By: Sarah Yang, R.P.L.S.
On June 1 2015, I received news that I had passed my Texas Registered Professional Land Surveyor Exam, a goal I had dreamed of for over ten years. I began preparing for the Texas Registered Professional Land Surveyor Exam immediately after I passed the Surveyor-in-Training Exam in 2009. My study techniques included attending local study groups, completing practice problems, and reviewing recommended study materials. I finally felt prepared to sit for the Texas Registered Professional Land Surveyor Exam on April 17, 2015.
Each year approximately 150 aspiring surveyors take this exam. Throughout my journey to become a Texas Registered Professional Land Surveyor I was fortunate enough to be mentored by industry leaders and surveyors who had taken the exam before me. Their wisdom helped to provide me with the foundation and knowledge needed to pass the exam. I have used my experience and hours of studying to create a list of exam taking tips to assist other aspiring Surveyors-in-Training prepare for the next step in their career.
PRIOR TO TAKING THE EXAM:
1. Attend Texas Society of Professional Surveyors Meetings and network with Registered Professional Land Surveyors in order to expand your professional experience.
2. Make sure your boundary experience as a Surveyor-in-Training is as broad as possible. If your two years of boundary experience is exclusively title surveys in platted subdivisions you may not be prepared for the exam.
3. If you struggle providing an example for your Texas Registered Professional Land Surveyor Application of one urban and one rural survey – you might not be ready for the exam.
TIPS FOR STUDYING AND PREPARING FOR EXAM DAY:
1. Set up a study plan and stick with it.
2. Dedicate time each day to studying.
3. Work sample questions provided by the Texas Board of Professional Land Surveying until you fully understand the questions and answers.
4. Join a local study group of people with diverse backgrounds to from one another.
4. When working do not only resolve the boundary for your current project, but also consider any other boundary problems. Always think about the “what if”.
5. Get the opinions of as many Registered Professional Land Surveyors as possible regarding boundary issues to anticipate.
6. There is no back-door success for this exam. Understand the study material so you can be confident no matter what they ask you.
7. Spend time working sample questions from parts of the state where you do not typically work. (ie: If you are an East Texas Surveyor, make sure you are comfortable working in West Texas railroad blocks or Rio Grande porciones.)
8. Do not use AutoCAD or data collectors for your practice questions- you will not have access to them during the exam.
9. When you are working longer analytical questions you need to read through all of the material first, then go back to the beginning of the question and start to put the deeds together. There is plenty of time provided, go slowly. Use color pencils to mark the key points on the exam questions, and make sure you understand the sequence as you put the deed work together.
10. Review with your mentors any questions or topics you do not fully understand.
11. Test yourself on your knowledge of a concept by explaining it to a friend who does not have a surveying background. If you cannot answer their questions, go back and study the material until you can.
12. Replicate exam conditions when you are practicing for the exam.
TIPS FOR EXAM DAY:
1. Be in control of as many factors as you can on the exam day. Get a good night sleep. Eat breakfast. Look for a hotel close to the exam location. Get to the exam location early. Pack a lunch. Bring extra batteries for your calculator. The exam is difficult enough without additional complications.
2. If you cannot answer an exam question, move on and return to the question later so you do not get bogged down and waste time.
3. The correct answer to the questions is given to you among other intentional distracters. If you do not know which answer to pick, try to eliminate as many obvious incorrect answers as you can to increase your odds.
4. The last day or two before the exam, try to relax and take a break so you are refreshed and ready for the exam.
Although there is no guarantee these tips will lead to success in taking the Texas Registered Professional Land Surveyor Exam, the tips were beneficial for me. If I can help or you have a question about my strategy in preparing for the exam, feel free to contact me. In 2017 the Texas Registered Professional Land Surveyor Exam will be given April 21 and October 27. Below is a list of resources that I found to be beneficial in preparing for the exam:
• The TBPLS Required Court cases
• “Selected Texas Statutes and Boundary Decisions” by Ken Gold
• “Guide to Legal Aspects of Surveying” by Andrew L. Harbin
• “The Texas Coordinate System” by Andrew L. Harbin
• “Introduction to Texas Land Surveying 5th Edition” by M E Spry
• Texas Surveyors- Survey of Surveying
• “Surveying Disputed Boundaries” Texas A&M University Short Course
• Professional Land Surveying Practices Act and General Rules of Procedures and Practices
• Colonization Law- State of Coahuila and Texas 1825
• National Colonization Law 1825
• Colonization Law Decree of 1823
• ACSM Definitions of Surveying and Associated Terms
• “Study Guide for Texas Surveyors” by B.W. Evans
• “1001 Solved Surveying Fundamental Problems” by Jan Van Sickle
About the Author: Sarah is a Project Surveyor with Landtech, Inc. She received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering with an emphasis in Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing from Wuhan University in 1991. She has over ten years of survey experience including the development of boundary, topographic, and right of way surveys for State and Federal Clients. Feel free to contact Sarah with any questions or comments at syang@landtech-inc.com or 713-861-7068.