Sava Level 6 Surveying study plan

Map the complete inspection workflow - instruction, conflict check, desk study, site visit, evidence capture, reporting - onto a one-page flow diagram with the decision point at each stage labelled.

Build a 12-row defect matrix covering roofs, walls, floors, windows and services, recording cause, mechanism of failure, typical remedy and the survey action each defect demands.

Practise separating observation from inference by writing 10 paired sentences, each stating what is seen and then what may be concluded, with the evidence that links them.

Assemble a 25-item personal site checklist spanning fabric, structure, drainage and services, and justify in one line why each item earns a place.

Diagnose moisture ingress by classifying 8 scenarios as rising damp, penetrating damp, condensation, plumbing leak or hygroscopic salts, naming the diagnostic test that confirms each.

Explain timber decay and insect attack by comparing wet rot, dry rot and wood-boring insects on moisture threshold, tell-tale signs and treatment route.

Interpret structural movement by distinguishing subsidence, heave and settlement from crack pattern, crack geometry and external indicators in 6 worked examples.

Draft a prioritised defect schedule with a risk rating (likelihood × severity) applied consistently to every item.

Summarise the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 into a procedure timeline covering notice periods, dissent, surveyor appointment and the award, and state where a building owner or adjoining owner can go wrong.

Trace Building Regulations compliance from application through inspection to completion certificate, and contrast this with the routes available for existing buildings undergoing alteration.

Explain the surveyor's duty of care in negligence and contract, including the effect of limitation periods, disclaimers and third-party reliance on a report.

Apply consumer protection and misrepresentation rules to three written marketing/valuation statements and correct each to a compliant form.

Compare the comparative, investment, profits, residual and contractor's methods, stating for each the property type it suits, the inputs it needs and its principal weakness.

Adjust a set of six comparables for date, location, condition, size and tenure, showing every adjustment as a percentage with a stated justification.

Draft the assumptions, special assumptions and caveats section of a residential valuation so that each limitation is tied to a specific uncertainty in the property.

Test sensitivity by recalculating a valuation under a pessimistic and an optimistic adjustment set and explaining the resulting range in the report.

Trace the inputs that drive an EPC rating for a solid-wall period house and predict how each of five measures would move the band.

Compare the current minimum energy efficiency obligations for lettings against the standards expected for a retrofit pathway, and state who bears the cost at each step.

Design a retrofit measure list for a solid-wall dwelling that balances fabric improvement against ventilation, and identify the three condensation and overheating risks it creates.

Assess retrofit quality assurance by outlining what a recognised installer certification and a whole-dwelling retrofit plan must contain.

Draft terms of engagement for a residential survey and valuation that define scope, limitations, liability cap, complaints route and fee basis without ambiguity.

Resolve four ethical dilemmas covering a pressure to soften a defect, a conflict of interest, a confidentiality request and a competence boundary, citing the principle applied in each.

Assemble the contents of a defensible professional file and audit a sample file against a 20-point quality checklist covering evidence, reasoning and retention.

Rewrite three weak report passages into plain, decisive language that states the finding, its consequence and the recommended action.

Rework every item missed in earlier self-tests, recording for each the cause of the error as knowledge gap, misreading or reasoning slip.

Write three full survey reports under a 60-minute time limit each, then mark them against your rubric and track the score trend.

Drill timed defect-diagnosis scenarios until the observation-to-recommendation chain can be produced without prompts.

Condense each domain into a single page of trigger words and decision rules for final revision.

Sit two full-length timed mock papers under exam conditions and mark them strictly against the model answers.

Rehearse report timing by allocating minutes per section and holding to that allocation across both mocks.

Review only the highest-yield revision pages and error-log entries, avoiding new material in the final three days.

Rehearse the opening two minutes of a professional discussion answer for each domain so recall is triggered quickly under pressure.