The Competence Report: 5 most-common mistakes 

By 01.10.23

1: We, not I

Now’s your time to shine! We are awarding registration to you, not your team, so in all your explanations, you need to be clear on what your individual role was. If your entire answer references “us” and “we” with no “I” or “me,” then you will need to reformulate what you’ve written.

2: Being too brief

After you’ve written your response, read it back and think about whether an assessor would be able to visualise what your role was. If they can’t, you have not provided enough detail.

3: Lacking depth

It isn’t just about what you did, it’s about how and why you did it. You can only be awarded registration when our assessors are sure you know the impetus behind, and results from your work.

4: No outcomes

You need to demonstrate that you understand the difference that your work makes long-term. If you have improved a procedure, what does that mean in real terms? How do your colleagues benefit? What happens to the standard of your results?

5: Not referencing the heading

The competence report is broken into 5 sections. Read the section heading thoroughly before you write your response. You need to make sure you have fully absorbed what it is asking.

These are not just “top tips”, they are what you need to follow to get your competence report to a high enough standard for it to be assessed.

Arm yourself with these pieces of advice, read the standards for RSciTech, RSci and CSci, utilise our competence report planner, explore the resources on our website, and get it right first time!