GUIDE

Assessment Platform
Candidate user guide
 INTRODUCTION

First step
As a new candidate, your first step is to familiarise yourself
with the Assessment Platform. This is the environment in
which you will keep all your training and experience records,
CPD activity, selected competencies and diary entries.

This is also the place where your counsellor will sign off your
competencies and support you through each stage of your
assessment.

Follow this guide on how to use the Assessment Platform.

Candidate guide
 CONTENTS

Home 04 Diary — new entry 20

View profile 06 Messages 21

Edit profile — personal 08 Summary of experience 22

Edit profile — employment history 09 Case study 23

Edit profile — academic qualifications 11 CPD 24

Edit profile — professional qualifications 12 Professionalism module 26

Selecting your competencies 13 Preview submission 27

Mandatory competencies 14 Proposer and seconder 28

Core competencies 15 Declaration 29

Optional and Optional plus competencies 16 Final assessment — application 30

Competency detail 17 Final assessment — selection 31

Competency review 18 Final assessment — submission 32

Diary — preview 19 Final assessment — Result 33

Candidate guide
 CANDIDATE HOME

The candidate home allows you to see your progress at a quick

glance and reach the key areas of your journey so far.

To navigate back to the candidate homepage at any point, you

can click on the RICS logo at the top of the screen.

You must complete the progress tracker in conjunction with

the criteria for the route you are following, which are set out in
the candidate guide.

Profile, message and help

Click the dropdown arrow to edit your profile. Click the envelope
to view messages from your counsellor or RICS; a red circle
indicates the number of unread messages. Click the question
mark to access help.

Navigation bar
Hover over the navigation bar; it will expand to show you all
areas of the platform. Click the RICS logo to return to the
homepage from any screen.

Candidate details
Your name, company, job title and pathway will show here.

Counsellor details
The name and contact details of your selected counsellor.

Progress overview
Displays the status of the key activities you need to complete
to meet the minimum requirements for your assessment. The
blocks also provide shortcut links to these areas of the platform.

Candidate guide 4
 CANDIDATE HOME

Competencies
A shortcut to access your competency information.

Messages
A shortcut to access your messages.

. Help
Access details of your local RICS office.

Preview Assessment Document

You can view a draft copy of your assessment documentation at
any point.

Legacy Data
If you had recorded your summary of experience on the previous
platform (ARC), you can view any of that data here.

Profile
Click the dropdown arrow to edit your profile.
You will be able to edit your profile photo, personal details,
employment history, academic qualifications and professional
qualifications. This also populates your details in our database, so
there is no need to ring up separately.

Help
Access your local RICS office contact details, the pathway guide,
RICS requirements, competencies guide and RICS candidate
guide.

Candidate guide 5
 PROFILE

View profile
The profile view displays information about you.

Your profile photo, name, honours and contact

details

Your contact details

Your address

The academic qualifications you provided when

you completed your enrolment. This will form part
of your final assessment submission.

The professional qualifications you provided

when you completed your enrolment (if required).
This will form part of your final assessment
submission.

6
Candidate guide
 Profile

PROFILE

Your primary employment. This is your

current employer and will form part of your final
assessment submission.

Your employment history. This will form part of

your final assessment submission.

Your assessment type, also known as your route.

Candidate guide 7
 PROFILE

Edit profile — personal

You can insert and edit the following personal details:

Profile photo
Note: your profile photo will be used on your submission
documentation, which will be shared with the assessors at
your final assessment interview. Make sure that it is a
professional passport-sized photo, which has been taken
within six months prior to applying for final assessment.

Honours

Personal address

Phone numbers

Email address

You can inform RICS of the date you expect to

submit for assessment

Nominate a new counsellor or change your

existing one

Change your pathway

Any changes you make will automatically update the central
RICS database. There is no need to contact RICS with these
changes.
To amend your name, you will need to contact your local RICS
office, as proof will be required.

Candidate guide 8
 PROFILE

Edit profile — employment history

You can add your employment history and edit your current
employer details.

Click to add a new employment entry.

Indicates your primary employment.

Note: Adding a new employment entry will automatically
default it to your primary employment. You can change this
by clicking the slider.

