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Copyright 2013 by NCEES. All rights reserved.

P.O. Box 1686
Clemson, SC 29633
800-250-3196
www.ncees.org
ISBN: 978-1-932613-66-7
Printed in the United States of America
November 2012

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CONTENTS
Introduction to NCEES exams .......................................................... 1
About the publisher
Updates on exam content and procedures
Exam-day schedule
Admission to the exam site
Candidate Agreement
Items permitted in closed-book exams
Scoring and reporting
Exam Specifications.......................................................................... 3
Supplied Reference Material............................................................. 7
Sample Questions ........................................................................... 33
Solutions .......................................................................................... 61
Study References ............................................................................ 73

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About the publisher

NCEES is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing professional licensure for engineers
and surveyors. It develops, administers, and scores the examinations used for engineering and surveying
licensure in the United States. It also facilitates professional mobility and promotes uniformity of the
U.S. licensure processes through services for its member licensing boards and licensees. These services
include the records program, study materials, credentials evaluations, exam administration, and more.
NCEES is composed of member licensing boards from throughout the United States and its territories.
Updates on exam content and procedures
NCEES.org is our home on the Web. Visit us there for updates on everything exam-related, including
specifications, exam-day policies, scoring, and corrections to published study materials. This is also
where you will register for the exam and find the additional steps you should follow in your state to be
approved for the exam.
Exam-day schedule
Be sure to arrive at the exam site on time. Late-arriving examinees will not be allowed into the exam
room once the proctor has begun to read the exam script. The report time for the exam will be printed on
your Exam Authorization. Normally, you will be given 1 hour between morning and afternoon sessions.
Admission to the exam site
To be admitted to the exam, you must bring two items: (1) your Exam Authorization and (2) a current,
signed, government-issued photo identification.
Candidate Agreement
The NCEES Candidate Agreement describes references and other personal materials allowed in the
exam room. It also describes other exam policies designed to protect exam content. This document will
be printed in your exam book. It is also available for download at NCEES.org. When you register to take
an NCEES exam, you are strongly encouraged to review this document, as you will be asked to agree
that you will abide by the policies and procedures it describes.
Items permitted in closed-book exams
The Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) exam is closed-book, and few personal items are allowed.
Be sure you are familiar with the requirements in the Candidate Agreement and your Exam
Authorization so that you will know what is permitted in the exam room.
The reference material supplied by NCEES is the only material allowed in the exam room. The morning
and afternoon PS exams will include reference material similar to the material shown in this book. You
will not be allowed to bring your personal copy of this material or any other documentation with you to
the exam. Basic theories, conversions, formulas, and definitions that examinees are expected to know
have not been included in the supplied references. When appropriate, NCEES will provide information
in the question statement itself to assist you in solving the problem. NCEES will periodically revise
reference material. Each PS exam will be administered using the latest version of the material.
Scoring and reporting
NCEES typically releases exam results to its member licensing boards 810 weeks after the exam.
Depending on your state, you will be notified of your exam result online through your My NCEES
account or via postal mail from your state licensing board. Detailed information on the scoring process
can be found at NCEES.org.
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SUPPLIED REFERENCE
MATERIAL

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CONVERSIONS AND OTHER USEFUL RELATIONSHIPS

12
m
39.37
* 1 international foot = 0.3048 m
* 1 in. = 25.4 mm (international)
1 mile = 1.60935 km
* 1 acre = 43,560 ft2 = 10 square chains
* 1 ha = 10,000 m2 = 2.47104 acres

* 1 U.S. survey foot =

180
* 1 rad =

1 kg = 2.2046 lb
1 L = 0.2624 gal
1 ft3 = 7.481 gal
1 gal of water weighs 8.34 lb
1 ft3 of water weighs 62.4 lb
1 atm = 29.92 in. Hg = 14.696 psi
Gravity acceleration (g) = 9.807 m/s2 = 32.174 ft/sec2
Speed of light in a vacuum (c) = 299,792,458 m/s = 186,282 miles/sec
C = (F 32)/1.8
1 min of latitude () 1 nautical mile
1 nautical mile = 6,076 ft
Mean radius of the earth 20,906,000 ft 6,372,000 m
* Denotes exact value. All others correct to figures shown.

Multiple
1018
1015
1012
109
106
103
102
101

METRIC PREFIXES
Prefix
Symbol
a
atto
f
femto
p
pico
n
nano
micro

milli
m
centi
c
deci
d

Multiple
101
102
103
106
109
1012
1015
1018

METRIC PREFIXES
Prefix
Symbol
deka
da
hecto
h
kilo
k
mega
M
giga
G
tera
T
peta
P
exa
E

QUADRATIC EQUATION
ax2 + bx + c = 0
b b 2 4ac
Roots =
2a
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OBLIQUE TRIANGLES

PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS

(x i x) 2
v2
=
n 1
n 1
where:
= Standard deviation (sometimes
referred to as standard error)
2
v = Sum of the squares of the residuals
(deviation from the mean)
n = Number of observations
x = Mean of the observations (individual
measurements xi)

