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?

Author:

Jen Lemen

04 December 2020

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.

By this point, candidates should be well into the revision and preparation process. This should include the following:

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.

The interview consists of:

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.

To present effectively online, candidates should:

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.

These are some effective ways to manage your nerves during the interview.

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.

As the interview is the culmination of substantial work for all candidates, careful and effective preparation is vital to make the most of the 1-hour opportunity to pass. Taking into account the above tips and advice will stand you in good stead, as well as ensuring that you are familiar with the process, and with the requirements of RICS. Good luck!

Jen Lemen FRICS is a partner at Property Elite providing training and support to RICS APC and AssocRICS candidates

jen@property-elite.co.uk