COLORADO PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR
LICENSING EXAM QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) Q&A 2026
|INSTANT DOWNLOAD PDF
1. Which federal agency is primarily responsible for the
original Public Land Survey System (PLSS)?
A. Bureau of Reclamation
B. Bureau of Land Management
C. U.S. Geological Survey
D. National Park Service
Rationale: The PLSS is managed and maintained today by the
federal agency responsible for public lands and cadastral
surveys.
Correct Answer: B. Bureau of Land Management
2. In the PLSS, a township is typically how many square miles?
A. 6 square miles
B. 36 square miles
C. 64 square miles
D. 100 square miles
,Rationale: A township is a 6-mile by 6-mile square divided into
36 sections.
Correct Answer: B. 36 square miles
3. How many sections are in a standard township?
A. 16
B. 24
C. 36
D. 64
Rationale: Each township is divided into 36 one-mile-square
sections.
Correct Answer: C. 36
4. A standard section contains how many acres?
A. 360 acres
B. 480 acres
C. 640 acres
D. 720 acres
Rationale: One section equals one square mile, and one square
mile equals 640 acres.
Correct Answer: C. 640 acres
5. What is the purpose of a “point of beginning” (POB)?
,A. Start of construction only
B. Starting reference point of a survey boundary
C. End of a legal description
D. Benchmark elevation point
Rationale: The POB is the reference point where a legal
description begins.
Correct Answer: B. Starting reference point of a survey
boundary
6. Which of the following best defines a “bearing”?
A. Distance between two points
B. Angle measured clockwise from north or south
C. Elevation difference between points
D. Horizontal distance only
Rationale: Bearing describes direction relative to north or
south.
Correct Answer: B. Angle measured clockwise from north or
south
7. What is a monument in land surveying?
A. A building structure
B. A permanent reference marker for a survey point
C. A temporary flag
D. A GPS coordinate only
, Rationale: Monuments physically mark survey control points.
Correct Answer: B. A permanent reference marker for a survey
point
8. Which unit is commonly used in U.S. land surveying?
A. Meter
B. Kilometer
C. Foot
D. Yard only
Rationale: The U.S. customary system primarily uses feet for
surveying.
Correct Answer: C. Foot
9. What is a legal description used for?
A. Describing building materials
B. Defining property boundaries in legal terms
C. Estimating property value
D. Planning construction schedules
Rationale: Legal descriptions define property boundaries for
ownership and transfer.
Correct Answer: B. Defining property boundaries in legal terms
10. What does “closure error” refer to in surveying?
LICENSING EXAM QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) Q&A 2026
|INSTANT DOWNLOAD PDF
1. Which federal agency is primarily responsible for the
original Public Land Survey System (PLSS)?
A. Bureau of Reclamation
B. Bureau of Land Management
C. U.S. Geological Survey
D. National Park Service
Rationale: The PLSS is managed and maintained today by the
federal agency responsible for public lands and cadastral
surveys.
Correct Answer: B. Bureau of Land Management
2. In the PLSS, a township is typically how many square miles?
A. 6 square miles
B. 36 square miles
C. 64 square miles
D. 100 square miles
,Rationale: A township is a 6-mile by 6-mile square divided into
36 sections.
Correct Answer: B. 36 square miles
3. How many sections are in a standard township?
A. 16
B. 24
C. 36
D. 64
Rationale: Each township is divided into 36 one-mile-square
sections.
Correct Answer: C. 36
4. A standard section contains how many acres?
A. 360 acres
B. 480 acres
C. 640 acres
D. 720 acres
Rationale: One section equals one square mile, and one square
mile equals 640 acres.
Correct Answer: C. 640 acres
5. What is the purpose of a “point of beginning” (POB)?
,A. Start of construction only
B. Starting reference point of a survey boundary
C. End of a legal description
D. Benchmark elevation point
Rationale: The POB is the reference point where a legal
description begins.
Correct Answer: B. Starting reference point of a survey
boundary
6. Which of the following best defines a “bearing”?
A. Distance between two points
B. Angle measured clockwise from north or south
C. Elevation difference between points
D. Horizontal distance only
Rationale: Bearing describes direction relative to north or
south.
Correct Answer: B. Angle measured clockwise from north or
south
7. What is a monument in land surveying?
A. A building structure
B. A permanent reference marker for a survey point
C. A temporary flag
D. A GPS coordinate only
, Rationale: Monuments physically mark survey control points.
Correct Answer: B. A permanent reference marker for a survey
point
8. Which unit is commonly used in U.S. land surveying?
A. Meter
B. Kilometer
C. Foot
D. Yard only
Rationale: The U.S. customary system primarily uses feet for
surveying.
Correct Answer: C. Foot
9. What is a legal description used for?
A. Describing building materials
B. Defining property boundaries in legal terms
C. Estimating property value
D. Planning construction schedules
Rationale: Legal descriptions define property boundaries for
ownership and transfer.
Correct Answer: B. Defining property boundaries in legal terms
10. What does “closure error” refer to in surveying?
