The Summary of Experience is where many APC candidates lose marks — usually by over-claiming a competency level or busting the word limits. This page shows illustrative, anonymised SOE entries (mandatory and technical) written the way assessors like, so you can benchmark your own.
Your Summary of Experience (SOE) is where you evidence each competency in writing — and assessors are strict about word limits and competency levels. Below are illustrative, anonymised examples of how mandatory and technical entries read when they are written the way assessors like.
What the SOE must cover
- Mandatory competencies — about 1,500 words in total.
- Technical competencies (core + optional) — about 4,000 words in total.
- Each competency written to its target level: L1 (knowledge), L2 (application), L3 (advising/leading).
- Evidence-led “I did” writing — specific actions and outputs, not generic responsibilities.
Mandatory competency example — Ethics (illustrative)
Level 1 (knowledge): I understand the RICS Rules of Conduct and the five ethical principles — act with integrity, provide a high standard of service, promote trust in the profession, treat others with respect, and take responsibility. I understand conflicts of interest, confidentiality and the requirement that the submission is my own work.
Level 2 (application): On an enabling-works package, a supplier offered “faster approvals” in exchange for informal benefits. I declined and reported it through our ethics channel, documenting the interaction. Separately, where a contractor email implied agreement on entitlement without substantiation, I issued a formal clarification that entitlement would be assessed under the contract and approved through change control.
Level 3 (advising/leading): I advised junior colleagues on handling conflicts of interest and gifts and hospitality through a short pre-procurement briefing, and advised the Project Director on maintaining a defensible audit trail under scrutiny.
Technical competency example — Quantification & costing, QS (illustrative)
Level 1 (knowledge): I understand measurement principles and how building rates are derived from quotations, historical data and tendered rates, and how quantification supports change control and cost certainty.
Level 2 (application): On instructed changes, I validated contractor pricing by checking quantities against drawings and testing rates against benchmarks. Where quotations were used, I confirmed the basis (scope, assumptions, lead times) and documented a short rate analysis so approvals were defensible and future audit queries could be answered — improving pricing certainty and reducing later valuation disputes.
How to write SOE entries assessors like
| Principle | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Lead with “I” | Shows your personal contribution, not the team’s |
| Match the level | L1 understanding, L2 application, L3 advising/leading — no over-claiming |
| Be specific | Name the action and the output (issued, validated, negotiated, advised) |
| Respect word limits | Tight writing signals assessment discipline; overshooting suggests weak structure |
Want your SOE written or reviewed to this standard?
Tell us your pathway and where you are now, and we’ll give you a clear plan and quote — review-only or full drafting from your experience.
See the matching standard for your project narrative in our RICS APC case study example, follow the full method in how to write a RICS APC case study, or explore the complete RICS APC case study & mentoring service.
