# Summit APC Panel Marking Sheet - Corporate Real Estate Mock Interview

> Printable self or peer marking sheet. Use it after Script A or Script B. One sheet per mock run. Mark honestly: a soft mock helps nobody.
>
> The real decision is holistic and on balance, taken across the presentation, the answers, and the submissions together. This sheet helps you structure that judgement; it does not replace it. Source: RICS APC Assessor Guide, February 2024, "Post-interview assessment" and "Holistic Criteria".

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## Candidate and run details

| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Candidate (or "self") | |
| Pathway | Corporate Real Estate |
| Script used | A / B |
| Date of mock | |
| Marker (counsellor / peer / self) | |
| Interview kept to 60 minutes? | Yes / No |

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## How to score each competency

Mark each competency on the band that best fits the answer **at the declared level**. Do not mark above the declared level. Always open the question by naming the competency and level, exactly as a real panel does. Source: RICS APC Assessor Guide, February 2024, "Questioning at the competency levels".

| Band | Score | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Strong | 3 | Clear, structured, reasoned at the required level. Cited the right standard. Used a real example. Would satisfy a panel. |
| Satisfactory | 2 | Met the level but thin in places: a missing cite, a shallow example, or a slow start. Passable, not comfortable. |
| Borderline | 1 | Touched the level but did not hold it: vague, generic, or one clear gap. Needs work before the real thing. |
| Deficient | 0 | Did not demonstrate the level. Wrong standard, no example, a bluff, or an evasion. A referral risk if it stands. |

A "Strong" answer at L3 must include all four: the **Rule or standard cited**, the **action recommended**, the **documentation created**, and the **escalation path**. Miss one and it is at best "Satisfactory".

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## Section 1 - Presentation (10 minutes, weighted heavily)

| Listened-for point | Band (0-3) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Clear structure: instruction, estate/requirement, key issues, options, recommendation | | |
| Kept to 10 minutes | | |
| Own role isolated from the team | | |
| Property decision tied to the business strategy from the start (the CRE discriminator) | | |
| Key issues identified early | | |
| Options considered and rejected, with reasons | | |
| Recommendation shows judgement and reflection (lessons learned) | | |
| Professional, confident communication (not read verbatim) | | |

**Section weighting note:** the presentation sets the tone and is given considerable importance. A strong presentation can lift weaker submissions; a poor one is hard to recover from. In Corporate Real Estate the panel especially weighs whether the candidate framed property as a business decision, not a transaction. Source: RICS APC Assessor Guide, February 2024, "Weighting".

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## Section 2 - Core technical competencies

| Competency | Level | Listened-for points | Band (0-3) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Business alignment** OR **Strategic real estate consultancy** | L3 | Business drivers and operating model read first; real estate and workplace strategy developed and aligned; CRE contribution within business planning; contingency for operational performance; reasoned advice and recommendations to decision makers | | |
| **Business case** | L2 | Standard structure (rationale, options, benefits, costs, financial evaluation, recommendation); options evaluated financially on a like-for-like basis; stakeholder-sourced data; applicable financial standards including lease accounting; carried through to approval | | |
| **Landlord and tenant** OR **Property management** | L2 | Lease clauses read and interpreted from the occupier seat; break and dilapidations awareness; notices served correctly; comparable evidence analysed; negotiation concluded; legal advisers instructed within role | | |
| **Valuation** | L1 | Purposes of valuation and main drivers of value understood; relies on a registered valuer for the formal figure; does NOT overstate own valuation role | | |

**Referral trigger:** a Deficient (0) on any **Core** competency at its required level is a serious concern. The strategic Core (Business alignment or Strategic real estate consultancy) at L3 is the load-bearing skill of this pathway; a candidate who cannot demonstrate it, Business case L2, or the chosen Landlord and tenant / Property management L2 is a referral risk on that ground alone.

**Note for markers:** Valuation here is **L1 only**. Do not over-question it, and do not reward a candidate who produces their own Market Value figure and presents it as a formal valuation. The correct L1 behaviour is to understand value and rely on a qualified valuer.

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## Section 3 - Optional technical competencies (as declared)

List the candidate's declared optional competencies and mark each at the declared level.

| Competency | Declared level | Listened-for points | Band (0-3) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |

Common Corporate Real Estate optionals and what to listen for:
- **Workspace strategy (L2):** workplace evaluated on cost, utilisation studies, and occupant feedback; impacts of a new strategy identified; KPIs set to judge success; evidence-led, not trend-led.
- **Performance management (L2):** CRE benchmarking and occupier satisfaction data collected; KPIs aligned to stakeholder objectives; balanced scorecard; closed loop from measurement to improvement.
- **Procurement and tendering (L2):** pre-qualification on selection criteria; tender documentation with scope and pricing schedule; evaluation balancing risk and reward; auditable and fair award; contract form matched to risk.
- **Supplier management (L2):** governance matched to value and risk; SLAs and KPIs; performance reviews and audits; collaborative relationships; closed loop on performance.
- **Change management (L2):** requirements for change identified; strategy developed; risks assessed; stakeholders managed; success evaluated.

