# APC Draft, full text

> Draft your APC case study and summary of experience offline: word counts that follow the published counting rules, the 24 month window, coverage by level, CPD hours. Private, in your browser.

APC Draft is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) or any other professional body. APC Draft does not judge your competence or predict a result; the assessors decide. APC Draft never writes, rewrites or suggests your text. There is no AI, no phrase bank and no autocomplete: every word is yours. Everything below is our own summary of the published candidate guidance; the documents and the official templates win if they differ. Site: https://apcdraft-web.pages.dev/

# The submission rules, as checked

Last reviewed 27 September 2026.

- The summary of experience is at most 1,500 words in total across the mandatory competencies. (Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide (June 2025, amended March 2026), page 11)
- The summary of experience is at most 4,000 words in total across the technical (core and optional) competencies. (Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide (June 2025, amended March 2026), page 11)
- Only what you write in the summary of experience column is counted, references and citations included; titles, competency names and levels in the first two columns are not. (Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide (June 2025, amended March 2026), page 13)
- The counts are calculated with Microsoft Word. (Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide (June 2025, amended March 2026), page 13)
- The case study is at most 3,000 words. (Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide (June 2025, amended March 2026), page 11)
- Aim to use 95 to 100 percent of the 3,000 words, that is 2,850 to 3,000. (APC submissions and assessment (published 10 August 2026), Case study, Word Count)
- The case study count covers everything from the introduction to the end of the conclusion, headings and sub-headings included; tables and charts in the body count too. (Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide (June 2025, amended March 2026), page 13)
- Not counted: the project name, the date of the project, the confidentiality statement, the table of contents, the table of competencies demonstrated and any appendices. (Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide (June 2025, amended March 2026), page 13)
- The introduction should be about 500 words (the guide says approximately; the submissions page says a maximum of 500). (Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide (June 2025, amended March 2026), page 12)
- The case study must be about work you were personally involved in during the two years (24 months) before your submission date. (Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide (June 2025, amended March 2026), page 11)
- At least 48 hours of CPD in every 12 months. (Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide (August 2026), page 9)
- At least 50 percent of CPD must be structured (formal) development; the rest can be unstructured (informal). (Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide (August 2026), page 9)
- Structured training is at least 24 months (400 days) with under five years of experience, or 12 months (200 days) with five to ten years. (Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide (June 2025, amended March 2026), page 5)
- Do not record a period of less than half a day in the diary. (Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide (June 2025, amended March 2026), page 5)
- Using AI software to generate content for the submission is not permitted; tools for spelling, grammar and word count are allowed. Submissions are checked for plagiarism and AI. (Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide (June 2025, amended March 2026), page 14)
- State the word count at the end of the case study. (Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide (June 2025, amended March 2026), page 13)

## Routes

- Structured training, 24 months (under 5 years of experience): diary 400 days; CPD checked over 24 months, 48 hours in each 12.
- Structured training, 12 months (5 to 10 years of experience): diary 200 days; CPD checked over 12 months, 48 hours in each 12.
- Preliminary review route: diary not required; CPD checked over 12 months, 48 hours in each 12.
- No structured training (10 or more years of experience): diary not required; CPD checked over 12 months, 48 hours in each 12.

## Sources

- [Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/APC-Candidate-Guide_June-2025-amended-March-2026.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), June 2025, amended March 2026, read 27 September 2026.
- [Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/candidates/RICS-APC-Candidate-Guide_August-2026.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), August 2026, read 27 September 2026.
- [Recording CPD activities for candidates](https://www.rics.org/candidates/recording-cpd-activities-for-candidates), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), published 20 March 2026, read 28 September 2026.
- [APC submissions and assessment](https://www.rics.org/candidates/assessment-information/apc-submissions-assessment), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), published 10 August 2026, read 27 September 2026.
- [Requirements and competencies guide](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/Requirements-and-Competencies-Guide_December-2025-amended-March-2026.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), December 2025, amended March 2026, read 27 September 2026.
- [Pathway guide, Quantity surveying and construction](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/QS-and-construction_December-2025.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), December 2025, version 1.1, read 27 September 2026.
- [Pathway guide, Building surveying](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/Building-surveying_December-2025.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), December 2025, version 1.2, read 27 September 2026.
- [Pathway guide, Commercial real estate](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/COMMERCIAL-Real-Estate_January-2026.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), December 2025, version 1.2 (file dated January 2026), read 27 September 2026.
- [Pathway guide, Valuation](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/Valuation_December-2025.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), December 2025, version 1.1, read 27 September 2026.
- [Pathway guide, Project management](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/Project-management_December-2025-.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), December 2025, version 1.2, read 27 September 2026.

# The pathway profiles

Typed from the December 2025 pathway guides and paraphrased. Levels: 1 is knowledge and understanding, 2 is applying it, 3 is reasoned advice and depth of knowledge.

## Mandatory competencies (all pathways)

| Competency | Level | What it is about (our summary) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ethics, Rules of Conduct and professionalism | 3 | Acting with integrity under the professional body's rules and ethics, knowing how members and firms are regulated, and the general legal system where you practise. |
| Client care | 2 | Understanding what a client and the other stakeholders need from an instruction, and handling those relationships professionally. |
| Communication and negotiation | 2 | Getting technical points across clearly in writing, drawings and speech, and preparing for and running a negotiation to a sound conclusion. |
| Health and safety | 2 | The legal and practical duties on health and safety that touch a surveyor's work, and working safely on site and in the office. |
| Accounting principles and procedures | 1 | Reading and interpreting company accounts, balance sheets and cash flow statements, and the accounting standards behind them. |
| Business planning | 1 | How a firm sets objectives, plans to meet them and checks and adjusts its business plan as it goes. |
| Conflict avoidance, management and dispute resolution procedures | 1 | Keeping disagreements from becoming disputes, and the formal routes for resolving the ones that do, from negotiation to adjudication, arbitration and the courts. |
| Data management | 1 | How project and business information is collected, stored, protected and found again, and what makes those systems work. |
| Diversity, inclusion and teamworking | 1 | How teams are formed and work together, how people behave in them, and building teams that are diverse and inclusive. |
| Inclusive environments | 1 | Planning, designing and managing places that everyone can use with dignity and ease, whatever their age or ability. |
| Sustainability | 1 | How environmental, social and economic sustainability bears on land, property and construction, and the surveyor's part in it. |

## Quantity surveying and construction

Source: Pathway guide, Quantity surveying and construction, December 2025, version 1.1, page 4.

