APC: 20 ways supervisors can aid the case study process

In my previous article I highlighted that the summary of experience is one of the most important documents your candidate will produce and submit to RICS for their final assessment, which is very true. But there is another part of the final submission documentation which needs a huge amount of effort to get 100% correct, and that is the case study. An immediate issue with the case study is that everyone tries to overthink it, by either being too simplistic or making it so technical that the candidate crumples under scrutiny at the assessment. There is also a tendency to create a project timeline report that lifts the basic pros and cons out of a textbook piece of course work, which really won’t go down well at the final assessment. In addition to all of the above, I also see candidates borrowing previously successful candidates’ historic case studies (or critical analysis as they used to be called), copying the structure, topics or tone. This is a recipe for disaster as no one knows how well a previously successful candidate passed their APC: was the report followed by a shining example or a dog’s dinner that the candidate managed to pull out of the bag on the day at that final assessment? Nobody knows, other than three assessors at the final assessment. The following tips should go some way towards helping your candidate produce a case study report that they can be proud of and back up at their final assessment. 1. Happy assessors The case study should be well written and informative, have a common sense approach and flow through the required key headings. It may be clichéd, but it is all about happy assessors. They read all of the candidate’s documents with a client/layperson in mind, establishing that they are understandable as well as technically correct. 2. Read the guide The RICS APC candidate guide explains the requirements for the case study. Follow it and make sure your candidate uses the headings verbatim. Do not copy the format from an old case study or critical analysis as the guide may have changed since it was written. 3. Know the competencies Revisit the pathway guide and make sure your candidate knows their competency requirements for the competencies they have declared. It is so important to match a case study project to your candidate’s declared competencies. Try and help your candidate pick a suitable project that covers the depth and breadth of competencies. 4. Make sure it is unique The case study has to be something related to your candidate’s experience. It may follow set competencies and processes, but their involvement is what makes it a unique experience for them. 5. Project selection Make sure your candidate considers a few projects (say three or four) and tests them against their declared competencies. Select the project that encompasses as many of the candidate’s declared competencies. 6. The 24-month limit The RICS APC candidate guide states the selected project must be no more than 24 months old. This means the candidate’s personal involvement in the project is in the past 24 months. I often advise reducing that to no longer than 12 months, just in case the candidate is referred, so the report is not timed out for the next assessment six months later (assuming the assessors have not requested the candidate write a new report). 7. Don’t get too technical Don’t suggest something that is too technical for your candidate and would obviously not be the sort of work they are doing given their experience and competency to date. Remember your experience may easily outweigh your candidate’s, so keep the focus on them and the pathway guide requirements. Also remember there should be no technical mistakes in the report. 8. Make sure it is actually your candidate’s experience The case study project and key issues need to be something your candidate has directly experienced and one in which the candidate has directly been making (or been party to making) the decisions. They will be expected to know it inside out at the final assessment and discuss the elements of the report at length with the assessors. 9. Understand the competency levels The case study needs to be equivalent to a level 3 competency where a candidate understands and has offered advice (a proposed solution). As such, the candidate needs to understand the solutions and the reasoning why they have selected those solutions. 10. Report components Follow the case study subheadings under each main heading so the candidate discusses key issues, options and solutions, and then reflects and offers suggestions for their own learning and development through involvement in the project. 11. Professionalism is key Remember it is a professional case study report containing the headings and components outlined in the RICS templates. However, candidates would be well advised to work with the template the RICS has provided in order to create a professional report format. 12. Assessment Resource Centre If using ARC, and whether your candidate is “in-flight” or “full access”, the case study will need to be written in Word, converted into a PDF and uploaded. Remember this means your candidate must produce a top-quality report. 13. Remember quality Communication (written, graphical and verbal) is a level 2 competency and this report should be a shining example of what your candidate would expect to present to a client. It will be reviewed by the assessors and presenting a quality report is part of the assessment. 14. Word count The report has a maximum quota of 3,000 words. Ensure your candidate writes no more than that. This is all part of the test. Professionalism is also about complying with the client’s brief. 15. Avoid excessive abbreviations Make sure your candidate doesn’t abbreviate every other word in order to meet the word count. Stop, revisit the text and write it again. Excessive abbreviations make life difficult for the assessors. 16. Make sure your candidate writes their own report Fight the urge to rewrite sections of the case study for your candidate. It is important it is in their words. It is often quite clear when the candidate has not written the report completely by themselves. 17. Spelling and grammar Make sure your candidate does a good job of this. If you want to know how many mistakes can be made in the report, the answer is none. 18. The 10-minute presentation Always have half an eye on what is being created by your candidate and remember they are going to have to write a presentation to match it. Make sure they pick issues that are presentation-worthy, and that suitable visuals can be created from them. Make sure your candidate practises presenting the case study so they can fine-tune and deliver a professional 10-minute presentation at the final assessment. They need present no more than what they have written in the case study. 19. Timescales The case study is not an overnight job. From my experience, candidates take three to four months to write the report properly and will rewrite or amend it up to  10 times. I suggest starting the report about nine months before the final assessment. 20. Allow review time Remind your candidate that you need time to review the case study and they should present it to you with a few weeks to spare. Get them to give it to as many people as possible, making sure a few of them are laypeople, to gauge responses as to the readiness of their report. Jon Lever FRICS is the RICS’ UK licensed assessor trainer, a RICS regional training adviser, an APC chairman of assessors and a member of the RICS’ governing council. Follow Jon on Twitter @deleverapc Useful resources APCeye magazine Critical APC information in a free monthly magazine. www.mydelever.com APC101 – WhatsApp Open group on APC Process discussions. All welcome. www.delever.co.uk/whatsapp APC presentation Online masterclass discussing key elements of the APC final assessment interview. Hints and tips on best practice. www.delever.com Free timeline wallchart A2 pictorial view of the APC process, based on the RICS guides and Jon Lever’s professional knowledge. www.delever.com Supervisor and counsellor APC training – formal CPD Tips on how to manage and support your candidates. www.delever.com APC mock interviews Practice your APC final assessment interview, including the presentation and competency-based questioning. A full-hour interview just like the real thing and immediate feedback from the two assessors. www.delever.com APC commercial property and residential revision guides Every forward-thinking APC candidate’s reference book for APC preparation. www.apctaylormade.co.uk Free trial: myAPCDiary This resource can save up to 60% of a candidate’s day-to-day APC administration. www.apcdiary.com RICS APC guides These should be read at least once every three to four months. Candidates from outside the UK also need to check their regional websites for any local APC requirements. www.rics.org