• Skip to main menu
  • Skip to user menu

RICS Recruit logo

Your APC Case Study Tips

  • Careers Advice

APC study

Your case study is one of the most pivotal sections in your APC submission. It is a major component in terms of quantity, as the basis of your ten-minute presentation and the subsequent questioning.

An ideal project will have drawn on your professionalism to consider key issues and options, then make recommendations for resolution. You should have a choice of projects that you are working on so you can evaluate which are best for your APC.

Evaluate Your Projects

You will spend time and effort preparing the submission and presentation, so focus on your project with the greatest potential. A good starting point is to evaluate your projects against the Understanding the APC guide   to eliminate those that fail to meet the criteria, then reassess the remainder as they progress for your best choice.

Sometimes the project that you had the highest hopes for falls by the wayside or fails to meet the criteria in some way; it helps to have an alternative project as a contingency. Be proactive in gaining advice and guidance from your APC supervisor and counsellor when selecting your case study.

What could you look for in selecting your project?

First, you should ensure the project is within two years of your APC submission date. Many candidates select a project where they are actively involved within one year of the submission date – if they are on the two-year structured training route they are likely to be given more responsibility in this second year, so it will be fresher in their mind and in certain circumstances it might be re-used if they are referred.

Second, if you provided reasoned advice on Building Surveying Level 3 core competency matters, then it has potential. Ideally, you will have identified the project early on as one where you are likely to be personally involved at Level 3.

Third, if your project has two or three key issues that relate to your Building Surveying competencies then it starts to look very promising. These will vary by project; examples include building defect investigation and repair, redesigning a refurbishment due to a client change, or the selection and specification of a product.

There should be meaningful options to consider when determining how the key issue should be resolved. If you had to research or reflect on an event in order to reach a reasoned decision on the project then this could be a key issue. Where you had already identified the project early on as a possible case study then it is a great help if you note key issues as they arise so you can select from these and have a ready-made aide memoire.

If you feel there are no meaningful key issues or options then do discuss the project or projects, key issues and options with your supervisor, counsellor or others involved in the projects; they may provide useful suggestions or advise you towards another project.

Ensure you provide clarity and detail

When preparing the 3,000-word case study, it can be tempting to select more than one project and also three key issues. While the 3,000-word limit is usually easily reached, the challenge is often to provide the clarity, accuracy and detail. This can limit your demonstration of the issues, decision-making ability, reasoned judgement and so on. Do take your supervisor’s or counsellor’s advice on the number of projects and key issues to cover. You may have a valid need for more than one project and three key issues.

Many case studies are on a single project and two key issues. Using two instead of three allows more detail, which should enhance clarity while helping you to keep to the word limit. An additional benefit of a single project and two key issues is in your ten-minute presentation, as it will also allow you more time per issue.

Take pride in it

Once selected, then make the case study your own. It is a key part of the APC in representing you and your work, so take pride in its preparation and the chance to show assessors your professionalism.

Ewan Craig is an APC assessor, APC coach and local director with Right Surveyors  

The above article originally appeared in RICS Built Environment Journal April/May 2019 titled The case in hand

Any Questions?

During an online Q&A with the RICS Training team candidates got to ask their questions on the APC case study, below are the questions raised and answers.

I have just started my APC and was wondering when I should be thinking about my case study?

If you’re on the Structured 24 route, you shouldn’t worry about it until the second year. Firstly, you may not have the range of live experience to choose from. Secondly, if you rotate seats and undertake different types of work, you may have not found something you are best suited to yet. Your first year is really about your learning and development as a surveyor. In your  pathway guide ,  there will be a timeline that help’s you to manage this.

Would it be better to write about a project from start to finish or should I look to target one specific aspect?

Target one aspect, so for example, foundations. The project does not need to be completed 100%, just the part you are writing about.

Are you able to use a project undertaken whilst working for a previous employer?

Your project(s) needs to be undertaken up to two years before your assessment. As long as this is the case, altering your employment will not be a problem.

How do I find hooks in all mandatory and technical competencies?

In your pathway guide, there is a Case Study checklist that brilliantly bullet-points potential hooks you could use. Keep in mind though that the checklist is not a syllabus - you don’t need to know or do all of it. Think of it more as a menu where you can pick and choose the tasks and activities you have carried out.

When it comes to the presentation, do you have an opinion on whether assessors prefer visual aids, or do you just want to hear about the case study?

The most important thing is that you are comfortable. Some people get in a muddle, others like to use visual aids as a crutch. If you have one, make sure it is relevant and not a distraction - use it to enhance, not dominate your presentation.

Related links

  • Sector pathways
  • Enrolled Candidate Guidance

Share this article

Related articles

rics case study structure

Becoming an RICS Member

rics case study structure

Career progression pathways for Quantity Surveyors

rics case study structure

Interviewing for Building Surveyor roles

Latest articles.

rics case study structure

PROPERTY JOURNAL

How to prepare for your APC interview

What can APC candidates do ahead of their final assessment interview to help ensure success on the day?

04 December 2020

rics case study structure

After making their final submission via the Assessment Resource Centre (ARC), APC candidates will receive email notification of their interview date from RICS roughly 3 weeks beforehand by email.

  • refreshing knowledge of practical work-based examples or experience at Levels 2 and 3 included in the submission, and of the case study
  • revising relevant knowledge at Level 1
  • applying their Level 1 knowledge to their Level 2 and 3 examples
  • ensuring familiarity with their CPD record
  • focusing on ethics, as this is the only area where a candidate can automatically fail their interview
  • practising the 10-minute case study presentation, with a visual aid if the candidates decides to use one.

Interview and case study presentation

Candidates should already be familiar with the structure of the final assessment interview.

  • 10 minutes: case study presentation
  • 10 minutes: presentation questioning
  • 30 minutes: assessors’ questioning
  • 10 minutes: chair’s questioning, with a focus on mandatory competencies, ethics and Rules of Conduct.

The presentation is an excellent opportunity to provide a good first impression to the panel and demonstrate strong communication skills. This is slightly more challenging at present due to the online rather than in-person format.  

