APC Manual

How to Pass the APC:Essential Advice for General

Practice Surveyors

Austen Imber

2004

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Austen Imber, 2004

Typeset by Amy Boyle, Rochester, Kent

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First published 2004 by Estates Gazette

Published 2014 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Notices Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary.

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ISBN 13: 978-0-7282-0429-4 (pbk)

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Contents

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vPreface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Chapter 1 APC Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 2 Starting the APC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Chapter 3 Key Input from Supervisor and Counsellor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Chapter 4 Interim Assessment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Chapter 5 Final Assessment Submissions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Chapter 6 Critical Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Chapter 7 Example of Critical Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Chapter 8 The APC Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Chapter 9 Presentation Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Chapter 10 What Candidates Need to Know in Their Subject Areas. . . . . . . . 97

Chapter 11 Examples of Interview Questions and Answers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Chapter 12 Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Chapter 13 Beyond the APC Lifelong Learning, and Business Skills . . . . . 143

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

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Foreword

The RICS Assessment of Professional Competence is commonly cited bygraduates as an area of study in which a practical insight is required in the finalassessment process.

This view has informed our regular coverage of the APC in the Mainly forStudents section of the Estates Gazette over the past decade. This section of themagazine has always scored highly with readers who clearly value the clearpractical advice that is given. Therefore we are now pleased to publish How to Passthe APC.

This complements the material available from RICS, and shows APC candidateshow, with the right commitment, they can succeed at their first attempt. This is notonly through considering the many facets of final assessment, but taking the rightapproach to many other aspects throughout their professional training period.

Peter BillEditor Estates Gazette

February 2004

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Preface

How to Pass the APC: Essential Advice for General Practice Surveyors shows generalpractice surveyors how they can most effectively apply themselves to the APC and be proud to secure MRICS status at their first attempt. This includes helpingcandidates understand what they need to know in their subject areas to besuccessful with the RICS APC interview.

The national pass rate for general practice surveyors taking the final assessmentinterview has been around 65% over recent years (which after allowing for re-sits,equates to an approximate 50% first time pass rate). This is low, considering thatone of the elements of the APC is that employers (as supervisor and counsellor)are required to declare that candidates have reached the necessary levels beforeputting them forward for final assessment.

Reasons for the number of unsuccessful candidates include a lack of awarenessas to what exactly needs to be understood within competency areas, supervisorsand counsellors signing off candidates despite not having met the required levels,and candidates being prepared to take a speculative gamble on APC success some consoling themselves that failure would still be good experience for furtherattempts. A related factor is candidates often focusing on two months of revision,rather than at least two years of concerted learning.

It is also important for candidates to demonstrate capability to assessors infollowing RICS APC requirements such as competency selection, professionaldevelopment/CPD activities, and the structure and finer content of writtensubmissions, in particular the critical analysis.

Even where candidates meet the required standards in complying with RICSrequirements, and gaining the knowledge and understanding of their subjectareas, they can struggle to perform well under pressurised interview conditions.

How to Pass the APC draws on the experiences of APC candidates, RICS APCassessors and employers providing work experience and related structured APCtraining programmes. It complements the guidance made available to candidatesby RICS, and repeats only essential technical information.

Estates Gazettes Mainly for Students series provides ongoing coverage ofaspects of the APC. These and the more recently commenced Mainly for Studentseducation and training updates, prepared in conjunction with RICS, have seenGVA Grimley, Advantage West Midlands and Birmingham Property Servicesfeatured on a number of occasions. As well as the support provided for their owncandidates, these employers have facilitated courses and other support for APCcandidates. The individuals behind their firms success, and who have contributedto How to Pass the APC, are:

Scott Kind, UK training and development manager, GVA Grimley, internationalproperty consultants. Scott formerly worked with Nat West and Financial Times,and is responsible for the implementation of GVA Grimleys APC trainingprogramme, as well CPD and business skills training.

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Kitt Walker, Advantage West Midlands regional development agency,supported also by Honor Boyd, Karen Yeomans and Yaseen Mohammed (sincemoved to Yorkshire Forward). As part of the Advantage West Midlands CPDCentre initiative, the agency has facilitated a range of training opportunities forsurveyors, some of which promote the opportunities in regeneration areas todevelopers, investors and occupiers.

Jacky Gutteridge, training and development manager, Birmingham PropertyServices, the in-house property consultancy of Birmingham City Council. Jacky isresponsible for the implementation of BPSs APC programme, which within itsfirst phase between January 1999 and April 2003, secured a 13 out of 13 first timepass rate.

The work of Margaret Harris, RICS CPD Officer, in respect of lifelong learningis also acknowledged. This includes the extracts from RICS material in the sectionBeyond the APC.

