Professional Practice Examination -Rules and Regulations update 2026

Wednesday, 14 January 2026 | announcements

THE EXAMINATION CONSISTS OF TWO PAPERS:

• Persons registered as Candidate Architectural Draughtspersons only have to write and pass PAPER ONE (with a minimum of 50%) to qualify for registration as a Professional Architectural Draughtsperson. CADs may write PAPER TWO, but it is not compulsory.

• Persons registered as Candidate Architectural Technologists, Candidate Senior Architectural Technologist, and Candidate Architects are required to write and pass both PAPER ONE and PAPER TWO (with a minimum result of 50% in each paper).

NB: The Professional Practice Examination (PPE) is a single examination comprising of two papers.

The examination papers will comprise the following sections of the Syllabus:

• PAPERONE:

-  The Architectural Professional as Practitioner
-  The Architectural Professional and their Office
-  The Provision of Architectural Services
-  Dispute Resolution

NB: This is a CLOSED BOOK paper. Candidates are not permitted to refer to any notes, supplementary documents. No online or online referencing is permitted.

• PAPER TWO:

-  The Architectural Professional as Practitioner
-  The Architectural Professional and their Office
-  The Provision of Architectural Services
-  Dispute Resolution
-  Construction Procurement and Contracting

NB: This is an OPEN BOOK paper. Candidates may refer only to the documentation listed in the List of Study Material. Examination Paper Two will cover the entire syllabus, with particular emphasis on Part 5: Construction Procurement and Contracting.

The following are not allowed during the OPEN BOOK examination:

-  No online access or online referencing.
-  No use of extra devices or virtual devices (laptops, computers or smartphones) other than the one used for writing the examination.
-  No separate handwritten notes.
-  Candidates may not refer to any other notes or supplementary documents.

 

1. EXAMINATION RULES:

• The examination is written strictly online.

• Candidates are required to:

• Ensure that they have a fully functional computer e.g. a Desktop or Laptop.

• Ensure that they have a stable internet connection.

• Ensure that they have a mobile webcam covering a wide spectrum of their exam area and a microphone. This view must include the candidate and the device that is being used to write the examination.

• Must follow the online instructions to commence with the examination session.

• Ensure that they are logged into the correct question papers.

• Ensure that they log in at the required commencing time stipulated to ensure that they complete the examination within the specified time allocated for that paper.

• Ensure that the correct information is completed upon the commencement of the exams.

• Every candidate will receive a link to the examination five days before the commencement of the examination session.

• Candidates will be allowed a 15 minutes reading time before the start of the paper.

• The complete submission of the examination is the onus of the candidates. (Before submitting the examination, candidates are required to ensure that they are connected to the internet (No offline submission will be accepted or allowed).

• No candidate will be allowed to enter the examination session after one hour from the commencement of the examination.

• No use of extra devices or virtual devices (laptops, computers or smartphones) other than the one used for writing the examination.

• Candidates may not be two or more in the same room to write the online exams, unless they are writing the exam at SACAP offices under the supervision of an invigilator.

 

2. CANCELLATION OF APPLICATION TO WRITE THE PPE

• Candidates who do not write the PPE, after applying to do so and paying the preliminary application fee, will not be entitled to a refund.

• Should a candidate wish to cancel his/her application to write the PPE, or not attend the examination, he/she will be required to make a submission in writing three weeks before the date of the exams.

• In the case of illness or any other circumstances beyond the control of the candidate, a medical certificate or affidavit must be submitted to SACAP for approval. Once approved, the PPE fees will be carried forward to the next examination date.

• In the event that a candidate wishes to postpone their PPE to the following exam sitting, a submission must be done in writing and the candidate will be liable for the PPE fees applicable at the time.

 

3. EXAMINATION MARKING PROCESS
• Exam scripts will be downloaded within three days after the exam and thereafter sent to the markers.
• A sample of the scripts will be sent for moderation.
• A sample of the scripts will be sent for verification.
• The marking, moderation and the verification of scripts is undertaken within set timelines determined by SACAP from time to time.