Include a brief description of your job role.

The details will form part of your final assessment
submission.

9
Candidate guide
 PROFILE

Edit profile — employment history

You can find your employer on the RICS database.

Enter the country and then postcode or city as

prompted. Click ‘Look up’ and select your company
from the list.

Indicates your primary employment. This is your

current employer and will form part of your final
assessment submission.

If you are unable to locate your employer, you

will be able to confirm the details, which will go to
RICS to update.

Enter your job title and your telephone number

(if current employer).

Enter your start date and end date (if not current
employer).

Candidate guide 10
 PROFILE

Edit profile — professional

qualifications
The academic qualifications you entered when you
completed your enrolment will be displayed. To add a new
academic qualification, click ‘New’.

Enter the qualification details. Click ‘Reset’ to clear your

entries. Click ‘Save’ to add the qualification to your profile.

Candidate guide 11
 PROFILE

Edit profile — professional

qualifications
The professional qualifications you entered when you
completed your enrolment will be displayed (if required).
To add a new professional qualification, click ‘New’.

Enter the qualification details. Click ‘Reset’ to clear your

entries. Click ‘Save’ to add the qualification to your profile.

Candidate guide 12
 COMPETENCY

Selecting your competencies

Hover the cursor over the navigation bar and
it will expand. Click on ‘Competencies’. Click on
‘Competency Selector’.
You must ensure your first action on the platform is to select
your required competencies. Refer to your pathway guide for an
overview of your competency requirements. You will be unable
to proceed with your assessment in the platform until this is
completed.

Candidate guide 13
 COMPETENCY

Mandatory competencies
Menu bar
Indicates the competency type you are currently reviewing.

Competency requirements
States the number and level of competencies you must
demonstrate.

Individual competency
Each competency is displayed in a box with the selected level
highlighted in purple.

Competency detail
Click ‘Show info’ to read the full details of each competency.

Save and Continue

Click to progress to the core competency selections.

Candidate guide 14
 COMPETENCY

Core competencies
Competency list
Displays the competencies available to select. Click on a
competency to read an overview of the levels.

Competency overview
Displays the competency description for each level of the
highlighted competency.

Competency level
Click on the level you wish to be assessed at. You can only select
the level(s) highlighted in purple.

Your competency selection

Competency levels you have selected are displayed here. Click
the ‘x’ symbol to remove a competency from your selection.

Competency detail
Click ‘Show info’ to read the full details of the competency at each
level.

Save and Continue

Click to progress to the next stage.

Note: You will progress to the optional competency

selections or the final review page. This is dictated by your
pathway criteria.

Candidate guide 15
 COMPETENCY

Optional and optional

plus competencies
Competency list
Displays the optional competencies available to select. Click on
a competency to read an overview of the levels.

Optional plus competencies

Some pathways require a competency from the full list of
technical competencies, including any not already chosen from
the core and optional lists. This will only show if it applies to
your pathway.

Candidate guide 16
 COMPETENCY

Competency detail
You can read the full details of each competency by clicking
‘Show info’ in the top-right corner of the competency box.
Core competencies will display examples of the types of
work experience required to demonstrate the competency
at each level.

Read the description at each level before

confirming your selection.

Click the level to read the competency

description at each level.

Click ‘Hide info’ to return to the competency

selector page.

Candidate guide 17
 COMPETENCY

Competency review
The review page displays all the competencies you have
selected. Review them before you confirm your selection.

The mandatory competencies are listed.

Your technical competencies will be listed with

an edit button to use if you wish to edit them.

Note: you can change your competencies at any time before

you submit for final assessment, but the edit button will
remove all competencies from your selection. This is to
ensure the validation for the competency selection matches
the requirements as stated in the pathway guide.

Candidate guide 18
 Diary — preview
DIARY
This section is only for those candidates who are following
APC structured training.
The diary allows you to record your activities during your
structured training. It serves two purposes:
• To provide a reminder of your experience for each compe-
tency and level when preparing your summary of experience.
• To provide a count of the number of days recorded for each
competency and level. The count appears on your submission
for assessors.

New
Click to add a new diary entry.