### Core

| Competency | Level | What it is about (our summary) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Commercial management (of construction works) or Design economics and cost planning | 3 | Managing the money side of construction work: weighing competitive pricing against profit and tracking the financial position through delivery. How design decisions drive what a building costs to build and to run, and controlling cost before the contract is let. |
| Construction technology and environmental services | 3 | How buildings and other structures are designed and put together, and the building services installed in them. |
| Contract practice | 3 | The standard forms of construction contract, the law around them and how their terms work in practice. |
| Procurement and tendering | 3 | How a project is procured, how each route shares risk, and how tendering sets the contract price. |
| Project finance | 3 | Controlling and reporting the cost of construction projects while they are being built (called project finance, control and reporting, in the quantity surveying guide). |
| Quantification and costing (of construction works) | 3 | Measuring and pricing construction work in order to value it and keep its cost under control. |

### Optional

Two optional competencies to Level 2.

- Capital allowances
- Commercial management (of construction works) or Design economics and cost planning
- Conflict avoidance, management and dispute resolution procedures or Sustainability
- Contract administration
- Corporate recovery and insolvency
- Due diligence
- Insurance
- Programming and planning
- Project feasibility analysis
- Risk management

### Notes

- Core: take Commercial management or Design economics and cost planning to Level 3. The guide expects contracting candidates to pick Commercial management and consulting candidates Design economics and cost planning.
- Whichever of the two you do not take as core can be one of your optional competencies.

## Building surveying

Source: Pathway guide, Building surveying, December 2025, version 1.2, page 4.

### Core

| Competency | Level | What it is about (our summary) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Building pathology | 3 | Diagnosing defects in buildings, working out their causes and advising on the remedies. |
| Construction technology and environmental services | 3 | How buildings and other structures are designed and put together, and the building services installed in them. |
| Contract administration | 3 | Acting as administrator of a construction contract: instructions, valuations, certificates and the other duties the form of contract gives you. |
| Design and specification | 3 | Designing and specifying building work, often alterations and refurbishment, from inception through to completion. |
| Inspection | 3 | Inspecting land and buildings to gather the facts that advice depends on, and recording what you find. |
| Legal/regulatory compliance | 3 | Meeting the legal and regulatory requirements that apply to property and to the work carried out on it. |
| Fire safety | 1 | Judging how safe existing and proposed buildings are from fire and advising how to bring them up to the required standard. |

### Optional

Two optional competencies to Level 2. Plus one more to Level 2 from the full list of technical competencies, including any optional one not already chosen.

- BIM management
- Commercial management (of construction works)
- Client care (to Level 3) or Conflict avoidance, management and dispute resolution procedures or Health and safety (to Level 3) or Inclusive environments or Sustainability
- Conservation and restoration
- Contract practice
- Design economics and cost planning
- Development/project briefs
- Fire safety
- Housing maintenance, repairs and improvements or Maintenance management
- Insurance
- Landlord and tenant
- Measurement
- Procurement and tendering
- Project finance
- Quantification and costing (of construction works)
- Risk management
- Works progress and quality management

### Notes

- Fire safety is core to Level 1 and can also be chosen as an optional competency to a higher level.
- In the grouped optional line, Client care and Health and safety are taken to Level 3; Conflict avoidance, Inclusive environments or Sustainability to Level 2. Only one from the group.

## Commercial real estate

Source: Pathway guide, Commercial real estate, December 2025, version 1.2 (file dated January 2026), page 4.

### Core

| Competency | Level | What it is about (our summary) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Inspection | 3 | Inspecting land and buildings to gather the facts that advice depends on, and recording what you find. |
| Measurement | 2 | Measuring land and buildings to the recognised measurement standard that suits the purpose. |
| Valuation | 2 or 3 | Producing valuations for the purpose a client needs, following the standards that govern valuation work. |

### Optional

Three optional competencies to Level 3. Plus one to Level 3, or two to Level 2, from the full list of technical competencies, including any optional one not already chosen. If Valuation is taken to Level 3: two optional competencies to Level 3 and one to Level 2, plus one to Level 3 or two to Level 2 from the full list.

- Accounting principles and procedures or Conflict avoidance, management and dispute resolution procedures or Data management or Sustainability
- Auctioneering
- BIM management
- Building pathology
- Capital taxation
- Compulsory purchase and compensation
- Contaminated land
- Corporate recovery and insolvency
- Development appraisals
- Insurance
- Indirect investment vehicles
- Investment management (including fund and portfolio management)
- Landlord and tenant
- Leasing/letting
- Legal/regulatory compliance
- Loan security valuation
- Local taxation/assessment
- Planning and development management
- Property finance and funding
- Property management
- Purchase and sale
- Strategic real estate consultancy

### Notes

- Commercial real estate is the focus, but up to 30 percent of your experience may come from other property sectors, such as residential.

## Valuation

Source: Pathway guide, Valuation, December 2025, version 1.1, page 4.

### Core

| Competency | Level | What it is about (our summary) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Inspection | 3 | Inspecting land and buildings to gather the facts that advice depends on, and recording what you find. |
| Valuation | 3 | Producing valuations for the purpose a client needs, following the standards that govern valuation work. |
| Measurement | 2 | Measuring land and buildings to the recognised measurement standard that suits the purpose. |

### Optional

Three optional competencies to Level 3, or two to Level 3 and two to Level 2. Plus one to Level 2 from the full list of technical competencies, including any optional one not already chosen.

- Accounting principles and procedures or Conflict avoidance, management and dispute resolution procedures or Data management or Sustainability
- Auctioneering
- Building pathology
- Capital taxation
- Compulsory purchase and compensation
- Construction technology and environmental services
- Contaminated land
- Corporate recovery and insolvency
- Development appraisals
- Indirect investment vehicles
- Insurance
- Investment management (including fund and portfolio management)
- Landlord and tenant
- Leasing/letting
- Legal/regulatory compliance
- Loan security valuation
- Local taxation/assessment
- Planning and development management
- Property finance and funding
- Property management
- Purchase and sale
- Strategic real estate consultancy
- Valuation of businesses and intangible assets

### Notes

- Candidates specialising in residential survey and valuation must include Building pathology to Level 3 among their optional competencies.
- Candidates specialising in machinery and business assets must take two of their Level 3 optional competencies from a shorter list in the guide.

