From the FS to your license, in order.
Pick your path. Texas candidates get every step the Texas Board asks for, SIT to RPLS. Everyone else gets the national FS to PS path through NCEES and their own board. Every step links to the official page or form. Your checks stay in this browser.
Every form, one click
Each one opens the Board’s or NCEES’s own current copy.
Before the FS
Pick your path and start the paper trail now. It is harder to rebuild later.
To become an SIT you need one of these, per the Board's SIT page:
- A bachelor of science in surveying.
- A bachelor's degree with 32 hours of qualifying courses, plus one year of qualifying boundary experience under an RPLS.
- An associate's degree in surveying, plus two years of that experience.
- 32 hours of land surveying courses, plus two years of that experience.
- A high school diploma, four years of that experience, and proof of self-education in land surveying.
- Applications filed on or after January 1, 2026 fall under the new 32-hour coursework rule (Rule 134.31).
- The projects you work on, the tasks you personally perform, who you work for and with, and the time spent. Your references will be asked to verify it.
- Surveyors who know your work firsthand. They send their reference forms directly to the Board, not through you.
- Certified, in a sealed envelope from the school's registrar. Keep certificates from any other courses or seminars.
Pass the FS
You must pass the FS before you apply for the SIT. NCEES allows one attempt per testing window and no more than three in any 12 months.
- Pay NCEES's exam fee; NCEES emails you to schedule.
- Check NCEES's current calculator policy before exam day.
- The Board is notified of your result along with you.
Apply for your SIT
The Board reviews the application only once every document is in. You will hear back by email.
- Answer every question; an incomplete form is disqualified.
- No cash. The Board's April 2025 webinar lists $75, not refundable; confirm the amount on the form. Section 2 of the form covers military service members.
- From each RPLS directly.
- Not needed if you apply under path 1, 3 or 5. Every course must appear on an official transcript.
- The Board keeps them on file, and you can ask to use them again for the RPLS application.
- The SIT is good for eight years. To extend it, show 32 hours of Board-approved coursework or continuing education.
Incomplete or rejected application materials are held for one year, then discarded. Board's SIT page
Build your experience as an SIT
Boundary work, done for an RPLS, written down as it happens.
- As the Board presented the RPLS requirements in its April 2025 webinar. Boundary surveying and boundary determination, under the direction of one or more RPLS.
- The RPLS application asks for them, and your references verify them.
Pass the PS
Pass the PS before you apply for the RPLS. Only then can the Board review your application to sit for the TSSE.
- A current Texas SIT may register. The PS is offered year round. NCEES allows one attempt per testing window and no more than three in any 12 months.
- Once passed, the score stays on record with the Board.
Apply for the RPLS
Hard copies with original signatures, by mail or hand delivery, before the deadline for the TSSE you want.
- Every question answered.
- Personal check, cashier's check or money order. No cash.
- Boundary land surveying experience.
- Electronic fingerprinting through the state vendor, IdentoGO.
- Not needed again if your education has not changed since your SIT approval under 1071.253(1) through (4).
| Application deadline | Payment deadline | TSSE date |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 1, 2026 | Feb 19, 2027 | Mar 19, 2027 |
| Mar 1, 2027 | May 14, 2027 | Jun 18, 2027 |
| Jul 1, 2027 | Sep 17, 2027 | Oct 15, 2027 |
Dates from the Board's surveying exams page. Check it before you mail anything.
Register for and pass the TSSE
Offered three times a year in Austin. One approval gives you three attempts.
- Do not send the registration and payment form before you are approved.
- Before the payment deadline for your exam date. The Board's FAQ lists $75 per exam registration.
- It comes about two weeks before the exam and is your only confirmation of registration.
- Bring your current driver's license; any food goes in a clear bag.
- Results can take up to eight weeks. One approval allows up to three attempts within four years of the approval notice. After that, you can reapply once you have one more year of qualifying surveying experience or six more semester hours of college surveying coursework, counted from your last attempt (Rule 134.67).
Licensed
Keep it current.
- Renewals run through the Board's online system.
Every link, one click
Each one opens NCEES’s own current page. Your board’s forms are in its directory entry.
Learn your board’s rules
Every state and territory sets its own path. Start with yours, and check it again before each step.
- Education and experience paths, what it calls the in-training certificate (SIT, LSIT, SIT), and its fees.
- NCEES says this varies by state: some boards require an application first, others let you register directly. Each exam page lists the board-by-board rules.
- Projects, the tasks you personally performed, who supervised you, and the time spent. Your references and your board will rely on it.
- Stores your transcripts, experience, references and exam results in one place you can send to any board, which helps if you will license in more than one state.
Pass the FS
Computer-based, year round at Pearson VUE centers.
- $225, paid to NCEES. 110 questions in a 6-hour appointment, including a scheduled break.
- Bring only a model on the current list.
- One attempt per testing window, and no more than three in any 12 months.
Get your in-training certificate
Most boards certify you once you pass the FS and meet their education rules. The name and the paperwork are your board’s.
- Usually transcripts, references and a fee.
- Some boards put a time limit on it or require continuing education to keep it.
Build your experience
The PS is written for surveyors with at least four years of professional experience. Your board sets exactly what counts and how long.
- Check what share must be field, office and boundary work, if your board splits it.
- Most boards require licensed surveyors who know your work firsthand.
Pass the PS
Computer-based, year round. Register only after your board says you may, where it requires approval.
- $375, paid to NCEES.
- One attempt per testing window, no more than three in 12 months. Results usually arrive in 7 to 10 business days; some boards release them 8 to 10 weeks after the exam.
State exam and license application
Many states add their own exam on state law and practice. Texas, for one, requires the TSSE.
- Your board’s site lists its format, dates and study references.
- Experience records, references, transcripts and fees, as your board lists them. Some boards require a background check.
Licensed
Keep it current.
- An NCEES Record makes this much faster.