1.1 The Mississippi Section PS Exam: Format, Subjects & Study Plan
Key Takeaways
The Mississippi Section PS exam is a two-hour, closed-book, computer-based test of 100 multiple-choice questions worth one point each.
Candidates need at least 70 of 100 points to pass the Mississippi Section exam, according to the Board's exam page.
Published subject weights are GLO/BLM 30%, Standards of Practice 20%, Rules and Regulations 20%, General Knowledge 15%, Licensure Law 10%, and State Plane Coordinates 5%.
The Board fee schedule effective June 2, 2026 lists $75 for a PS application and $100 for each Mississippi Section exam administration.
Initial PS licensure in Mississippi requires the NCEES FS exam, the NCEES PS exam, and the Mississippi Section exam (Board Rule, Part 901 Chapter 5).
Where the Mississippi Section fits
Mississippi licenses Professional Surveyors (PS) through the Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors (the Board, often abbreviated PEPLS or BPLES). The Board's rules (Mississippi Administrative Code, Title 30, Part 901) require three examinations for initial surveying licensure:
- Fundamentals of Surveying (FS) — the NCEES national exam that leads to Surveyor Intern (SI) enrollment.
- Principles and Practice of Surveying (PPS or PS) — the NCEES national practice exam.
- Mississippi Section — a state-specific exam that the Board itself prepares.
Rule 5.4 states that the Board uses NCEES exams "for all examinations except the Mississippi Section examination for surveyors" and describes the Mississippi Section as a closed book examination prepared by the Board. Initial applicants are cited to it after they apply for initial licensure having passed the FS and PPS and obtained the required experience. Comity applicants who are already licensed elsewhere must also pass it (Rule 5.7). A separate fee is charged for each administration.
Format published by the Board
| Item | Official detail |
|---|---|
| Length | Two hours |
| Delivery | Computer-based test (CBT) |
| Reference policy | Closed book |
| Questions | 100 multiple-choice questions, one point each |
| Passing mark | 70 points out of 100 |
| Calculator | NCEES calculator policy, unless the Board specifies otherwise |
| Results | Board FAQ: usually within two weeks; the exam page tells initial examinees to allow up to four weeks |
Because the exam is closed book, you must carry the key numbers in your head: the Chapter 7 closure ratios, the Class A/B/C tolerances, monument dimensions, CPC hours, fee and penalty ranges, and the State Plane zone parameters.
The six official subjects
| Subject (Board exam page) | Weight | About how many of 100 questions | Where this guide teaches it |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Land Office / Bureau of Land Management | 30% | ~30 | Chapters 5, 6, 7 and Section 11.3 |
| Standards of Practice | 20% | ~20 | Chapters 3 and 4 |
| Rules and Regulations | 20% | ~20 | Sections 1.2–1.5 and Chapter 2 |
| General Knowledge | 15% | ~15 | Chapters 8–11 and Sections 12.2–12.3 |
| Licensure Law | 10% | ~10 | Sections 1.2–1.4 and 2.3–2.4 |
| State Plane Coordinates | 5% | ~5 | Section 12.1 (plus plat rules in 3.4) |
The weights come directly from the Board's exam page. The question counts are approximate because the Board does not publish a per-form breakdown.
Suggested study materials listed by the Board
The Board's exam page suggests these references:
- Instructions for Surveying in the State of Mississippi and The Survey of Mississippi's State, Indian, and Township Boundaries (Mississippi Association of Professional Surveyors).
- The Board's Rules and Regulations and the Mississippi licensure law (Title 73, Chapter 13).
- The BLM Manual of Surveying Instructions, 1973 or 2009 edition.
- A. Harbin, Land Surveyor Reference Manual.
- Senate Bill 2131 (the State Plane Coordinate law cited in the standards).
- Robillard et al., Brown's Boundary Control and Legal Principles.
- P. Kissam, Surveying Practice.
- ACSM, Definitions of Surveying and Associated Terms.
Two currency warnings matter. First, the Legislature rewrote Title 73, Chapter 13 in 2026 (House Bill 1150, effective July 1, 2026). It folded surveyor licensing into §§ 73-13-1 through 73-13-49 and repealed the old surveyor-only sections §§ 73-13-71 through 73-13-105. Older references still cite the repealed numbers (Section 1.2). Second, the Board's rules changed recently. The Standards of Practice became Part 901 Chapter 7, with Class D removed, effective January 1, 2025 (Section 3.1). The rules approved November 21, 2025 then moved surveyor CPC to 24 PDH per biennium (Section 1.5).
Fees and other money facts
| Fee (Board schedule effective June 2, 2026) | Amount |
|---|---|
| PE and PS application (initial or comity) | $75 |
| Mississippi Section PS exam (each administration) | $100 |
| EI and SI enrollment application | $25 |
| Biennial renewal, single license | $70 |
| Retiree biennial renewal | $20 |
| Reinstatement | $250 |
NCEES charges its own exam fees for the national exams: $225 for the FS and $375 for the PS, according to the NCEES exam pages. The Board does not refund application fees once processing begins.
A weighted study plan
Split your time roughly by weight, then add extra time for the areas that are least like national-exam material:
- GLO/BLM (about 30% of your time). Learn Mississippi's five principal meridians, the treaty cessions and private claims, how townships were subdivided, and the proportionate-measurement arithmetic.
- Standards of Practice (about 20%). Memorize the Rule 7.5 table and learn every Rule 7.3 plat item, including the monument and witness-corner rules.
- Rules and Regulations (about 20%). Cover Part 901 Chapters 1–6, 8, and 9: definitions, applications, seals, conduct, CPC, the Certificate of Authority, and discipline.
- General Knowledge (about 15%). Study boundary evidence, senior rights, adverse possession under § 15-1-13, water boundaries, easements, and sixteenth section lands.
- Licensure Law (about 10%). Read the 2026 text of §§ 73-13-1 to -49 at least twice.
- State Plane Coordinates (about 5%). Learn §§ 89-6-1 to -19, the zone parameters, and grid-to-ground conversion.
With 100 questions in 120 minutes you have about 72 seconds per question. Answer the recall items quickly and bank time for the proportion, closure, and grid-factor calculations.
Which published Mississippi Section subject area carries the greatest weight?
Standards of Practice, at 25%
Licensure Law, at 30%
General Land Office/Bureau of Land Management, at 30%
State Plane Coordinates, at 20%
A candidate answers 69 of the 100 Mississippi Section questions correctly. What is the result under the Board's published scoring?
The candidate fails, because the minimum passing grade is 70 points out of 100
The candidate passes, because the passing mark is 65%
The result depends on a scaled score that NCEES publishes after each window
The candidate passes provisionally and must complete 12 extra PDH within one year
Which statement correctly describes how the Mississippi Section exam is delivered?
It is an open-book, eight-hour pencil exam given only in Jackson
It is an oral interview conducted by the surveyor members of the Board
It is a four-hour NCEES exam that replaces the national PS exam
It is a two-hour, closed-book computer-based test prepared by the Board
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.