Building Your Competency Evidence

Section 1

Purpose

The APC is a competency-based assessment. Candidates must demonstrate that they have achieved the required level of attainment in each of their selected competencies — mandatory, core and optional — through a combination of recorded experience, a written summary and oral examination. The quality of competency evidence is the single most important factor in determining APC success.

This guidance note explains how competency evidence should be built, recorded and presented for the QS and Construction pathway. It covers the three levels of attainment, the diary and summary of experience, and how to structure evidence that satisfies assessors at each level.

The guidance draws from the APC Candidate Guide (June 2025, amended March 2026) and the QS and Construction Pathway Guide (December 2025, Version 1.1), which provides detailed examples of activities at each competency level.

Section 2

Key Principles

• Competency levels are progressive and must be achieved in order: Level 1 (knowledge and understanding) → Level 2 (application of knowledge) → Level 3 (reasoned advice and depth of knowledge).

• The QS and Construction pathway requires: Ethics, Rules of Conduct and professionalism to Level 3; Client care, Communication and negotiation and Health and safety to Level 2; the remaining seven mandatory competencies to Level 1; all six technical core competencies to Level 3 — Commercial management (of construction works) or Design economics and cost planning, Construction technology and environmental services, Contract practice, Procurement and tendering, Project finance (control and reporting), and Quantification and costing (of construction works); and two technical optional competencies to Level 2 (RICS Quantity Surveying and Construction Pathway Guide, December 2025, section 3). Note that every core competency on this pathway is assessed at Level 3, so reasoned advice — not just practical application — must be evidenced for each of the six.

• Level 1 evidence can draw on formal education (including your degree), training courses, CPD activities and workplace learning. It should demonstrate what you know and understand.

• Level 2 evidence must demonstrate practical application — what you have done, on which projects, for which clients, and what your personal role was. On this pathway Level 2 is a staging post for the core competencies rather than the finishing line: it must be reached, but Level 3 is the assessed requirement. Specific examples with project context are essential.

• Level 3 evidence must show you have given reasoned professional advice with financial or strategic implications for the client. The advice should be predominantly your individual responsibility, not collective.

• The summary of experience is limited to 2,000 words per competency (at Levels 2 and 3). Quality and specificity matter more than volume.

• The APC diary is your primary evidence-gathering tool — record experience contemporaneously, not retrospectively.

Section 3

Practical Application

Step 1

Map your current experience to competencies — Use the RICS self-assessment form (pathway-specific) to identify which competencies you can already evidence and which need development. Discuss gaps with your counsellor.

Step 2

Set up your APC diary from day one — Record daily activities against competencies. Include project names, client types (in general terms for confidentiality), your specific role, and the competency level demonstrated.

Step 3

Build Level 1 evidence early — List formal education (degree modules), training courses, CPD events and workplace briefings that underpin your knowledge. Keep this concise — a structured list with brief descriptions is sufficient.

Step 4

Accumulate Level 2 evidence through project work — For each competency, identify 2–3 projects where you have applied your knowledge. Describe what you did (not what the team did), the methodology used, the challenges encountered and how you resolved them.

Step 5

Develop Level 3 evidence through advisory work — Seek opportunities to provide advice with direct client impact. Document the scenario, the options considered, your recommendation, the rationale and the outcome. This should be advice you gave, not advice your manager gave through you.

Step 6

Draft your summary of experience — Write a structured narrative for each competency at Levels 2 and 3. Use the STAR framework (Situation, Task, Action, Result) or a similar structure. Stay within 2,000 words.

Step 7

Review with your counsellor — Share your draft summary at least three months before your intended submission date. Incorporate feedback and refine your examples.

Section 4

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Writing in generalities — 'I have experience in cost planning' is meaningless. Specify the project, your role, the methodology and the outcome.

• Claiming team achievements as personal evidence — assessors will probe the distinction between your individual contribution and the team's collective work. Be honest about your specific role.

• Confusing Level 2 and Level 3 — Level 2 is doing the work; Level 3 is advising on the work. Preparing a cost plan is Level 2; advising the client on budget strategy based on your cost plan analysis is Level 3.

• Neglecting mandatory competencies — although mandatory competencies are assessed to lower levels, candidates frequently underperform on these because they assume the questions will be easy.

• Not using the pathway guide examples — the QS and Construction Pathway Guide provides detailed examples of activities at each level for every competency. These are the benchmarks assessors use.

• Backfilling the diary before submission — assessors can identify retrospective entries. Contemporaneous recording produces richer, more credible evidence.

Section 5

APC Competency & Quick Reference

• QS Pathway — Level 3 required: Ethics, Rules of Conduct and professionalism, plus all six technical core competencies

• QS Pathway — Level 2 required: Client care, Communication and negotiation and Health and safety, plus the two technical optional competencies

• QS Pathway — Level 1 required: the remaining seven mandatory competencies (accounting principles and procedures, business planning, conflict avoidance, data management, diversity, inclusion and teamworking, inclusive environments, sustainability)

• Summary of experience: max 2,000 words per competency at Levels 2 and 3

• Structured training: min 400 days (24-month route) or 200 days (12-month route)

What is the difference between Level 2 and Level 3 competency evidence?

Level 2 requires evidence of practical application — demonstrating that you have performed relevant tasks and activities in your area of practice. Level 3 requires evidence that you have given reasoned professional advice to clients, with financial or strategic implications, predominantly under your individual responsibility rather than as part of a collective team effort.

How should Level 1 knowledge be evidenced?

Level 1 can be evidenced through a list of formal education (degree modules), training courses, CPD activities, workplace seminars, self-study and mentoring. A structured list with brief descriptions is sufficient — you do not need project-specific examples at this level. If your degree is relevant to the competency, you can reference specific modules.

What is the STAR framework and how does it help?

STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. It provides a structured format for presenting competency evidence: describe the project context (Situation), your specific brief or responsibility (Task), what you did and how (Action), and the outcome or impact (Result). This structure ensures your evidence is specific and demonstrates your personal contribution.

Section 6

APC Preparation Checklist

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Complete the RICS self-assessment form to identify competency gaps

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Set up APC diary template and begin contemporaneous daily recording

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List all Level 1 evidence sources (degree modules, training, CPD) for each mandatory competency

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Identify 2–3 projects per competency for Level 2 evidence with specific examples

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Identify advisory scenarios for every Level 3 competency — Ethics plus all six technical core competencies

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Draft summary of experience for each competency (max 2,000 words each)

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Review drafts with counsellor at least 3 months before submission

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Cross-check all competency evidence against pathway guide examples at each level

Section 7

CPD Learning Outcomes

• Distinguish between Level 1 (knowledge), Level 2 (application) and Level 3 (reasoned advice) competency evidence using specific QS pathway examples.

• Structure a summary of experience using appropriate frameworks to present clear, specific and credible evidence of competence.

• Plan a structured approach to building and recording competency evidence across all mandatory, core and optional competencies over the APC training period.

Section 8