NCEES Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) Exam
The professional surveying license exam — boundary law, evidence, ALTA/NSPS, GNSS and layout problems with the reasoning behind every answer.
About the exam
The Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS) exam is the national licensing exam for professional land surveyors in the United States, written and administered by NCEES. It's usually taken after you've passed the Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) exam and earned the qualifying experience your state board requires. Most boards also require a separate state-specific exam.
The PS is a computer-based, closed-book exam of 100 questions in a 7-hour appointment that includes a tutorial and an optional scheduled break, using U.S. customary units. NCEES supplies a searchable on-screen set of standards — the ALTA/NSPS Minimum Standard Detail Requirements, FEMA Elevation Certificate and Instructions, FGCS geodetic leveling, FGDC Geospatial Positioning Accuracy Standards and the 1947 National Map Accuracy Standards — and scores answers only against the editions NCEES lists. The exam is scored on the 2021 ALTA/NSPS Minimum Standard Detail Requirements — the edition on NCEES's current list (and on the July 2027 list) — even though the 2026 ALTA/NSPS standards took effect in practice on February 23, 2026. Our ALTA/NSPS questions test the 2021 edition (or content shared by both), with labelled "2026 update" notes in the explanations.
Our bank follows the five NCEES knowledge areas — evidence and boundary law, conveyances and descriptions, PLSS, record research, GNSS and geodesy, computations, monumentation, plats, BLM Manual, ALTA/NSPS, FEMA, business and risk, and boundary, construction, route and topographic practice — with worked solutions and realistic-mistake distractors, plus a few numeric-entry questions. Our timed test mixes all five knowledge areas in proportion to the NCEES specification.
How we track your progress
Every blueprint domain moves through five levels as you study:
- Not startedNo questions answered in this domain yet.
- Getting startedFirst questions answered — not enough yet to judge.
- DevelopingAt least 5 answered and 50% or better on your recent questions.
- ProficientAt least 15 answered and 70% or better on your recent questions.
- Exam readyAt least 25 answered, 80% or better recently, and holding up on hard questions.
The exam blueprint
NCEES PS CBT exam specifications effective January 2019 (2024 update to the standards list) — 100 questions in five knowledge areas; ALTA/NSPS questions are scored on the 2021 Minimum Standard Detail Requirements. NCEES has published new PS specifications that take effect beginning July 2027; check ncees.org before you test. — 100 questions across five NCEES knowledge areas — Legal Principles, Professional Survey Practices, Standards and Specifications, Business Practices, and Areas of Practice. Tap a domain to see its topics.
1 Legal Principles 21 of 100 in our timed test · NCEES: 18–27 questions of the exam
69 practice questions in this domain so far
2 Professional Survey Practices 26 of 100 in our timed test · NCEES: 22–33 questions of the exam
78 practice questions in this domain so far
3 Standards and Specifications 10 of 100 in our timed test · NCEES: 8–12 questions of the exam
28 practice questions in this domain so far
4 Business Practices 15 of 100 in our timed test · NCEES: 13–19 questions of the exam
45 practice questions in this domain so far
5 Areas of Practice 28 of 100 in our timed test · NCEES: 24–36 questions of the exam
80 practice questions in this domain so far
What you get when you access this exam
Free with your QuizMe account.
Built on the NCEES PS specification
Every question is tagged to its NCEES knowledge area and subtopic, weighted like the current 100-question specification.
Hints that point to the principle
Reveal the controlling rule — priority of calls, junior/senior rights, a standard's requirement — when you're stuck. Every answer explains why the distractors fail.
Adaptive practice
Practice steers toward your weakest knowledge areas so your time goes where the points are.
Timed practice tests
100 questions at the real exam's pace, with a pacing indicator and full review.
Flashcards, walkthroughs and guides
Flashcards for boundary rules and standards values, multi-step survey walkthroughs, and illustrated guides you explore hotspot by hotspot.
Progress in every knowledge area
Each area moves from Not started to Exam ready, so you know when you're ready to book.
Test at home or at a center
Register and pay through your MyNCEES account, then schedule a Pearson VUE appointment. Check your state board first — many boards require approval to sit or to license you afterward, and most also give a state-specific surveying exam.
At a Pearson VUE test center
- Computer-based and offered year-round; schedule through MyNCEES once you've registered.
- Bring acceptable, unexpired government-issued ID that matches your MyNCEES name.
- Use an NCEES-approved calculator model only — check the current approved list before test day.
- Standards are on screen only, one open at a time. Practice searching them before the exam.
Before you book
- Download the PS exam specification from ncees.org — solutions are scored only against the standards editions it lists.
- Note the July 2027 specification change if you plan to test next summer or later.
- Take the official NCEES PS practice exam to see the item types.
- Confirm your state board's education, experience and state-exam rules.
Exam-day game plan
How to walk in ready — and how to pace 100 questions in about 6½ hours.
Pacing checkpoints
Our timed test is 100 questions at about 3.9 minutes each, mixing all five knowledge areas in proportion to the NCEES specification. NCEES doesn't publish separate exam-only time; we assume about 6½ hours of the 7-hour appointment.
The week before
- Take a full timed practice exam and review every miss by knowledge area.
- Drill searching the ALTA/NSPS, FEMA and FGDC PDFs for the values you use most.
- Check your calculator is on NCEES's approved list.
- Confirm your appointment, test center location and ID.
During the test
- Budget just under 4 minutes a question — the legal questions are quick, so bank time for computations.
- For boundary questions, identify the controlling evidence before you calculate anything.
- Search the standards by keyword rather than scrolling.
- Take the optional break.
- Answer every question; there's no penalty for guessing.
Keep your head
- A run of hard problems is normal — the exam is pass/fail on your total.
- If a number won't match a choice, recheck bearing quadrants, units and feet vs. survey feet.
- Change an answer only when you find a specific error.
After you pass
- Results are pass/fail and typically post in MyNCEES within 7–10 business days; NCEES doesn't publish a passing score.
- Passing the PS isn't a license — apply to your state board, which reviews your education, experience and references and usually requires a state-specific exam.
- Most boards require continuing education to renew a PLS/PS license; hours and cycles are set by each state.
- NCEES allows one attempt per testing window and no more than three attempts in a 12-month period.
Official sources and further reading
- NCEES — PS exam ↗Official fee, scheduling, retake policy and result timing.
- NCEES — PS CBT specification (Jan 2019, 2024 update) ↗Current knowledge areas, question ranges and the standards editions provided on the exam.
- NCEES — PS specification effective July 2027 ↗The next specification — six knowledge areas — for exams starting July 2027.
Ready to start?
300 questions and scenarios across the blueprint — and growing.
NCEES® is a registered mark of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. ALTA® is a registered mark of the American Land Title Association. QuizMe and thinQtank Learning are not affiliated with or endorsed by NCEES, ALTA or NSPS. All questions are original. Details are summarized from NCEES's PS pages and specifications; formats, fees and standards editions change — always confirm at ncees.org.