Ace the APC

1. Join the RICS

Sign up for student membership of the RICS. Student membership is free and once you sign up you will receive your membership number which gives you broader access to the RICS website, library and other services.

2. Get a job

You can only start your APC if you are employed in a relevant surveying job and gaining the experience for the faculty route you intend to follow. When searching for a job look for companies that have an RICS approved structured training agreement. Jobseekers could try the RICS search for a surveyor at www.ricsfirms.co.uk.

3. Understand the process

Get the RICS APC guides and read them. They can be downloaded from www.rics.org. Make sure that you fully understand the APC process, as around a quarter of the candidates I have assessed have partly been referred because they don't properly understand the process.

4. Get a supervisor

Depending on which APC route you follow, you will need a counsellor or a supervisor to help you through the process. There is a separate APC guide for them, make sure they have it. Don't forget other parties to the APC support network: your RICS regional office, RTAs, APC doctors and RICS matrics.

5. Understand the competencies

At the final assessment you will need to convince a panel of assessors that you understand competency and are experienced to the relevant levels. The APC guides explain which competencies you should follow. Your supervisor and counsellor should help you interpret each competency and offer you relevant experience.

6. Keep up to date

Keep your diary and log book updated. As the APC is based on your experience it is hard to know whether you are on track to achieving all your competencies if your diary and log books are out of date. I suggest writing them both once a week and including enough detail - a sentence or two - to remind yourself what you did.

7. Record your development

Log your professional development - you need to do a minimum of 48 hours a year. Read the APC candidate's guide to understand how to record professional development and to understand the three 16-hour splits. Your RICS regional office, local RICS matrics group and others offer or know of professional development events in your area.

8. Get involved with RICS

It is important that you get involved with the RICS for your APC development as well as to build up contacts, which is crucial to your current and future business. The RICS martrics groups are normally local to you. See www.rics.org/matrics for more information. If you don't get RICS Business or the RICS regional magazine, give your regional office a call and get your name on the list.

9. Get stuck in

The APC is your career and therefore you need to take control and go for it. Do not sit back and think that anyone has a duty to spoon feed you. You should be seeking opportunities for training, developing your experience and progressing your professional development.