Other contributions are made by James Turner, an APC candidate with SaxonLaw; Paul Richardson, a surveyor and former APC candidate with GVA Grimley;Claire Paraskeva, an associate and APC assessor with GVA Grimley; and MarkClarke, a surveyor with Advantage West Midlands.

Also acknowledged is the support of Peter Bill, Estates Gazette editor, and AlisonRichards, Estates Gazette Books Commissioning Editor, plus all those involved inthe process including Rebecca Chakraborty of EG Books, and Adam Tinworthand Phil Brown regarding the coverage of the APC in Estates Gazettes Mainly forStudents series. Essential support in proof reading has been provided by HowardImber, and in production by Audrey Andersson and Amy Boyle.

Thanks are due to Midlands Property Training Centre for their co-ordination ofmaterial, and ongoing help to general practice graduates as an independentfacilitator of training support.

Austen ImberApril 2004

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Chapter 1

APC Overview

The Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) commenced in 1992. Ittypically involves candidates gaining a professional training period of at least twoyears, and undertaking a final assessment process to determine whether they havereached the necessary standard to become chartered surveyors (and benefit fromthe designation MRICS Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors).

Most candidates commence the APC after completing their property degree atone of the RICS partnership universities. Non-cognate degree holders can nowtake the APC concurrently with an RICS approved part-time property degree, andsandwich students may also commence the APC in their placement year. There arealso special routes to chartered surveyor status, such as where 10 years or more ofrelevant work experience has been gained.

RICS organises the APC around the way the property industry is structured,and the type of work in which graduate surveyors are often involved. Ongoingrefinements have been made over the years, such as recent changes to reflect theincreasing number of candidates specialising in the telecoms sector.

APC route

Candidates area of practice is designated by an APC route. General practicesurveyors typically select the Commercial Real Estate Practice/CommercialProperty route (the term Commercial Property being used in How to Pass the APC).For candidates involved mainly in property development work, the Planning andDevelopment route may be taken. Although a Valuation route is available, fewcandidates take this.

Competencies

Over their training period, candidates develop skills in areas of practice known ascompetencies. These comprise mandatory competencies, core competencies andoptional competencies. Mandatory competencies represent the skills required byall surveyors, and are the same for all APC routes. Core competencies relate tocandidates APC route, and optional competencies are selected by candidateshaving regard to the precise areas of work in which they are involved.

Chapter 2, Starting the APC, outlines the requirements in more detail, andreference should be also made to the relevant RICS APC guides.

Levels of attainment

Levels of attainment need to be reached by candidates in their competencies. TheRICS APC guides state that level 1 is knowledge and understanding, level 2 is

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application of knowledge and understanding, and level 3 is reasoned adviceand/or depth of technical knowledge.

Diary and log book

Day-to-day experience is recorded in a diary. Each half-day or full-day isallocated to a core or optional competency, and totalled in a log look. The logbook, therefore, shows the experience being gained on a month-by-month basis,with periodic grand totals highlighting the need for wider experience (orsometimes the need to allocate work experience to competencies more accurately).

Supervisor and counsellor

Each candidate has an APC supervisor and an APC counsellor. The supervisor isusually an immediate manager who oversees day-to-day work, and the counselloris a manager able to provide a broader overview of candidates process, and, forexample, facilitate opportunities for wider experience to be gained. Precise arrange-ments and responsibilities vary depending on the nature of the employer, and moredetail is provided in Chapter 3, Key Input from Supervisor and Counsellor.

A three-monthly meeting is held with the supervisor, and a six-monthly meetingwith the counsellor, and progress reports are subsequently completed. The recordof progress involves the supervisor and counsellor signing off their candidate tothe levels of attainment considered to have been achieved in their competencies.

Professional development

In addition to their case work, candidates undertake surrounding learning knownas professional development. This is the equivalent of continuing professionaldevelopment (CPD) undertaken by qualified surveyors and comprises courses,seminars, private study, etc. A minimum of 48 hours per year is undertaken, and isdetailed in candidates professional development record. Further detail isoutlined in Chapter 2.

Interim assessment

After 12 months experience, candidates undertake interim assessment. Thisinvolves completing the diary, log book and professional development record, andalso preparing a summary of progress, and forward plan.

The summary of progress is a 2,000 word outline of the work experience gainedover the first year, and the forward plan is a 1,000 word overview of the experienceand skills to be developed over the second year.

Interim assessment is completed internally with the supervisor and counsellor,and although not submitted to RICS at the interim stage, is included as part of thefinal assessment submissions.

Final assessment

Final assessment comprises written submissions, and a final assessment interview.

2 How to Pass the APC


Submissions include a critical analysis, a 2,000 word summary of progress for theperiod since interim assessment, the log book, professional development record,and the copy of the interim assessment (as well application forms, etc). Candidateswho have been referred previously will have slightly different requirements.Special comments for referred candidates are included in Chapter 12,Miscellaneous. (Refer and referred is RICS terminology for fail and failed).

