This is a reminder to all APC candidates and their counsellors as regards the Interim Assessment.

The Interim Assessment is a mechanism to help the candidates gauge the direction and adequacy of their professional training. The exercise is meaningful only when it is ?current?. It must relate to the training currently being undertaken and not something in history.

It is stipulated in the Rules and Guide that ?
?After 12 months comprising not less than 240 working days of the approved period of professional training, the Log Book and the completed sections of the Diary, together with the Interim Assessment Report and an Interim Summary of Experience, should be submitted to the counsellor for interim assessment.?

The rule states that Interim Assessment should be conducted after 12 months of the approved period of professional training, i.e. it cannot be conducted earlier than month 13. When it is conducted in month 13 as stipulated, obviously the Interim Assessment will cover the first 12 months of training. It must however not be interpreted that the Interim Assessment covers only the first 12 months of training.

If for any reason a candidate delays his submission for Interim Assessment, the Interim Assessment should cover all training (in whole months) acquired by the candidate from commencement of his APC to the month immediately preceding the Interim Assessment. This is to provide a full training record so as to enable the counsellor to carry out a meaningful assessment and to offer relevant advice. Training is a continuous endeavour. To assess the adequacy of training 6 or more months later without correlation with what is currently being undertaken does not help the candidates at all.

While the Interim Summary of Experience is limited to 1000 words, it will be impractical to cover a training period of more than 12 months. It is therefore vital for the Interim Assessment to be conducted in month 13. As timing for the assessment of Critical Analysis and Practical Task is critical, most candidates will not be ready for Final Assessment on month 25. In order to gauge the adequacy and suitability of training, it may be desirable to conduct a second Interim Assessment on month 25, and if appropriate, a third Interim Assessment on month 37.

It is appreciated that some candidates are receiving intermittent training as they are not fortunate enough to have continuous employment. Counsellors should therefore exercise their discretion in the timing of the Interim Assessment. To provide the more timely guidance to candidates, it will be desirable to conduct an interim assessment after every 12 working months (or every 240 working days) and upon every change of employment. When there is a change of counsellor, it is also desirable to conduct an Interim Assessment by the outgoing counsellor to conclude his part of mentoring. Thus the continuous monitoring of the candidate?s training progress can be aptly handed over to the succeeding counsellor.

It is important that APC candidates?training is properly supervised and guided to ensure sufficient professional competence for qualification, and the Institute relies heavily on both candidates and their counsellors to maintain professional standards.

Barnabas H.K. Chung
Chairman, BS Divisional Education Committee
April 2003

Assessment of Professional Competence in Building Surveying

Candidates must have completed one of the recognized courses as recognized by the Institute before they are eligible to register for the APC and start recording their experience in the Diary & Log Book for a minimum of 24 or 33 months depending on their Divisions. Student membership of the Institute is a pre-requisite, so candidates should enroll as student members when applying to enter the APC Scheme. Students of the Institute are required to pass the APC scheme before they are eligible for election to corporate membership of the Institute.

In principle, the APC for building surveying students consists of a minimum period of approved professional training and structured learning, a critical analysis in written presentation, a practical task and a professional interview.

Candidates must be suitably employed in an establishment principally engaged in building surveying. It is also important that their employers and supervisors are able and willing to provide appropriate professional training.

For details, please refer to the "Rules and Guide" in the Professional Development section of HKIS website.

Statistics - Result of APC

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Practical Task - Past Papers

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