Young surveyors on APC

Ben Nicholas and Henry Grant graduated from Oxford Brookes in 2005 and decided to embark on property careers in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />London. So they took the APC exam.

But then their paths diverged. Nicholas took a job at West End investment agency Kap Property Services, while Grant joined Warner Estate, the property fund manager.

RICS Matrics, the young surveyors branch of RICS, says there is a perception among its 18,000 active members that surveyors at small practices lose out in the APC because they do not get the help and support that is available at larger firms.

The RICS says that it provides support for motivated candidates who show initiative and seek help. And it says that large firms must be wary of spoon-feeding candidates through the APC, believing that candidates then come to the exam with only a superficial knowledge of their subjects.

It annually receives 2,500 APC applications, a third of which derive from large companies. The pass rate each year is around 66%, but RICS is unable to provide a breakdown of the proportion of successful candidates coming from smaller firms versus those from larger companies.

Nicholas and Grant personify both sides of the raging debate. Read the full article with interviews with the two in Property Week A test of means.

• The RICS says there is a wide support network for surveyors who are embarking on the APC this year and need guidance or find employers who are putting forward candidates. The first step is to call the RICS on 0870 333 1600.


• Employers can take advantage of RICS training advisers. These are qualified chartered surveyors who can advise employers on their responsibilities towards their candidates. This includes advice training and what they will need to do to have the best chance in the exam.


• APC candidates can get in touch with ‘APC doctors’. These are volunteer chartered surveyors who have taken the APC within the last three years. The RICS says they
  will be able to empathise with candidates and give practical advice on how to make it through the exam.


• The RICS also puts on APC events throughout the year. These take the form of lectures and seminars. Details of when and where these will take place are available from the RICS.
  Candidates can use the RICS website to find out about networking events. There is also a membership discussion forum where they can post queries.


• Surveyors who are taking the APC have free access to the RICS library, which contains materials on passing the assessment.

• Two-week graduate induction, including a session on ‘everything you need to know about the APC'


• Graduate website where all information regarding the APC is accessible


• Training sessions run to cover all APC related issues


• Automated diary


• Graduate surgeries with the training manager run every quarter


• Each graduate has an APC supervisor


• Mock interviews and an in-house summer revision programme of evening lectures. Two revision courses at London’s Kingston University and a half-day legal update