The critical analysis is a 3,000 word report on a case in which candidates havebeen actively involved. This is an important demonstration of candidates abilityto perform in practice, and forms a 10 minute presentation as part of the finalassessment interview. It is also the subject of around 1015 minutes of interviewquestioning. The summary of progress is similar to the report undertaken at theinterim stage, and outlines the further experience that has been gained. Interimassessment and final assessment also involve the completion of the supervisorsand counsellors reports, and bringing the record of progress up to date.

Neither the diary nor the three-monthly and six-monthly reports are submittedto RICS as part of final assessment, although the supervisors and counsellorsreports which accompany interim and final assessment summaries of progresswill be submitted. Although certain elements are not submitted to RICS, they maybe called up by assessors at final assessment, or may be requested by RICS as partof spot-checks at any time.

The final assessment interview is undertaken by candidates with three RICSassessors, and broadly comprises a five-minute introduction, the candidates 10-minute presentation on their critical analysis and 45 minutes of interviewquestioning. Assessors will then consider whether the candidate has passed orshould be referred, and the candidate will be informed of the decision by RICS 21days later. For general practice surveyors, the interviews are held in March/Apriland September/October each year at various venues around the country.

The final assessment stage of the APC is geared towards the work experiencegained by candidates. Although the APC may appear complex on an initialexamination of the RICS guides, this is necessarily so in order that every candidatecan be assessed with regard to the nature of their employers business, and theday-to-day case work in which they are involved. There are still, however, areas ofknowledge beyond day-to-day work that are required in order to become achartered surveyor.

All candidates have gaps in experience to some degree, and some seek to redressthis more pro-actively than others. The importance of candidates viewing the APCas a training period of two years (rather than a revision period of two months)cannot be stressed too strongly. It is also, of course, important that candidatesselect an employer who is able to provide appropriate work experience.

Structured training agreement

Employers need to have a structured training agreement in place (approved by anRICS Regional Training Adviser) before their candidates can formally begin theirprofessional APC training period. This provides general information about theemployer and the nature of their business, and specific information on theexperience which is available, including in relation to APC routes and competencies.

APC Overview 3


The content of the documentation varies between large practices with manyrecruits per year, and smaller concerns taking on a graduate only infrequently. Aswell as the documentation having to meet RICS requirements, some firms use thisas a tool to set out their internal APC processes to all their candidates, supervisorsand counsellors.

Different APC systems

The APC is refined on an ongoing basis to keep up-to-date with marketdevelopments, and also any changes in RICS corporate structure. Sometimes thechanges are minor, whereas on other occasions, more extensive changes mean thatdifferent candidates can be working to different systems.

How to Pass the APC: Essential Advice for General Practice Surveyors works to theAPC system effective from August 2002. This is covered by the RICS guides datedJuly 2002 as edition 1 (noting that further editions could be introduced to dealwith variations). There may also be candidates using How to Pass the APC whocommenced the APC prior to August 2002, and may be using the old 5th edition,or earlier, guides. The old system adopted common competencies instead ofmandatory competencies, and although many changes took place throughout thesystem, the requirements affecting general practice surveyors did not change toosubstantially. Key differences include the availability of a wider range of optionalcompetencies than previously prescribed for individual APC routes, and therenaming of some competencies (such as Property Marketing to Purchase,Disposal and Leasing, and Estate Management to Real Estate Management).

Candidate responsibility

It is important that candidates establish the precise requirements which affectthem personally, and do not rely on the comments of other candidates, ormanagers, who may be familiar only with other systems. Candidates who havebeen referred will be subject to particular requirements.

Special APC routes, such as experienced, expert and academic/research, allhave their particular eligibility criteria, and other requirements.

Other RICS personnel involved

In addition to supervisors, counsellors and assessors, candidates may also dealwith the RICS APC staff, RICS APC Doctors and RICS Regional Training Advisers.

The RICS APC staff are based in Coventry, and administer all stages of the APC.They are available to deal with queries, although it is important that candidatesexamine the RICS guides in detail themselves, rather than telephoning RICS for apersonal guide through the system.

The RICS APC Doctors are local chartered surveyors available to assist APCcandidates. The RICS Regional Training Advisers help RICS implement educationand training initiatives on a regional basis, including in respect of the APC.



Training support

The larger firms are likely to have training managers who run established in-house APC training programmes. This will include support from the firmschartered surveyors who are also RICS APC assessors, with assistance also beingsought from external training providers (such as through in-house seminars orconsultancy services). Candidates in smaller organisations may find that there areno colleagues who are familiar with the APC, and that they must consequentlytake greater responsibility for ensuring that RICS APC requirements are met.

