How to Be Examined Successfully

1. UPDATE COURSE 2011 How to Be Examined Successfully The Mackintosh School University of Strathclyde University of Dundee Update Course 2011 - DUNSTRATHTOSH

2. OVERVIEW • THE EXAMINATION ELEMENTS • The Record of Experience and Appraisal • The Case Study • The Examination • THE CRITERIA TO BE MET • What is APEAS? • What APEAS are looking for • THE ORAL EXAMINATION • The APEAS examiners • The format • Preparation and what to do on the day Update Course 2011 - DUNSTRATHTOSH

3. THE EXAMINATION ELEMENTS • THE RECORD OF EXPERIENCE AND APPRAISAL • Look through your record of experience, whether ASSA or PEDR: • Does it look professional? • Is everything completed and signed off, by you, your mentor and the PSA? • Do you have 24 months of completed logsheets (you are allowed to record holidays)? • Does it cover a good spread of project activities, spanning most RIBA job stages? • Have you made up for any experience deficiencies with CPD? • If you are going to hand in your last sheet after the examination, do you have written permission from APEAS to do this? • Is your own appraisal of your performance realistic? • If you have mitigating circumstances for lateness of sheets or poorer performance, make sure that explanations are bound into the document • Only put in the best project images, 3xA4 sheets maximum per quarter. Update Course 2011 - DUNSTRATHTOSH

4. THE EXAMINATION ELEMENTS • THE CASE STUDY • Make sure that it is long and comprehensive enough. Do not include appendices or footnotes within your word count. • It should be neither overly academic nor should it just be a story of events. • The best case studies cover activities in which the writer was present for at least some of the time. • There should be a learning outcome for the writer - and for the reader. • Is there research that can be done to support your findings - have you found out anything really new? • Does the study really meet the examination criteria in the APEAS website? • You may start with a hypothesis or series of hypotheses and then prove or disprove them by comparing what happened in reality with research. • Is it actually about architectural practice? Update Course 2011 - DUNSTRATHTOSH

5. THE EXAMINATION ELEMENTS • WHAT IS IN THE EXAMINATION? • The examination represents a couple of days’ work in an architect’s office. • You must make yourself fully aware of the scenario, including the projects, business situation and personnel within the office. • There are ten “questions”, but each question may consist of the study of a series of pieces of correspondence from different parties. • PREPARING FOR THE EXAMINATION • Look at the old papers on the APEAS website and re-read your old PP notes. • Read the JCT Building Contract (98 or 05) and Architects Appointment and make sure you understand about appointment, the client, the design team, different procurement routes, the architect’s duties and powers. • Look at the Architect’s Job Book and think about the sequence of events, pre- and post- contract. Update Course 2011 - DUNSTRATHTOSH

6. THE EXAMINATION ELEMENTS • SITTING THE EXAM • Make sure your employers appreciate that you are not to be disturbed. • You have little time to research during the examination. Although it is open-book and 48 hours long, there is a lot to do and time passes quickly. • Don’t panic and don’t get bogged down by one difficult question. • Read the scenario and all the questions very carefully. What you actually have to answer may not be apparent at first. Make sure, before you start writing, that you have discerned the true point of the question. • You can seek information from any source (except other candidates) but you must not collude or ask for help with the answer from anyone. • If you are copying text from another source, make it clear that you have done so and note the source. Otherwise you may fail on the basis of plagiarism. • Make sure that your answer is likely to be clear to the examiner. Re-read all your answers at the end and check for spelling, punctuation and grammar. Update Course 2011 - DUNSTRATHTOSH

7. THE EXAMINATION ELEMENTS • COLLATING THE EXAM ELEMENTS • You have one day to produce your completed exam document. • Gather together all the elements: • case study • record of experience • examination • Get them to the collection point on time on the right day and don’t trust someone else to do it lightly. • If using a delivery service, keep the receipt. • Keep a copy of everything you send. Update Course 2011 - DUNSTRATHTOSH