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## Section 4 - Mandatory competencies

| Competency | Level | Listened-for points | Band (0-3) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Ethics, Rules of Conduct and professionalism** | L3 | Five Rules known; sub-rules cited (never "Rule 1" alone); L3 scenarios answered with Rule + action + documentation + escalation; confidential board information protected; conflicts handled (disclosure is not a cure); Rule 5.9 reporting recognised | | |
| **Client care** | L2 | Internal stakeholders treated as clients; scope agreed in writing; complaints procedure and log (full RICS regime if consultancy-side); link back to clear expectations | | |
| **Communication and negotiation** | L2 | Preparation; evidenced position; listening; clear audience-appropriate communication; reflection | | |
| **Health and safety** | L2 | Occupier statutory duties and the FM interface; dynamic risk assessment with a real example; lone-working protocol; hierarchy of control | | |
| **CPD** | n/a | 20 hours per year, at least 10 formal; real CRE-relevant example with an outcome; linked to Rule 2 | | |
| Other L1 mandatories tested (Accounting, Sustainability, Data management, etc.) | L1 | Knowledge and understanding demonstrated; working grasp of lease accounting where the business case touches it | | |

**Referral trigger (Ethics):** failure to demonstrate the required competence on **Ethics, Rules of Conduct and professionalism** is a referral in its own right, regardless of technical strength. This is the single competency a panel can refer on alone. Watch the Corporate Real Estate ethics flavours: confidential board information, supplier gifts, and procurement conflicts. Source: RICS APC Assessor Guide, February 2024 (a candidate must be referred if they fail to demonstrate the required competence on Ethics, Rules of Conduct and professionalism).

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## Section 5 - Communication (assessed across the whole interview)

Communication is a mandatory competency and is marked across every answer, not just the negotiation question.

| Listened-for point | Band (0-3) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Clear, concise, structured answers | | |
| Answered the question asked (no evasion or padding) | | |
| Professional manner and confidence | | |
| Recovered well from a hard or unexpected question | | |
| Translated property detail into business language a board would follow | | |

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## Section 6 - Overall decision

Add the bands for a feel, but decide on balance, not by the total. RICS does not pass or refer by counting ticks.

| Decision | When to record it |
|---|---|
| **PASS standard** | Required competencies demonstrated at the correct levels. Ethics solid at L3. The strategic Core (Business alignment or Strategic real estate consultancy) at L3, Business case L2, and the chosen Landlord and tenant / Property management L2 demonstrated. Valuation L1 handled correctly (relies on a registered valuer). Communication satisfactory throughout. Any weakness is minor and in a single optional. |
| **BORDERLINE - more practice** | Met most levels, but one or more competencies sat at Borderline, or the presentation was weak, or a Core answer was thin. Not a referral, but not ready. Re-run with the other script. |
| **REFER standard** | Any of the referral triggers below is present. |

### Referral triggers (any one is enough to refer)
- Failure to demonstrate the required competence on **Ethics, Rules of Conduct and professionalism** (L3).
- A **Deficient (0)** on a **Core** competency at its required level (the strategic Core at L3, Business case L2, the chosen Landlord and tenant / Property management L2).
- Deficiency across **more than one** optional competency, or a deficiency in a competency required to L2 or L3 (a deficiency in a competency required only to L1, including Valuation in this pathway, would not normally refer).
- Communication that is consistently unprofessional or unclear across the interview.
- A submission or presentation that contained significant technical or professional errors that the interview did not overcome.

Source for the referral logic: RICS APC Assessor Guide, February 2024, "Approach", "Weighting", and the mandatory referral note on Ethics.

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## Section 7 - Feedback to the candidate (constructive, specific, actionable)

Write the feedback the way a referral report should read: factual, accurate, linked to the competency, in short sentences, no jargon, addressed to the candidate ("you"). Focus on the deficiency and how to rectify it. Source: RICS APC Assessor Guide, February 2024, "Referral reports".

**Three things that went well:**
1.
2.
3.

**Three things to fix before the real assessment (most important first):**
1.
2.
3.

**Specific standards to re-read:**
- (e.g. RICS Corporate Real Estate Pathway Guide December 2025, Business alignment L3; Rules of Conduct 2021, Rule 5.9; RICS Conflicts of Interest professional statement December 2017)

**Next mock:** Script ___ , target date ___ .

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## Marker discipline reminders

- Open every question by naming the competency and the level.
- Do not question above the declared level. Remember Valuation is L1 in this pathway.
- Ask open questions ("how did you", "why did you", "what if"). Use closed questions only to confirm a fact.
- Probe the business-alignment thread: in Corporate Real Estate, the property answer must always connect to the business it serves.
- Do not signal how the mock is going, even in a mock. Hold the result to the debrief.
- Make notes as you go; you cannot mark fairly from memory alone.
- Mark communication everywhere, not just on the communication question.

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*This marking sheet is a study aid only and is not the official RICS marksheet. It is built to mirror the principles in the RICS APC Assessor Guide, February 2024, and the RICS Corporate Real Estate Pathway Guide, December 2025. Always verify the cited guidance against the source before relying on it in a formal setting.*

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