In this guide
Use this material to examine your own work. Confirm current requirements, forms and dates with IStructE before applying.
Request feedback online; examination scripts are never released. Two timing rules determine whether an examination pass remains valid alongside your interview.
Why scripts are not released, and what to do instead
You will not see your marked paper. Feedback is requested through the Institution and comes as feedback, not as an annotated script.
That makes your own record of the day the most useful evidence you have. Immediately after sitting (the same evening, while it is fresh) write down what you did: what time you started each section, what you left unfinished, what you were unsure of, and which parts you rushed. Compare that against the feedback when it arrives.
Compare your timing record with the feedback to distinguish time-management problems from gaps in knowledge or communication.
Order the two parts sensibly
You may sit the interview or the examination in either order, and both routes are common.
The timing rules only bite in one direction: they apply to candidates who have passed the PRI and not yet passed the exam. If you sit the examination first, the clock does not start until the interview is completed.
That is worth knowing if you expect the examination to take you more than one attempt: sitting it first removes the interaction entirely.
Planning a resit
There is no equivalent of the PRI's "no limit on attempts" wording published in the exam instructions, but there is a structural constraint: you may not leave more than three years between attempts, and you must pass within five years of the interview.
Practically, that means a resit should be planned for the next session you can prepare properly for, rather than the next one available. A rushed second attempt that repeats the first attempt's timing failure costs a year either way.
The evening after the exam
- 01
Write down what you did
Section by section, with the clock times. Scripts are never released, so this is the only record of your day that will exist.
- 02
Note what you left unfinished
And whether it was because you ran out of time or because you were unsure. The two have different remedies.
- 03
Note what you rushed
Rushed work and unfinished work fail differently, and you will not remember which was which in three months.
- 04
Put it away until the result arrives
Compare your record with the feedback to identify whether the main problems involved timing, knowledge, communication or another aspect of your preparation.
Questions to ask yourself
- Was my problem time, knowledge, or presentation?
They need completely different preparation, and assuming it was knowledge is the common and expensive mistake.
- Which session can I prepare properly for?
A rushed second attempt that repeats the first attempt's timing failure costs a year either way.
- Where do I stand against the three- and five-year rules?
If you have already passed the interview, the clock is running, and a long gap means applying for a full PRI again on eventually passing.
Official sources
Selected publisher pages were rechecked in September 2026. Other source records were last checked in July 2026. Open the latest official document before relying on a requirement.