3 Must Know Skills to Pass the Florida Land Surveying Exam

By NLC Support

Here are three Must know skills of Florida Land Surveying Jurisdictional Exam.

The Florida PSM Exam is nothing more than an open book exam on the Florida statutes. By this, we are not just talking acts and rules, but Adverse Possession, Business Law, Subdivisions, Plats, Shorelines, Beaches, and Preservations.

Skill #1: Board Functions

The first skill every future Florida PSM should have is knowing how the board functions. How many members are on the board? What agencies are they under? Not all board members are Surveyors, we have members of the public, an attorney, and others. These board members are the people that are regulating and protecting the public for the surveying profession. The Florida Board does not exist to serve “us” the surveyors, the Florida board exists to serve the public and protect the public from the PSM. So, the Florida board is a great group of people, but they don’t work for us, they work for the public.

Skill #2: Knowing 5J-17

The number two skill to know is knowing 5J-17. What is 5J-17 you ask? Well, when I say 5J-17 you should think of what “I” as a Professional Surveyor has to do in order to complete a proper survey. So, if I’m doing a boundary survey I have to find/set boundary corners, I have to include a North Arrow, and I must designate a scale factor. All of these things are the “checkboxes” every survey must have. The exam is going to test you thoroughly on 5J-17.

Skill #3: Know About Beaches

Lastly, number three is knowing all about beaches. What is the CCCL? What is the 100-year Erosion Line? When can you build seaward of the Shoreline Preservation Act Line? As an exam candidate you get a question, read the question. Your mind should automatically go to a possible statute to look up in your binder. You have to “foreshadow” or foresee the question and the question-answer source. No matter how much you study, there will always be questions that make you scratch your head. And this leads me into bonus skill number four, knowing where to look. Being able to understand what the question is asking you, and immediately knowing where to look for the answer is key. If you can do that, you are going to be a successful Florida PSM exam candidate. I hope to see you as the next Florida Professional Surveyor and Mapper!