You price buildings. Now value them.
A quantity surveyor already understands construction, measurement and cost. The RISM Graduate Entry Exam is the examination route towards the licence that values the asset — and it is open to degree holders outside surveying.
Pricing and valuation are not the same exam
Cost planning works from measured quantities, rates and contract conditions towards what a building will cost. Valuation works towards what an asset is worth — through comparison, income capitalisation and the residual method.
Your measurement and construction knowledge transfers directly. The question being answered is different, which is why strong cost professionals can still miss the marks: the answer has to be a valuation answer, argued the way a valuer argues it.
- Applied Valuation I and II — the mathematical engine of the examination, where disciplined working is rewarded
- Building Technology II and Building Maintenance Management — closest to your daily work, and the fastest marks for a QS
- Corporate Real Estate Asset Management — adjacent to cost-in-use and life-cycle thinking
- Law of Property, Urban Planning, Real Estate Economics, Property Management, International Real Estate Market — where a construction background needs the most new ground
The three routes do not cost the same in time
“Three licences” is true, and incomplete. Here is what happens after you pass.
What happens after you pass the examination
The examination is step one. Registration is a separate process, governed by RISM and BOVAEP.
| Route | Sequence after the examination |
|---|---|
| Registered Estate Agent | Examination → probationary stage → serve the practical period → apply to be registered as an estate agent |
| Registered Valuer | Examination → Probationary Valuer → serve the practical period → Test of Professional Competence → apply to be registered as a valuer |
| Registered Property Manager | Examination → probationary stage → serve the practical period → apply to be registered as a property manager |
Ten papers. One sitting a year.
A 50% pass mark across ten papers sounds survivable until you count the sittings: one a year. A single weak paper can cost you twelve months, which is why technique and mark allocation matter more than the number of hours you put in.
- Five papers per nine-month semester — the 5+5 pathway, built around a full-time job
- Live online classes, evenings — every session recorded for revision
- Handwritten model answers at the scale the answer booklet actually expects
- Past-year drilling on the papers that carry the most marks
Built around a job that does not pause
Questions a quantity surveyor will actually ask
The Graduate Entry route requires an MQA-recognised tertiary degree in any discipline, and it is not limited to surveying degrees. Whether your specific qualification qualifies you, and what you must then complete to be registered, is determined by RISM and BOVAEP under their own rules. We prepare you for the examination; we do not decide eligibility.
No, and that is the point of doing it. Quantity surveying works from measured quantities, rates and contract conditions towards a cost. Valuation works towards market value or investment value — through comparison, income capitalisation and the residual method. The measurement and construction knowledge transfers; the question being answered is different, and the exam is marked on the valuation answer.
Building Technology II and Building Maintenance Management are closest to a quantity surveyor’s daily work, and Corporate Real Estate Asset Management sits close to cost-in-use thinking. Applied Valuation I and II are the mathematical engine of the examination and reward disciplined working. Law of Property, Urban Planning and Property Development, Real Estate Economics, Property Management and International Real Estate Market are where most non-legal candidates need the most new ground.
That is for RISM and BOVAEP to determine, not for a tuition provider to guess at. We will point you to where the practical periods and the Test of Professional Competence are defined so you can confirm your own position in writing before you plan around it.
Independence. MaarketLab Academy is an independent tuition provider. We are not RISM and not BOVAEP, we do not set or administer the examination, we do not assess eligibility, and we hold no endorsement or accreditation from either body. Requirements for entry, examination and registration are governed entirely by RISM and BOVAEP — always confirm the current position with them directly. See the FAQ and our privacy notice.
Tell us your degree and your discipline
We will tell you which of the ten papers your background already covers, which route fits the licence you actually want, and what the sequence looks like for you.