Commercial Real Estate RICS APC Revision Guide 2021 5th edition by Kate Taylor FRICS

Why did I write the Revision Guide?

I learned from my children.

My oldest daughter (now a chartered surveyor!) used the popular CPG revision guides for her GCSEs. They helped her to remember key points, built confidence and reduced stress. I realised such a tool would be very useful for APC candidates and started work on the first edition in 2014.

The key aim is to reduce stress and build confidence at level 1 (knowledge) so candidates can shine when talking about their experience at level 2 and level 3.

My other daughter is neuro diverse and she finds colour mind maps really help her remember key information and organise her thoughts, so we added a mind map crib book to vary the inputs and improve memory retention. The mind maps were created from my revision guide content by APCTaylorMade’s very own Holly Mapletoft (my sister and assistant) who has a first-class degree in maths and education.

Does it help candidates remember the key information?

I have a lot of testimonials that say it does (see below for a sample)! I often get an unsolicited email from a candidate I have not met (Holly deals with Revision Guides) thanking me for helping them to shine. The revision guides are pathway guide led so the information correlates with the assessors expectations.

The vocabulary can vary across the profession and candidates worry they won’t understand the questions.

 There is so much breadth to APC, especially on commercial real estate pathway, and this creates fear. One cannot think clearly when experiencing fear.

How does stress affect APC?

Creating final submission

The learner will focus on an inappropriate level of detail and overthink. The summary of experience may be too much waffle or context not about the candidate’s experience. Stress creates a wandering and inappropriate final submission that does not demonstrate competence through straightforward experience examples.

How does the Revision Guide help with that?

The 5th edition includes example summary of experience for the competencies included. This is to demonstrate format, level of detail, vocabulary and simplicity.

There are top tips highlighted throughout the example SOE, so the techniques demonstrated can be understood and applied to your own experience.

Revising

General

·        Pathway Guide

If all else fails, read the instructions! The Pathway Guide should be viewed like a mark scheme and is used by the assessors to ensure they test you thoroughly. Make sure you are very familiar with the Pathway Guide competency descriptions. I was part of the 2018 Pathway Review Working Group and helped to write the Pathway Guides in real estate especially in the valuation related competencies as I was on the Valuation Professional Group Board at the time. You can have faith that I live and breathe the competencies!

https://www.rics.org/globalassets/rics-website/media/qualify/pathway-guides/commercial-estate-pathway-guide-chartered-rics.pdf

·        Professional journals

An important part of level 1 is being up to date. The RICS Property Journal and Estates Gazette are my two favourite revision tools. The RICS Property Journal has in depth forward looking articles organised by area of practice and Estates Gazette has an excellent data section including a Pathway to Success APC article series written by ME. My recently published articles can be found

 https://apctaylormade.wordpress.com/publications/

·        Just read!

Throughout your APC you should be reading and doing CPD. Don’t try to remember everything but read as you would a newspaper, and read widely. This will increase your technical vocabulary and holistic understanding of the profession.

·        Audio learning

Download an app to read pdf’s to you. This provides variety in the input mechanism and can be listened to whilst walking or driving.

·        Micro learning

You are all busy people and learning can’t get more bite sized than 140 characters! Twitter is an amazing learning tool used extensively by RICS.

LinkedIn is also very useful and The Surveyor Hub on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/groups/the.surveyor.hub.bluebox.partners/

·        Revision Workshops

There are several providers of revision workshops. These can be a confidence building investment for those who choose to take part. The RICS APC Prep Days are delivered by me and another RICS Trainer (Danny Medcalf) across the country and represent excellent value for money.

The next day is on 11th February and can be booked via RICS. The day has not been advertised yet and is expected to sell out quick. Keep an eye on this page of RICS website if you are interested.

https://www.rics.org/uk/training-events/apc/

·        Organisation

Create a folder electronically or in hard copy and store all the useful RICS guidance and articles from people like me in one place, organised by competency.

How does the Revision Guide help with all this?

The learner gets the answer to the perennial question – what should I revise? The Revision Guide provides the appropriate references for background reading in the first column of the competency tables. These are the level 1 references – mainly the law and RICS guidance. The contents is described in the FAQs.

The second column of the Revision Guide highlights the key points within the references so you know what to focus on.

There is a lot of detail in some areas, it can’t be avoided – it’s a complex subject, so I include annotations to focus attention on:

·        Top tips

·        Hot Topics

·        Important point

·        Key point

·        Thinking point

·        Common question

·        Pitfalls to avoid

Learners should build on the reading of the Revision Guide by looking regularly at the colour mind maps. I suggest you don’t try to remember just look every day and the visuals will move gradually into long term memory.