## Project management

Source: Pathway guide, Project management, December 2025, version 1.2, page 4.

### Core

| Competency | Level | What it is about (our summary) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Contract practice | 3 | The standard forms of construction contract, the law around them and how their terms work in practice. |
| Development/project briefs | 3 | Establishing what a client needs before a development begins and turning it into a brief and an execution plan the team can work to. |
| Leading projects, people and teams | 3 | Leading a project team and the people in it through the life of a project, and getting the best from them. |
| Managing projects | 3 | Taking a project through its life cycle, from inception and briefing to completion, with the controls that keep it on course. |
| Programming and planning | 3 | Planning and programming projects: the techniques used and how programme problems are dealt with. |
| Construction technology and environmental services | 2 | How buildings and other structures are designed and put together, and the building services installed in them. |
| Procurement and tendering | 2 | How a project is procured, how each route shares risk, and how tendering sets the contract price. |
| Project finance | 2 | Controlling and reporting the cost of construction projects while they are being built (called project finance, control and reporting, in the quantity surveying guide). |

### Optional

One optional competency to Level 2. Plus one to Level 2 from the full list of technical competencies, including any optional one not already chosen.

- Accounting principles and procedures or Communication and negotiation (to Level 3) or Conflict avoidance, management and dispute resolution procedures or Sustainability
- BIM management
- Commercial management (of construction works)
- Consultancy services
- Contract administration
- Development appraisals
- Legal/regulatory compliance
- Maintenance management
- Performance management
- Purchase and sale
- Stakeholder management
- Supplier management
- Works progress and quality management

### Notes

- In the grouped optional line, Communication and negotiation must be taken to Level 3.

# APC word count rules: what counts and how it is counted

URL: https://apcdraft-web.pages.dev/guide/apc-word-count-rules/
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026

The APC written submission has three word limits. The summary of experience is at most 1,500 words across all the mandatory competencies and at most 4,000 words across all the technical competencies, and only the text in the summary of experience column is counted. The case study is at most 3,000 words, counted from the start of the introduction to the end of the conclusion with headings included. The official counts are made in Microsoft Word, so count the way Word does: every run of characters between spaces or line breaks is one word.

## The three limits and what each one covers

The candidate guide (June 2025, amended March 2026) sets the limits, and the RICS submissions page, published 10 August 2026, repeats them. The August 2026 edition of the guide that page now links to carries the same numbers.

Table: APC word limits and what they count

| Document | Limit | Counted | Not counted |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Summary of experience, mandatory competencies | 1,500 words in total | Your text in the summary of experience column, including references and citations | Titles, competency names and levels in the first two columns |
| Summary of experience, technical competencies | 4,000 words in total | The same column, for every core and optional competency | The same first two columns |
| Case study | 3,000 words | Everything from the introduction to the end of the conclusion, headings, sub-headings, tables and charts in the body | Project name, date of the project, confidentiality statement, table of contents, table of competencies demonstrated, appendices |

The two summary totals are separate. Spare words in the mandatory total cannot be moved to the technical total, and the other way round. There is no separate limit per competency; how you share each total between competencies and levels is your decision.

The guide also says the assessment team may cancel an interview when a submission breaks the word count, and that the case study must state its own word count at the end. The submissions page adds that you enter the case study total on the assessment platform when you upload it.

## How Word counts a word

Word does not look for dictionary words. It splits text wherever there is a space, a tab or a line break, and counts the pieces. That one rule explains almost every surprise candidates meet: a hyphenated term, a figure with commas, a web address or a reference in brackets is one word because it has no space inside it. The table shows each rule the [draft workspace](https://apcdraft-web.pages.dev/draft/) applies, with an example counted by the workspace itself.

Table: Counting rules with each example counted by the workspace

| Rule | Example | Words | Status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A word is a run of characters with a space, tab or line break on each side. Several spaces in a row, blank lines and leading or trailing spaces add nothing. | Two   spaces    between words. | 4 | Word's rule, not yet checked in Word |
| Hyphenated words are one word, and so are words joined by a slash. | A well-known and/or long-standing term | 5 | Word's rule, not yet checked in Word |
| Numbers are words: a figure with commas, decimals, a currency sign, a percent sign, a unit written against it, a date or a time is one word each. | £1,250,000 at 2.5% on 12/03/2026 at 10:30 | 7 | Word's rule, not yet checked in Word |
| Punctuation attached to a word does not add a word: brackets, quotation marks, full stops, commas and apostrophes stay with the word they touch. Abbreviations such as e.g. are one word. | (see the client's report, e.g. page 12) | 7 | Word's rule, not yet checked in Word |
| A web address or an email address is one word. | See https://www.example.com/page or office@example.co.uk | 4 | Word's rule, not yet checked in Word |
| Two words joined by a dash with no spaces are counted as one word, as for a hyphen. | 2024[en dash]2026 and sharply[em dash]then | 3 | Check in Word, not yet checked in Word |
| A dash, ampersand or other symbol standing alone between spaces is counted as a word. | Smith & Jones [en dash] the agents | 6 | Check in Word, not yet checked in Word |
| A bullet or number you type at the start of a line is counted. If Word turns it into a formatted list, Word stops counting it, so the workspace tells you how many such lines you have. | - first item / - second item | 6 | Check in Word, not yet checked in Word |
| Text in tables counts: each cell is counted like any other text. Text pasted from a table arrives separated by tabs, which separate words. | Item [tab] Quantity [tab] Rate / Concrete [tab] 12 [tab] £95.00 | 6 | Word's rule, not yet checked in Word |
| A non-breaking space separates words like an ordinary space; a zero width space also separates them; a soft hyphen does not. | 10[non-breaking space]km and pre[soft hyphen]contract | 4 | Check in Word, not yet checked in Word |
| Chinese and Japanese characters count one word each; Korean, written with spaces, is counted by its spaces. | 日本語 | 3 | Check in Word, not yet checked in Word |

Rules marked "Check in Word" are the ones we could not confirm against Word itself, so treat them as likely rather than certain. They affect a handful of words at most, and the workspace tells you when your text contains any of them. "Not yet checked in Word" means the test paragraphs for that rule have not yet been pasted into Word desktop and compared; Microsoft does not publish how Word counts, so until then the counts follow the widely reported behaviour described here.

