RICS Assessment vs RICS Membership: The Actual Difference
The terms RICS Assessment and RICS Membership are often used interchangeably, but they describe two very different things. Confusing them can lead to misunderstandings about professional status, qualification, and entitlement to use RICS designations.
The difference is simple: assessment is a qualification process; membership is a professional status.
RICS Membership: Professional Standing
RICS Membership is the formal recognition granted by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors to individuals who meet its standards of competence, ethics, and professionalism.
Membership places you on the RICS register and allows you to use protected designations such as:
AssocRICS
MRICS
FRICS
Once admitted, you are:
Professionally recognised by RICS and the wider market
Bound by RICS Rules of Conduct
Required to maintain Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Subject to regulatory oversight
Membership is ongoing and remains valid only while these obligations are met.
Without membership, there is no RICS professional status.
RICS Assessment: The Route to Membership
RICS Assessment is the formal evaluation used to decide whether an applicant is eligible for a specific level of membership.
Assessment is not a title, designation, or status. It is a decision-making process carried out by RICS.
Depending on the route, assessment may involve:
Review of professional experience
Written submissions or summaries
Case studies
A professional interview
The most common example is the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) for Chartered Membership (MRICS), but all membership grades require some form of assessment.
Assessment only determines eligibility. It does not confer membership by itself.
The Core Distinction
Assessment answers the question: “Does this person meet RICS standards?”
Membership answers the question: “Is this person recognised by RICS?”
You may pass an assessment and still not be a RICS member until RICS formally admits you and you accept membership.
Why the Difference Matters
Passing an assessment does not allow use of RICS post-nominals.
Only members can describe themselves as AssocRICS, MRICS, or FRICS.
Employers and clients recognise membership, not assessment participation.
Misrepresenting assessment as membership can be professionally misleading.
In One Sentence
RICS Assessment is how RICS decides; RICS Membership is what RICS grants.