However, during the pandemic, candidates are likely to have become increasingly familiar and well-practised at presenting and communicating with clients and colleagues using videoconferencing, so this shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

  • look at the camera rather than away from the screen, as this doesn’t appear professional; eye contact is key to maintaining and building rapport with the panel
  • avoid reading a script, which can look stilted and suggests poor preparation skills
  • consider using cue cards, which can provide a general guide through the presentation and jog the memory if needed
  • ensure they sit still and avoid moving too much, which can be distracting
  • place the camera at an appropriate distance so they appear fully on screen
  • keep an eye on their body language – non-verbal communication often says more than words.

Candidates should aim to finish as close to the 10-minute mark as possible. The time limit should be treated as a client requirement or KPI – that is, it is non-negotiable. Candidates who go beyond 10 minutes are likely to be asked to stop. Not using the whole 10 minutes on the other hand may be seen as demonstrating a lack of attention to client requirements, when considered holistically by the panel in the context of the overall assessment result.

There is no fixed structure for the presentation, although candidates should ensure they tell a good story with a clear introduction, body and conclusion. However, a candidate should not just repeat what they have written in their case study: the presentation is an excellent opportunity to focus on one or more key issues in further detail, to explain another interesting or challenging aspect of the case study, or to elaborate on the current progress of the instruction or project.  

Visual aids

Candidates will either be able to share their screen, physically share their visual aid to their camera or may choose to use no visual aid at all.

The most effective presentations are often not reliant on a visual aid, instead using it only to refer to or support key points. For instance, a single-page PDF could be shared at specific points during the presentation to support what the candidate is saying and include a map, photograph, plan or comparable matrix.

The use of a full slideshow is likely to be distracting, as it means that the panel cannot focus on the candidate’s presentation skills. Similarly, holding a printed visual aid up to the camera will probably look unprofessional, as well as being very difficult to read. Any visual aids should be clear, concise and relevant. They should be neat and professionally presented, with a clear title, straight lines, professional formatting and proofread.

Some candidates may even choose not to use a visual aid, which is fine as there is no requirement to do so.

Effective communication

The candidate will face 3 sets of questioning during the interview: on the case study presentation; on the technical competencies; and on the mandatory competencies, ethics and Rules of Conduct.

The questioning should start at Level 3, that is, based on the candidate's experience. This allows them to demonstrate their ability to provide reasoned advice to clients, which may be followed up by questions to probe into the details and knowledge behind this.  

Candidates need to ensure that they communicate their Level 3 reasoned advice to their assessment panel, backed up by strong Level 1 knowledge. This requires good listening skills and the confidence to ask for clarification if they do not clearly understand what they are being asked.  

They should also speak sufficiently slowly and avoid rushing answers. Speed can lead to explaining everything they know rather than giving a clear and concise answer.  

Candidates should be prepared for questions on anything in their submission, including their CPD record.

"Candidates need to ensure that they communicate their Level 3 reasoned advice to their assessment panel, backed up by strong Level 1 knowledge"

Self-management

It is inevitable that candidates will be nervous and stressed during the interview – it is a very important moment in their career, after all, and the last hurdle to clear in becoming a chartered surveyor.

  • Prepare and practise as much as possible.
  • Visualise what might happen beforehand – both the bad and the good. Sit in your assessment environment, in the clothes you will wear and at the same time of day. Imagine the types of question you will be asked and how you would react to the most challenging of these.
  • Take a deep breath to calm your nerves if needed during the interview.
  • Eat beforehand: there’s nothing worse than a rumbling stomach to distract you during your assessment.
  • Plan something to do afterwards with friends or family, rather than overthinking the result.
  • A candidate may be cut off by the assessors if they are not answering the question or, conversely, if the answer given is satisfactory – this is not necessarily a bad sign.

[email protected]

Related Topics

Social Sharing

Read Offline

Related Articles

What I'm doing to prepare for written APC submission

BUILT ENVIRONMENT JOURNAL

go to article What I'm doing to prepare for written APC submission

Jordanne Dunn AssocRICS 13 February 2024

Building surveying

Learning and development

An A–Z of inclusive environments for APC

go to article An A–Z of inclusive environments for APC

Jen Lemen FRICS 12 January 2024

Commercial property

Health and safety

Residential valuation

How I made the most of my apprenticeship

CONSTRUCTION JOURNAL

go to article How I made the most of my apprenticeship

Chloe Hartley MRICS 03 January 2024

Project management

Projects and people

Quantity surveying and construction

Case studies

Coming soon

Value of Data

Harnessing data to accommodate a growing global population

Creating flexible commercial space in one of hong kong's largest developments.

Sustainable Building

Mitigating the risks of climate change

Future Skills

Adapting to thrive: innovative solutions to flood defence

Surveying Technology

Embracing AI

Intelligent Cities

Supporting the electric vehicle revolution

Secrets Of The APC With Alexandra Redmond

by admin | Jun 14, 2021 | Podcasts

A picture with text showcasing Cardoe Martin's Building Surveying for Professionals podcast transcript

CARDOE MARTIN’S

Building surveying for professionals podcast, secrets of the apc with alexandra redmond.

Host:        Welcome to the Cardoe Martin Podcast Building Surveying for Professionals, giving you a detailed and technical view of the world of building surveying.  In this episode we are going to have a chat with Alexandra Redmond a Director at Cardoe Martin all about the assessment of professional conduct for the APC.  This is something that people need to attend and pass in order to become RICS Chartered Surveyors.  They’ll be something for everyone interested in a built-in environment in this Podcast but I warn you now it is going to specially suit and be useful for anyone considering becoming Chartered, wondering about whether they want to do a building surveying course at University and also for those who are already deep in the process of building their submission for the APC.  Now join us for journey through time and space as we reveal the secrets of the APC.  Hi Alex, welcome.

AR:            Hi James, thank you very much.