## Where another counter will disagree with Word

- Online counters and some editors treat hyphens and slashes as word breaks, so "well-known" becomes two words and your total rises.
- A bullet or number you type at the start of a line is counted, but if Word turns it into a formatted list the marker stops counting. The workspace says how many such lines you have.
- A dash with spaces round it is a word of its own. Removing the spaces, or rewriting the sentence, changes the count.
- Text pasted from a table arrives separated by tabs. It still counts, cell by cell, because tables in the body of the case study are counted.

## Worked example

Take this sentence as it might sit in a case study: "The survey of the four-storey block (about 3,200 m² built in 1987) found wet rot in 12 window frames and/or cills; see https://www.example.com/report for the photographs."

The workspace counts 26 words, and splitting on single spaces gives 26, which agrees. "four-storey", "3,200", "m²", "and/or" and the web address each count once, and "(about" counts once because the bracket sits against the word.

Now the totals. A mandatory total of 1,512 words is 12 over the 1,500 limit, even if the technical total of 3,968 leaves 32 words spare. The two totals do not share words, so those 12 words must come out of the mandatory statements.

## Common mistakes

- Counting the whole template, competency names and levels included, and cutting good text that was never counted.
- Trusting an online counter that splits hyphenated words, then finding Word's total lower or higher than planned.
- Moving spare words from the technical total into the mandatory statements. The limits are separate.
- Pasting the appendices into the case study body to make them count as content. Appendices support the report and are not counted; content moved into the body is.
- Forgetting to state the case study word count at the end of the document.

## Frequently asked questions

**Does the competency name count in the summary of experience?**

No. Only your text in the summary of experience column counts. The titles, the competency names and the levels in the first two columns of the template are left out, according to the candidate guide.

**Do references and citations count?**

Yes. A reference or citation you write in the summary column is part of the count, as the guide says. In the case study, anything between the start of the introduction and the end of the conclusion counts.

**Does a hyphenated word count as one word or two?**

One. Word counts a word as a run of characters between spaces, so well-known, and/or and 2,450 are one word each. Counters that split on hyphens give a different total.

**Is there a tolerance above the limit?**

The guidance does not give one. It says the counts are made in Word and that an interview can be cancelled for a word count breach, so treat each limit as a hard maximum.

## Sources

- [Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/APC-Candidate-Guide_June-2025-amended-March-2026.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), June 2025, amended March 2026, read 2026-09-27. Used for: the three limits, what the summary and the case study counts include and exclude, the Word count, the stated count (pages 11 and 13)
- [APC submissions and assessment](https://www.rics.org/candidates/assessment-information/apc-submissions-assessment), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), published 10 August 2026, read 2026-09-27. Used for: the limits restated, the Word count, the total entered on upload
- [Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/candidates/RICS-APC-Candidate-Guide_August-2026.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), August 2026, read 2026-09-27. Used for: checked that the limits are unchanged in the newer edition

# Summary of experience: what levels 1, 2 and 3 ask for

URL: https://apcdraft-web.pages.dev/guide/summary-of-experience-levels-1-2-3/
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026

The summary of experience is a short statement for each mandatory and technical competency, written for every level up to the one your pathway requires. Level 1 is a statement of learning: how and when you gained the knowledge, linked to your CPD. Level 2 is the range of experience you have had, with real project or process examples. Level 3 is the advice you have given yourself, with real examples. Levels 2 and 3 each need at least one example, and a competency required at Level 3 is written for all three levels.

## What each level asks for

Table: The three levels, in our words

| Level | What it shows | What to include |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Knowledge and understanding | What you learned, when and how: study, courses, in-house training, on the job. You may list it briefly, with enough detail to show it is relevant, and link it to your CPD record. |
| 2 | Applying that knowledge | The range of work you have done: projects or processes, the type of client, your own role, and how it shows practical competence. At least one real example. |
| 3 | Reasoned advice and depth of knowledge | Advice you gave, mostly on your own responsibility: what you advised, the options you weighed and the outcome, with at least one real example. |

The guide puts most weight on Level 3, because it shows you practise at a professional level. It also asks you to read the statements back together: as a set they should give the assessors a picture of your training, the work you do and the levels you work at. The assessors read the summary and the case study separately and then as a whole, so the levels you claim in one should match what you describe in the other.

## How many statements you are writing

Every pathway has the same eleven mandatory competencies: Ethics, Rules of Conduct and professionalism to Level 3; Client care, Communication and negotiation, and Health and safety to Level 2; and seven more to Level 1. The technical competencies depend on your pathway and your choices. The [pathway competency checklist](https://apcdraft-web.pages.dev/guide/pathway-competency-checklist/) sets out the five pathways the workspace carries.

Counting statements rather than competencies is what makes the word budget real. A competency required at Level 3 is three statements; one at Level 1 is one. The worked example below does the sum for one pathway.

## Examples, and who decides they are enough

The guide says the number of examples depends on what each one shows: sometimes one example is enough, sometimes a competency needs several. No tool can judge that. The draft workspace lets you tick, for each Level 2 and Level 3 statement, that it contains a real example, and the coverage matrix shows every statement still without a tick. Your counsellor and, in the end, the assessors decide whether the evidence is enough.

Write about your own work. The submissions page says the summary must come from your own body of work, not someone else's and not a hypothetical, and the guide forbids using AI software to generate it. See [what the rules say about AI](https://apcdraft-web.pages.dev/guide/ai-and-the-apc-what-is-allowed/).

## Worked example

A quantity surveying candidate chooses Design economics and cost planning as the core choice and Risk management and Contract administration as the two optional competencies. The workspace declares 11 mandatory and 8 technical competencies.

The mandatory competencies need 16 level statements between them: three for Ethics, two each for the three Level 2 competencies and one each for the seven at Level 1. Shared evenly, 1,500 words gives about 93 words per statement.

The technical competencies need 22 statements: six core competencies at Level 3 are eighteen, and two optional competencies at Level 2 are four more. Shared evenly, 4,000 words gives about 181 words per statement.

