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FAQ'S

Who runs APEAS?

APEAS (Architects' Professional Examination Authority in Scotland Ltd.) is a private company established to set and conduct the Part 3 Examination in Professional Practice and Management in Architecture. A Board of Directors, who set policy and objectives, oversee the running of APEAS. Dr. Peter Kahan, Chief Executive Officer, runs the company on a day to day basis.

How may I contact the CEO?

Contact information for Dr Kahan can be found in the Contacts section.

What qualifications do I need to enter the Part 3 Examination?

In order to enter for the Part 3 Examination you must have qualifications that satisfy ARB/RIBA Parts 1 and 2. In addition, you will require between the start of your course in Architecture and submitting the documents for your Part 3 Examination a minimum of two years of logged, signed professional experience, of which a minimum of 12 months must be post Part 2.

What do I do if I am an overseas candidate or have professional experience overseas?

Please contact Dr. Peter Kahan, CEO APEAS, to discuss your situation.

How should I record my professional experience?

The RIBA Professional Experience and Development Record (PEDR) and the Scottish Schools of Architecture (ASSA) Record of Experience are specifically designed to provide Practice Examiners with a clear and consistently recorded statement of experience, which allows the examiners to evaluate your experience effectively. For this reason, practice examiners prefer that you use one or other of these methods of recording experience. Any other recording method runs the risk of failing to provide information in a form that allows consistent and effective evaluation by the examiners and may prove ineffective in persuading examiners of the quality, range or depth of your experience.

For further information on the Professional Experience and Development Record please see www.pedr.co.uk. For full details of how to maintain your professional record please see the Guide for Candidates (Chapter 3) which you will find here.

Are there any alternative routes available to me for recording and presenting my professional experience?

Yes, you may be able to use the RIBA Certificate of Professional Experience. To be eligible to use the RIBA Certificate you must satisfy the following conditions:

  • be thirty years old or over.
  • have a minimum of six years experience in an architect's office.
  • be working at a sufficient level in your office to be responsible for small jobs or be acting in a supervisory capacity and as such be in charge of a number of assistants involved in either a large project or a range of smaller projects.

Where can I find more details regarding the RIBA Certificate of Professional Experience?

You can find more details regarding the RIBA Certificate of Professional Experience in Section 3.7 of the 2010/11 APEAS Guide for Candidates or on the PEDR website (www.pedr.co.uk).

How do I register with APEAS?

By completing the APEAS Registration Form which you can obtain from Dr. Peter Kahan at the address shown in the Contacts section. You can also download the Registration Form from this website.

How much will it cost me to register with APEAS?

Please see the section on Fees by clicking - here.

Do I have to re-register if I am a re-sit or deferred candidate?

No. You do not need to re-register once you have registered with APEAS but you will have to pay the resit or deferment fee.

You do not have to complete a new Registration Form if you are a resit or deferred candidate but you must supply APEAS with all changes in details from that shown on your original Registration Form.

If you failed part of the Part 3 Examination in 2009/10 or deferred sitting the Part 3 Examination in 2009/10 APEAS will write to you to ask if you wish to sit the Examination in 2010/11.

If you are a re-sit or deferred candidate from earlier than 2009/10 please contact Dr. Peter Kahan to find out what you have to do to sit the Part 3 Examination in 2010/11.

Where will I find key dates for the year?

In Appendix 2 of the Guide for Candidates or in our Important Dates section.

What criteria is the Part 3 Examination based on?

The Part 3 Examination is based on the jointly held ARB/RIBA Part 3 criteria which are composed of the following four main areas:

  • The Context for Practice
  • The Management of Architecture
  • The Management of Construction
  • Practice Management and Business Administration

A copy of the ARB/RIBA criteria can be found in Appendix 4 of the Guide for Candidates.

What documents do I have to submit for my Part 3 Examination?

You will have to submit the following documentary submissions for your Part 3 Examination by the required date:

  1. Practice Paper response
  2. Case Study
  3. Record of Experience (x 2 copies)
  4. Evaluation of Experience (x 2 copies)

For full details of each of these documentary submissions please see the Guide for Candidates. 

Where will I sit the Practice Paper?

You will sit the Practice Paper in your office, over a specified period of 48 hours. 

What is the Practice Paper?

The Paper is based on a hypothetical scenario from architectural practice in which a range of inter-related problems and issues are raised in a question paper.  If you would like to see some past papers, click here

How many components are there in the APEAS Part 3 Examination?

There are three components in the APEAS Part 3 Examination:

  1. Practice Paper
  2. Case Study
  3. Experience (a combination of the Record of Experience and the Evaluation of Experience)

Do I have to sit all three components?

Yes, you must sit all three components at your first sitting of the APEAS Part 3 Examination.

Does the APEAS Part 3 Examination involve an oral interview?

Yes it does.

How does the APEAS Part 3 Examination process work?

Your documentary submissions are assessed by two practice examiners (registered architects with a minimum of seven years post registration experience) and initially graded using the following grading scale:

 

Grade

 

Class

A

Excellent

B

Good

C

Satisfactory

D

Marginal Fail

E

Fail

The final assessment on each component will be made following the oral examination:  that is, examiners can moderate their grades up or down in light of the answers you give at your oral interview.  Grade definitions are given in Appendix 5 of the Guide for Candidates

Do I have to pass all three components to achieve the Part 3 Examination?

Yes.

If I do not pass all three components can I carry forward a component or components I have passed to the following year?

Yes.

How and when will I receive my Part 3 results?

You will receive notification of whether you have passed or failed the Part 3 Examination by letter, normally within one week of the Oral Examinations.

Is support available for the Part 3 Examination if I have a physical disability, a medical condition or a specific learning difficulty (eg dyslexia)?

Yes. Please discuss support arrangements with Dr. Peter Kahan, CEO.

Can I get a refund if I decide not to sit the Examination?

See the fees section for refund information.

If I've paid the Registration Fee and decide not to sit the Examination, can I carry this Fee forward to the following year?

Yes you can carry your Registration Fee through to the following year.

Any other questions?

If you have not found the answer to your query above, or elsewhere on the website, please do not hesitate to contact us.