidence and Procedure for Boundary Location. These can be had for around $5, plus shipping. After you have those under your belt go for the latest Walt Robbilard editions.
I think Brown’s books would be useful for the PS, but not for the FS.
I rented the Browns books when I was in school and I chose not to keep them at the time because there was a huge number of typos in them. It was truly strange, like they did absolutely no editing. I kind of regret it now since they’d be nice to have on-hand. I’ll have to poke around the web and see if I can get some used copies for cheap.
I felt the same way when I was done. Like me, you might be pleasantly surprised when you actually get your results. Keep your head up!
The writing is pretty horrendous too. They are good resources, but if I had a dollar for everytime someone misapplied something in one of those books, failed to look up pertinent case law, or applicable statutes that contradicted Brown’s general principles….
As far as difficulty goes, I thought the FS exam I took was much more challenging than the national PS exam. I was thoroughly unsure if I had passed or not even though I finished early on both morning and afternoon sessions. I have yet to figure out why I spent so much useless effort second-guessing myself after the exam, but I did.
I agree with Gochnour44, you may indeed be surprised with the results when you receive them.
The only superior evidence is that which you haven’t yet found.Re-stressing that the first recommendation is for early editions of BC&LP and E&P. Half the length of more recent, Robillard edited, editions. More focused on basic principles. Practically a different book than the current editions. And easily available for little more than the cost of shipping.
Never give up!
Never give up, never surrender:
Looks like a better outcome than you expected. Congrats!
What would be your advise on what study material to pick up, to prepare for the FS exam.
Thanks!
I went front to back a couple of times with Surveyor Reference Manual, 6th Ed https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591264855/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_U4klDb2GHHS01 and ordered the two available practice exams. Honestly some of the questions were out of left field even with studying.
Got it, Thank you!
Also wanted to mention http://www.khanacademy.org if you need to brush up on any math, it comes in handy.
The best experience you can get in writing the FS exam, is to write the FS exam. Now you have an idea what to expect for next time you sit for it.
(Fingers crosses for you though)
- Posted by: @thebionicman
You also need to purchase practice exams that match the current exam. I have some from 1990 that are great for teaching techs. They are all but useless for FS exam prep.
Good luck, Tom
Anybody else finding this as well?
I have some older practice exams and a newer one from NCEES and there seems to be a helluva difference in the way the questions are presented. The newer questions seem to attempt to mislead or confuse.
@csk21 There is no attempt to mislead or confuse the examinees on the FS exam. Things change over time and referring to exam prep material from 10-15 years ago or older will be only minimal help in preparing. Test plan specifications change every 5-6 years not to mention the format for how the exams are delivered.
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