Few candidates share evenly: Level 1 statements are often short lists, which leaves more room for Level 3. The point of the sum is the ceiling. If your Level 3 statements run to 300 words each, the technical total is spent before you reach the optional competencies.

## Common mistakes

- Writing only the highest level. A Level 3 competency needs Level 1 and Level 2 statements as well.
- Level 2 statements that describe what the team did. Say what you did and your own role in it.
- Level 3 statements that describe work carried out rather than advice given. Level 3 is about the advice, the options and the outcome.
- Levels in the summary that the case study or the interview cannot support.
- Spending the technical total on the core competencies and leaving the optional ones thin.

## Frequently asked questions

**Does a Level 1 competency need an example?**

No. Level 1 is a statement of learning: how you gained the knowledge and understanding. The guide says you can give it as a short list with brief detail, linked to your CPD record. Levels 2 and 3 need at least one example.

**How long should each statement be?**

There is no limit per statement, only the two totals: 1,500 words for all the mandatory competencies and 4,000 for all the technical ones. Divide each total by the number of statements you need to see your average budget.

**Can I use the same project for several competencies?**

The guidance does not forbid it, and one project often shows several competencies. Make sure each statement shows the level asked for that competency, in your own words.

## Sources

- [Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/APC-Candidate-Guide_June-2025-amended-March-2026.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), June 2025, amended March 2026, read 2026-09-27. Used for: what each level asks for, examples at Levels 2 and 3, reviewing the statements together (pages 3, 4 and 11)
- [APC submissions and assessment](https://www.rics.org/candidates/assessment-information/apc-submissions-assessment), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), published 10 August 2026, read 2026-09-27. Used for: level descriptions restated, own body of work, the word counts
- [Pathway guide, Quantity surveying and construction](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/QS-and-construction_December-2025.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), December 2025, version 1.1, read 2026-09-27. Used for: the quantity surveying requirements used in the worked example (page 4)

# APC case study structure and the 3,000 word limit

URL: https://apcdraft-web.pages.dev/guide/case-study-structure-and-the-3000-word-limit/
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026

The APC case study has four sections: an introduction of about 500 words on the project and your role, your approach to the key issues and the options you considered, your achievements and the advice you gave, and a conclusion reflecting on what you learned. It is at most 3,000 words from the start of the introduction to the end of the conclusion, headings included, and the submissions page asks you to use 95 to 100 percent of that, which is 2,850 to 3,000 words. The project name, date, confidentiality statement, contents, competency table and appendices are not counted.

## How to build the case study to length

The order the guidance implies, done in the [draft workspace](https://apcdraft-web.pages.dev/draft/), where every step is counted as you go.

1. **Check the window first.** Enter your planned submission date and the dates of your involvement, and confirm the work falls inside the 24 months before you submit.
2. **Set up the parts that are not counted.** Put the project name, the date of the project, the confidentiality statement and the contents in their own boxes so they never enter the total.
3. **Write the introduction to about 500 words.** Cover what you did, your level of responsibility, the stakeholders and the timeline, and keep the heading in the count.
4. **Write the approach and the achievements.** Set out the key issues, the options you weighed and why some were not feasible, then what you achieved and the advice you gave.
5. **Write the conclusion.** Reflect on how you performed, what you learned and what you would do differently next time.
6. **Bring the total into the band.** Adjust until the counted total sits between 2,850 and 3,000 words, then check the final count in Word.
7. **List the competencies and state the count.** Fill in the competencies demonstrated, with at least one core competency at Level 3, and state the word count at the end.

## The four sections

Table: The case study sections, in our words

| Section | What it covers | Length |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1. Introduction | A summary of the project and your role: what you did, your level of responsibility, the stakeholders and the timeline. | About 500 words |
| 2. My approach | The key issues or challenges, why each was a challenge for you, the options you considered and why some were not feasible. | No figure given |
| 3. My achievements | What you achieved and how, with the reasoned advice you gave for your Level 3 competencies. | No figure given |
| 4. Conclusion | Your reflection on how you performed, the lessons you learned and what you would do differently. | No figure given |

The guide says the introduction should be approximately 500 words; the submissions page says a maximum of 500. The workspace flags anything over 500, heading included, so you can decide which reading to follow. The guide asks you to analyse rather than describe: the assessors want the process you followed and the reasons for your decisions, and will use the case study to question you beyond it.

## What the 3,000 words include and leave out

Counted: everything you add from the introduction to the end of the conclusion, including headings and sub-headings. A table or chart in the body counts too, which is why the guide suggests putting tables and charts in the appendices when words are tight.

Not counted: the project name, the date of the project, the confidentiality statement, the table of contents, the table of competencies demonstrated and any appendices. Appendices should hold photographs, plans, charts and tables that support the report, and the guide says they should not be used for further commentary on your experience.

The submissions page asks you to aim for 95 to 100 percent of the allowance, 2,850 to 3,000 words. That is a target, not a rule: the rule is the 3,000 word maximum.

## Worked example

A draft has an introduction body of 489 words, an approach of 1,150, achievements of 930 and a conclusion of 310, under the four standard headings. The headings add 6 words, so the workspace counts 2,885 words, 96.2 percent of the limit.

The introduction comes to 490 words with its heading. The front matter, the competency table and 420 words of appendix notes add 454 words that are shown but not counted.

That is already inside the 2,850 to 3,000 band. Had the conclusion run to 460 words, the count would be 3,035, 35 over the limit; cutting it to 330 words brings the total to 2,905, 96.8 percent, back inside the band.

## Common mistakes

- Leaving the headings out of your own count. They are counted.
- Moving narrative into the appendices to save words. Appendices are for supporting material, not further commentary.
- An introduction that tells the whole story and leaves too little room for the approach and the achievements, where the analysis is.
- A conclusion that summarises the project instead of reflecting on your own performance and lessons.
- Stopping at 2,400 words. The limit is not a target, but the submissions page asks for 95 to 100 percent of it.

## Frequently asked questions

**Do headings count in the APC case study word count?**

Yes. The candidate guide says the count includes any content from the introduction to the conclusion, including headings and sub-headings.

**Do tables count?**

A table or chart in the body of the case study is counted. Tables and charts placed in the appendices are not, which is why the guide suggests putting them there.

**Is 500 words for the introduction a maximum?**

The candidate guide says approximately 500 words and the submissions page says a maximum of 500. Keeping it to 500 or fewer satisfies both.

