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Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) Exam
The Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) exam is the NCEES computer-based examination for recent graduates and senior students of surveying programs, generally the first step toward licensure as a professional surveyor (P.S.).
Official exam siteJump to prep options ↓
Questions110 questions
Testing time6-hour appointment: 5 hours 20 minutes of exam time, plus 2-minute nondisclosure agreement, 8-minute tutorial, and 25-minute scheduled break
ScoringPass/fail only — no numeric score published; failing examinees receive a diagnostic report showing performance by major topic
Exam feeUSD 225 payable directly to NCEES
Prep options
Study resources for FS
Independent prep
Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- NCEES
- Category
- Surveying & Geoscience
- Current version
- FS CBT exam specifications effective beginning with the July 2020 examinations
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Testing provider
- Pearson VUE (NCEES-approved Pearson test centers)
- Format
- Computer-based test (CBT), closed book with an electronic reference (FS Reference Handbook supplied via MyNCEES); SI and U.S. Customary units; contains alternative item types (AITs)
- Availability
- Administered year-round in testing windows at NCEES-approved Pearson test centers
- Results
- Results typically available within 7–10 business days, notified by email and viewable in MyNCEES
- Remote testing
- Not available
Exam structure
110 questions across 7 knowledge areas with published ranges: Surveying Processes and Methods (16–24), Mapping Processes and Methods (14–21), Boundary Law and Real Property Principles (19–29), Surveying Principles (13–20), Survey Computations and Computer Applications (17–26), Business Concepts (11–17), and Applied Mathematics and Statistics (10–15); includes alternative item types (AITs) in addition to traditional multiple-choice questions.
Where rules vary
The FS exam is the uniform nationwide first step in U.S. professional surveyor licensure; the FS page publishes EXAM Registration and Requirements by State for every U.S. state and territory licensing board (the boards set who must apply to the board before registering with NCEES, but the exam itself is identical).
Eligibility
Designed for recent graduates and students close to finishing an undergraduate surveying degree from an ABET-accredited program; state licensing boards set final registration requirements (some boards require board approval before registering with NCEES)
Retake policy
One attempt per testing window and no more than three attempts in a 12-month period