Computer-aided pendant drop profile analysis is used to investigate the relaxation of gas sorption at the surface of the liquid-crystalline side-chain polyacrylate PAC-6 after transient surface area changes -square-pulse disturbance. This test demonstrates, for the first time, the possibility of qualitative estimation of the surface molecular order. The results confirm the existence of a pretransitional order and indicate the enrichment of the liquid-crystalline side chains at the polymer surface. The influence of drop size on the accuracy of the surface tension determination by using the pendant drop method is also discussed.