Page 1 of 103
NY Land Surveyor Licensing Exam Questions with
Correct Answers and explanations LATEST THIS YEAR -
JUST RELEASED
Summarized Exam Coverage (NY Land Surveyor Licensing Exam)
Boundary law (NY specific, adverse possession, riparian rights, easements), evidence hierarchy (written
vs. parol), measurement science (error theory, precision, GPS, total stations), public land survey system
(PLSS) basics (though NY uses metes and bounds primarily, PLSS concepts appear), geodesy (geoid,
ellipsoid, datum transformations, NY State Plane Coordinate System), subdivision regulations (NY Town
Law, filing maps), professional ethics and standards of practice, water boundaries (mean high water,
accretion, reliction), record vs. found monuments, simultaneous conveyances, junior/senior rights,
practical location, state laws on certification, and ALTA/NSPS surveys.
1. A client requests a survey to locate an old stone wall mentioned in an 1850 deed that no longer exists
above ground. What is your primary method?
A) Excavate randomly along the described bearing
B) Use ground-penetrating radar over the entire parcel
C) Apply senior rights of adjacent parcels
D) Follow the deed’s calls and search for remnant root systems or depressions
Answer: D — Deed calls control; non-existent monuments require evidence of original location such as
soil changes or vegetation lines.
2. During a boundary retracement, you find the original iron pin at point A, but a newer pipe 3 feet west
conflicts. Which has legal superiority?
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A) Pipe, because it is newer
B) Iron pin, because it is the original monument
C) Neither, both are equally valid
D) The deed distance, regardless of monuments
Answer: B — Original monuments control over subsequent markers and over distances in deeds.
3. In NY, an unrecorded deed delivered to the grantee is valid between the parties, but against a
subsequent bona fide purchaser, it is:
A) Fully enforceable
B) Void ab initio
C) Voidable only by the grantor
D) Subordinate if the purchaser records first without notice
Answer: D — NY recording act protects subsequent bona fide purchasers who record first without
knowledge.
4. You measure a line as 528.06 ft using a steel tape at 85°F; the tape is standardized at 68°F. The
correction for temperature is:
A) Add 0.010 ft per 100 ft
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B) No correction needed
C) Subtract 0.011 ft per 100 ft
D) Add 0.011 ft per 100 ft for every 10°F rise
Answer: A — Steel expands ~0.0000065 per °F; 17°F rise → add ~0.011 ft per 100 ft.
5. A deed describes “beginning at a white oak, thence N 30° E 200 ft to a large boulder…” The white oak
is gone. What is your first step?
A) Assume the boulder is correct
B) Use adjacent deeds to proportion distance
C) Locate the oak by witness trees or other calls
D) Set a new pin at the described bearing from the boulder
Answer: C — Lost monument requires best evidence of original location, starting with witness ties.
6. Riparian rights on a non-navigable stream in NY generally extend to:
A) The centerline of the stream
B) The high-water mark only
C) The far bank regardless of ownership
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D) The thalweg
Answer: A — For non-navigable streams, riparian owners own ad medium filum aquae (to the center).
7. You are asked to prepare an ALTA/NSPS survey. Which is NOT a required item in Table A if selected?
A) Zoning classification
B) Encroachments at building corners
C) Wetland boundaries from a biologist’s report
D) Monumentation of all found evidence
Answer: C — Wetlands require designated professional; surveyor only reports observed evidence, not
third-party reports as fact.
8. A prior surveyor’s uncapped iron rod conflicts with your GPS-measured coordinate. You should:
A) Remove the rod and set a new cap
B) Accept your GPS as more accurate
C) Report the discrepancy and hold the rod if it matches senior deeds
D) Split the difference at 50%
Answer: C — Field evidence and senior rights control; GPS is evidence, not law.
NY Land Surveyor Licensing Exam Questions with
Correct Answers and explanations LATEST THIS YEAR -
JUST RELEASED
Summarized Exam Coverage (NY Land Surveyor Licensing Exam)
Boundary law (NY specific, adverse possession, riparian rights, easements), evidence hierarchy (written
vs. parol), measurement science (error theory, precision, GPS, total stations), public land survey system
(PLSS) basics (though NY uses metes and bounds primarily, PLSS concepts appear), geodesy (geoid,
ellipsoid, datum transformations, NY State Plane Coordinate System), subdivision regulations (NY Town
Law, filing maps), professional ethics and standards of practice, water boundaries (mean high water,
accretion, reliction), record vs. found monuments, simultaneous conveyances, junior/senior rights,
practical location, state laws on certification, and ALTA/NSPS surveys.
1. A client requests a survey to locate an old stone wall mentioned in an 1850 deed that no longer exists
above ground. What is your primary method?
A) Excavate randomly along the described bearing
B) Use ground-penetrating radar over the entire parcel
C) Apply senior rights of adjacent parcels
D) Follow the deed’s calls and search for remnant root systems or depressions
Answer: D — Deed calls control; non-existent monuments require evidence of original location such as
soil changes or vegetation lines.
2. During a boundary retracement, you find the original iron pin at point A, but a newer pipe 3 feet west
conflicts. Which has legal superiority?
, Page 2 of 103
A) Pipe, because it is newer
B) Iron pin, because it is the original monument
C) Neither, both are equally valid
D) The deed distance, regardless of monuments
Answer: B — Original monuments control over subsequent markers and over distances in deeds.
3. In NY, an unrecorded deed delivered to the grantee is valid between the parties, but against a
subsequent bona fide purchaser, it is:
A) Fully enforceable
B) Void ab initio
C) Voidable only by the grantor
D) Subordinate if the purchaser records first without notice
Answer: D — NY recording act protects subsequent bona fide purchasers who record first without
knowledge.
4. You measure a line as 528.06 ft using a steel tape at 85°F; the tape is standardized at 68°F. The
correction for temperature is:
A) Add 0.010 ft per 100 ft
, Page 3 of 103
B) No correction needed
C) Subtract 0.011 ft per 100 ft
D) Add 0.011 ft per 100 ft for every 10°F rise
Answer: A — Steel expands ~0.0000065 per °F; 17°F rise → add ~0.011 ft per 100 ft.
5. A deed describes “beginning at a white oak, thence N 30° E 200 ft to a large boulder…” The white oak
is gone. What is your first step?
A) Assume the boulder is correct
B) Use adjacent deeds to proportion distance
C) Locate the oak by witness trees or other calls
D) Set a new pin at the described bearing from the boulder
Answer: C — Lost monument requires best evidence of original location, starting with witness ties.
6. Riparian rights on a non-navigable stream in NY generally extend to:
A) The centerline of the stream
B) The high-water mark only
C) The far bank regardless of ownership
, Page 4 of 103
D) The thalweg
Answer: A — For non-navigable streams, riparian owners own ad medium filum aquae (to the center).
7. You are asked to prepare an ALTA/NSPS survey. Which is NOT a required item in Table A if selected?
A) Zoning classification
B) Encroachments at building corners
C) Wetland boundaries from a biologist’s report
D) Monumentation of all found evidence
Answer: C — Wetlands require designated professional; surveyor only reports observed evidence, not
third-party reports as fact.
8. A prior surveyor’s uncapped iron rod conflicts with your GPS-measured coordinate. You should:
A) Remove the rod and set a new cap
B) Accept your GPS as more accurate
C) Report the discrepancy and hold the rod if it matches senior deeds
D) Split the difference at 50%
Answer: C — Field evidence and senior rights control; GPS is evidence, not law.