**What if my case study is under 2,850 words?**

The 95 to 100 percent band is advice from the submissions page, not a rule. The rule is the 3,000 word maximum. Using most of the allowance gives you room to show your analysis.

## Sources

- [Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/APC-Candidate-Guide_June-2025-amended-March-2026.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), June 2025, amended March 2026, read 2026-09-27. Used for: the four sections, the introduction of about 500 words, what is counted and not counted, appendices (pages 11 to 13)
- [APC submissions and assessment](https://www.rics.org/candidates/assessment-information/apc-submissions-assessment), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), published 10 August 2026, read 2026-09-27. Used for: the 95 to 100 percent target, the introduction maximum, at least one core competency at Level 3, five to seven competencies

# The APC case study 24 month window, worked out from your dates

URL: https://apcdraft-web.pages.dev/guide/case-study-24-month-window/
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026

The case study must be about a project or projects you were personally involved in during the two years, 24 months, before your assessment submission date. The window runs back from the submission date to the same date two years earlier. A project may have started before the window, and may not be finished, but the part you write about must fall inside it. Once your involvement has ended, all of it stays inside the window for submissions up to 24 months after it started; after that only the part from the window's opening counts, and none of it once 24 months have passed since it ended.

## The rule in the guidance

The candidate guide says the case study must be on work you were personally involved in during the two years before the submission date, and that you should state the start and end dates of the project. It also says a project may have begun more than two years ago; in that case you write about your involvement in the last two years. If the project is still running, you give a prognosis of the outcome, and if you learn the outcome before the interview you can include it in your presentation.

The submissions page states the same rule as 24 months at the point of submission, and repeats a point from the guide about the preliminary review: if your case study falls outside the 24 months after a successful preliminary review, you can still use it at the next available assessment session in your market, but a later session needs an updated or new case study.

## Working out your own window

1. Take your planned submission date. The window ends there.
2. Go back two years to the same calendar date. That is where the window opens. From 29 February, the window opens on 28 February two years earlier.
3. Compare your involvement: when you started on the project and when you stopped, or the submission date if you are still involved.
4. If your involvement ended before the window opened, the project cannot be your case study for that submission date.
5. If it began before the window opened, write about the part from the opening date onward.

The [draft workspace](https://apcdraft-web.pages.dev/draft/) does this from the dates you type and tells you, for a finished involvement, two dates: the last submission date for which all of it is inside the window, and the last for which any of it is. The guidance speaks of years and months; the workspace compares calendar dates, so check any case within a few days of the edge with your counsellor or your local office.

## Worked example

A candidate plans to submit on 30 November 2026. The window opens on 30 November 2024.

Table: Three involvements checked against the same submission date

| Involvement | Result | What the workspace says |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 3 March 2025 to 26 June 2026 | Inside | Your involvement falls inside the window, 30 November 2024 to 30 November 2026. All of your involvement is inside the window for submissions up to 3 March 2027 (24 months after it started). After that, only the part from the window's opening counts, until 26 June 2028 (24 months after it ended). |
| 3 June 2024 to 29 August 2025 | Partly before | Your involvement started before the window opened on 30 November 2024. A project may have started earlier, but write about your part from 30 November 2024 onward. Less of it is inside the window for each later submission date, and none of it after 29 August 2027 (24 months after it ended). |
| 9 January 2023 to 31 October 2024 | Outside | Your involvement ended on 31 October 2024, before the window opened on 30 November 2024. The case study must be about work within the 24 months before you submit. |

The first involvement has 481 days inside the window; the second has 273. A submission on 29 February 2028 would open the window on 28 February 2026.

## Common mistakes

- Counting back from the date you started writing rather than from the submission date.
- Choosing a project you left early in your training, which falls out of the window before you submit.
- Writing about the whole history of a long project instead of your involvement inside the window.
- Not planning for a deferred session: a later submission date moves the window.

## Frequently asked questions

**Can my case study project have started more than two years ago?**

Yes. The candidate guide says a project may have started over two years ago. Your involvement written about in the case study must fall within the two years before your submission date.

**Can I use a project that has not finished?**

Yes. The guide says that if the project is not finished when you write the case study, you should give a prognosis of the outcome, and you can include the outcome in your presentation if you learn it before the interview.

**What happens if I defer my assessment?**

The window runs back from the submission date, so a later date moves it. After a successful preliminary review you can use the same case study at the next available session in your market even if it has gone past 24 months, but a later session needs it updated or changed.

## Sources

- [Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/APC-Candidate-Guide_June-2025-amended-March-2026.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), June 2025, amended March 2026, read 2026-09-27. Used for: the two year rule, projects started earlier or unfinished, the preliminary review exception (pages 11, 12 and 15)
- [APC submissions and assessment](https://www.rics.org/candidates/assessment-information/apc-submissions-assessment), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), published 10 August 2026, read 2026-09-27. Used for: the 24 month rule at the point of submission, the preliminary review exception restated

# APC CPD: 48 hours every 12 months, at least half formal

URL: https://apcdraft-web.pages.dev/guide/cpd-48-hours-and-the-formal-rule/
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026

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](https://apcdraft-web.pages.dev/draft/) 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.

Table: CPD periods by route

| 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.

## 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

- [Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/candidates/RICS-APC-Candidate-Guide_August-2026.pdf), 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](https://www.rics.org/candidates/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](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/APC-Candidate-Guide_June-2025-amended-March-2026.pdf), 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](https://www.rics.org/candidates/assessment-information/apc-submissions-assessment), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), published 10 August 2026, read 2026-09-27. Used for: diary days by route

# AI and the APC: what the rules allow and what they do not

URL: https://apcdraft-web.pages.dev/guide/ai-and-the-apc-what-is-allowed/
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026

The candidate guide says every submission must be your own original work, that using AI software to generate content for it is not permitted, and that candidates must not use generative AI tools in producing it. It also says tools that help with spelling, grammar and word count are allowed. Submissions are checked for plagiarism and AI use, and a suspected breach is investigated. So a word counter or a spell checker is fine; a tool that writes, rewrites or suggests your statements or case study is not.