Diary entry
Each diary entry will be displayed, showing you the date you
entered it, the title, the commentary you have added and the
competency the entry relates to.

Remove
Click to delete any of the details you have added.

Edit
Click to amend any of the details you have added.

Filter
Use the filter function to display your diary entries by month,
year, competency and level. This function may be useful when
you are reviewing your work with your line manager/supervisor
and counsellor.

All your diary entries will be accessible from the relevant

summary of experience page for each competency and level.
This will allow you to review your entries when preparing
your evidence for each competency.
Candidate guide 19
 DIARY

Diary — new entry

This section is only for those candidates who are following
APC structured training.

You should create a diary entry for each competency and

level. As you develop your experience for each competency
and level, you can update the relevant entry by adding to
the commentary and increasing the number of days
recorded.

Competency and level

Select the competency and level the entry relates to.

Days and start date

Enter the date you started developing this competency.
Increase or decrease the number of days you have committed
to this competency.

Title
Enter a title for the diary entry. The title should identify what
activity you performed.

Reset
Click to clear the content of the diary entry.

Add
Click to add the entry to your diary.

Candidate guide 20
 MESSAGES

Messages
We will contact you through the platform with key messages
as you progress with your assessment.

Total messages
The total number of messages you have received.

Unread messages
The total number of unread messages.

Title
The title of the message.

Mark as read
When you select a message, it will be marked as read.

Message content
Use the dropdown arrow to open and close the message’s
content.

Help
Access contact details for your local RICS office and the
platform user guide.

21
Candidate guide
 EXPERIENCE
Summary of experience
To begin completing your summary of experience, click on
‘Summary of Experience’ in the navigation bar.

Summaries of Experience template

Your summaries of experience must be prepared using the
template. Download it here.

Browse, Save or Clear

Click ‘Browse’ to select the document to upload.
Click ‘Save’ to upload it.
Click ‘Clear’ to restart.

Note: you cannot remove uploaded documents from the

platform. You can upload new versions of your documents.
The system will always include the most recent when you
are ready to finalise your full submission.

When you select ‘Save’, a banner will appear at the top of

your webpage confirming that the save is in progress. When
completed, this banner will change to ‘File Uploaded’.
The maximum file size you can upload for your case study is
20MB.

Request review
Submit your summaries of experience for review by your
counsellor. You will receive a message when your counsellor
has completed the review.

Note: the option to request review will only appear after

your case study file has been uploaded to the platform.

Candidate guide 22
 CASE STUDY
Case study
Access the case study area from the navigation bar or the
candidate homepage.

Case study template

To allow for images, tables and appendices, your case study
must be prepared using the template. Download it here.

Browse, Save or Clear

Click ‘Browse’ to select the case study to upload.
Click ‘Save’ to upload it.
Click ‘Clear’ to restart.

Note: you cannot remove uploaded documents from the

platform. You can upload new versions of your documents.
The system will always include the most recent when you
are ready to finalise your full submission.

When you select ‘Save’, a banner will appear at the top of

your webpage confirming that the save is in progress. When
completed, this banner will change to ‘File Uploaded’.
The maximum file size you can upload for your case study is
20MB.

Request review
Submit your case study for review by your counsellor. You will
receive a message when your counsellor has completed the
review.

Note: the option to request review will only appear after

your case study file has been uploaded to the platform.

Candidate guide 23
 CPD

CPD
Access the CPD area from the navigation bar or the
candidate homepage. Click ‘New’ to add a CPD activity.

CPD policy
The minimum CPD hours requirement and time period for
your assessment will be stated here.
* a minimum of 50% of your CPD must be formal CPD.

New
Select ‘New’ to enter your CPD details and learning outcomes.

Details
When you have entered your CPD, you can select ‘Details’ to
review your entry.

Edit and delete

You can amend your CPD entry any time prior to applying for
assessment. You can also delete this entry if it is no longer
required.

Candidate guide 24
 CPD

CPD
Description
Enter a brief summary of the activity.

Activity status
You can enter planned activities for the future or completed
activities from the past.

Start date
Enter the date the activity is planned for or was completed.

Hours and minutes

Enter the amount of time you are allocating to the activity.

