Exam Procedure

A. Land Surveying Examinations - General

The North Carolina Board administers two separate examinations of eight (8) hours duration to land surveying applicants, and each examination must be successfully completed and passed prior to licensure as a Professional Land Surveyor. The examinations are the Land Surveying Fundamentals Examination (known as Exam I in North Carolina), and the Land Surveying Principles and Practice Examination (known as Exam II in North Carolina). Exam I, and the first six (6) hours of Exam II, are prepared by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), and administered in most states and territories of the United States. The remaining two (2) hours of Exam II are prepared by the North Carolina Board specifically for North Carolina applicants and are designed to test an applicant's knowledge of the laws, procedures, and practices pertaining to the practice of surveying in North Carolina.

B. Fundamentals Examination (Exam I)

Successful completion of this examination results in certification of the applicant as "Surveyor Intern" by the North Carolina Board. This certification signifies that the first step in licensure has been completed. This examination has been referred to as the "S.I. Exam," taking its designation from the Surveyor Intern status awarded to those who successfully complete the examination.

The Fundamentals Examination is designed to determine if the applicant has an adequate knowledge of the elementary disciplines of land surveying. The examination is an eight (8) hour examination and is a closed book examination. The questions are multiple choice questions.

C. Principles and Practice Examination (Exam II)

Successful completion of this examination culminates in licensure of the applicant as a "Professional Land Surveyor" by the North Carolina Board. This examination is sometimes referred to as the Professional Exam, or P. L. S. Exam, referring to the Professional Land Surveyor licensure resulting from the successful completion of the examination. Passing of the Fundamentals Examination (Exam I) is a prerequisite for Board approval of an applicant's seating for the Principles and Practice Examination (Exam II) in North Carolina.

The Principles and Practice Examination is designed to determine if the training and experience of the applicant have provided an adequate capacity and ability to apply the basic surveying fundamentals to the solution of land surveying problems. It is anticipated that the required experience, of a progressive nature and level, will assist the applicant in applying the knowledge of surveying fundamentals to the solutions of the advanced land surveying problems.

The Principles and Practice Examination is an eight (8) hour open book examination. The first portion of this examination is six (6) hours long. The second portion is a two (2) hour examination prepared by the North Carolina Board, which contains questions and problems concerning law, procedures, and the practice of land surveying in North Carolina.

The Board of Examiners expects the applicant to be fully aware of the North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct. The applicant should also be knowledgeable in the provisions of Chapter 89C of the North Carolina General Statutes (The North Carolina Engineering and Land Surveying Act), the Standards of Practice for Land Surveying in North Carolina, and any other statutes that have a bearing directly on the land surveying profession.

D. Reference Materials

Any bound reference books or reference materials may be brought to the Principles and Practice Examination, and used in solving the examination problems. Scratch paper is not permitted, as adequate space in the examination booklets is available for computations. The books and materials brought into the examination room by the applicant are for personal use only; no exchanging of materials is permitted during the examination.   Battery operated, silent, non-printing calculators may be utilized during the examinations.  Calculating and computing devices having a QWERTY keypad arrangement similar to a typewriter are not permitted.  Such devices include but are not limited to palmtop, laptop, handheld, and desktop computers, calculators, databanks, data collectors and organizers. Calculators with alphanumeric keypads are permitted.

E. Closed Book Examination

The Fundamentals Examination (Exam I) is a closed book examination. No reference material or scratch paper is permitted for use in a closed book examination.  Battery operated, silent, non-printing calculators may be utilized during the examinations.  Calculating and computing devices having a QWERTY keypad arrangement similar to a typewriter are not permitted.  Such devices include but are not limited to palmtop, laptop, handheld, and desktop computers, calculators, databanks, data collectors and organizers. Calculators with alphanumeric keypads are permitted. 

F. Dates of Examination

The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) specifies the time period in which the examinations may be administered. The North Carolina Board administers the land surveying examinations two times each year, within the time periods specified by NCEES. Generally, examinations are administered about mid-April in the spring of each year, and in late October or early November in the fall of each year. The normal examination schedule usually consists of administration of the Principles and Practice Examination on a Friday with the Fundamentals Examination being administered on the next day, Saturday. The exact dates are announced by the Board, and may be obtained by contacting the North Carolina Board.

G. Admission to Examination Sites

Applicants who have been approved for a given examination by the North Carolina Board of Examiners will be notified by mail. They will be furnished Seating Notices with instructions as to date, time, and place of the examinations for which they have been approved. The Seating Notice must be presented for admission to the examination site at the designated time and date.

Both sets of examinations are of eight (8) hours duration. The examinations are administered in a four (4) hour period in the morning, with approximately a one (1) hour lunch break, and a four (4) hour period in the afternoon. Candidates can anticipate that they will be required to be present at the examination from about 8:00 A.M. until approximately 6:00 P.M., if they take the full time allotted for completion of the problems.

H. Reexamination

An applicant who fails to pass the examination may be readmitted to the same examination at a later administration, upon written request for readmission and the submission of the applicable reexamination fee.

An applicant who has accumulated a combination of three (3) or more failures or unexcused absences shall only be eligible after submitting a new application with appropriate application fee, and be considered by the board for reexamination at the end of 12 months.  After the end of the 12 month period, the applicant may take the examination no more than once every calendar year. Upon receipt of a request for readmission, the Board will review the applicant's total record and application file, along with the submitted information and evidence of added preparation for examination. The Board will make a determination as to the applicant's qualifications for further examination, and so inform the applicant.

I. Absence from Examination

After Seating Notices have been issued, applicants may not be excused from the scheduled examination except for official jury duty or upon submission of a doctor's certificate confirming that the applicant is not physically able to be present for the examination. A request for excuse from examination must be made in writing to the Board office and must contain evidence of jury duty, or a doctor's certificate.

Once the Seating Notice is mailed to the applicant, a financial obligation for the examination is incurred by the Board on behalf of the applicant. Therefore, any absence from the scheduled examination by an applicant, whether or not excused, will result in commitment of the examination fee of the applicant. The applicable reexamination fee will be required for any subsequent examination requested by the applicant.

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