## What the guide says, in our words

- All submissions must be your own original work.
- Using AI software to generate content for the submission is not permitted; the guide names a well known chat assistant as an example of generative AI you must not use.
- Tools that aid spelling, grammar and word count are allowed.
- If you need other technological help because of a specific need, you apply for a reasonable adjustment.
- Every submission is checked for plagiarism and AI, and a submission suspected not to be your own is investigated, with possible regulatory action.

Separately, the guide says submissions may be run through plagiarism software that compares them with other candidates' work and other existing works. A statement copied or closely adapted from a published example is a risk on that ground alone, whatever tool produced it.

## Where common tools sit

Table: Common tools against the rule

| Tool | What it does to your text | Where it sits |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Word counter | Counts it; changes nothing | Allowed: word count tools are named |
| Spell checker | Flags misspelt words for you to correct | Allowed: spelling tools are named |
| Grammar checker | Flags grammar for you to correct | Allowed: grammar tools are named |
| Chat assistant drafting a statement | Writes content | Not permitted |
| AI rewriter or paraphraser | Generates new wording from yours | Not permitted: it generates content |
| Phrase banks and sample statements | Supply wording to reuse | A plagiarism risk, and not your own work |

Grammar tools increasingly offer to rewrite whole sentences with AI. Accepting a generated rewrite is closer to generating content than to checking grammar. If in doubt, ask your local office before you submit.

## Where APC Draft sits

The [draft workspace](https://apcdraft-web.pages.dev/draft/) is a word counter and a checker of dates and hours. It never writes, rewrites, completes or suggests text, it has no AI and no phrase bank, and browser autocomplete is turned off in every box. The structure checklists are in our own words and describe what the guidance asks for; they contain no sentences to reuse.

If you are asked how you prepared the submission, you can say which tools you used. A counter, a spell checker and a grammar checker that flag problems you then fix yourself are all within the rule. Keep your own drafts and dated backups as you go: a trail of your own versions is a simple record that the work developed in your hands.

## Worked example

A candidate's case study stands at 3,035 words, 35 over the 3,000 word limit. Pasting it into a chat assistant and asking for a shorter version would put generated wording into the submission, which the guide does not permit.

Instead, the candidate uses the count per section to see where the words are: the approach body has 1,150 words and the conclusion 460. They cut the conclusion themselves to 330, and the count drops to 2,905, inside the 2,850 to 3,000 band. Every word is still theirs, and a word counter is a named allowed tool.

## Common mistakes

- Treating an AI rewrite as a grammar check.
- Adapting a sample statement found online. It can match other submissions in a plagiarism check.
- Asking a paid service to write or rewrite the submission. The rule is that it is your own work.
- Assuming a detector will not notice. The guide says every submission is checked.

## Frequently asked questions

**Can I use ChatGPT for my APC submission?**

No. The candidate guide says candidates must not use generative AI software, and gives ChatGPT as its example, in producing the submission, and that using AI to generate content is not permitted.

**Can I use a spell checker or a word counter?**

Yes. The guide says tools to aid spelling, grammar and word count may be used.

**Are APC submissions checked for AI?**

Yes. The guide says plagiarism and AI detection checks are carried out on all submissions, and a suspicion that work is not the candidate's own is investigated.

## Sources

- [Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/APC-Candidate-Guide_June-2025-amended-March-2026.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), June 2025, amended March 2026, read 2026-09-27. Used for: own original work, AI generation not permitted, spelling, grammar and word count tools allowed, plagiarism and AI checks (pages 10 and 14)
- [Assessment of Professional Competence, Candidate guide](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/candidates/RICS-APC-Candidate-Guide_August-2026.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), August 2026, read 2026-09-27. Used for: checked that the AI wording is unchanged in the newer edition

# APC pathway competency checklist for five pathways

URL: https://apcdraft-web.pages.dev/guide/pathway-competency-checklist/
Last reviewed: 27 September 2026

Every APC pathway has the same eleven mandatory competencies: Ethics, Rules of Conduct and professionalism to Level 3; Client care, Communication and negotiation, and Health and safety to Level 2; and Accounting principles and procedures, Business planning, Conflict avoidance, Data management, Diversity, inclusion and teamworking, Inclusive environments, and Sustainability to Level 1. The technical competencies differ: each pathway sets core competencies at fixed levels and a rule for how many optional competencies you choose, and most add one more from the full technical list.

## How to check your declaration

Using your pathway guide and the Pathway tab of the [draft workspace](https://apcdraft-web.pages.dev/draft/).

1. **Choose your pathway.** Pick the pathway your qualifications, experience and current role fit, as the candidate guide asks.
2. **Settle the core choices.** Where a core line offers a choice, such as Commercial management or Design economics and cost planning, choose the one your work supports to the level required.
3. **Pick the optional competencies.** Choose the number and levels the pathway rule asks for, only one from each grouped line, and any the guide says must be taken higher.
4. **Add the full list pick.** Where the pathway asks for one more from the full technical list, choose one not already in your core or optional set. A mandatory competency can be that pick only if your pathway lists it as an optional competency and nothing else from its group is chosen.
5. **Check it with your counsellor.** Confirm the combination reflects the work you do, because the assessors will expect a sensible and realistic choice.

## The five pathways at a glance

Table: Core competencies (level) and the optional rule, from the December 2025 pathway guides

| Pathway | Core competencies (level) | Optional rule |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Quantity surveying and construction | Commercial management (of construction works) or Design economics and cost planning (3); Construction technology and environmental services (3); Contract practice (3); Procurement and tendering (3); Project finance (3); Quantification and costing (of construction works) (3) | two to Level 2 from 10 lines |
| Building surveying | Building pathology (3); Construction technology and environmental services (3); Contract administration (3); Design and specification (3); Inspection (3); Legal/regulatory compliance (3); Fire safety (1) | two to Level 2 from 17 lines; plus one to Level 2 from the full list |
| Commercial real estate | Inspection (3); Measurement (2); Valuation (2 or 3) | three to Level 3 from 22 lines; plus one to Level 3, or two to Level 2 from the full list |
| Valuation | Inspection (3); Valuation (3); Measurement (2) | three to Level 3, or two to Level 3 and two to Level 2 from 23 lines; plus one to Level 2 from the full list |
| Project management | Contract practice (3); Development/project briefs (3); Leading projects, people and teams (3); Managing projects (3); Programming and planning (3); Construction technology and environmental services (2); Procurement and tendering (2); Project finance (2) | one to Level 2 from 13 lines; plus one to Level 2 from the full list |

Commercial real estate lets you take Valuation to Level 3; if you do, the optional rule becomes two at Level 3 and one at Level 2. Valuation candidates specialising in residential survey and valuation must include Building pathology at Level 3, and those specialising in machinery and business assets take two of their Level 3 optional competencies from a shorter list in the guide. Building surveying groups Client care, Conflict avoidance, Health and safety, Inclusive environments and Sustainability as one optional line, with Client care and Health and safety taken to Level 3. In project management, Communication and negotiation taken as an optional competency must go to Level 3. A competency that is core only to Level 1 can also be chosen as an optional competency to a higher level: the building surveying guide gives Fire safety as its example, and it is then declared once, at the higher level.

