APE Study and assessment 

Each exam cycle lasts five weeks. At the start of the five-week period the student begins to study the learning material. The exam session takes place at the end of the five-week period. A resit session will be scheduled for a few days after the initial exam for any students who require a resit. All five units should be passed within 12 months. It is estimated that the APE will require approximately 100 hours of study time (20 per unit).

Exams are conducted online, with cameras and microphones on. An invigilator is provided by Barnett Waddingham. There are two exam papers per unit (part one and part two), with 15 multiple choice questions per paper. 12 must be answered correctly to pass. Each exam is 45 minutes long, however, both parts of a unit are examined together so exam sessions last 90 minutes. The exam is open book, but students can only refer to the learning materials provided. Students are not allowed to use internet searches during the exam.