4. EXAMINATION RESULTS

• Results sheets will be emailed to all candidates as per email addresses on the online PPE application form within a period of two months from the date of the examination in a format determined by the council.
• Candidates may request for a remark by completing the online application form on the SACAP website within one week from the date of releasing the results if they are not satisfied with the results. Each candidate is only allowed one remark per paper. No late submission will be accepted or allowed.
• Updated results after remark will be emailed to candidates. Thedecisionoftheregistrar and/ormoderatorsisfinalandbindingandSACAPwillnotenterinto any correspondence on the outcome of an examination.

• Candidatesarenotpermittedtocontacttheexaminersand/ormarkersregardingtheir examination paper(s).
• Examscriptswill,undernocircumstances,bemadeavailableforperusal.

5. LOAD SHEDDING

• It is the responsibility of the candidate/professional to ensure that all necessary measures are put in place to accommodate loadshedding during the examination.

• Candidates wishing to write at the SACAP offices are required to make prior arrangements,ideally one (1) month in advance.

6. GENERAL ONLINE EXAMINATIONS RULES

• Candidates will be identified by the invigilator, on the day of the examination, by means of their bar-coded SA ID document, drivers’ license, or valid passport.

• Candidates must ensure that they have a fully functional computer e.g. a Desktop or Laptop.

• Candidates must ensure that they have a stable internet connection.

• Candidates are required to ensure that they have all the necessary equipment before applying for the examination.

• The online system comprises of a split screen. The top half displays the question and the bottom half is whereby candidates are required to type in their answers.

• All answers are required to be typed in.

• All candidates are required to ensure that they manage their time adequately per question to complete the examination on time.

• Candidates must ensure that their system is not left unsupervised for a long period of time as the system will give them 30 seconds to re-activate. Failure to re-activate the system will log the candidate off (terminate the exam) and the candidate will not be able to log back.

• The system has a chat so that candidates can communicate with the invigilator and the administrator.

• The exam will start and finish at a specific time on which the system will open and close automatically on the defined time respectively, as below:

• Paper 01: 09:00am-12:00pm (Closed Book Exam)

• Paper 02: 09:00am-12:00pm (Open Book Exam)

• Candidates must NOT open any other site or other browser other than the online exam page as the online system will automatically log them out from the examination.

• In the event of load shedding during the examination, candidates are required to notify SACAP immediately via email and telephone.

• The use of virtual machines is not allowed during the examination process and will be regarded as a sign of cheating.

• Candidates must ensure that their systems are virus free and all updates have been deactivated as this will slow their systems.

• Note that the examination opens at a set time and closes at the end of the examination automatically.

• Candidates must ensure that their cell phones are on throughout the exam session so that SACAP can contact them in the event of any irregularities that might arise during the session.

• Candidates may not use their cell phones as calculators during the exam.

• The candidates’ names and surnames must appear as the name of the device e.g. Joe Soap.

• The completed JBCC contract is not permitted during the exam. Only the blank copy of the JBCC is permitted.

• Candidates are required to make use of two devices with cameras, one camera on the device used for writing and the other camera device used for monitoring the exam space. The monitoring camera should be placed either on the right or left side of the desk so that it can capture the space (device used to write, materials on the desk and then the candidate)

• Candidates must ensure that all fields within the online system are completed, including Full Names, Surnames, and SACAP Registration numbers.

• Candidates must ensure that answers are clearly marked as per the question paper.

• No online discussions are permitted during the examination session e.g. WhatsApp, Facebook etc.

• Candidates suspected of any irregularity or non-compliance with these Rules may be disqualified and their examination scripts may not be marked. The candidates may be immediately be excluded from the examination session. The candidates may thereafter obtain zero for that paper.

• Transgressions to the above rules will be investigated and addressed at the end of the examination session.