Straight answers, no waffle.

No, and we say that clearly. APC Ready is an independent training provider. We are not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. What we teach is based on the published APC requirements, and we always point you back to the current RICS candidate guide and QS pathway guide as the source of truth.

It depends on your route. Most graduate QSs with an RICS-accredited degree do around 24 months of structured training before sitting final assessment. With 5–10 years of relevant experience and an accredited degree you may qualify for the 12-month route; with 10+ years you can go straight to final assessment; and the Senior Professional route is a separate assessment for genuinely senior profiles (10 years, or 5 with a relevant postgraduate degree).

In the real world, allow 2–3 years end-to-end once you factor in enrolment, preparing documents and interview scheduling. Interviews usually run twice a year in the UK, in May and November, so missing a window typically means a six-month wait. That cadence is exactly why our programme works backwards from your target sitting.

RICS publishes specific dates each session. As a general pattern: for a May (spring) final assessment you'll usually need to submit documents by February or March, with interviews in April/May and results by June. For a November (autumn) assessment, submissions are due around late August or September, interviews in October/November, and results by late November or December.

Always confirm the current dates for your pathway and region on the RICS website, because they move each cycle.

A very common question, and the key is to fix it early. Tell your supervisor or counsellor and ask for tasks, shadowing or a short project switch in that area. Top up with targeted CPD and log it, so you can explain how you'd handle the scenario if asked. A mini-secondment or regular sessions with a chartered colleague can also give you practical exposure.

This is precisely what our competency-to-project gap mapping (Phase A of the curriculum) is designed to catch, a year before it becomes a problem.

Pick a recent project (within roughly the last two years) where you played a meaningful role and there was a real decision or challenge to analyse. Mid-sized is often best: big enough to be interesting, small enough that your contribution is clear. Get permission where needed and anonymise client details.

It helps if the project naturally touches core QS ground like cost control or contract issues. Our SCORE structure (Setup, Challenge, Options, Recommendation, Effect) then does the heavy lifting on the write-up.

Level 1 is know it, Level 2 is do it, Level 3 is advise on it. Use verbs that signal judgement (advised, recommended, negotiated, justified) and tie your advice to outcomes: savings achieved, risks reduced, programme impact. You're demonstrating autonomous professional thinking rather than task completion.

Pause, stay calm, and be professional. It's acceptable to say you'd verify the detail in the relevant source before advising, then outline how you'd approach the problem and the factors you'd consider. Don't bluff: assessors interview a lot of candidates and integrity always scores higher than guesswork.

If you blank, ask to return to the question later. Many panels will oblige. Handling exactly this moment is a standard drill in our mock panels.

Know your submission line by line, because the panel will probe what you wrote. Refresh QS fundamentals (procurement, contracts, cost planning, ethics), rehearse your 10-minute presentation out loud and to time, and sort the logistics early: tech, attire, timings.

On paper you already meet the bar; the interview is where you confirm it. The single highest-value preparation is a full-length mock with structured feedback, taken before the real thing rather than instead of it.

Last-minute writing. Thin, generic diary entries. An unorganised CPD record. Neglecting ethics and the mandatory competencies. Case studies that describe rather than decide. Busy slides. Answering a different question to the one asked.

And a big one: contradictions between your case study and your Summary of Experience. Assessors read both, so keep them consistent. Almost every mistake on this list is a system failure rather than a talent failure, which is exactly why we built a system.

Especially for you. Referred is not failed. A meaningful share of every cohort is referred, often on specifics like ethics phrasing or an off-piste question. What you need now is diagnosis: where exactly the referral report points, what your evidence actually shows, and rehearsal under real questioning before you sit again.

Take the APC Readiness Check as your reset point. It will show you where you genuinely stand, and the programme rebuilds from there without making you start from zero.

Pricing is published on the Programme page: the Founding Cohort programme is £1,695 (standard £1,995) and the self-paced Core Course is £995 at its launch price (standard £1,495). Founding Cohort members lock their price for the lifetime of the programme, and you can pay in full or split your price into five interest-free monthly payments. The APC Playbook, our concise written guide, is £25 on the Playbook page.

For context, typical market rates are around £135–140 per hour for mentoring alone; our model is a complete system rather than billed hours. Employer-funded places and graduate-scheme arrangements are handled separately: see the Employers page.

Yes. We hold back a small number of reduced-price places on each cohort for people paying out of their own pocket: candidates between roles, career returners, or anyone for whom the full fee is a genuine barrier. If that's you, email hello@apcready.com with a couple of lines about your situation and the sitting you're aiming for. No forms, no proof, no essay. If we can help, we will.

And if the programme is out of reach right now, the APC Playbook gives you the full method for £25.

We want your investment in this course to be an absolute no-brainer for you — if you're actually going to do the work. 'Do the work' technically means completing the core modules. If you've done that and for whatever reason aren't 100% happy with your experience, drop us an email (within 14 days of purchasing the course) and we'll refund your entire payment. Please note that the money-back guarantee only applies if you've completed the core modules of the course and included your reason for the cancellation in the email.

The Founding Cohort works back from its target sitting (currently May 2027). Enrolment opens shortly before onboarding begins, and the priority list hears first: APC Readiness Check completers, then the general list. Capacity is genuinely limited because the founding cohort includes mock interviews and submission reviews.

Your supervisor and counsellor should be your first port of call. Ask specific, practical questions so they can give targeted help. Treat the latest RICS candidate guide and QS pathway guide as your source of truth. Build a small peer huddle, and use Matrics and LinkedIn groups for tips, then cross-check everything against the official documents.

And we're happy to help: email hello@apcready.com with any question about your APC. We answer properly.