ILLINOIS JURISDICTIONAL LAND SURVEYOR EXAM 2026 Q&A |
ALL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (CORRECT ANSWERS) PLUS
DETAILED RATIONALES | COMPLETE STUDYGUIDE|
GUARANTEED PASS | DOWNLOAD INSTANT PDF 2027
1. Which examinations are required for an applicant seeking Illinois licensure as a
Professional Land Surveyor after satisfying the applicable education and experience
requirements?
A. FS examination only
B. PS examination and Illinois Jurisdictional Examination, after passing the FS examination
C. Illinois Jurisdictional Examination only
D. PS examination only
The Illinois rules require the FS examination, followed by the NCEES Principles and Practice of
Surveying examination and the Illinois Jurisdictional Examination for Professional Land
Surveyor licensure.
2. An Illinois Professional Land Surveyor places the license on inactive status. Which
statement is correct?
A. The licensee may continue performing boundary surveys for existing clients.
B. The licensee may practice if another surveyor reviews the work.
C. The licensee may practice only residential surveys.
D. The licensee may not practice land surveying in Illinois while inactive.
An inactive Professional Land Surveyor may not practice land surveying in Illinois until the
license is properly restored to active status.
3. Under Illinois professional development requirements, how many PDHs are generally
required for license renewal?
A. 20 PDHs
B. 10 PDHs
C. 15 PDHs
D. 30 PDHs
Illinois requires 20 professional development hours for license renewal, subject to applicable
exemptions.
,4. A surveyor is preparing a technical submission under the authority of a professional
design firm. In addition to the individual surveyor's seal requirements, what must the
submission contain?
A. Only the client's signature
B. The county assessor's approval
C. The firm's corporate or assumed business name and design firm registration number
D. The surveyor's educational transcript
Illinois rules require technical submissions issued by a surveying firm to include the firm's
corporate or assumed business name and design firm registration number in addition to the
individual seal requirements.
5. What is the primary responsibility of an Illinois Professional Land Surveyor when
performing professional services?
A. Maximizing the client's financial return
B. Safeguarding the health, safety, and welfare of the public
C. Completing projects faster than competing firms
D. Avoiding all contact with adjoining owners
Professional conduct rules establish protection of the public's health, safety, and welfare as
the licensee's foremost responsibility.
6. During a boundary survey, the surveyor discovers evidence suggesting that a previously
accepted monument may be materially misplaced. What is the best professional response?
A. Ignore the evidence because the monument is already recorded.
B. Remove the monument immediately.
C. Investigate the record and physical evidence before determining the boundary position.
D. Accept the client's preferred boundary location.
Boundary surveying requires evaluation of record evidence and field evidence. A potentially
erroneous monument should be investigated rather than automatically accepted or
destroyed.
7. Which activity is most directly associated with boundary surveying?
A. Determining and documenting the location of property boundaries
B. Designing a building's HVAC system
C. Testing concrete strength
D. Preparing a property's income-tax return
,Boundary surveying focuses on locating, retracing, or establishing the position of property
boundaries using appropriate record and field evidence.
8. A surveyor is researching a property before beginning fieldwork. Which source should
generally be examined as part of the boundary investigation?
A. Social media posts
B. Neighboring property owners' opinions alone
C. Advertising brochures
D. Recorded deeds and other relevant land records
Recorded deeds and related records provide critical evidence for understanding the legal
description and history of the property.
9. Which item is most important when evaluating whether two conflicting boundary lines
should be accepted as shown on separate deeds?
A. Which line is closer to a road
B. The surveyor's preferred geometry
C. The controlling language and applicable boundary evidence
D. The color used on each plat
Boundary resolution depends on the legal descriptions, record evidence, monuments,
occupation, and applicable principles of boundary law rather than visual preference.
10. A field crew discovers an apparent discrepancy between the deed dimensions and
measured dimensions. What should the surveyor do first?
A. Automatically revise the deed dimensions
B. Investigate the discrepancy using record and field evidence
C. Delete the field observations
D. Ask the client which measurement should be used
Measured and record dimensions frequently differ. The surveyor must analyze the
discrepancy and determine its significance rather than automatically favoring either source.
11. Which surveying principle is most directly concerned with determining directions and
angles between lines?
A. Geodetic datum selection
B. Hydrology
, C. Photogrammetric triangulation
D. Angular measurement
Angles and directions are fundamental components of traverse and boundary surveying and
are measured using appropriate angular observation techniques.
12. A total station is used to determine the position of a new point from known control.
Which observation combination is most commonly used?
A. Horizontal angle and slope distance
B. Temperature and humidity only
C. Soil density and elevation only
D. Magnetic declination and rainfall
A total station commonly measures angles and distances, which can be combined with known
control coordinates to determine unknown point positions.
13. What is the principal purpose of backsighting in a conventional total-station setup?
A. Measuring atmospheric pressure
B. Establishing an orientation or reference direction
C. Determining soil classification
D. Calculating parcel acreage automatically
A backsight provides a known reference direction or orientation so that subsequent
observations can be related correctly to the survey coordinate system.
14. A prism constant is entered incorrectly in a total station. What is the most likely
consequence?
A. The instrument automatically corrects every measurement.
B. Only horizontal angles are affected.
C. Measured distances and therefore computed positions may contain systematic errors.
D. Only the point description is changed.
An incorrect prism constant can introduce systematic distance errors, which can propagate
into coordinate calculations and derived positions.
