APC CPD: 48 hours every 12 months, at least half formal
Every APC candidate needs at least 48 hours of CPD in every 12 months, and at least half of it must be structured development, which the CPD recording page calls formal. Candidates in structured training need 48 hours for each 12 months of training, so a 24 month candidate needs two periods of 48 hours. On the preliminary review route it is 48 hours in the 12 months before the preliminary review, updated before the final submission; with ten years' experience and no structured training it is 48 hours in the 12 months before assessment. CPD is worked out on a rolling basis back from the date you submit.
Structured and unstructured, or formal and informal
The August 2026 candidate guide splits CPD into structured and unstructured development; the CPD recording page for candidates (20 March 2026) and the earlier edition of the guide call the same two kinds formal and informal. Structured CPD is learning with a structured approach and learning outcomes you can identify, such as webinars, seminars, conferences, lectures and workshops. Unstructured CPD is self-managed learning with a clear purpose relevant to your role, such as private study or on the job training. At least 50 percent of your hours must be structured; the rest can be unstructured.
The guide says it is for you as a professional to decide what is appropriate, as long as it complements your mandatory and technical competencies, and that activities with little or no relevance to your role, such as social events, do not count. Evidence of CPD, including learning outcomes, may be requested, and expect the interview to discuss it.
A practical way to keep the split in view is to log each activity when it happens, with its date, its hours, whether it was formal, and the competency it supports. The guide asks for CPD that complements both your mandatory and your technical competencies, and a log kept as you go is easier to plan, evaluate and discuss than one rebuilt from memory in the month before you submit.
Which 12 months count
CPD is normally calculated on a rolling period from the date you submit, working back 12 or 24 months. The draft workspace uses the 12 months ending on your submission date, and the 12 months before that for the 24 month route, and checks each period for 48 hours and for a formal share of at least 50 percent.
| Route | Periods checked | In each period |
|---|---|---|
| Structured training, 24 months | Two periods of 12 months back from submission | 48 hours, at least half structured |
| Structured training, 12 months | One period of 12 months | 48 hours, at least half structured |
| Preliminary review | The 12 months before the preliminary review, updated before final submission | 48 hours, at least half structured |
| No structured training (ten years' experience) | The 12 months before assessment | 48 hours, at least half structured |
If you are on a part-time or distance learning accredited degree, the guide says the final year can count towards that year's CPD, supplemented by other activities. During a career break outside structured training, CPD does not have to be recorded.
Worked example
A 24 month candidate submitting on 30 November 2026 has two periods: 2025-12-01 to 2026-11-30 and 2024-12-01 to 2025-11-30.
In the first period they logged a course, webinars and a conference as formal, and reading and shadowing as informal: 50 hours, 28 of them formal, which is 56 percent. Both checks are met.
In the second period they logged a 20 hour seminar as formal and 30 hours of study as informal: 50 hours, but only 40 percent formal. The hours are met, the formal share is not met, so they need more formal hours in that period, or a correction if some study was in fact formal.
Diary days are counted the same way, in half days. The same candidate's diary tally of 33.5 days is 366.5 short of the 400 days the 24 month route needs.
Common mistakes
- Reaching 48 hours with mostly reading and missing the 50 percent formal share.
- Counting the 24 month route as 96 hours at any time over two years. Each 12 month period needs its own 48 hours.
- Recording activities that support no competency on your pathway.
- Leaving the CPD record to the last month, when it cannot be planned or evaluated.
Count and check your own draft
The draft workspace holds your case study, your summary of experience by competency and level, your CPD and your diary days. It counts words the published way, checks the 24 month window and the 95 to 100 percent band, and shows what is still missing. Everything stays in this browser.
Frequently asked questions
How many CPD hours does an APC candidate need?
At least 48 hours in every 12 months, with at least 50 percent formal. A candidate on 24 months of structured training needs 48 hours in each of the two years.
What counts as formal CPD?
Formal CPD is what the August 2026 candidate guide calls structured: learning with identifiable outcomes, such as webinars, seminars, conferences, lectures and workshops. Informal, or unstructured, CPD is self-managed learning with a clear purpose, such as private study or on the job training.
Does CPD count from enrolment or from submission?
The guide says CPD is normally calculated on a rolling period from the date you submit, working back 12 or 24 months, and asks you to check your activities fall in that period.
Sources
Last reviewed 27 September 2026 against:
- Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), August 2026, read 2026-09-27. Used for: 48 hours per 12 months, at least 50 percent structured, the preliminary review and no structured training periods, rolling period back from submission, the part-time degree note (page 9)
- Recording CPD activities for candidates, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), published 20 March 2026, read 2026-09-28. Used for: the formal and informal names, at least 50 percent formal on every route, hours by route rolling back from submission
- Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), June 2025, amended March 2026, read 2026-09-27. Used for: the earlier edition's formal and informal wording and the career break note (page 9); diary days (page 5)
- APC submissions and assessment, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), published 10 August 2026, read 2026-09-27. Used for: diary days by route
This guide is our own summary of the published documents, not legal advice and not a finding about your application; the regulator's assessors decide. If it disagrees with the current documents, the documents win. APC Draft is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) or any other professional body.