Mandatory Competencies - APC Study Hub

Mandatory Competencies for RICS APC

Mandatory Competencies are the foundational professional skills and behaviors required of all RICS candidates, regardless of their chosen pathway. These 11 Competencies ensure that every member adheres to the highest standards of professional conduct, ethics, and business practice. They cover areas such as Ethics, Client Care, Communication, Health & Safety etc. Candidates must achieve Level 1, 2 or 3 (depending on the Competency) in each of these areas and demonstrate their knowledge both in written documentation and during the final interview. These competencies reflect RICS’s commitment to maintaining trust and integrity within the profession globally.

Golden justice scales on a desk beside a laptop, symbolizing law and balance.

Ethics, Rules of Conduct and professionalism

This Level 3 competency covers your professionalism. It requires you to understand the role of the RICS and how it works.

Two businesswomen engaged in a meeting discussing plans using digital devices in a modern office.

Client care

This Level 2 competency covers how a surveyor meets a client’s brief in respect of a specific appointmentand how they deal with a client from a business and professional perspective.

Close-up of professionals shaking hands over coffee in a modern office.

Communication and negotiation

This Level 2 competency covers the way in which a surveyor communicates, in writing, graphically and orally. It also looks at the process and strategy of a negotiation.

Vibrant collection of industrial safety helmets neatly arranged on a wall.

Health and safety

This Level 1 competency covers the relationship between the work of the surveyor and health and safety issues…

Calculator and accounting documents with charts on a workspace.

Accounting principles and procedures

This Level 1 competency covers the basic principles of accounting and the interpretation of company accounts…

A businessman in a suit writes financial data on a whiteboard during an office planning session.

Business planning

This Level 1 competency is about the principles and tools of business planning.

Colleagues in a lively discussion during a team meeting in a modern office space.

Conflict avoidance, management and dispute resolution procedures

This Level 1 competency covers the surveyor’s involvement with the avoidance, management and resolution of disputes…

Team members analyze charts during a business meeting with laptops and smartphones.

Data management

This Level 1 competency covers how data relating to individual projects and a surveyor’s work generally is collected, stored and retrieved.

Diverse professionals unite for teamwork around a wooden table with laptops and documents.

Diversity, inclusion and teamworking

This Level 1 competency covers the role of the quantity surveyor within the team and their involvement with the establishment of the team.

Inclusive environments

This Level 1 competency is about the principles and processes that deliver accessible and inclusive environments…

Sustainability

This Level 1 competency covers the role of the quantity surveyor in dealing with the impact of sustainability issues on development and construction…

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