I'd like to take the LSIT in my state. The local board was kind enough to send the forms, but I'm lost in preparing for the test. Please recommend the proper materials to study or books to read. What's the best way to prepare?

Answer:

Ask the licensed surveyors that you know and work with what you should study. They will have a good idea of what you need to know to take the test in your state. I was given the best advice by the surveyor who supervised me and whom I regard as my role model. Obtain a copy of "Boundary Control and Legal Principles" by Brown, Robillard, and Wilson. You should be familiar with the contents of this book for the LSIT, and KNOW the contents for the PLS exam. I would also read anything you can get your hands on about ethics and law as they relate to surveying. The mathematics needed can be found in a surveying textbook. Subscribe to POB (if you don't already) and read the columns "The Surveyor and the Law" and the ones on surveying basics. Obtain a sample LSIT test and/or review manual and give yourself a practice test to see what areas you need to work on.

James I. Jeffreys, PLS

Charlotte, North Carolina

I recently passed the Florida exam and I can tell you some of the text that helped me.

1. "Definitions of Surveying and Associated Terms" (a must) by the "American Congress on Surveying and Mapping."

2. Both of Brown's Books (a must)

a. Evidence and Procedures b. Boundary Control and Legal Principals

3. Blacks Law Dictionary (a must)

4. Yellow book by Wattles about writing descriptions. I did not have it but a friend of mine does and it is a good one!

5. "Water Boundaries" by George Cole is good if your state has lots of H₂O as mine does.

6. "The Mathematics of Land Surveying" by Madson was helpful and geared towards exam questions.

7. "The Manual of 1973" is good for sectionalized Land States and Historically Interesting

There are also a few companies that carry many different books related to Civil Engineering and Surveying. Typee "Land Surveying Text" and let your browser do the work.

Good Luck,

C.S. Bowers, PSM Florida