Host:        Well it’s a pleasure having you on and from our chat before we started recording it sounds like you’ve got some really interesting things to tell everybody today, a bit of a low down on what you do to help the people you mentor and supervise through the APC, so kind of this is from the horse’s mouth so to speak and what we’ll do then we’ll start off and we’ve got a couple of chapters that we’re going to go through but if you’re going to manage as you talk through so this is, I’ll pop in and we’ll have a conversation about it but mainly this is about imparting your knowledge to the listeners so they can be successful at getting Chartered.  And I suppose with the secrets of the APC it’s a building surveyor’s guide isn’t it to the assessment of professional conduct, so this may not necessarily suit other chartered specialists say like valuers or general practice surveyors.  (1.46) Right when you start us off what is your first category?

AR:            So I think I’ll start off with the case study which is what any good APC submission is based around really, the case study is your presentation project, it’s something which you’re going to present to the panel on the day of your final assessments and hope that they are convinced that you did it well enough to pass you as a member of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, so I think probably the best place to start is what makes a good case study. 

                  In my view I’ve seen a lot of people through the APC, I’ve seen a lot of case studies and they’re very varied, any project can make a good case study really and I think you’ve just got to look for several key signs which mean that it will actually translate to a good case study as you write it up and those things usually are the projects.  First of all it’s something that you did do the majority of the work in obviously being an un-Chartered Surveyor you’re not going to be given all of the responsibility for delivering a major project however if you have been involved at all stages in the project from the very beginning right till the end you’ve got a good familiarity with the project and the mechanisms of what happened within the project and you’ve also encountered what could be considered key issues which are the main thing you would like to talk about in your case study documents, that’s the making of a good case study.  It doesn’t have to be any particular type of project usually a contract administration project is the most common that you’ll come across but luckily building surveyors come across opportunities to do a contract administration project quite a lot, so it’s generally quite a good place to start. 

Host:        (3.30) So just the first question I’m asking I guess listeners out there will be thinking the same.  What if my team, my company, is perhaps not as forthright as say someone at Cardoe Martin in helping me get chartered, where am I going to get these case study jobs from, should I just work hard on one that I’m a bit umming and arring on or is better to go out and get a contract admin job as soon as possible, or what can I do really?

AR:            The best thing to do is to speak up, ask questions, ask anybody if you can get involved in a project that your company’s running so if you’re in a business where the majority of the projects that you’ll work on are very large and it’s not appropriate for you to manage the entire projects then ask whether you can do a small section of the project, normally they’ll be, if you’re doing a project of that size they’ll be a smaller sub-projects, it might be the enabling works project, it might be the fit out of the internals, you could do something like that as a much smaller project even if you’re doing the fit out of the toilets, that usually can be separated out as a project that you could run and run as your case study and have full autonomy and be heavily involved in without necessarily impacting on the wider £20million delivery that your company’s trying to get right. 

Host:        Does the shout out to BS8300 there on a fully accessible toilets changing places, if you’re interested in toilets, you know where to come and get the information from BS8300, everybody’s boring inclusive world, yeah there you go I’ll just put that in there. 

AR:            That’s a good point and if you have anything like, if you come across a project for instance where you do have to deal with something like accessibility that’s always good to have something where there’s an interesting twist in the project which feeds into the key issues that you’ll need to present to the panel as part of your case study, so if you have something with a bit of an angle that also provides a good hook for you to present something quite interesting and something a bit different to everyone else so it might also make you stand out.

                   In terms of what is a key issue in a case study so if you are like some of the surveyors out there who are very lucky to work on lots and lots of projects and you’re spoilt for choice, the best thing to do is to look at the projects where you had something, not necessarily go wrong, it doesn’t have to be a disaster of a project but something where something happened that you had to deal with, where you had several options to choose from as to what your course of action would be and these sorts of things can be anything from needing to get Planning Permission for a project, having an extension of time happen, having variations certified during the construction phase of the project, they don’t sound like things that are particularly dramatic when I’m just saying them now but when you present them in a case study and you think about the options and the decision making process that you went through and how you gave advice to your clients then those often do make very good key issues even if they don’t sound particularly exciting off the bat. 

                  So in terms of how do you write up your case study, the RICS website has everything you need effectively on that, the Pathway Guidance gives you some good steer in terms of what you need to include in your case study and how it should be structured and there’s also templates on the RICS website which will give you the structure for your document to follow so you should be able to use those documents and then transplant your project into a very viable and well written case study with lots of exciting key issues to present on the day.

Host:        (7.06) So what did you do your case study on?

AR:            I did mine on a very basic external repairs and redecorations project so it wasn’t the most exciting, it wasn’t the first one that came to mind when I was thinking what I thought a good case study would be, but there were several things like there was a structural issue with a section of the wall and I needed to issue an Extension of Time because we came across an unforeseen issue during the works and those were the sorts of things I wrote about in my case study.

Host:        (7.32) So then, what I guess you’re saying is that the APC Panel are not looking for the sexiest, Guccist, piece of work you’ve ever done, it’s got to be fitting to, so it can be quite mundane, it can be quite well structured, what else would you say then on top of that, that they’d be looking for?

AR:            They’re looking for a safe pair of hands so having been involved in the whole project means that they can assess everything that you’ve done throughout the project as a whole and see whether they agree that you were capable, competent and you delivered the project in a professional way and that’s really what they’re looking for.  You don’t have to have done everything perfectly, everybody makes mistakes, there’s always unforeseen issues that pop up in projects and what the assessors and the panel are really looking for is for how you to dealt with those, how you advised your clients on the outcomes and options available to them and that you eventually delivered a well-rounded project which is unlikely to get you sued in the future.

Host:        (8.33) So that’s a good point in terms of moving onto the litigation then, what are the worst or shall we say the most riskiest case studies you’ve seen, or what have people put into their case study that perhaps has made you go, gosh, do you really want to put that in or can you explain that twice for me?

AR:            I think the main things that I see are when people either take on too much so there’s a very, you’re obviously very keen to present yourself as very capable and all rounder when you type up your case study but sometimes you can lead yourself into the trap of looking like you’ve taken on more than you should take on as a chartered building surveyor, so for instance you might start taking responsibility for health and safety matters on site when really that’s the contractor’s responsibility or you might say that you’re taking on a lot of design responsibility by taking on, you know, doing drawing work potentially or designing a roof or designing an extension and if that’s not something that your very confident and capable and talking about as if you were able to do that every day of the week then it’s best to stick to the key role of the contract administrator is and what you do as a building surveyor in those projects rather than taking on more than you should.