You could wallpaper the WC or by your kettle with the mind maps and learn by osmosis. Trust me it works! And when asked a question the colour mind map will pop up just when you need it….

In the interview

Stress will stimulate the amygdala to tell the adrenal gland produce too much adrenalin and the hypothalamus will stimulate the pituitary gland to produce cortisol. The interview melt down is very much a physical situation.

Use the Revision Guide to build confidence that you DO have the knowledge and WILL remember it.

Practice makes perfect

Don’t forget that knowledge is level 1 (and it underpins level 2 and 3). To get across that knowledge in the interview you need to

·        Listen

·        Understand

·        Respond

Articulating your knowledge and experience is crucial so you need to practice talking about it.

Mock Interview

APCTaylorMade have excellent value mock interviews provided by Kate Taylor FRICS and Danny Medcalf FRICS. We created the official RICS mock interview video

 https://www.rics.org/uk/events/e-learning/e-learning/apc-mock-interview/ 

and deliver the RICS APC Prep Day with demo mock for RICS Training.

Get some practice in and book a bargain mock with us. At ￡400 (no VAT) we are one of the cheapest available and have 40 years of assessing experience between us. We are both chairpersons, auditors and appeal panel judges. Danny is built environment side so between us for mock purposes we cover almost every pathway! Availability is limited so book early direct with me:

[email protected]

or ask Holly, she knows everything!

Conclusion

I feel strongly that assessing professional competence and building the future of the surveying profession should be a positive and uplifting experience. You should be demonstrating your skills, knowledge, behaviours and experience in a convivial professional discussion. It should be a pleasure to have 3 experienced surveyors giving you their full attention and being interested in what you do. Does this sound like your APC experience? I suspect not. My goal is to make candidates feel good about their experience so they can approach the interview confidently and show the best of themselves. The Revision Guide helps with this.

If you have ever had a panic attack you will know, one literally cannot think when severely stressed. I help by allowing a candidate to be reassured about their knowledge and experience (and helping with gaps) and how to present it properly. The Revision Guide helps with this.

The APC is NOT an exam and far too many candidates and their trainers, coaches and mentors focus far too much on level 1. You need confidence and interview skills to demonstrate level 2 and level 3. Take back your power – the Revision Guide helps with this.

Residential, P & D and rural

There is also a 2020 Residential Guide that has all the same useful elements described in this article. This may be appropriate for valuers or planning & development or rural candidates if you mainly work in residential sector.

Valuation

Valuers who work mainly in commercial real estate should buy the commercial version.

A selection of Testimonials

I have been moved and delighted by some great feedback:

·        ‘Kate’s APC Revision Guide represents an invaluable tool in preparing for the APC Final Assessment. A comprehensive source of information set out in an engaging way that provides a solid foundation in the main Commercial competencies on which to build detailed knowledge and understanding. From an assessor Josh Myerson (Director – Montagu Evans)

·        ‘Your notes have been extremely helpful. I virtually learnt all..sic (the Quick Start Revision Guide), which made me more confident when I walked into that interview….you have been instrumental in achieving MRICS status and words cannot express the gratitude’.  R. Thakur MRICS

·        Kate was my mentor leading up to my APC on the Commercial Property Pathway and she is clearly one of, if not the best APC mentors there is. I used the revision guide, question pack and Q&A sessions and without Kate offering these services, I don’t think I would have passed. The revision guide and question pack were staples in my preparation. The revision guide is well structured, easy to understand and is a good starting point to learn the key points relating to the competencies. K. Atkins MRICS

·        Kate is one of the most talented trainers for APC study any candidate could ask for. A bastion of RICS knowledge, infectious positivity and a genuine care for every single one of her candidates. Her training, advice and guide book was integral to me passing. Neil A Bear MRICS CBRE

·        Revision Guide is fantastic. I found it extremely helpful and I highly recommend it to the year below. I am more than happy to pass mine down but it is very highlighted and annotated! Will Donnelly MRICS CBRE

·        The revision guide was absolutely invaluable in terms of summarising the knowledge required for L1. The clear presentation, and in particular having the competency requirements divided into key learning points was very helpful when planning revision.

 I can honestly say that without this revision guide I don’t think I would have passed.

Well worth the cost. I recommend this guide. M Ventham MRICS

Hopefully you now have an idea of how the Revision Guide can help you – get in touch with Holly

·        via the contact form on our website apctaylormade.co.uk

·        email her direct [email protected]

If you are on the waiting list you will get sent an invoice and the chance to secure a first print run copy.

I hope you enjoyed my first newsletter. I will be in touch with more useful stuff as the interviews draw nearer.

Good luck everyone, 2021 is the year you become chartered!

Kate Taylor FRICS