Getting ready to sit for the exam in April. Can anyone recommend any good books or review courses to help me fill in the holes so that I might be able to pass the exam. 😀 I feel I am pretty knowledgeable in most areas but coming from North Carolina my public lands knowledge is pretty limited. I took the test in October and obviously I did not pass, so any help would be greatly appreciated.
The best preparation for the exam is the exam. You should have a good handle on what may have rattled you or pushed your boundaries.
For PLSS stuff you cannot beat the BLM circulars and the manual. I get a lot of strange looks for reading reference material, but it's a great way to get familiar. You may be surprised by what your brain holds onto...
DISCLAIMER - it's been ten years since I took the exam, but to be contrarian (and speaking as someone from a colonial state who had no PLSS background when I took the exam) I'd advise to stay away from the BLM Manual.
There is just too much information, in too much depth, for someone who hasn't surveyed in the PLSS to take in from scratch when all they really want is to be able to answer 7 or 8 questions on an exam.
Between this and the PLSS chapters in "Boundary Control & Legal Principles" you should be able (or at least you used to be able) to answer most of the PLSS related questions on the PS exam
The value of this site is multiple perspectives. I certainly don't take that as contrary. We all learn different ways and the end user has to figure out what works..
Being from a colonial state too, I spent a little time on single and double proportionment, but really could have used more knowledge on how to identify the 'NE Corner of the SW township.... Kind of questions.
Really I only saw a handful of PLSS questions.
IPS Exam review
I found Surveying Solved Problems for the FS and PS exams 3rd addition by Jan Van Sickle,PLS along with Skelton Boundaries and Adjacent Properties extremely helpful.