8. THE CRITERIA TO BE MET • WHAT IS APEAS? • APEAS is an examination board made up of practitioners and academics from the six Scottish universities where architecture is taught. • All the Universities are represented on the board of this independent limited company. All the PSAs are on the examination committee. • Examiners are experienced architects in private practice or working for local authorities. • APEAS has prescription from the ARB to prepare an examination and examine at Part 3 level. • Passing the Part 3 at APEAS will provide automatic acceptance of your authority to join the register of architects. Update Course 2011 - DUNSTRATHTOSH

9. THE CRITERIA TO BE MET • WHAT APEAS ARE LOOKING FOR • APEAS want you to comply with the examination conditions in terms of content and competency. • Exam scripts are collated and if you have been found to have colluded or plagiarised in any way, you will fail the whole examination. • Because the examination material is produced in unmonitored conditions, the oral examination is used, in part, to show that the work is your own. • APEAS also want to see that you can present yourself professionally, and not just “hide behind a pen” • As the last gateway to the profession, before you pass the examination, APEAS want you to prove that you are sufficiently knowledgeable, experienced and professional to represent a “Safe Pair of Hands” Update Course 2011 - DUNSTRATHTOSH

10. THE ORAL EXAMINATION • THE FORMAT • Every candidate in Scotland now sits the examination at the same venue, on one of two prescribed examination days. • You should arrive good and early at the venue. There is a lounge area where everyone congregates and waits to be called to interview. • You will meet me and some of your fellow candidates from this course. • The interview lasts between 45 minutes and one hour. The length of time of the interview will be no indicator of your likely success. • There are two examiners for each candidate. A third external examiner may sit in on all or part of the interview. He or she is monitoring the examination system for QA purposes, not examining you. • At the end of the examination you should come back into the lounge area and tell me how you got on. I MAY BE ABLE TO HELP. Update Course 2011 - DUNSTRATHTOSH

11. THE ORAL EXAMINATION • PREPARATION AND WHAT TO DO ON THE DAY • Get out on site and attend as many client, contractor or consultant meetings as possible between now and the examination. • The first thing to do after the documents have been handed in to APEAS is to review your answers and check with other sources. • Find out what you got wrong and make sure that you know the right answer, and the reasoning behind it, before the oral. • Read your case study and your examination paper a number of times on the days preceding the oral examination. • Check your experience record and be sure that you know about the areas in which there are deficiencies. Prepare to talk about compensatory CPD. • Tell me on the day of any issues you wish to be raised in mitigation. • Relax in the interview. There are no trick questions. They want to pass you. Update Course 2011 - DUNSTRATHTOSH

12. THE ORAL EXAMINATION • THE APEAS EXAMINERS • One will ask you about your case study and experience, the other about your examination, but they can ask you anything within the ARB curriculum. • They will know if you are evading giving a straight answer because you don’t know it. They will see that as unprofessional behaviour. • They will respond well to: • a straight answer • one where you work out the answer through discussion with them • a question from you to clarify their question • the reply “I don’t know but I know where to look” (if you know where to look) • They will expect you to deal with them in a forthright, mature manner, so sit up straight and speak out. • Be respectful and sincere - don’t try to be too smart with them. Update Course 2011 - DUNSTRATHTOSH

13. THE ORAL EXAMINATION • SO • GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR EXAMINATION • PREPARE WELL • I HOPE YOU PASS Update Course 2011 - DUNSTRATHTOSH

14. CONCLUSION • Any questions ? Gordon Gibb Director of Professional Studies The Mackintosh School of Architecture 177 Renfrew Street Glasgow G3 6RQ tel: 0141-353 4662 fax: 0141-353 4703 ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT TO PROFESSIONAL STUDIES: Lorraine Garner tel: 0141 353 4656 email: l.garner@gsa.ac.uk Update Course 2011 - DUNSTRATHTOSH