Hey guys,
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I am Ryan and I am getting ready to start studying for the FS and would like some good back up! Currently I have set up a plan for my study but let me give you some background before I get into my study plan. Currently I am a Civil 3D technician at an architecture firm and have been using Civil 3D for 2 years, I have written a few legal descriptions and have worked on a few ALTA's but my main focus has been on oil & gas, subdivision as-builts, stake data. I have also spent about a year out in the field pounding stakes and working on boundaries but when I was out in the field I was a third wheel completing my co-op credits so as for how much I got out of the experience it was not as much as I would have liked.
Currently study guide and material's
STUDY
I have planned to take 6 months to go through the materials and math, plan to study 3-4 times a week one day on one day off, times of study very based on workload and life but assume between 1.5-3 hours a night. I don't watch to much tv so that should be no issue lol.?ÿ
BOOKS
- Brown's Boundary Control and Legal Principles (7th edition, Walter G. Robillard & Donald A. Wilson)
- Construction Surveying and Layout (3rd edition, Wesley G. Crawford)
- Evidence and Procedures for Boundary Location ( 6th edition, Walter G. Robillard, Donald A. Wilson and Curtis M. Brown)
- Basic Technical Mathematics with Calculus (Allyn J. Washington)
- Original Ohio Land Subdivisions, Volume 3 of the final report, Ohio Cooperative topographic survey ( C.E. Sherman, C. E.)
- Writing Legal Descriptions in Conjunction with Survey Boundary Control ( Wattles)
- 1001 solved Surveying Fundamentals Problems second edition (Jan Van Sickle, PLS. (given to me by boss))
I am looking for some advice on what I need to study for math since it has been a little while since I have taken a math class but I was always very good at math so I just need a little brush up. I also would like some opinions on my study material and what I could be missing or if any of my material is out of date and if I need to get an updated version of the material. I appreciate all the help that I can get get, hope to see some newly licensed surveyors comment!
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Thank you in advance.
Hi Ryan,
I would add the Manual of Surveying Instructions, by the BLM.?ÿ
I think that is a good list of reference material.?ÿ Can you take some classes with your state surveying society??ÿ In my state we had an unlicensed member (associate) membership and I took as many continuing ed. classes as possible through there.
Can you calculate a boundary without a data collector or PC??ÿ I found the steps to calculating a Compass Rule Adjustment, with only a scientific calculator, to be very beneficial.?ÿ Know how to use your trig., curves and cogo as tools for finding the corners on the ground.?ÿ
Also, if you can't work field surveying at your current job, volunteer to help a local surveyor on the weekends, even without pay.?ÿ The nuances of what makes a boundary line, or property corner are tough to teach in a classroom and first hand practical experience is paramount.?ÿ If you want to learn surveying, show up and work for free (within reason) and the experience will come with it.
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I always recommend that, with the Brown's Books (BC&LP, E&P) that you get early editions to study for the FS. These can be had from online used book sellers for a very few bucks. The latest editions have become more and more bloated as time goes by, IMO. For FS study, the early editions are easier to digest and perfectly valid for general principles.?ÿ
1000 Solved Survey .... was a great resource in it's time. But it's out of date now. It is still being updated and published by it's original author, but under a different name. Look for Surveying Solved Problems, 5th Edition.
General principles of boundary law don't change much over time. Technical subjects related to measurement science do.
You are going to need an understanding of the PLSS. Books focused on Ohio are going to be too specific to be good for a national fundamentals test. Trying to learn about the PLSS from the Manual of Survey Instructions, which is indisputably the bible on the the subject, will be like drinking from a firehose. I have picked up several online things over the years that have been helpful to me. Also bits and pieces from?ÿ various general texts. Things are everywhere on the subject. But I don't have a specific recommendation.
The Caltrans videos are still out there for the googling and are well worth the price.?ÿ?ÿ
I think that the only book I had was the Land Surveyor's Reference Manual, by Andrew Harbin.
And learn to figure the bearing, distance, angle, and slope between point coordinates.
