Tennessee State Specific

TAPS Boundary Law Book

They also put on a exam seminar. Not sure if it also a review for the national test.

It has been a long time (Fall 2000) since I took the state specific exam, but here are some things I remember.

1. Know how to size a drainage culvert

2. Boundary laws of Tennessee

3. Know your minimum standards. I had to draw a simple plat showing the required elements.

4. Know the basics of a contract. I have heard some friends mention that they had to write a basic contract as opposed to a plat.

These area few things I can think of off of the top of my head.

TAPS does put on a review class at their spring conference. The TN Board of Examiners website has all of the regulations and rules that you should have printed out.

Good luck!

Moe,

Your state specific for Tennessee will include sketching a plat, multiple choice, and essay questions. There will be about 6 questions on drainage calculations, pipe sizing/ditch capacity. For most, it is time management that bites them because if you finish all of the questions but don't finish the plat, you fail. I highly recommend starting with the plat, then proceeding to the essay questions and leaving the multiple choice for last.

Know your hydrology. Manning's equation, how to read/use the different charts & graphs for determining optimum pipe sizes, calculating ditch capacity. TAPS sponsors a preparation course during their annual meeting that is most helpful.

Good luck!

It's a long way from Maine, but I always advise candidates to find out what the most important court cases on their State's boundary laws are and to get copies of them and study and understand them.

The TAPS Boundary Law Book is just that, a compilation of court cases in Tennessee. It is updated regularly. It is money well spent.

Jimmy's list is good. When I took the state specific test (spring 2002) it included drawing a plat, writing a contract, writing a metes and bounds description (map provided), questions on hydrology, state plane coordinates, and boundary law.

There are a couple versions of the plat. The one I always heard about was a shallow rectangular piece of land with lots of road frontage. The instructions tell you to divide the land into the maximum number of lots. I belive you're also expected to show bearings and distances on the lot lines, acreage, lot numbers, etc.

The version I got was an irregular five sided piece of land with no road frontage (access by easement), with contours and a spring shown. The directions for this version only required that you divide the property in a manner that would provide a suitable building area on each lot. You still needed to show all of the required elements but instead of showing actual bearings, acreage, and so forth you could just label all of the items generically.

I was so prepared for the first version that I didn't catch the difference in the instructions. I set the plat aside, finished the remainder of the test, then went back to the plat. I wasted much of the remaining time working on the map portion of the plat trying to do the impossible, then with time running out I erased it all. I ended up turning in the plat with only my name, North arrow, scale bar, and seal shown.

For three months I kicked myself, knowing that when the results came out in June that I would be retaking the state specific portion in the fall. You could've knocked me over with a feather when I called in June and found out that I'd passed all sections. I belive that a 70 was the minimum passing score and the plat was 20 or 25 percent of the total so it was possible to omit the plat and still pass if you only missed a couple other questions. I'm just glad they don't publish the scores on the face of our license. 😀

Make sure you study the PLSS.

The instructions tell you to divide the land into the maximum number of lots

You can Thank me for that word. When I took it it didn't have the word maximum in it. Or the version I had did not. So I divided the lot into two parcels and I was done. You do feel rushed. Time is the wrost enemy on that test.

I don't remember there being one question on PLSS on the TN portion. But it has been a few years. Seems like you needed to know the width of right-of-ways on roads when one is not found in the public records. Know the State Planning Regs. On pipe sizes if they don't ask for the minumum pipe size in the question, pick the largest one and move on.

I remember taking the Maine exam -- it was open book back then (1982) -- I dragged in an enormous box with a nice surveying library in it. I only used one book very briefly to look up a formula (just like in college -- you can drown in an open book exam). Four hours and 30 guys in one room, coulda heard a pin drop -- nobody got up once, even to pee.

Thanks Gentlemen. This is all great info that I needed. I talked with Ms Lori at TAPS this morning and she is sending me the TAPS Boundary Book at a cost of $25. Is the test 1-1/2 hours or two?

2 hours I believe.

I am turning in my paperwork for TN this week and I saw this thread. I know it is 4 years old so I think some stuff may have changed. I have to submit my plat with the application, also the exam is computer based now??ÿ

Does anyone have a recent experience with this exam?

Thanks

Plat? ?ÿWhat plat?

Just an example plat that meets Standards

I've been told that due to the move to computer based testing, that they've had to remove the plat, legal description, and sample contract writing.?ÿ While they can't test them like they used to I'd bet they've added questions to cover those areas as thoroughly as possible.

There is an example plat on the Board's website under the application page. The plat(s) is/are a part of the application. I do not know if the plat is still a part of the actual exam, but it is definitely a part of the application.

Be aware of the new GPS regs.

Jeez, no more 19 sided traverse by double meridian to close without a calculator??ÿ?ÿ Or Square roots to figure by hand??ÿ?ÿ You guys have it easy now!?ÿ LOL

Well, that was in 1982......