Host:        (9.49) Okay sounds some advice, so it’s got to be moderate, it’s got to be fit for purpose and you’ve got to be able to sit, stand in front of the panel on the day and justify your actions and fill confident in talking about them, so its familiarity.

AR:            Absolutely.

Host:        And I’m guessing it must be really obvious to the panel if someone perhaps has done less participation in a piece of work perhaps and their saying oh yes I’ve done this, I’ve done that and actually when you get to there it must come through in your voice or your actions or your knowledge is just not deep enough.

AR:            It definitely does I’ve some real horror stories over the years, one instance where somebody had put in their documents that they were responsible for serving all the Notices on a party wall job which doesn’t sound particularly dramatic in itself but it turns out that when they were questioned on the service of Notices in their APC that all they’d done had been to post them through the letterbox, rather than to actually draft the Notices and do any technical professional work involved in that.  So the other thing that the panel will like to see and also adds to a good case study is to show that you’ve worked as part of a wider project team so that might involve you as the contract administrator, maybe working alongside a specialist supplier, maybe for a roofing system, an interior designer, an architect, a quantity surveyor, building control, planning officers anything like that really, where you’ve had to interact with another professional and you’ve deferred the client to another professional in order to give them the best possible and most appropriate advice always helps to demonstrate that your also a safe pair of hands, so if you have a project where that’s included then that’s always another string to its bow.

Host:        (11.25) Excellent thank you very much for that section.  So moving on then.

AR:            I think the next bit to talk about is probably the documents that’s probably the biggest and scariest part of completing your documents, the case study is one part of it but you have an awful lot more to do to put the whole package together so you need to look at things like the CPD log which involves you obviously doing CPD and then recording it quite thoroughly.

Host:        (11.51) Sorry what’s CPD?

AR:            CPD is Continuation of Professional Development, that is where us in the trade we know a lot about how many seminars and workshops and lectures that we have to go to, to make up our CPD hours every year and with the APC it’s even more onerous, it’s 48 hours per year or per 12 month period before you sit your APC that you need to have completed and recorded within your CPD log.  You also need to include your record of experience which is essentially what it sounds like, a record of everything that you’ve done and your learning outcomes and also the write ups for all of your competencies which are across three different types of competency, you have your mandatory competencies which includes the dreaded ethics module, the core competencies which are the pathway specific competencies, which for us we’ll be discussing the building surveying competencies today and also the optional competencies where you are given a bit of freedom to decide what else you would like to speak about in your documents.

                   So the CPD log and experience record are very individual to your own experience, very individual to what you do so those sorts of things are generally in line with what you do in your day to day work.  The most important thing to note in putting your documents together to start with is to read the documents that the RICS publish so go on the website, download the Pathway Guide and follow the brief, part of the APC is that they want to see that you can follow a brief and you follow the documents on the website then that’s a really good place to start.

Host:        (13.25) So that’s essentially testing organisation, ability to follow a process, administration skills that sort of thing?

AR:            Absolutely, definitely, it’s what you’re expected to do everyday when you’re a Chartered Surveyor or even before that, listen to a client, understand what’s been asked from you and then prepare something which is in line with what you’ve been requested.  So how do you approach starting to put your documents together, first thing to do I would suggest to go to the RICS website and download the templates that are available, these generally give you everything that you need in terms of what to record, how to record it and there’s also some work examples which is really handy and that sort of thing wasn’t available when I was sitting so it’s really great that that is available now, there’s a lot of other online resources, I won’t go into detail but all you have to do is google APC and you’ll get thousands of responses, options, people sharing their experiences, Q&A’s, forums, all which will give you some flavour in terms of what you need to do to start putting your documents together.  There is also a lot of free resources on the RICS if you go to the RICS Training Academy there’s lots of seminars, there are classes, online workshops that you can book and attend which will give you free or very low priced information in terms of helping you to start putting your documents together, giving you advice on what to do and when. 

                  What the assessors are looking for when they are looking at your documents, looking obviously to see that it is complete, they’re looking to see that you have kept to the brief, i.e. followed the pathway, completed the documents as they’d asked for them to be completed and they are also going to be most interested in your competencies.  So I’ll start with the mandatory competencies, these are the competencies that everybody has to provide some responses for, these are general business type competencies also surrounding ethics and good practice in the industry and a lot of these you’ll only need to achieve a Level 1 and a Level 1 is essentially knowing, so you have to demonstrate that you know about these things so for instance, business planning, you’re not likely to have done a Business Plan as a not Chartered Surveyor so it’s not essential that you can demonstrate ever having done one or have any great understanding in the execution of doing a Business Plan but it’s important that you know what one is and what the benefits and values are so that you can talk confidently about it from a knowledge point of view. 

                  The second type of competencies are the core competencies which are defined by your Pathway Guide, those are not negotiable, you have to reach Level 3 for all of these and Level 3 is essentially demonstrating that you’ve given advice, so I’ll just briefly state Levels 1, 2 and 3, you need to write something for all of them.  Level 1 is knowing, Level 2 is doing and Level 3 is advising and that’s the best rule of thumb for coming up with examples when you write up your competencies. 

                  Lastly there are optional competencies, this is a free choice module effectively where you get to pick some extra competencies which are normally suited to your pathway but you do get free choice just pick carefully.

Host:        (16.44) Have you got any further advice for people who are sitting this and in terms of how they’re going to address the levels, are there certain things you can say, say for instance if I have a set answer or I can put a prefix of set of words in front that automatically gives me a Level 3 answer or is there a Level 2 answer or how do I start to envisage and then put a Level 1, 2 and 3 answer down on paper?

