Graduates with a 2 year vocational degree in surveying or engineering or individual who does not have any school training approved by the board may apply for the FLS examination, which is the national examination from the NCEES.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

All applications including the fee and transcript, if applicable, must be submitted to the board office no later than midnight on:

            January 1st for the April exam

            July 1st for the October exam

1. Download a printable application. Please print or type. Pay by check or credit card authorization. 

OR

1. Complete the interactive online application. You will need a user ID and password. Pay by credit card online, mail a check, or fax/mail a credit card authorization form.

2.  List of References - You shall furnish the names and addresses of at least 5 references to which you will send the Confidential Exam Reference form to.  At least 3 references must be licensed land surveyors in good standing and the 3 references must have personal knowledge of your experience. The other 2 references can be character references.  Relatives, business associates supervised by you and current South Dakota Board members are not acceptable as references.

Make 5 copies of the Confidential Exam Reference Form.  Complete the top portion on page 1 and complete all of page 2. Mail the confidential exam reference forms that you list as references to those individuals.  The confidential exam reference form must be sent by the reference to our board office.  The form can be mailed, faxed or scanned & emailed to the South Dakota Board office.

3.  Education - Graduates must provide a transcript issued directly from the granting institution by the registrar’s office.  Transcripts must be mailed directly from the institution to the South Dakota board office.

4.  Experience – Land surveying experience must be completed under the supervision of a licensed professional land surveyor.

After evaluation of your FLS exam application and academic verification (if applicable) you will be advised in writing by the board office if you have been approved or not approved for the examination.

The board office will notify you by writing within 5 weeks after the application deadline.

DO NOT register with NCEES until you receive an approval letter from the South Dakota Board of Technical Professions.

The approval letter from the board office will contain information necessary for you to register for the examination with NCEES www.ncees.org so that you can meet their deadlines.

NCEES DEADLINES

(They will vary on the exact date)

 3^rd to 4^th week of February for the April exam

1^st week of September for the October exam

EXAMINATION RETAKES

A board approved FLS exam applicant who fails to pass the first examination may retake the examination two times.  If an applicant fails an examination three times, the applicant must submit a new application for board approval and take the examination only once each calendar year thereafter.  Failure of an applicant to attend an examination for which the applicant has been scheduled to attend does not count as a failure of the examination.  The board may review an applicant who fails the examination three times.