There are various seminars and day courses run by RICS, universities (such asKingston University) and commercial training providers that help guidecandidates through the APC. Most events, however, concentrate on finalassessment. RICS guides and supplementary material, including publicationssuch as How to Pass the APC, and The APC your practical guide to success (writtenby John Wilkinson and published by RICS) tend to be sufficient to get candidatesstarted.

Contributors to this book, Advantage West Midlands, the regional developmentagency for the West Midlands, facilitates free of charge training support for APCcandidates as part of their Advantage West Midlands CPD Centre initiative.Midlands Property Training Centre, an independent facilitator of training forgeneral practice surveyors, similarly help ensure that free of charge APC and CPDis made available to APC candidates. (Current details can be received byrequesting latest GP APC information from [email protected].)

Some candidates indicate that they are not being provided with information inrespect of APC support, etc. However, training providers rely largely on the RICSfor providing a data base of candidates names and work addresses. Thosecandidates opting not to receive details from third parties consequently denythemselves the full range of APC support available.

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Chapter 2

Starting the APC

To summarise from the overview of the APC in Chapter 1, at the commencement oftheir APC training period, candidates will need consider the following aspects, eachof which are examined individually below. Candidates should refer to the RICSAPC guides which provide the supporting technical information (obtainable fromRICS: Tel 020 7222 7000, and via the RICS website, www.rics.org).

Registering for the APC. APC route. Supervisor and counsellor input. Competency achievement planner. Mandatory competencies. Core competencies. Optional competencies. Diary recording and log book entries. Structured training agreement. Progress reports and the record of progress. Professional development.

Registering for the APC

In order to begin their training period, candidates must formally register withRICS, and be given their registration date. Delays in doing so could result in finalassessment having to be undertaken later than planned. Within the current RICSrules, if candidates register before the end of October, they will be eligible for finalassessment in September/October two years later. This assumes a training periodunbroken by a sandwich course or other reason, and that candidates meet thenecessary levels, as certified by their supervisor and counsellor. There could bedifferent arrangements applying to individual candidates, such as expert,experienced and academic/research route candidates. Also, although RICS maytake several weeks to progress the application, the registration date will be back-dated to the date of receipt. On beginning work, candidates should look to registerfor the APC as soon as possible in order that the maximum eligible period ofexperience can be gained.

The rules stated in the RICS APC guides are often subject to finer requirements.The guides state, for example, that the APC will normally consist of a minimumof 24 months of training. However, candidates can commence their APC trainingperiod at the end of October and take the interview at the start of September justunder two years later. Such nuances do not tend to cause difficulties forcandidates, as RICS correspondence with candidates will set out more detailedindividual guidance than is feasible in the RICS guides. The guides also state that

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candidates will need to have gained a total of 400 days experience before beingeligible to sit.

The majority of the registration requirements are straightforward, but in orderto complete registration, candidates must determine their APC route and APCcompetencies, and complete a competency achievement planner. The RICS APCguides and RICS website include copies of the templates to which candidates willwork, as well as guidance on most aspects of the APC.

APC route

As mentioned on page 1, general practice surveyors typically select the CommercialReal Estate Practice/Commercial Property route (the term Commercial Propertybeing used in How to Pass the APC). This would be suitable for candidates involvedin general practice work, comprising capital valuations, rent reviews, leaserenewals, assignments, sub-lettings, service charge management, rent collectionand other tenant default, lettings, sales, purchases, rating, etc. Development workcould also be undertaken, and may incorporate planning, development appraisal,economic development/regeneration and compulsory purchase work.

General practice surveyors involved in planning and development work maytake the Planning and Development route. This tends to be taken by candidatesheavily involved in development work, especially planning, and not also involvedin the broader general practice areas mentioned above. The Commercial Propertyroute is sometimes still considered suitable for candidates involved indevelopment work. One reason is that at final assessment, candidates select aspecialist area, which could be Development and planning. This enables RICS toensure that candidates areas of experience are represented on the interview panel,and generally helps steer certain lines of questioning, in order to reflect candidatesexperience. Competency requirements for the respective routes, as indicated onpage 12, can also influence the selection of the appropriate APC route.

The Valuation route can be taken by candidates who are involvedpredominantly in valuation work, but few candidates select this. The ManagementConsultancy route may be suitable for the relatively few candidates involved incorporate property consultancy roles. Residential Real Estate Practice orResidential Survey may occasionally be taken by candidates with a generalpractice background, but who have become more involved in residential work.

The RICS guides provide a commentary on the type of work in whichcandidates will be involved under each APC route. This also provides a helpfuloverview of the work undertaken by other types of surveyors.

Supervisor and counsellor input

On receiving the relevant information pack from RICS, including APC guides,application forms, etc., candidates should work closely with supervisors andcounsellors on understanding how the APC works, and how its variousrequirements fit in with the candidates circumstances.

For supervisors and counsellors having already gained experience of the APC,either as managers or former APC candidates, the task is relatively straightforward.



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