AR:            The best way to approach your Level 1, 2 and 3 answers within your core and optional competencies is to base them on real jobs that you’ve done, certainly at Levels 2 and 3, Level 1 knowing you don’t necessarily need to talk about having done anything so you don’t need to refer to jobs but for your own benefit really to associate your write up with an actual job that you’ve done will help you talk confidently when you’re actually sitting your panel interview and you can refer back to these jobs to demonstrate that you have achieved the Level 3 competency that the panel will be looking for, and in terms of what you should say when you’re writing these up is to make sure that you stick to the brief again, if you are talking at Level 2 talk about doing things, so focus on, for instance, if you’ve done an inspection how you approach the inspection, what did you do whilst you were inspecting, what types of things did you do to prepare for the inspection, try to steer away from basic knowledge and try to steer away from any advice that was given arising from that and then when you get to talk about Level 3’s steer away from any knowledge, steer away from the doing elements and focus on how you advise the client, so use your words wisely, you don’t have very many to spare when you’re writing these documents up.

Host:        (18.22) How might the advice section look so if I’m going to do this and, you know, I’m thinking Level 3 answers how I am going to phrase them and obviously I don’t want to be doing, oh I tell you what, what did you say in your APC to meet Level 3 answers.

AR:            When I was writing my documents I would present the job in very brief terms so I might have a heading in my document where I’ve listed the job, say it was a Defect Diagnosis job and maybe a part of the address, so not going into any specifics because you don’t want to give away personal details or anyone’s private information when you’re writing your documents up but you can refer to things like the street and the type of job it was, and then briefly gloss over the actual issues, so for instance you could say “whilst I was investigating a leak at the above building I had to advise my client that the problem had become so substantial that x, y and z repairs were required which was in excess of what they had previously thought” so make sure that you use the word “advising”, make it clear that you’ve given advice when you are presenting your competencies and that carries through to the final assessment as well. 

                  The panel will be looking for competence on the core modules to Level 3 so always give an answer where you have given advice, even if the question is asked is something basic always tailor it to something where you did a job and you advised somebody in what they have asked.

Host:        (19.51) Now that sounds like good advice, so moving on.

AR:            And the next stage once you’ve done your case study, you’ve put all of your documents together, you’ve submitted it to the RICS and you’ve got your interview date you need to start preparing for the final assessments of the panel interview.  Normally you’ll have about two or three months to prepare for the interview once you’ve been accepted and been given your interview date, so it seems like a long time now but believe me when you get there it’s not very long and you realise at that point that you have to learn absolutely everything there is to know about building surveying, obviously that’s not true, they don’t expect you to know everything, the panel are expecting you to know enough about what you’ve done to be able to have advised people to a competent level but also that you are aware of your limitations so that when you do go to advise people in the future as a Chartered Surveyor that you’re not likely to give advice that you shouldn’t or that your capable of giving, again this comes back to the safe pair of hands requirement for passing the APC. 

                  So in the months leading up to your interview obviously you’ll be doing a lot of revision, I’d say the best place to start with the revision is to learn your documents inside out, learn all of the jobs that you have referred to, commit them to memory, remember all of the interesting things that happened on those jobs, so when you’re sitting there in the interview having questions thrown at you you’ll be able to quickly recall any jobs that you did and any interesting advice that you gave to clients whilst you were doing those jobs and also learning about the mandatory competencies because there is a section of the final interview where you will be quizzed by the chairperson on matters like ethics and the mandatory competency so it is important that whilst it’s very easy to dive in and just learn everything about the Building Regulations and revise all of the types of damp and rot that you can encounter in a building don’t forget to revise on the mandatories and the ethics questions.

                   I definitely recommend finding a good ethics conundrum that you’ve come across in your surveying life, I’m sure it’s one of those things you think you’ve never been challenged with but they happen all the time so have a think back to any time where you’ve had an ethical quandary and think about how you dealt with that, so that if that is asked of you in your interview that you can recall one or two good examples of how you dealt with ethical challenges in your day to day work. 

                  Other things that you should consider doing in the lead-up to your panel interview is to prepare your presentation for your case study, a lot of people leave this to the last minute, I’m guilty myself, I did it about three days before I sat, but it is definitely something that you want to prepare for and prepare what you’re going to say, you have a ten minute slot on the day to present your case if you will to the panel and having a good aid memoire for them to review is something that will serve you well and it will give you confidence on the day that if you’ve got something that you know you’ve practiced, something that you’re very familiar with and something that you feel confident to discuss in front of you for the actual beginning part of the interview.  Also preparing by forming a group of people also doing the APC if you join a study group with other candidates then you can get essential knowledge, confidence, you can share stories, you can share knowledge, keep up to date on what’s evolving in legislation and. 

Host:        (23.19) Now that sounds Alex like it would be easier in a bigger company wouldn’t it, so what do all the surveyors who are either in very small micro businesses or smaller boutique firms do?

AR:            There’s plenty of things you can do, you can obviously look online, you can reach out to people you went to university with because you all graduated at the same time, the likelihood is that you’ll probably be sitting at the same time as a fair number of your ex-classmates so they’re always very good resources to join a study group with, and it is hard work and you do have to commit to the time that is needed to prepare but it’s work it at the end of it. 

Host:        (23.55) I guess that’s where CPD’s can be so useful in that pre 48 hours’ worth of CPD you need to do, there must be tons of contacts across the industry you meet at events like CPD or is it more full of architects?

AR:            No CPD is a very good place to meet people especially if there’s a networking element involved so if you go to a CPD where is there a networking event before or after or if you join the RICS Matrix where you can do networking to find other surveyors at the same level as you who are studying towards the APC you can form your own study groups with them.  There’s also other things that you can do within your business whether it’s a large or a small business, obviously the study element you should have access to resources, guide books, books based on industry literature and also Senior Surveyors and Directors within your own business who will be able to review your documents and perhaps do a mock interview with you or to do Q&A sessions, so they’ll review your documents and ask questions based on what they think the panel may come up with.

Host:        (24.59) One question that kind of strikes me is say for instance I’m fairly isolated within my small business or it’s a big business and we are a small team and no one in my business seems to care whether I get chartered or not, no-one’s helping me, kind of feel like I’m on my own so I’m doing this a little bit by the seat of pants, you know, I’m losing confidence a little, should I being doing this or do people still pass even under these circumstances, or do I need to try harder to go out there and find someone who will help me?

