How revision and rehearsal helped me pass APC interview

In February, when my previous article was published, I was in the process of readying my written APC submission for the mid-March deadline.

I completed and submitted this as planned, also notifying RICS of some personal considerations related to access arrangements for the interview. I could now turn my attention to revision and preparing for the interview itself.

However, I also drew on resources such as general revision lists from colleagues and university modules, and the series of Built Environment Journal and Property Journal APC articles by Jen Lemen.

My aim in doing so was to identify areas of core and foundational knowledge I would be reasonably expected to know, regardless of whether these were specifically mentioned in my submission. But I quickly began to feel overwhelmed by the breadth of information.

Thankfully, I received some useful advice early in the process from a colleague who is also an APC assessor. He recommended that in the first instance I revise the areas I felt least confident in, as this would have the biggest impact.

In addition, he reminded me that there would be little benefit in covering things I already knew well, however useful that may feel. He also suggested reading some straightforward core texts, as this could provide structure to the information I had obtained.

With this in mind, I reviewed my full revision list. The areas I felt the least confident about were those I had some experience of and education in but which I had not come into contact with regularly in my day-to-day role, or projects and work from early in my structured training that I needed to familiarise myself with again.

Due to the coursework-based nature of my degree and earlier apprenticeship, it had been some time since I had needed to revise in a traditional sense. In truth, I found it quite challenging.

Reviewing and retaining information like this was a big change from the way I had learned anything for the past seven years. It is also quite different from the methodical and often reflective way surveying usually works in practice.

In some areas I simply reviewed my submission document as it was, while in others I converted information into flash cards – both physical and digital – using an app called Quizlet, which I found useful.

The flash cards enabled me to enlist friends and family to quiz me so I could practise answering questions aloud. This was very helpful as the final interview is after all a spoken assessment, and I had not at first appreciated how different written and verbal delivery was in this scenario.

As I practised trying to answer questions out loud, I was able to tweak and refine what I wanted to say as I went. This also proved vital as I am generally more used to written communication, and it took some practice to consolidate my answers across all areas.

Once I started my revision, it became clear that practising my delivery in front of others was the most essential aspect. I arranged a series of regular Q&As with colleagues as well as fellow candidates. These usually focused on one or two specific competencies, with room for reactive discussion on any areas that I wanted to cover in more detail.

These sessions were beneficial as they allowed me to target specific competencies with surveyors who had particular specialist knowledge in that area. Likewise, Q&As with fellow candidates allowed us to discuss tricky topics or areas that had come up during our individual revision.

However, to gain some more formal practice I also arranged a couple of mock interviews with my company and other surveying firms, which more closely followed the final assessment format.

Both were extremely valuable for the different perspectives they offered on avenues of questioning about my submission, as well as the more general opportunity for me to practise. They also enabled me to rehearse the formalities, timings and structure of the assessment.

As with anything else practice made perfect and the second mock interview was a huge improvement on the first, boosting my confidence in my preparations. However, had time and scheduling permitted it, I would still have liked to arrange another.

The other benefit of both Q&As and mocks are that they identify blind spots or weaker areas to help structure the next phase of revision, and after each I came away with a list of topics to research or explore further.

The presentation is given at the start of the interview and has its own dedicated round of questioning. It gives candidates an opportunity to set the tone for the interview itself, so it is important to dedicate time and attention to it.

Thankfully, having some previous experience of delivering presentations, I found this process familiar. As with any presentation, making the key points and sticking to time were the biggest challenges.

But it is tough to condense a 3,000-word case study into a ten-minute presentation. It is particularly important not to run over given the overall time constraints of the interview. This means intricate planning is key.

Once my presentation was drafted, I rehearsed it several times alone and then in front of others, both in person and digitally. Each time resulted in tweaks to the overall script to get it down to time and enhance clarity.

I had, unrealistically, aimed to have it in its final form at least a week or two beforehand; but in actuality, I was making minor tweaks until just days before.

As part of my preparation I had to decide on a suitable location, as the interviews for this session were still being held online.

Although I know some candidates elect to join the call from home, I quickly ruled this out for several reasons. I do not live alone, and taking the interview in my house would mean possible interruptions from family, pets and doorbells. Consequently, I decided to use a meeting room in my office.

This proved the best option in terms of access to internet connection and equipment, as well as minimising potential interruptions and distractions. I also felt the professional environment would help centre me for the interview.

On the day, I left for the office early in case of train delays, giving me time to get set up. My interview was after lunch, which left quite a lot of time beforehand. I managed to keep my nerves mostly under control by staying busy and making sure I ate lunch, took a walk, drank water and got the room ready.

This included making a 'Do not disturb' sign for the door, because even though I had booked the room it never hurts to err on the side of caution. I also made sure I had everything I needed, including my laptop, charger, water and a pad and pen for any notes.

Despite my best efforts, my nerves did get the better of me. But I was able to go outside, get some fresh air, steady my breathing and ultimately calm down.

The interview itself is now a bit of a blur, but was definitely less scary than the minutes leading up to it. The chair began by welcoming me, acknowledging my special considerations and outlining how the interview would accommodate them.

It then proceeded true to form, beginning with my presentation, followed by questioning on my case study then my wider summary of experience, and concluded with ethics questions.

The hour seemed to pass very quickly, as many had told me it would. I came out feeling all right, neither despondent nor confident about my performance. There were answers I was very pleased with and others I felt in hindsight could have been better, fuller and clearer. However, I did feel an undeniable sense of relief.

Even with my best efforts to moderate and manage the stress, I had not realised quite how much the process had preoccupied me until it was finished. This is for good reason: the APC is an important process for surveying professionals, which means it should be both challenging and rigorous.

Nevertheless, it was nice to go home that night and know I had done my best. One way or another, it was now out of my hands and I could simply relax for the time being.

During the week-long wait for the results, I was calmer than I had imagined I would be. Things were made much easier by the support of my colleagues, family and friends. I actively tried to avoid going over the interview in detail with others as much as possible.

The day arrived for my results and, even though I was trying to avoid refreshing my inbox every 15 minutes, they still caught me by surprise. I had passed! Admittedly, I did reread the email several times just to be sure; it was quite an understated message given the circumstances.

I was obviously thrilled; this milestone had been something I had worked towards for almost eight years throughout my apprenticeship, and it was immensely satisfying to see it concluded – not least because it signifies the end of my time as an apprentice and the start of the next phase of my career as a chartered surveyor, which I look forward to.

Therefore, I can offer some tips and advice for those going through the process.

• Target your revision in areas that will yield the most benefit; don't try to cover absolutely everything listed in the competency guide.
• Practise speaking aloud about topics and answers, ideally explaining them to another person rather than simply writing them down or reading them out.
• Arrange informal Q&A sessions with specialists to target specific competencies.
• Organise formal mock interviews to familiarise yourself with the interview format and style. This requires an early and proactive approach, as time passes quickly and schedules can be difficult to coordinate.
• Use feedback from these Q&As and mocks to identify the next stages for your revision.
• Rehearse the case study presentation extensively, where possible on family members or non-surveyors because they can give good advice on simplifying content.
• Plan ahead for the interview day, thinking about everything from location to strategies to keep yourself calm.
• Try to switch off, relax and stay connected to your support networks after the interview. It is a huge undertaking and warrants a period of recuperation.

I can only conclude this series of articles with a heartfelt congratulations to all who sat this session: regardless of the result, it is a tremendous effort and achievement in and of itself. I would also like to wish future candidates the very best of luck in sessions and interviews to come.