Law of sines
a
b
c
= =
sin A sin B sin C
Law of cosines
a 2 = b 2 + c2 2bc cos A

sum =

or

series =
n

mean =
n

2
2
2
cos A = b + c a
2bc
ab sin C
Area =
2
2
a sin Bsin C
Area =
2sin A

Area =

12 + 22 + + n2

s ( s a )( s b)( s c)
where s = (a + b + c)/2

product =

2 2b + 2 a2

2
= x
xy

xy
2y

tan 2 =

SPHERICAL TRIANGLES

2 xy

2x

2y

where =the counterclockwise

angle from the x axis

Relative weights are inversely proportional to

variances, or:
Wa 12
a
Weighted mean:
M w = WM
W

Law of sines
sin a sin b sin c
= =
sin A sin B sin C

where:
M w = Weighted mean
WM = Sum of individual weights times
their measurements
W = Sum of the weights

Law of cosines
cos a = cos b cos c + sin b sin c cos A
Area of sphere= 4R 2
4 3
Volume of sphere=
R
3
bc sin A
Spherical excess in sec =
9.7 106 R 2
where R = Mean radius of the earth

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

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PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF SURVEYING SAMPLE QUESTIONS

1.

2.

You are a surveyor who has prepared an "as-built" plan, without certification, for a developer
showing the recently completed improvements on a parcel of land with relationships to the
boundary lines. The developer now asks you to certify the boundary locations in order to obtain
an insurance policy. If another surveyor had done the original boundary line work for that parcel,
you should provide the certification if:
(A)

the original surveyor has a good reputation

(B)

the developer allows you to resurvey the boundary line

(C)

your legal counsel so advises

(D)

the original surveyor's work was performed in recent times so that it is subject to current
standards of practice

On an ALTA/ACSM survey, you find a building that overlaps the property boundary. For this
situation, on the survey map, you show it as:
(A)

an adverse possession

(B)

a prescriptive easement

(C)

an encroachment and dimension it

(D)

a license to possess

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PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF SURVEYING SAMPLE QUESTIONS

9.

The owner of a large tract of land sold several lots over a period of many years. The surveying
work was done by different surveyors. The owners of the separate lots have quarreled continually
over the location of their property lines. You have been engaged to help resolve the difficulties and
have plotted the map shown below from the legal descriptions and plats called for in their deeds.
The original owner claims to have retained the NW quarter of the original plot.
Your office decides to prepare a perpetual map file showing probable resolutions to location
conflicts. How would you apply the controlling standards of surveying to resolve the overlap
conflict between Lots A and D?
(A)

The correct property line should be established midway between the east line of Lot A
and the west line of Lot D.

(B)

The east line of Lot A should be established by a thorough analysis of possession lines
such as fences, walls, and general actions of the parties involved.

(C)

The west line of Lot D must be made coincident with the east line of Lot A.

(D)

The location of the dividing line depends purely upon matters of acquiescence and
estoppel.

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PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF SURVEYING SAMPLE QUESTIONS

10.

A portion of the original subdivision plat of 1926 and today's resurvey notes of the same block
are shown in the figure. Iron pipes have been set on all lot corners. All angles are 90 unless
otherwise shown. The northwest corner of Lot 5 would be reset by:
(A)

measuring 100 ft from the southwest block corner on a line toward the northwest block
corner

(B)

intersecting a line through the found northwest corner of Lot 8 parallel to the south block
line with the west block line

(C)

measuring 101.25 ft from the southwest block corner on a line toward the northwest
block corner

(D)

measuring 100.00 ft along a line from the southwest block corner perpendicular to the
south block line

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PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF SURVEYING SAMPLE QUESTIONS

16.

17.

You are asked to survey a property whose description runs to the thalweg of a river. You
determine the thalweg at the:
(A)

high waterline on the bank of the river at the 100-year flood level

(B)

midpoint of the river by splitting the high waterlines

(C)

deepest part of the channel as determined by measured depth or sounding

(D)

deepest single center point of the channel proportioned between existing bank lines

You establish the correct title line between Lots 7 and 8. This title line falls 3 ft west of an old
fence. The two adjoining owners always thought that the old fence was their boundary line.
While you are performing the survey, they once again orally agree and tell you that, regardless of
your survey, they are going to mutually observe the fence line as their boundary line. In order to
best preserve the evidence discovered by your survey, it would be best to show:
(A)

only the surveyed title line on your plat of survey

(B)

the fence line and the title line on your plat of survey, and record the plat in the public
records

(C)

the fence line and the title line on your plat of survey, and add a surveyor's note
concerning the adjoiners' agreement and record the plat in the public records

(D)

the fence line and the title line on your plat of survey, and add a surveyor's note
concerning the adjoiners' agreement

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PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF SURVEYING SAMPLE QUESTIONS

33.

34.