AR:            Well it sounds like you might want to leave that business, they don’t sound like they value you very much, but in a nutshell, you know, if you’re stuck with a business that’s not supporting you then there’s lots of external support out there, there is this free resources, obviously I’ve mentioned the RICS resources, there’s lots of seminars and workshops available for any surveyor to join and to get that free advice straight from the horse’s mouth. 

                  There’s also other online academies and private training set-ups where you can get mock interviews set up, obviously there is a cost involved and you should to your business about covering those costs, it’s not something you should pay for yourself out of your own pocket as your business will be the one to ultimately benefit from you getting chartered, being able to have you charge more fees and do more prestigious jobs and building surveys, so be bold and ask for the help.

Host:        (26.22) Cos I guess you are fighting for your professional status really isn’t it, this is something that’s going to set you up for the rest of your life.

AR:            Well it’s also a good trait to learn early on is to have confidence and be assertive in your professional life and don’t let people put you down because once you’re a Chartered Surveyor you’ll be flying solo effectively and people will expect that you will be able to stand up and give advice despite people trying to persuade you otherwise in terms of what opinions you give and advice you might give. 

                  Other points to note for on the day, I think a lot of people are very intimidated by the idea that they have their future decided in the space of one hour, and it’s a very quick hour I can tell you, but it’s not all that scary I think a lot of people it’s scarier in your head then it is in real life and when you get to the assessment centre on the day it is generally quite a relaxing experience, make sure you arrive with lots of time so that you can sit and read through your documents, check you’ve got everything ready if you’re using any electronic aids in your presentation, check that they’ve got battery and charged, check that everything’s working, check that everything is set up properly so that when you go in there you don’t feel nervous about anything not working when you’re trying to impress the panel and then in the actual interview itself you have an initial introduction where the panel will, to settle your nerves and give you the opportunity to declare yourself not fit or well to sit the interview if you are in a bad way or if you’re feeling too nervous or anything bad has happened to you, you do get the opportunity at the beginning to declare that and decide whether or not you’d like to proceed. 

                  Then you follow that with ten minutes for your presentation on your case study which is followed by another ten minutes of Q&A from the panel.  After that they move onto your main documents and ask you questions about your core and optional competencies, that’s followed by a ten minutes for the chairpersons questions, which as we touched on earlier goes through the mandatories and the ethics modules and then the interview is over and it goes very, very quickly, bit of a blur, but as long as you do all of the preparation and you learn and go in there feeling confident and relaxed you should do fine.

Host:        (28.36) Are there any bench marks that I can set myself so I know when I’m ready, everyone might have said oh it’s fine or my family and their keen and pushing me, very positive, but what would you say to people from Cardoe Martin who are going forward to make sure that when their ready, or they know their ready when their ready and what sort of informational bench marks would I have to hit to enter into that?

AR:            I don’t think there’s any real bench marks that you can really apply, I think you know in yourself that you couldn’t have done anymore, so if you’re at that position two days before you sit and you think oh gosh I should have done far more revision than I did, I spent a lot of time watching Netflix and you know, going on Facebook then maybe you didn’t do enough, but a lot of people I speak to get to the last week of their revision and feel completely maxed out and they honestly feel that they couldn’t possibly revise anymore than they have done, and I think that’s the feeling you need to go in with really is that, ask yourself could I have done anything more and if you say no then I think you probably find yourself ready, but obviously it’s not always the case that everything goes well on the day and you may get referred following the panel assessments and that’s always a horrible situation and very disappointing after all the work and effort that’s gone into your documents and sitting the panel interview, but the important thing to note that a referral isn’t a fail it’s merely some feedback that meant that you just, you may have just not hit the mark on the day, it might have been the way you presented something, it might have been some of the answers you’ve given. 

                  A lot of people report that they’ve been referred because they were overly nervous and weren’t relaxed in their interview and they didn’t feel that they put their best foot forward so it doesn’t at all mean that you’re not capable or that it’s not possible for you to pass the APC, it merely means that you’ll have some good constructive feedback from three professionals who have read your case study, seen you present, read all of your documents and will give you some constructive feedback on how to pass next time, so it’s actually a really helpful process and if you take it in the vein that it’s meant in that it’s constructive and that it’s designed to help you pass the next time, and you don’t lose heart and you don’t lose confidence then I think nearly everybody I’ve ever spoken to whose been referred has passed at the next sitting so it’s usually means you’re very, very nearly there.

Host:        (31.02) Some people talk about a Kudos around passing first time is this a thing, should I be worried about it or is it just one of those that it doesn’t have an impact, I’m not going to lose any money in my future career over this am I?

AR:            I don’t think anyone remembers when they passed necessarily, it’s when you pass you pass and that’s it.  It is probably worth noting that if you are referred you’re not the only one, most year’s it’s about 50/50 so a lot of people are referred every single year and it doesn’t matter if you re-sit, once you’ve passed your APC nobody really cares whether you failed five times or not. 

Host:        (31.37) I would guess all that experience is going in, the experience being isn’t it and it all adds up so it’s only going to make you better as a surveyor?

AR:            Absolutely, when you get into the real world and the professional world afterwards you’ll have plenty more disappointments and pitches that don’t go quite right and client’s giving you feedback you’d rather not hear so it really does just prepare you for the real world. 

Host:        Well, thank you very much for that Alex so you’ve been tuned into Cardoe Martin’s Building Surveying for Professionals Podcast, thanks for listening and thank you very much to Alexandra Redmond for joining us today and sharing her very own tried and tested secrets of the APC. 

Recent Posts

  • The Secrets Of The APC: The Online Panel From The Candidate’s View With Craig White
  • An Introduction To The Building Surveying For Property Managers Series With Graham Cardoe
  • 20th Anniversary Celebrations Podcast With Graham Cardoe
  • 20th Anniversary Address With Graham Cardoe
  • Why You Should Have A Contract Administrator On Your Project

Recent Comments

  • September 2022
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Property Elite Logo

Thanks for signing up!

