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Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS) Syllabus
NCEES exam required, with experience, to become a licensed Professional Surveyor.. The complete Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS) outline — 6 subjects, 24 chapters and 97 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS) subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
5 chapters · 21 topics · 24 sub-topics
Public Land Survey System (PLSS) and Federal Surveys4 chapters · 16 topics · 7 sub-topics
Geodesy, Datums, and Coordinate Systems4 chapters · 16 topics · 10 sub-topics
Measurement, Field Data Acquisition, and Error Analysis4 chapters · 16 topics · 20 sub-topics
Plats, Plans, Subdivisions, and Spatial Data Systems4 chapters · 16 topics · 12 sub-topics
Professional Practice, Ethics, and Survey Standards3 chapters · 12 topics · 5 sub-topics
Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS) flashcard decks
309 question-and-answer cards across 6 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
- Legal Principles, Boundary Law, and Property Surveys — 49 cards
- Public Land Survey System (PLSS) and Federal Surveys — 49 cards
- Geodesy, Datums, and Coordinate Systems — 60 cards
- Measurement, Field Data Acquisition, and Error Analysis — 50 cards
- Plats, Plans, Subdivisions, and Spatial Data Systems — 51 cards
- Professional Practice, Ethics, and Survey Standards — 50 cards
How to work through the Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS) syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Legal Principles, Boundary Law, and Property Surveys carries 21 topics while Professional Practice, Ethics, and Survey Standards carries 12. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS).
The ~90 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS) syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS) syllabus?
Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS) covers 6 subjects: Legal Principles, Boundary Law, and Property Surveys, Public Land Survey System (PLSS) and Federal Surveys, Geodesy, Datums, and Coordinate Systems, Measurement, Field Data Acquisition, and Error Analysis, Plats, Plans, Subdivisions, and Spatial Data Systems and Professional Practice, Ethics, and Survey Standards. Together they contain 24 chapters and 97 named topics.
How many topics does the Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS) syllabus contain?
The full Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS) outline breaks down into 24 chapters, 97 topics and 78 sub-topics. Legal Principles, Boundary Law, and Property Surveys is the largest single subject with 21 topics across 5 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS) syllabus?
Roughly 90 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 4 weeks.
Are there Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS) flashcards?
Yes — 309 question-and-answer flashcards across 6 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS) syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam (PS) syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in United States and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
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