APC INTERVIEWS Running an APC E-mock interview

Jen Lemen

Jen is a partner and co-founder of Property Elite.

This is the second part of a series of articles Jen has agreed to write. Here she gives practical advice about assessing practice and mocks. Jen says she “wanted to set out the wider framework, first to try to motivate people to become Counsellors and stick with candidates for the long run, rather than just dipping in for a mock.” However, “assessing can be nerve wracking, and your candidate will no doubt be nervous too.” 

In my last ACES article, I wrote about the power of mentorship and how the current generation of chartered surveyors can help the next generation to get qualified. 

As an APC counsellor, supervisor or mentor, it’s likely that you will want to (or be asked to) provide an e-mock interview to your candidate(s). This is an essential part of an APC candidate’s journey to becoming MRICS, and provides a realistic test of how they will perform in the real thing. 

Official APC interviews are conducted online by RICS, using Microsoft Teams. On this basis, we recommend that e-mock interviews are also conduct using Teams to that you can provide candidates with accurate feedback on their performance using the same platform. If you have the opportunity to provide your candidate with more than one e-mock interview, perhaps do one in person and then the second or final interview online. 

RICS script and interview structure 

It is easy to run a solo chaired and assessed e-mock. If possible, however, you should bring in colleagues to perform the three key roles of chair, assessor 1 and assessor 2. The script and roles that each of you will follow will depend on if you have a ‘solo’ panel or a panel of three. 

Either way, you should follow the official RICS script and interview structure to simulate what the candidate will experience in the real thing. 

We recommend that all APC counsellor, supervisor or mentor undertakes the RICS Assessor training (providing that you have the time to commit to providing real life assessments for RICS). This will provide you with the best possible insight into how the interview process works and best practice for assessors. You can also undertake your chair training and further assessor training for the other APC routes, such as SPA and Specialist. 

The interview must last for exactly 60 minutes – no less and no more, unless the candidate has any access arrangements or special considerations where additional time may be allowed by RICS. 

Below is the structure that you must follow when providing an e-mock interview (https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/surveying/APC-assessor-guide_final_February-2024.pdf ): 

Time frame	Interview structure
Pre interview	Introduction & welcome
[Time not part of the interview]	Check that each assessor and the candidate can see and hear each other  Ask the candidate to give a 360 show of the room including ceiling and desktop  Brief introduction of each panel members (introduction of the auditor if one is present)  Explain interview process to candidate (see sections below):  Presentation – 10 minutes  Questions on presentation – 10 minutes  Discussion on overall experience including CPD, technical competencies, Rules of Conduct and professional practice – 25 minutes  Chairperson’s area of questioning on professional and technical matters (conduct and ethics should be weaved through as well as covered at the end) – 10 minutes  Close interview (giving candidate last word) - 1-2 minutes  Check that the candidate is fit and well and able to proceed  Ask candidate to start presentation when they are ready
10 mins	Candidate presentation
	Let the candidate know when they are nearing the end of their time  Ensure the presentation is only 10 minutes
10 mins	Questions on presentation
	Thank candidate for their presentation  Move onto questioning on presentation  You may wish to ask the first question (this helps the flow of the interview)  Assessor 1 to cover their questions (3–4 mins)  Assessor 2 to cover their questions (3–4 mins)  Cover any questions you feel assessors may have missed  Watch the time and close
30 mins	Discussion on overall experience including CPD, technical competencies, mandatory competencies
	Move onto questioning on overall experience including CPD, technical competencies, Rules of Conduct and professional practice  Assessor 1 to start with questioning on their areas of competence  Other assessors to follow  Cover any questions you feel assessors may have missed  Watch the time and close
8 mins	Professional and technical matters, CPD, Rules of Conduct
	Move onto questioning on professional and technical matters, CPD, and Rules of Conduct  Rules of Conduct (relevance to experience if possible)  Health and safety (RICS Surveying Safely guide)  General (RICS business/industry hot topics)  Watch the time  Draw the interview to a close
2 mins	Close interview
	Thank the candidate  Pick up any questions passed over during interview  Give candidate last word  Any questions candidate wishes to come back on  Advise candidate RICS will inform them of the result by e-mail in 5 working days

We recommend booking a two-hour slot when providing an e-mock interview to a candidate; 20 min for the welcome, 60 min for the interview and then 40 min at the end for feedback. We recommend following up the interview with a written feedback report – the RICS has a template you can download at https://www.rics.org/join-rics/assessments-information/assessor. At Property Elite, we use online software called Otter.ai to record and provide summaries and transcripts of e-mock interviews – these have been invaluable to both our assessors and our candidates. 

If you feel comfortable to do so, then you may wish to allow your candidate to record the interview so that you can review sections with them. This could include their verbal responses and use of body language. 

Preparation is essential to provide an effective e-mock interview. This includes reviewing the candidate’s submission and preparing areas of questioning or focus. We do not recommend having a stringent list of questions that you will ask, as the questioning will take its own path once you get started. However, some cues and ‘starting’ questions will help you to structure the interview effectively. Try to avoid just reading out questions – the candidate’s answer will often provide areas to ask follow-on questions and explore their advice (level 3), actions (level 2) or knowledge (level 1) further. 

Conclusions – best practice advice 

And, to conclude, some advice on best practice when delivering your e-mock interview: 

• Base all the questions on the candidate’s declared competencies and experience. You should not question the candidate on competencies outside of those that they have declared 

• Start your questioning at the highest level that the candidate has declared 

• Base your questions on the candidate’s examples – do not ask hypothetical questions or questions outside of the experience declared by the candidate. You may need to ask wider questions if the candidate has not written about specific examples or if the examples provided are not relevant to the competency requirements 

• Do not use ‘stock’ questions or focus your questioning on level 1 (if a higher level has been declared) 

• If a candidate does not reach the highest level declared, then you can work down the competencies to assess their competence. Don’t just ask ‘stock’ level 1 questions where there is a higher level to start at and the candidate has provided relevant, specific examples 

• Do not exceed the 60-minute timeframe – within this, you must cover the breadth and depth of the declared competencies and entire submission elements 

• If a candidate doesn’t reach the required level, despite sufficient questioning to provide them with the opportunity to do so – don’t dwell on it and move on. Time is generally not on your side! 

• Do not give any indication of whether a response is right or wrong – a simple thank you, or okay, is fine and you can then move onto the next competency 

• You can tell the candidate which competency you are questioning them on, but do not tell them the level that they are being questioned on. That said, asking about specific examples may give this away in any case! 

• Make ample notes as you go, to allow you to provide feedback to your candidate. 

Finally, good luck – the more practice you have in providing e-mock interviews and assessing official interviews, the better assessor and counsellor (or supervisor) you will become. Like everything, it is a skill – the best assessors provide a constructive and positive environment for candidates to succeed within. We are not here to be gatekeepers or ‘examiners’ – we are here to facilitate an environment whereby candidates can demonstrate their competence and advice. Assessing can be nerve wracking, and your candidate will no doubt be nervous too – so be kind to yourself and your candidate, and work with them to provide a fair and equitable outcome. 

[Ed – see also next article from the RICS giving some helpful links for the RICS assessment].