CST Level 1 Land Surveyor Certification 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The function of a level rod during surveying is primarily to determine elevation. A level rod, also known as a leveling staff or surveying rod, is used in conjunction with a leveling instrument to establish a benchmark or reference point for height above a datum, such as mean sea level. When a surveyor uses a leveling instrument, they can create a horizontal line of sight and then use the level rod to measure the height at various points of interest.

The reading taken from the level rod at the point where the instrument is set allows the surveyor to calculate the difference in elevation between the rod and the reference point. This is crucial for tasks such as establishing the grade of a road or determining the height of a building foundation. The accuracy in reading the rod contributes significantly to ensuring the vertical data is reliable, which is essential in construction, land development, and other engineering applications.

In this context, while measuring distances, recording data, and calculating angles are important survey-related activities, they do not pertain specifically to the function of a level rod, which is primarily centered around measuring vertical distances or differences in elevation.