15. Which observation is primarily used to determine vertical elevation differences in
differential leveling?
ALL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (CORRECT ANSWERS) PLUS
DETAILED RATIONALES | COMPLETE STUDYGUIDE|
GUARANTEED PASS | DOWNLOAD INSTANT PDF 2027
1. Which examinations are required for an applicant seeking Illinois licensure as a
Professional Land Surveyor after satisfying the applicable education and experience
requirements?
A. FS examination only
B. PS examination and Illinois Jurisdictional Examination, after passing the FS examination
C. Illinois Jurisdictional Examination only
D. PS examination only
The Illinois rules require the FS examination, followed by the NCEES Principles and Practice of
Surveying examination and the Illinois Jurisdictional Examination for Professional Land
Surveyor licensure.
2. An Illinois Professional Land Surveyor places the license on inactive status. Which
statement is correct?
A. The licensee may continue performing boundary surveys for existing clients.
B. The licensee may practice if another surveyor reviews the work.
C. The licensee may practice only residential surveys.
D. The licensee may not practice land surveying in Illinois while inactive.
An inactive Professional Land Surveyor may not practice land surveying in Illinois until the
license is properly restored to active status.
3. Under Illinois professional development requirements, how many PDHs are generally
required for license renewal?
A. 20 PDHs
B. 10 PDHs
C. 15 PDHs
D. 30 PDHs
Illinois requires 20 professional development hours for license renewal, subject to applicable
exemptions.
,4. A surveyor is preparing a technical submission under the authority of a professional
design firm. In addition to the individual surveyor's seal requirements, what must the
submission contain?
A. Only the client's signature
B. The county assessor's approval
C. The firm's corporate or assumed business name and design firm registration number
D. The surveyor's educational transcript
Illinois rules require technical submissions issued by a surveying firm to include the firm's
corporate or assumed business name and design firm registration number in addition to the
individual seal requirements.
5. What is the primary responsibility of an Illinois Professional Land Surveyor when
performing professional services?
A. Maximizing the client's financial return
B. Safeguarding the health, safety, and welfare of the public
C. Completing projects faster than competing firms
D. Avoiding all contact with adjoining owners
Professional conduct rules establish protection of the public's health, safety, and welfare as
the licensee's foremost responsibility.
6. During a boundary survey, the surveyor discovers evidence suggesting that a previously
accepted monument may be materially misplaced. What is the best professional response?
A. Ignore the evidence because the monument is already recorded.
B. Remove the monument immediately.
C. Investigate the record and physical evidence before determining the boundary position.
D. Accept the client's preferred boundary location.
Boundary surveying requires evaluation of record evidence and field evidence. A potentially
erroneous monument should be investigated rather than automatically accepted or
destroyed.
7. Which activity is most directly associated with boundary surveying?
A. Determining and documenting the location of property boundaries
B. Designing a building's HVAC system
C. Testing concrete strength
D. Preparing a property's income-tax return
,Boundary surveying focuses on locating, retracing, or establishing the position of property
boundaries using appropriate record and field evidence.
8. A surveyor is researching a property before beginning fieldwork. Which source should
generally be examined as part of the boundary investigation?
A. Social media posts
B. Neighboring property owners' opinions alone
C. Advertising brochures
D. Recorded deeds and other relevant land records
Recorded deeds and related records provide critical evidence for understanding the legal
description and history of the property.
9. Which item is most important when evaluating whether two conflicting boundary lines
should be accepted as shown on separate deeds?
A. Which line is closer to a road
B. The surveyor's preferred geometry
C. The controlling language and applicable boundary evidence
D. The color used on each plat
Boundary resolution depends on the legal descriptions, record evidence, monuments,
occupation, and applicable principles of boundary law rather than visual preference.
10. A field crew discovers an apparent discrepancy between the deed dimensions and
measured dimensions. What should the surveyor do first?
A. Automatically revise the deed dimensions
B. Investigate the discrepancy using record and field evidence
C. Delete the field observations
D. Ask the client which measurement should be used
Measured and record dimensions frequently differ. The surveyor must analyze the
discrepancy and determine its significance rather than automatically favoring either source.
11. Which surveying principle is most directly concerned with determining directions and
angles between lines?
A. Geodetic datum selection
B. Hydrology
, C. Photogrammetric triangulation
D. Angular measurement
Angles and directions are fundamental components of traverse and boundary surveying and
are measured using appropriate angular observation techniques.
12. A total station is used to determine the position of a new point from known control.
Which observation combination is most commonly used?
A. Horizontal angle and slope distance
B. Temperature and humidity only
C. Soil density and elevation only
D. Magnetic declination and rainfall
A total station commonly measures angles and distances, which can be combined with known
control coordinates to determine unknown point positions.
13. What is the principal purpose of backsighting in a conventional total-station setup?
A. Measuring atmospheric pressure
B. Establishing an orientation or reference direction
C. Determining soil classification
D. Calculating parcel acreage automatically
A backsight provides a known reference direction or orientation so that subsequent
observations can be related correctly to the survey coordinate system.
14. A prism constant is entered incorrectly in a total station. What is the most likely
consequence?
A. The instrument automatically corrects every measurement.
B. Only horizontal angles are affected.
C. Measured distances and therefore computed positions may contain systematic errors.
D. Only the point description is changed.
An incorrect prism constant can introduce systematic distance errors, which can propagate
into coordinate calculations and derived positions.
15. Which observation is primarily used to determine vertical elevation differences in
differential leveling?