Strip backgrouynd showing a desk with paper, pen and coffee cup

  • Sep 29, 2020

RICS AssocRICS Lifeline – 10 Top Tips to Ace Your AssocRICS

Updated: Oct 30, 2023

Building a better you

Property Elite’s sole aim is to build better property professionals - supporting your career every step of the way, whether you are an AssocRICS or RICS APC candidate or a MRICS or FRICS Chartered Surveyor simply seeking engaging CPD.

We provide a wide range of training and support, so why not find out more on our website about how we might be able to support you? We work with candidates across all RICS APC and AssocRICS pathways, routes to assessment and geographic regions.

Don’t forget to sign up online for your free 15 minute AssocRICS or RICS APC consultation , including a review of your referral report if you have been referred. You can also book your bespoke training or support services directly through our eShop .

Not sure about signing up? Make sure you read what our recent successful candidates have to say in our Testimonials .

What is this week's blog about?

In this week’s blog, we give you our 10 top tips to ace your AssocRICS submission. This is based on our experience of supporting many happy AssocRICS candidates to AssocRICS success.

So what are our 10 top tips?

1. Get your submission right first time - read the candidate guide carefully and ensure you submit all elements required by RICS, i.e. summary of experience, case study and CPD record. You also need to complete the online RICS ethics module and test.

2. Word count – ensure you stick to the stated word counts, as not doing so will constitute a referral. These are 2,000 words for your technical competencies, 1,000 words for your mandatory competencies (approximately 150 words for each) and 2,500 words for your case study. There is no 10% rule or exemption, essentially everything between the end of the contents page and start of the appendices counts! This includes tables and figures within the main body of your text.

3. Presentation – ensure that you present your work to the highest standard possible, i.e. being ‘client ready’. Proofread your submission (including your CPD record) carefully to identify any issues relating to structure, style, grammar or spelling. If you wouldn’t be happy to submit your work to your supervisor, line manager or a client – then make sure you continue to work on it as this is a common area for referral.

4. CPD – ensure that you undertake sufficient CPD, with a minimum of 48 hours recorded in the 12 months prior to submitting for AssocRICS. At least 50% must be formal CPD and you should record sufficient, relevant detail within your CPD record.

5. Case study topic – ensure that you choose a suitable topic for your case study. RICS expect you to ‘present a sensible and realistic topic for your case study that reflects the skills needed to fulfil the role of a professional in your area of practice and geographical location’. You should focus on two technical competencies relevant to your day-to-day work, but also mention other technical and mandatory competencies where relevant.

6. Case study structure – your case study should follow the structure set out by RICS, which includes a brief overview of the project (e.g. date, location, employer and your job role), objectives, your knowledge, skills and experience, your role and contribution, your technical skills employed and the overall outcome. You should aim to demonstrate your understanding of the relevant competencies and some of your general business skills (mandatory competencies).

7. Read the pathway guide relevant to you – you have to submit your summary of experience based on seven mandatory competencies (the eighth, Conduct rules, ethics and professional practice, requires no written submission and is instead assessed via the RICS online ethics module and test) and six technical competencies. Ensure you read the relevant pathway guide to understand the requirements of each competency, not doing so is another common referral point. For your mandatory competencies, one brief example is required for each, whilst for your technical competencies you need to clearly state perhaps 2-3 specific examples.

8. Appendices – you should not include any appendices or supporting documents within your summary of experience. However, your case study should include relevant appendices, such as plans, illustrations or calculations, which are clearly referred to in your main text. We do not recommend attaching extensive appendices to your case study, particularly those which do not add anything to your main body of text.

9. Deadlines – ensure you are prepared well in advance to submit your AssocRICS submission whilst your submission window is open. Missing this means that you will need to wait until the next submission window opens. You can check relevant dates using the RICS website, ensuring you select your world region and pathway.

10. Counsellor and Proposer – you will need to ensure you have a Counsellor to sign off your submission and a Proposer (i.e. RICS member – AssocRICS for 4 years’ plus, MRICS or FRICS) to endorse your submission. These parties need to be available prior to submission, so don’t leave this part of the process too late! You can use the same person to both your Counsellor and Proposer and they do not necessarily have to be from within the same organisation as you. Please contact Property Elite if you require assistance with this as we can provide outsourced roles in certain circumstances.

How can we help?

A Submission Review is the best way to ensure that you ace your AssocRICS assessment - we promise a 5 working day turnaround time and can cover all world regions, pathways and competencies.

Our other support services include:

Don't leave it too late to book your submission feedback and review , APC question pack , e-mock interview or 1-2-1 mentoring .

We offer a range of short and long-term support packages in our eShop , including our popular Monthly Mentoring and Kick Start packages.

Head to our blog archive to access even more free CPD and AssocRICS and RICS APC training and support.

Download your free AssocRICS and RICS APC resources , including e-books, submission checklist and revision quizzes.

Find out more about our bespoke AssocRICS and RICS APC training and support, before booking your free 15 minute consultation .

Stay tuned for our next blog post to help build a better you N.b. Nothing in this article constitutes legal, professional or financial advice.

Recent Posts

How Much Do the APC and AssocRICS Assessments Cost?

NOW LIVE! New RICS Assessment Platform

RICS AssocRICS Lifeline – 5 Top Tips to Ace Your AssocRICS Summary of Experience

IMAGES

  1. RICS APC CASE STUDY EXAMPLE

    rics case study structure

  2. What is RICS?

    rics case study structure

  3. RICS London Bookshop on Twitter

    rics case study structure

  4. RICS APC Case Study Graphical Explanation PDF

    rics case study structure

  5. RICS APC QUESTIONS & ANSWERS PDF QS

    rics case study structure

  6. RICS APC QUESTIONS & ANSWERS PDF BS

    rics case study structure

VIDEO

  1. Life Coach 101: Best Strategies to Balance Your Life for Your Business's Sake!

  2. Research based case history and protocols

  3. Case Studies

  4. CASE STUDY PHY210 VIDEO PRESENTATION

  5. CASE STUDY COM165 VIDEO PRESENTATION

  6. Research based case history and protocols

COMMENTS

  1. PDF Do Not Copy! Example Only.

    Case Study Purpose - to illustrate your level of professional practice. The focus of the case study must be on one recent project that enables you to show what involvement you have had in the project, what support you provided and what decisions you took and why. The project you choose should allow you to demonstrate at least TWO

  2. DOCX RICS

    Are you preparing for your APC assessment and need a template to write your case study? Download the official RICS document that provides guidance and examples on how to structure and present your case study. Learn from the best practices and tips from other candidates and experts.

