Step 2. Know Thy Self

You've gotten past Step 1 - Get Serious. (If you haven't gotten past Step 1 quit now and wait until you can get past it.)

Now, you need to be honest with yourself.

• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• Are you willing to do whatever is necessary to pass the exam(s)?

You'll grow tired of hearing me say this, but the path to success is paved with work and study. Lots of both.

Plenty of people do lots of both without success. That doesn't mean they aren't intelligent. It probably does mean they simply didn't invest their efforts in the proper areas.

Proper areas? Yep, proper areas.

The scope of the material covered by these exams means you can not know everything you need to know. None of us do. Even those persons who have worked it the profession a lifetime can only aspire to come close to knowing everything they need to know.

The exams are not designed to measure whether you know everything. You don't.

They are designed to determine whether you hold the minimum necessary knowledge.

The very best place for you to begin your work and study is by figuring out what you know.

You can't figure how to get to where you want to be until you determine where you are.

Try these steps.

1. Decide which calculator you will use for the exam. (Remember the calculator you choose must be on the approved list. They will not let you into the exam room with a calculator that is not on that list.) I will go into more detail on the advantages and disadvantages of the various calculators in future posts.
   
2. Use that calculator and nothing else when you are studying.
3. If you are taking the Fundamentals Exam, get a copy of the materials that will be supplied to exam takers. (Fundamentals)
4. Purchase an example exam. They are relatively inexpensive. (Fundamentals of Land Surveying Sample Exam, Sample Questions and Answers or Principles and Practice of Land Surveying, Sample Questions and Answers.)
5. DO NOT open the Sample Exam book and begin using it to study. This is a common mistake. These books aren't bad study material. Their best value to you is not as study material. Their best value is as a diagnostic tool.
6. Simulate the exam. Use the Example Exams as a real exam. Go to a quiet place with no interruptions. Turn off your cell phone. Take only the materials you will have in the real thing. Allow the same amount of time per question as in the real thing.
7. When done, grade your performance.
   

The results of your sample exam should give you a good idea of your areas of strength and areas where you need help.

Once you know that, you can focus your work and study in the areas that will give you the best chance of success.

Larry P