A little background, I have a B.S.?ÿ in Surveying Engineering from PSU. I have been out of college for 10 years. And I have around 15 years of surveying experience, albeit mostly in the construction side of things.
?ÿI am scheduled to take the PS exam in March, and have approval to take the PA portion whenever I schedule it. Thus far i have been concentrating on the PS portion if the exam, i read both Brown/Robillard?ÿbooks and GPS for land surveyor by Jan Van Sickle cover to cover. I am now working through the surveying solved problems booklet, I also have the older 1001 solved problems book. I do have the NCEES practice exam also. Is there any other good material that I should look at for this?
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For the state part, I bought the PA manual of practice, which I will try and read a lot of before the exam. I also bought a few stormwater books as I have little stormwater design experience.?ÿ Is there any other recommended books or pamphlets that I should review and take into the exam with me??ÿ
No one has any other suggestions on material?
Here is the old state specific syllabus.?ÿ I took the last paper exam, so I don't know what the new exam is like, but a former coworker who failed the last paper exam and?ÿ passed the first computer exam told me that the new exam is substantially easier.?ÿ
There would be no way for anyone to pass the exam I took without a through understanding of storm drain/ storm water. There were also questions on sanitary sewer design, septic design & required septic setbacks, sediment control and erosion, etc.?ÿ Probably 50% boundary & law questions that are unique to PA (mostly straight from the chapter in Knut's book that lays out the differences between PA and other state's laws - like sequential conveyances in a platted subdivision) and 50% engineering surveys for the test I took?ÿ ?ÿ
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I took the state portion twice...first time got a 72 (needed 75 to pass). Then I took a stormwater course and bought Knud's book, and got a 92. CRITICAL to know the stormwater portion. And there are of course weird oddities about PA boundary laws and history that you will only know after you read the book. So those are the two things I would concentrate on. Actually, Knud's book is fascinating (at least to me). I sat down and read the whole thing.?ÿ
For the state part, you should have been at the PA Survey conference last week for their stormwater review. Did you not have the hydraulics and hydrology course at PSU? I have Knud's book but did not use it. For the PA portion, stormwater, culverts and horizontal and vertical curves are needed. Be able to use stations and offsets, pipe slopes and highway data to determine pipe crossings and cover problems. I have helped survey applicants over?ÿthe years with review material.
The stormwater material you need is available free on line. It would not hurt to know some soil erosion and sediment control methodology.
Paul in PA, PE, PLS
For the state part, you should have been at the PA Survey conference last week for their stormwater review. Did you not have the hydraulics and hydrology course at PSU? I have Knud's book but did not use it. For the PA portion, stormwater, culverts and horizontal and vertical curves are needed. Be able to use stations and offsets, pipe slopes and highway data to determine pipe crossings and cover problems. I have helped survey applicants over?ÿthe years with review material.
The stormwater material you need is available free on line. It would not hurt to know some soil erosion and sediment control methodology.
Paul in PA, PE, PLS
I did not have hydrology course, unfortunately, I either had a time conflict with another class, or had chosen other elective courses. I have the engineering stuff covered well, as that is what I do daily. I work for a major highway/site construction company, and work as a 1 man crew.?ÿ So, all of the pipe calculations, station/offset, highway data etc should be fairly easy for me. I feel like I have a good understanding of the legal information for the national portion, I will read Knuds book to freshen up on the PA specific stuff.?ÿ
As far as the stormwater stuff goes, I have a basic understanding of the subject but no direct use or practice thus far. I did buy two books that were for sale on the PSLS web site: Urban Hydrology and Hydraulics, and?ÿ Stormwater Quality,?ÿ and Low Impact Development and Sustainable Stormwater Management.?ÿ I plan in reading these, and figuring out the information that I need to learn to use on the exam.?ÿ My understanding is that the exam is still open book, so I will likely take these 2 texts with me.?ÿ
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I also read somewhere that the DEP manuals for sewage, and E&S were good things to take along so I will probably review and take them with me as well, and I plan on taking Knud's book as well as The basic Wolf/Ghilani surveying text. Hopefully that will cover all of my bases.?ÿ
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I found this online when I was studying for the PA exam in 2016.?ÿ The boundary related questions on the exam were VERY similar to those in the attachment?ÿ
Good News, I took the PS Exam on Friday. I just got results today and I passed. On to the PA PLS portion. Thanks for the suggestions on what to study. Any further suggestions are also appreciated.
Congratulations on the PS exam!?ÿ
@john-hamilton
which stormwater class did you take? and what is the best stormwater reference material to bring/study for the exam?
