The APC Ready library
Straight answers to the questions the APC actually asks of you.
Working guides to the RICS APC for Quantity Surveyors: evidence, competencies, the case study, the interview, dates and referrals. Written from recent, first-hand experience of the QS pathway, and kept current against the published RICS requirements.
11 guides
QS pathway focus
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- 01Level 1, Level 2, Level 3: what the APC competency levels actually meanWhat Level 1, 2 and 3 really require, how the QS pathway distributes them, how assessors question, and how to move your evidence up a level.24 June 2026 · 4 min read
- 02What is the APC Summary of Experience? Word limits, levels and how to write itThe current APC Summary of Experience word limits, what each level requires, and how to write entries that read as competent.10 June 2026 · 4 min read
- 01APC interview questions: what QS candidates are actually askedHow the 60-minute APC interview runs, how assessors question, the themes QS candidates report most, and the 2026 hot topics.14 August 2026 · 5 min read
- 02APC ethics questions: the scenarios that decide interviewsEthics is the one APC competency that can refer you on its own. The current Rules of Conduct, the standards behind them, and how to answer the classic scenarios under the 2026 framework.12 August 2026 · 5 min read
- 03How to structure your APC case study (with the official requirements)The current RICS case study rules, the required structure, what assessors check for, and the SCORE drafting framework with word allocations.8 July 2026 · 5 min read
- 01The Building Safety Act for Quantity Surveyors: dutyholders, gateways and the golden threadThe dutyholder regime, higher-risk building gateways, the golden thread and the Building Safety Levy, explained for QS work and APC questioning.15 August 2026 · 6 min read
- 02JCT 2024: what actually changed, and what a QS needs to knowThe JCT 2024 suite is now the only current edition. The substantive changes from 2016, the new Target Cost Contract, and the contract practice questions to expect.29 July 2026 · 5 min read
- 03The Procurement Act 2023 in practice: a QS guide to the new regimeThe Procurement Act went live in February 2025 and kept changing through 2026. Procedures, notices, KPIs, 30-day payment, thresholds and what a QS advising on public work must know.17 June 2026 · 4 min read
- 01Referred on your APC? What it means and what to do nextA referral is recoverable, and pass rates are higher on second attempts. The rules, the most common referral reasons and a practical recovery plan.5 August 2026 · 5 min read
- 02How many APC attempts do you get? The 2026 rules explainedRICS capped APC attempts from January 2026. What counts as an attempt, what a resit costs, and how the new rules should change your preparation.22 July 2026 · 3 min read
- SCHEDULEDWhole life carbon for cost planners: standards, numbers and how to present itCarbon is becoming a second column in the cost plan. The RICS WLCA standard, the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, shadow carbon prices and how a QS presents carbon alongside cost.22 August 2026
- SCHEDULEDNRM and cost prediction in practice: what the APC actually testsThe current status of NRM 1, 2 and 3, what the RICS Cost prediction standard requires of every estimate, the cost plan stages, and the index numbers to know this year.29 August 2026
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These guides are based on the published RICS requirements and our own recent experience of the QS pathway. Requirements and dates change each cycle, so always verify specifics against the current RICS candidate guide.
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