  3. Your APC Case Study Tips

    Your APC Case Study Tips. Your case study is one of the most pivotal sections in your APC submission. It is a major component in terms of quantity, as the basis of your ten-minute presentation and the subsequent questioning. An ideal project will have drawn on your professionalism to consider key issues and options, then make recommendations ...

  4. Top tips to help crack your APC case study

    The most important thing is that you are comfortable. Some people get in a muddle, others like to use visual aids as a crutch. If you have one, make sure it is relevant and not a distraction - use it to enhance, not dominate your presentation. These questions were all raised during online Q&A run by the RICS Training team.

  5. APC case study projects

    Author: Your case study is one of the most pivotal sections in your APC submission. It is a major component in terms of quantity, as the basis of your ten-minute presentation and subsequent questioning. An ideal project will have drawn on your professionalism to consider key issues and options then make recommendations for resolution.

  6. 9 THINGS YOUR RICS APC CASE STUDY MUST INCLUDE

    RICS APC Case Study Guidance with Examples including 9 things your case study must include and how to make your case study stand out for the right reasons an...

  7. Preparing for the APC Case Study

    14/05/2024 - 09:30 - 11:00 (BST) 21/05/2024 - 09:30 - 11:00 (BST) The Case study is your opportunity to demonstrate your range of skills and competencies on an important project, and is a key component of your APC submission. It is also a major part of the final assessment, and with the right tools it can be approached with confidence.

  8. How to prepare for your APC interview

    ensure they sit still and avoid moving too much, which can be distracting. place the camera at an appropriate distance so they appear fully on screen. keep an eye on their body language - non-verbal communication often says more than words. Candidates should aim to finish as close to the 10-minute mark as possible.

  9. Rics Apc Presentation Example

    This tutorial explains how to present your Case Study Project during the RICS APC Final Assessment Interview. A real life example of a successful case study ...

  10. ROC Case Study

    ROC Case Study - Competence. These case studies are examples to help you to apply the Rules of Conduct in situations that may arise in your professional practice. When making ethical professional decisions, you need to: consider the facts. identify the relevant RICS standards in the Rules of Conduct and other guidance.

  11. Assessment of Professional Competence (APC)

    RICS online ethics course. You'll also need to complete the RICS online ethics course, before you can attend an assessment interview. 60 minute assessment interview. Following a 10-minute presentation by you on your case study, the panel of trained RICS assessors will ask questions on your presentation and your selected competencies.

  12. ROC Case Study

    ROC Case Study - Negotiation. These case studies are examples to help you to apply the Rules of Conduct in situations that may arise in your professional practice. When making ethical professional decisions, you need to: consider the facts. identify the relevant RICS standards in the Rules of Conduct and other guidance.

  13. Writing your APC case study ⌨️

    Writing a successful RICS APC case study is vital, but do you know what to put in it and how to write it?Enrol now on our course on RICS APC From Enrolment t...

  14. Guidelines for Developing Effective Case Studies for the APC ...

    267007308-RICS.pdf - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or view presentation slides online. This document provides guidelines for candidates preparing case studies as part of the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) process. It outlines the required format and content for case studies, including describing a specific project, demonstrating competencies, decision making ...

  15. APC Ask Me Anything

    Welcome to June's APC Ask Me Anything (AMA) article. The RICS Training team are running free online sessions where candidates can ask an APC Assessor anything about the process, skills development and how to give yourself the best chance of success. Below you can read through some of the key questions raised by candidates from this month's ...

  16. RICS APC Lifeline

    What are our top 5 tips for a fantastic case study presentation visual aid? 1. Make it useful, simple and clear, i.e. large, professional diagrams or figures and avoid using extensive, small text. This could include a location map, photograph and key project milestones or a comparable matrix (e.g. for a valuation). 2.

  17. ROC Case Study

    ROC Case Study - Client pressure. These case studies are examples to help you to apply the Rules of Conduct in situations that may arise in your professional practice. When making ethical professional decisions, you need to: consider the facts. identify the relevant RICS standards in the Rules of Conduct and other guidance.

  18. RICS APC Lifeline

    What are our top 5 tips for a fantastic case study presentation visual aid? 1. Make it useful, simple and clear, i.e. large, professional diagrams or figures and avoid using extensive, small text ...

  19. RICS: Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

    RICS is the world's leading professional body for qualifications and standards in land, property, infrastructure and construction. Visit rics.org. Visit rics.org. Case studies. Value of Data. Harnessing data to accommodate a growing global population Read case study . Value of Data.

  20. Secrets Of The APC With Alexandra Redmond

    So in terms of how do you write up your case study, the RICS website has everything you need effectively on that, the Pathway Guidance gives you some good steer in terms of what you need to include in your case study and how it should be structured and there's also templates on the RICS website which will give you the structure for your ...

  21. RICS AssocRICS Lifeline

    6. Case study structure - your case study should follow the structure set out by RICS, which includes a brief overview of the project (e.g. date, location, employer and your job role), objectives, your knowledge, skills and experience, your role and contribution, your technical skills employed and the overall outcome.

  22. APC Training & Events

    APC - Preparing for Your Final Assessment - Two-Part Series. Fri 3 May 2024 - Fri 10 May 2024 • 02:30 - 04:00 PST • 4.5 hours formal CPD • Online. From £98. Online Training.

  23. RICS APC

    I ended up pulling out for a number of reasons but the case study I had approved by my supervisor was on a project where the original cost for the project had doubled by the end of the contract, and I was going to look at why (poor docs, poor tendering processes etc) and how the claims were managed and justified. BakerMaker11.