In this guide
Use this material to examine your own work. Confirm current requirements, forms and dates with IStructE before applying.
Read IStructE's current publications alongside the Forum's independent guidance. Check figures that change between sessions directly with the Institution.
Independent guidance
The Forum is independent of the Institution of Structural Engineers and the Engineering Council. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by either body. It cannot award membership or confirm that a Core Objective has been met. Requirements are quoted and attributed. Dates, deadlines and fees that change between sessions are left to the current official guidance.
Information to obtain from IStructE
Confirm eligibility, intended grade and academic requirements directly. Obtain current application deadlines, examination dates, fees, the portfolio checklist, IPD final report forms and other official forms. The checklist must be signed and placed first in the portfolio. Decisions at every application stage, and current Technical Report Route requirements, are IStructE's responsibility.
Source review
Ten official documents were supplied. Three had extractable text and were read in full; four scans were rendered and read visually. Incorporated-Membership Exam Preparation Guidance was not read, so no guidance here depends on it alone. An examination-paper archive and a commercially published course were used only as private references; neither is reproduced.
Conflicts and undated requirements were recorded and figures withheld pending confirmation. The Technical Report Route guidance had no version or date, so its limits are not stated here.
Source documents and review status
| Document | How it was read |
|---|---|
| Chartered Member IPD Guidance | Text extracted, read in full |
| Incorporated Member IPD Guidance | Text extracted, read in full |
| Energy question appendix | Text extracted, read in full |
| CM Exam Guidance and Instructions | Rendered to images, read visually |
| IM Exam Guidance and Instructions | Rendered to images, read visually |
| IM–CM Supplementary Exam Guidance and Instructions | Rendered to images, read visually |
| CM Exam Preparation Guidance | Rendered to images, read visually |
| Portfolio Checklist | Rendered to images, read visually — never reproduced |
| Technical Report Route guidance | Read, but undated and unversioned — every limit withheld |
| IM Exam Preparation Guidance | Not read — nothing here depends on it alone |
Stated plainly so that you can judge how much weight to put on any part of this site. Where a document was not read, that is said rather than glossed over.
Things to get from IStructE before you rely on anything here
Ticked locally in this browser. None of these figures is published on this site, deliberately.
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.