If you are a quantity surveyor thinking about working or moving to Australia, then the AIQS assessment is very important. It checks if your skills and experience are up to Australian standards for quantity surveying jobs. Many applicants have strong technical skills but struggle to properly showcase their experience.
What Is Tested in the AIQS Assessment?
The AIQS assessment is based on what it takes to be a capable quantity surveyor working in the Australian building industry. Your academic qualifications, and your work experience.
They want to see how you use the principles of cost management, develop estimates, administer contracts, and deliver project support. It's not a test on complicated language. It's about being able to clearly demonstrate the way you work and the amount of responsibility you have as a quantity surveyor.
Who Should Apply for an AIQS Skill Assessment?
If you work in quantity surveying, cost consulting or commercial management, you will be eligible to apply for the AIQS assessment service Such professionals would include those responsible for cost planning, tendering, contract administration and financial management of building projects.
Job titles aren't enough. Assessors It's your actual tasks that assessors are looking at, and how closely they align with quantity surveying. Strong relevant alignment between your experience and what the industry expects will strengthen your outcome in an AIQS assessment.
Clearly highlight your work experience
One of the most common issues is how to highlight experience for the Assessors. Some applicants describe the work of their employer rather than their own.
A good AIQS skill assessment focuses on what you did. You need to explain how you created estimates, examined variations, managed expenses, or supported project choices. You need to use plain English and keep the explanations short.
Importance of Qualifications and Supporting Evidence
Qualifications are significant in the assessment by AIQS particularly when they can be equated in some way to quantity surveying or construction management. The course content, length and persistence are scrutinised by the assessors.
The work experience supplements your qualifications by showing how you work in your field. Continuity in the documents helps to minimize delays in the AIQS assessment procedure.
Common Causes for Application Processing Delay
Applications are occasionally delayed due to informal job advertisements, absent paperwork or insufficient relevance of experience to the role in quantity surveying. Some candidates have too much technical information in their application but do not explain the decisions taken or the responsibilities held. You need to check your work prior to submission. This will enhance the overall standards of your AIQS assessment.