I used these three (older editions) and worked every problem, every chapter, twice. The FS is 8 hours of math so focus your energy on that. There will be a small number boundary questions, and those that are on it will be very broad. Again, math, math, math.?ÿ
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Just took both the FS & PS exams earlier this year. Google some of mine & others FS/PS exam posts for the RPLS Today forums. My advice would be this:
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Buy the PPI2Pass bundle & spend a good 4-6hours reviewing what the specs are for each exam and which books cover what topics. Then I??d say at a minimum take 1-2 months & study the practice problems for at least 1 hour or so every other day. Know your calculator well.
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In regards to your specific case I??d highly advise that you shadow a surveyor for another year or so to get the necessary exposure before you start sealing work. I worked with various surveyors for a very long time throughout my career essentially doing boundary, topographic, ALTA surveys, land development & construction staking/as-builts. I??m coming from an civil engineer??s background before I became licensed as a surveyor but I??ll be the first to admit that I learn something new almost weekly and there??s something to be said for the experience a lot of these guys have & are typically happy to share. Become involved in your local surveyors society and continue to read up on this forum to learn more. Ask questions when googling doesn??t yield answers to things you might need more help with
@norman-oklahoma @ryan-lubansky I've got an index of links to the old CalTrans workbook PDFs which are a great resource, https://github.com/elil/Caltrans
@ryan-lubansky, the advice from @ncsudirtman is good.?ÿ I'll add some links to that:
https://surveyorconnect.com/community/education-training/fs-exam-2/
https://surveyorconnect.com/community/education-training/fs-exam-prep-courses/
https://surveyorconnect.com/community/education-training/fs-exam-prep/
https://surveyorconnect.com/community/education-training/calculators/
and I just found this searching old threads but haven't used the material myself, http://www.jerrymahun.com/index.php/home/open-access
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Generally your resources and study plan go far beyond the FS and include much of the studying for the PS.?ÿ If you're studying for both exams (or for the PS shortly after the FS), then it is all good studying.?ÿ For just the FS, I would focus on math, knowing your calculator, the practice exams (and solved problems books), and some basic surveying principles.
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Taking the FS (and PS) are just some of the steps to becoming licensed.?ÿ If becoming licensed is your goal, you will want to look at your state requirements and how you will attain those as well.?ÿ
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Happy studying, Eli
Some stuff that I neglected to mention that helped a lot for me... tab out ALL of the topics that NCEES gives for the FS/PS Exam Specifications. You will find the majority of these topics in either the Surveyor Reference Manual or the book Surveying Solved Problems. This was a crucial step for me to start being able to see where my weakest areas were the week leading up to the exam. I also took off work for a few days before both the PS & FS (granted things were slower then due to COVID regs). I also frequently looked on the Pearson VUE website to see if slots had opened up sooner (got lucky with the PS & took it a month earlier than scheduled).
Buy your books used to save you some money. eBay or Amazon or elsewhere but don't spend full price on something new like I did as the material doesn't really change. I regret now having done so but it's done now. These sites also have a lot off the other books that guys on here recommend & sometimes you can find them for a steal?ÿ
As for calculators, I will gladly admit that RPN calculators like the HP-35s & the older HP-11 or HP-48 that surveyors like to use are superior machines for this type of work. But I'm a millennial (31yrs old now) and unfortunately a product of the public school system & a university that pushed Texas Instrument calculators on us really hard so I was struggling to learn RPN in just a couple weeks while working 60+hours a week with a wife & kid. I eventually gave up on the RPN while studying as I realized I wasn't going to grasp it before exam day for the FS so I took my older TI-30XIIS for the test. Granted, there were certain questions where the canned COGO programs & ease of data entry on a HP-35s would have shined but I was able to use the more cumbersome TI calculator just fine.?ÿ
Regarding PLSS study - this book, "Surveying", by Charles Breed has a chapter on the PLSS that was very useful to me. The rest of the book is rather hopelessly out of date.?ÿ ?ÿ
I am looking for some advice on what I need to study for math since it has been a little while since I have taken a math class but I was always very good at math so I just need a little brush up.
There are quite a number of on-line math courses available, many of them free.?ÿ