When developing a street layout plan for a new subdivision, a surveyor should first:
(A)

run an elevation grid across the tract to be subdivided and set temporary stakes along the
proposed street centerline

(B)

consult with the local planning authorities for the existence of a street master plan for the
municipality

(C)

route streets so as to minimize the amount of excavation or fill required

(D)

develop a preliminary plan that minimizes the number of streets

A preliminary route survey is to be prepared for a proposed pipeline. Consider the following
procedures:
1. Notify all utility companies along the potential route of the client's intention to extend a
new pipeline.
2. Thoroughly examine a wide area from one terminal point to the other to identify feasible
route alternatives.
3. Perform a reconnaissance survey of the alternative routes in sufficient detail to select the
best route.
4. Use the same degree of accuracy from the first stage to the last.
5. Perform a detailed survey of the best route for the preparation of plans.
6. Prepare deeds of easements for the affected landowners.
The procedures that must be performed are:
(A)

1, 2, 4, 5 only

(B)

1, 3, 5 only

(C)

2, 3, 5 only

(D)

3, 4, 5, 6 only

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SOLUTIONS

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PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF SURVEYING SOLUTIONS

14.

Refer to diagram.

THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (B)

15.

Reference: See List F

THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (A)

16.

Reference: List F
THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (C)

17.

Reference: See List F

The title line must be shown since the agreement may be binding between present parties only.
The fence line should be shown to illustrate possession. Noting agreement and recording the plat
puts others on notice of both locations and agreement.
THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (C)

18.

Reference: See List F

The deed does not call for a line 100 ft from and parallel with Sky Road. The call for acreage is
not controlling in this description. Acreage is of low order of importance. The bearings and
distance along Rains Road and along the Gull line are the most certain calls.
THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (C)

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PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF SURVEYING SOLUTIONS

25.

The plumb bob technique will check rod straightness and bubble but not phase center.

THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (C)

26.

Reference: See List H

THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (C)

27.

Reference: See List H

Flight lines are not determined by control surveys but are chosen by aerial photographers. NGS
marks are generally used as standard for control surveys by others, not vice versa. Ground
control allows the photogrammetrist to "fix" the map scale and to orient (including level) the
photogrammetric model.
THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (C)

28.

Reference: See List A

THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (A)

29.

Reference: See List A

Area of a triangle A = 1/2 bh
solve for
a2 + b2 = c2
(25)2 + b2 = (51.54)2
b = 45.0707
A = 1/2(25)(45.0707) = 563.3842
Area of a rectangle
L W = (45.0707)(150) = 6,760.6050
1/2 area of a circle
A = 1/2 r2 r = 1/2(45.0707) = 22.5354
A = 1/2 (22.5354)2 = 797.69
563.3842 + 6,760.6050 + 797.69 = 8,121.68
THE CORRECT ANSWER IS: (D)
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STUDY REFERENCES

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In addition to the following, other books are suitable references if they contain substantially the same
content as those listed. Later editions of the references listed are typically acceptable. This list is
assembled for guide purposes only and is not intended to be exhaustive. Inclusion on the list should not
be considered an endorsement.
A.

General Surveying Reference Books

Anderson, James, and Edward Mikhail, Surveying Theory and Practice, 7th ed., McGraw-Hill, New
York, 1998.

Kavanagh, Barry F., Geomatics, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2003.
Moffitt, Francis, and Harry Bouchard, Surveying, 9th ed., Harper Collins, Glenview IL, 1992.
Moffitt, Francis, and John D. Bossler, Surveying, 10th ed., Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ,
1997.
Wolf, Paul R., and Charles Ghilani. Elementary Surveying, An Introduction to Geomatics, 13th ed.,
Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2011.
B.

Route and Construction Surveying

Kavanagh, Barry F., Surveying with Construction Applications, 7th ed., Prentice Hall, Upper
Saddle River, NJ, 2009.

, Surveying: Principles and Applications, 8th ed., Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2008.
Meyer, C.F., and D.W. Gibson, Route Surveying and Design, 5th ed., Harper & Row, New York,
1981.
C.

GIS, Mapping, Photogrammetry

Antenucci, J; K. Brown; P. Croswell; and M. Kevany, Geographic Information Systems, A Guide
to the Technology, 1st ed., Springer, New York, 1991.

Bernhardsen, Tor, Geographic Information Systems: An Introduction, 3rd ed., Wiley, New York, 2002.
Bolstad, Paul, GIS Fundamentals, A First Text on Geographic Information Systems, 3rd ed., Eider
Press, White Bear Lake, MN, 2007.
Huxhold, William E., An Introduction to Urban Geographic Information Systems, 1st ed., Oxford
University Press, New York, 1991.
Lo, Chor Pang, and Albert K.W. Yeung, Concepts and Techniques of Geographic Information
Systems, 2nd ed., Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2006.
Mikhail, Edward M., James S. Bethel, and J. Chris McGlone, Introduction to Modern
Photogrammetry, Wiley, New York, 2001.
Wolf, Paul, Bon A. Dewitt, and Benjamin Wilkinson, Elements of Photogrammetry with
Applications in GIS, 4th ed., McGraw-Hill, New York, 2012.
D.

Measurement Errors and Adjustment Computations

Ghilani, Charles, Adjustment Computations: Spatial Data Analysis, 5th ed., Wiley, New York,
2010.

Mikhail, Edward, with F. Ackerman, Observations and Least Squares, University Press of
America, Maryland, 1983.

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