Hey all, new here, hello and thanks for any help here. I stumbled on this forum in search of PS/LSIT study material. My issue is similar to the another thread but was unable to post in it for some reason. Brief Summary: I don't have any credentials in Land Surveying, but do have a BA from a UC from the 90's, yet stumbled into land surveying in 2001 after being displeased with where my post college major was taking me. I've been on field and office since then and am quite competent to run the gamut in most survey related issues (from field calcs, to boundary rectification, to legal desc, etc). I've run a survey department, scheduled surveys, preformed them, drafted them up (topographic, corner records, Record of surveys, easement legals, etc) However, I've been ruled by technology. The survey programs and CAD cogo programs has been my cruch over the years, yet I do understand what's going on in most cases (i.e. proration calcs for example). With little math taken (I believe algebra 1 was all and barely passed), the sad reality sinks in, that I'm in for it trying to get my L.S.I.T.
Since I have the experience, I want to be more valuable with some accreditation and also the ability to make more $$ in a field I'm already successful in. I'm now in my mid 40s, and have not studied since College the 90's when graduated. I suppose the root question would be : Is there a fast track here to get up to speed with my Math to pass this FS? I saw some helpful posts, and one stood out with a link to a $300+- Surveyor FS package (FSP8) I'd be willing to invest in if this can help.
I hate to admit, but I am fearful of this new multiple choice electronic test and the complexity of math involved. I don't want to give up!! Any thoughts?
Thanks!!!
Chad
Any General Land Surveying textbook should have most of what you need. In College Elementary Surveying was the intro book we used. I would look around at Amazon, you can find older textbooks for just a few bucks, the basics have not changed so why spend the money on the newest book. I had a programmed hp 33 which I found was somewhat useful. I programmed it myself in a couple of evenings, using the program from, http://www.melbard.com/files/hp33s/hp33s.htm . I thought the review manuals were a little overated, some of the folks I new relied to heavily on the manuals and were disappointed when the questions were not the same.
Jones, post: 389183, member: 10458 wrote: Any General Land Surveying textbook should have most of what you need. In College Elementary Surveying was the intro book we used. I would look around at Amazon, you can find older textbooks for just a few bucks, the basics have not changed so why spend the money on the newest book. I had a programmed hp 33 which I found was somewhat useful. I programmed it myself in a couple of evenings, using the program from, http://www.melbard.com/files/hp33s/hp33s.htm . I thought the review manuals were a little overated, some of the folks I new relied to heavily on the manuals and were disappointed when the questions were not the same.
Thanks Jones, good info. Maybe good way to start. However, Here in CA, big no no to a programmed 33, or even a stock 33 now. I will check the programs out though as I do use a 33 often. thx C
Are you sure?
http://www.bpelsg.ca.gov/applicants/calculator.shtml
Jones, post: 389186, member: 10458 wrote: Are you sure?
http://www.bpelsg.ca.gov/applicants/calculator.shtml
No not sure, I Just trusted a co-worker and never looked it up. Thanks for the link. I'm in the bare beginnings so it didn't hurt me either way.
Thank you, will look in to it.
C
Are there any community colleges around that have surveying classes? You would know most of the material, but having math/calculation homework and access to another resource (teacher) could be useful.
Also search this site for problems posted by Dave Lindell.
mkennedy, post: 389189, member: 7183 wrote: Are there any community colleges around that have surveying classes? You would know most of the material, but having math/calculation homework and access to another resource (teacher) could be useful.
Also search this site for problems posted by Dave Lindell.
The problems submitted by me are not for beginners.
Oops, I meant to add, "when you feel up to it", but forgot.
Everyone thought the "programmable" calculators were the key feature that they were not allowing. But it is the alpha-numeric feature that they are primarily against (and features that can communicate with other devices). (I believe).
Oh...and welcome aboard.
What part of CA are you in? I went through the same thing you are going through and just got my license in CA in December. I can send you some study material and help push you in the right direction, especially with math.
The 33 IS allowed in CA. I have a bunch of programs I can send you. Let me tell you, the coordiate inverse and vertical curve programs will save your butt when it comes to time taken on those questions.
I took mine in 2014. Like you I felt my cogo, trig etc...skills were lacking. I used the ppi books to study. Know how to compute interest, trig everything, close a traverse, cogo coordinates.....take food in your car, break is quick and you'll need something to eat.
I went through something similar. No survey education but over a decade of time put in before I took the test. Get the book of FS Exam questions and start going through them. That's the easiest way to figure out what areas you need the most work in. I sat alone, 2-3 hours per day, 6 days per week, for three months straight, just running through the practice questions and using general survey text books to figure out how to do the things I was getting wrong. After all that, I passed on my first run through of both Fundamentals and Principals. It was a lot of work but well worth it in the end. It also does well to teach you about the test itself, how they word questions, how they set up the answers...
I would suggest www.khanacademy.org to brush up on your algebra, trig, and geometry. This is college level math presented in a way that's easily understandable on a user friendly, free site.
The program calculators surprises me. For all exams in Cali (mid-2000s era), they made us reset the calculator if there were any programs. Intetesting.
At any rate, trigonometry and geometry will help you the most, really. Study that, take a class, private tutor, etc. Nearly everything on the exam, math wise, can be broken down using sohcahtoa, laws of sines/cosines, etc. This is how I approached the FS and PS exams and they were a breeze.
Anytime one of my guys wants to take the CST or LSIT, we start with the basics, and build from there. Good luck!
The bigger problem I had was the smaller sections, where there were 3-4 question about things that you just don't come across in your day to day career, ie: Polaris Observations, Sun Shots, Historic Equipment Questions, Sec/Cosec... That's where the practice exams will really show you the areas you don't know about. 3-4 questions on a somewhat obscure topic may not seem to matter but if there are 5 sections like that, now you're up to 15-20 questions that are things you're not seeing every day. Obviously math and trig and geometry are paramount, but don't forget the little odds and ends either. They add up.
CSTIII practice test is free at NSPS and is a good prep for the FS; for that matter the CSTI & II couldn't hurt either:
Go to Programs>Certified Survey Technician>Sample Exams
The actual exams are a lot more rigorous than these samples but the math is representative. The biggest difference from what I've seen between the CSTIII and the FS is that the FS has a lot more boundary questions.
I remember the 500 survey math problem books.
Knowing how to solve triangles and curves with 3 known elements is a plus.
I used DMD methods on my tests.
good luck
You may want to go to this http://lss-seminars.com/Fall_2016/Fall_2016_FS_Page.html&apos ;">FS/PS review course coming October 2016. It includes a fully programmed HP35S, and is used extensively in the course teachings.
Hoggster, post: 389227, member: 12065 wrote: What part of CA are you in? I went through the same thing you are going through and just got my license in CA in December. I can send you some study material and help push you in the right direction, especially with math.
The 33 IS allowed in CA. I have a bunch of programs I can send you. Let me tell you, the coordiate inverse and vertical curve programs will save your butt when it comes to time taken on those questions.
Great thanks! I was hoping to find someone who has recently taken the exam. I'm In Southern Cal, I'd rather not disclose exact location on a public forum. Could you message me?