## Other pathways

There are more than twenty pathways. For any other, the workspace has a custom pathway: type the core competencies and levels, the optional list and the rule from your own pathway guide's requirements page, and the same counts and coverage apply. The mandatory competencies are added for you.

## Worked example

A valuation candidate declares Building pathology and Landlord and tenant at Level 3, Leasing/letting at Level 2, and Planning and development management at Level 2 from the full list.

The workspace reports the optional rule as not met: three optional competencies to Level 3, or two to Level 3 and two to Level 2, and this selection has two at Level 3 but only one at Level 2. Adding Purchase and sale at Level 2 meets the second pattern, and the declaration is complete with 8 technical competencies.

## Common mistakes

- Choosing optional competencies for their word count rather than for the work you do.
- Taking two competencies from the same grouped line.
- Using a pathway guide from an earlier edition; the December 2025 guides changed some names and lines.
- Declaring a competency at a level your summary, case study and interview cannot support.

## Frequently asked questions

**Are the mandatory competencies the same for every pathway?**

Yes. The eleven mandatory competencies and their levels are the same in every pathway guide: Ethics to Level 3, three at Level 2 and seven at Level 1.

**What does one from the full list mean?**

Several pathways ask for one more technical competency from the full list in the requirements and competencies guide, including any optional one you have not already chosen. A mandatory competency can be the full list pick only if your pathway lists it as an optional competency and no other competency from its group is chosen, for example Sustainability to Level 2 in building surveying.

**Which pathway guide edition does APC Draft use?**

The December 2025 pathway guides for the five pathways it carries, read on 27 September 2026. The pathway guide governs if anything differs.

## Sources

- [Pathway guide, Quantity surveying and construction](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/QS-and-construction_December-2025.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), December 2025, version 1.1, read 2026-09-27. Used for: quantity surveying requirements (page 4)
- [Pathway guide, Building surveying](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/Building-surveying_December-2025.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), December 2025, version 1.2, read 2026-09-27. Used for: building surveying requirements (page 4)
- [Pathway guide, Commercial real estate](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/COMMERCIAL-Real-Estate_January-2026.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), December 2025, version 1.2 (file dated January 2026), read 2026-09-27. Used for: commercial real estate requirements and the Valuation variant (page 4)
- [Pathway guide, Valuation](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/Valuation_December-2025.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), December 2025, version 1.1, read 2026-09-27. Used for: valuation requirements and specialist notes (page 4)
- [Pathway guide, Project management](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/Project-management_December-2025-.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), December 2025, version 1.2, read 2026-09-27. Used for: project management requirements (page 4)
- [Requirements and competencies guide](https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/join-rics/Requirements-and-Competencies-Guide_December-2025-amended-March-2026.pdf), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), December 2025, amended March 2026, read 2026-09-27. Used for: the mandatory competencies and the full technical list

# Questions about APC Draft

URL: https://apcdraft-web.pages.dev/faq/

## Answers

**What does APC Draft do?**

It is a counting and checking workspace for the written part of the APC. You write your case study in four sections with the parts that are not counted kept apart, and your summary of experience by competency and level. It counts words the way the published rules describe, shows the 1,500, 4,000 and 3,000 word limits and the 95 to 100 percent band, checks your project dates against the 24 month window, tallies CPD hours and diary days, and prints your draft.

**Will APC Draft write or improve my text?**

No. It never writes, rewrites, suggests or completes text, and it has no AI, no phrase bank and no sample statements. The candidate guide says AI software must not be used to generate submission content, and it allows tools for spelling, grammar and word count. APC Draft is only the last of those.

**Is the word count exactly the same as Word?**

It follows the rules Word is widely reported to use: a word is a run of characters between spaces or line breaks, so hyphenated words, numbers with commas, units and web addresses are one word each. Words joined by a dash with no spaces are counted as one word too, but we could not confirm this in Word. Our count may differ from Word by a few words; check the final count in Word before you upload. The official count is made in Microsoft Word.

**What counts in the case study total?**

Everything from the introduction to the end of the conclusion, including your headings and sub-headings, and any table or chart you put in the body. The project name, the date of the project, the confidentiality statement, the table of contents, the table of competencies and the appendices are not counted. The workspace keeps those in their own boxes and shows their words separately.

**What counts in the summary of experience?**

Only the text you write in the summary of experience column, including references and citations. The competency names and levels in the first two columns of the template are not counted. The mandatory competencies share one 1,500 word total and the technical competencies share one 4,000 word total.

**Does a green result mean my submission will pass?**

No. APC Draft does not judge your competence or predict a result; the assessors decide. The workspace checks arithmetic and dates against the published limits. The assessors read your submission and judge your competence at the interview.

**Where is my draft stored?**

Only in this browser, on this device, in local storage. There is no account and no server, and nothing you type is uploaded. Export a backup file to keep a copy or to move to another device, and add a passphrase if you want the file encrypted.

**Which pathways are included?**

Five pathways as data: Quantity surveying and construction, Building surveying, Commercial real estate, Valuation and Project management, each with its mandatory, core and optional competencies and required levels paraphrased from the December 2025 pathway guides. For any other pathway you can build a custom one from the full list of technical competencies.

**Is APC Draft connected to RICS?**

APC Draft is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) or any other professional body. The body is named only to say which published rules the workspace follows. Always use the current templates from the assessment platform.

**What happens to my draft if I clear my browser data?**

It is deleted, and nobody can recover it, because it was never stored anywhere else. Export a backup file from the workspace regularly and keep it somewhere safe.