Activity type
Select how you gained the CPD. Select whether the method is
formal or informal learning. Remember, at least 50% of your
required CPD must be formal.

Learning outcome
Enter a brief summary of what the outcome of your CPD is.

Save
Click to save the activity to your record.

Candidate guide 25
 PROFESSIONALISM MODULE

Access the professionalism module from the navigation bar

or the candidate homepage. This will transfer you to the
RICS Online Academy.

Follow the instructions on the page to complete the

professionalism module and download your completion
certificate.

Note: Your certificate must be dated within 12 months

before you apply for final assessment.

Candidate guide 26
 PREVIEW SUBMISSION

Preview assessment document

You will be able to preview what your submission
documentation looks like at any time by selecting ‘Preview
Assessment Document’ on the platform homepage.

The submission will include all elements of your assessment

that you have included on the platform to date.

This is a draft of your assessment documentation and will

not be used for assessment.

Candidate guide 27
 FINAL ASSESSMENT

Proposer and Seconders

When your progress tracker appears completed and all
elements have turned green, you will then be able to move
on to the next step. If applicable to you, the next task will
be to complete the Proposer and Seconder options. If
this is not visible to you, the next step is to complete the
declaration.

Proposer and seconders

The requirements for your proposer and seconders are
confirmed in the platform.

Look up
You can enter the RICS contact number or relevant email
address to search for your proposer and seconder.

Confirm or Discard
Check you have identified the correct member, and either:
‘Confirm’ your selection - this will send the member an
automated message with instructions, or
‘Discard’ your selection and search for another member.

Note: to avoid any delay to your application, we recommend

you contact your proposers and seconders in advance to
inform them to expect an email.

Candidate guide 28
 FINAL ASSESSMENT

Declaration
All candidates must agree to the professional declaration.

Declaration
You must agree to the professional declaration at this stage to
confirm that you are still eligible to join RICS.

Questions
You must select ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to all four questions.

If you answer ‘yes’ to any of the questions, you will not be able
to proceed with your assessment.

Please contact RICS Regulation with details as to why you have

entered ‘yes’, and a member of staff will then contact you with
further instructions.

Submit
Once all actions are green, an automated message is sent to
your counsellor so they can approve you for final assessment
and allow you to continue your application. This enables the
final assessment banner so you can proceed.

Candidate guide 29
 FINAL ASSESSMENT

Final assessment – application

From this stage, all actions for you will appear in the middle
of the homepage in the assessment banner.

Assessment banner
If the next assessment submission window is open, you will be
able to apply. Click ‘Continue’.

Progress overview
All elements in your homepage progress overview will show
green when you have completed your submission. You are
now ready to proceed to the final assessment stage.

Assessment submission window

If the next assessment submission window is not open, the
assessment banner will inform you when it will be available.

Candidate guide 30
 FINAL ASSESSMENT

Final assessment – selection

The selection page allows you to provide the additional
information we need to schedule your assessment.

Location
Select your preferred locations. Click ‘Save’.

International experience
Identify whether your case study includes experience from a
country different to your assessment location. Click ‘Save’ if
you have completed this box.

Special considerations
Notify RICS of any circumstances that may affect your
performance at the assessment. Click ‘Save’ if you have
completed this box. RICS will contact you to determine what
reasonable adjustments are required.

Candidate guide 31
 FINAL ASSESSMENT

Final assessment – submission

The final stage of the application is to check your submission
document.

Download submission
The platform will create a PDF document
with all your submission information.
Check the document to ensure your
submission is accurate. To amend any
information, go back to that area of the
platform.

Accept final assessment

Click the slider to confirm you are ready
to submit for assessment.

Assessment banner
Your homepage assessment banner will change to confirm you
have completed submission. Your result will show shortly after
the assessment.

Candidate guide 32
 FINAL ASSESSMENT

Final assessment – result

When you have completed your final assessment, you will be
notified of your assessment result via the platform.

Pass
Confirmation that you have passed your assessment will
appear in the platform

Feedback report
If you have been referred at final assessment, you will be able
to download your feedback report, when available, via the
platform.

Reset your application

Click to reset your application. You will then be able to begin
working towards your reassessment.

Candidate guide 33
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Candidate guide
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