Query on Current Lead Time for CEng Application Assessments

As Graham has said, the bigger delay is verifying/validating the application, ensuring you’ve demonstrated all applicable competencies. I imagine there’s a much higher bar for this, than from validated application to PRI.

My own (updated) timeline, if it helps to gauge the current wait:

• 12 November 2025 - Application submitted, fee paid.
• 13 March 2026 - Passed 'Registration & Standards Department' check stage
• 7 May 2026 - Passed 'Pre-Interview Assessment Panel' check stage
• 25 June 2026 - I was called and offered a date for PRI.
• 15 July 2026 - attended remote PRI

Now, hopefully, not too much waiting before hearing back.

Hi all,

I received the exact same email as Steve, on the exact same date (1st July), advising the exact same timeline ("aiming to move your application forward to the assessment stage August/September").. Though my application was sent a month earlier!

With regards the initial "staff check" / pre-check, I would have thought that assuming you had the go-ahead to submit from your PRA, that in itself would consitute a 'pre-check', and should remove some of the bottleneck that is evident.

Otherwise what is the point/benefit in waiting for PRA approval?

That is not the case. PRA's give advise ranging from the general to the nuanced (if they interview or assess as well) and it is their opinion given what can be multiple interactions.

The Staff checks are about ensuring the right elements are in place and doing the education verification checks. They then pass to a pre-PRI panel who validate UK&U and determine if sufficient competence areas look sound enough or are likely there to offer a good chance of success at PRI

Absolutely as Graham says, as PRAs we are there to help you prepare your application, not to approve it. We are acting on your behalf, not on the IETs. The "point" of using a PRA is to give you the best chance of getting through the IETs levels of assessment first time.

As PRAs we'd love to help speed up the process if we could! Because we act on behalf of candidates we really feel this frustration. Sadly all we can do is give you the best chance of getting through each stage when you do get there.

Apologies guys, I think you're taking me the wrong way - I'm not bashing PRA's at all (or wasn't intending to at least), quite the opposite - my thought was around debottlenecking the process & utilising the PRA to assist in that initial check, given they will already have a good background on the applicant & in-depth knowledge of their application.

To be a member of the institute one needs to prove their academic (or other) qualifications, which at that time get reviewed & approved, and following this - where an individual applies for IEng, CEng or whichever, to even get to that point there must be some pre-checks already in place.

What I'm saying then is, that potentially a PRA could - together with the general guidance/advise & reviews they provide to the applicant - double as the 'pre-check' or whatever that first check is currently after submission.

I'd like to think that a PRA wouldn't approve someone for submission if they didn't think the applicant would be successful.

So it was just an idea to potentially speed the process up in the future, not meant as a bashing post!

nice idea .. but cannot happen... there is an approved process that starts with the staff checks. Volunteers are just that and they vary too much in any case. Volunteers do not have access to the education databases needed

Hi Adrian,

The other fundamental point besides Graham's points is that the beauty of the PRAs role is that we're acting entirely on your behalf to help you make your case, if we start assessing it as well then that becomes a conflict. If you like, we're the barristers for the defence, not the barristers for the prosecution! It's important that we stay out of the assessment area so that if your application is rejected we can work with you completely openly to try to find ways of improving it.

And thanks for clarifying, it's always the problem with messages that they can be meant one way and but read another! 

Cheers, Andy

Appreciate that guys, and apologies for the misunderstanding - all makes sense what you have said and it does provide some more clarity in the role of the IET staff & PRA's (which I'm sure does help others from the outside looking in, appreciating what is in fact involved and the boundaries required).

Thanks all!

Adrian

Hi Graham, Andy, Adrian.

Thanks for all your feedback. My slight ire is not with the PRA aspect the process, that completely makes sense it is volunteers giving up their time and energy to support Engineers professional development. My ire is more regarding the IET Staff checks that seem to be the big "delay", and the fact that the IET make sure to only give you 2 days to pay the application fee but do not communicate timelines with any clarity. It is only this forum that has provided feedback regarding the delays...until i got the email at the start of the month. 

As a member of the IET, my academic qualification had to be vetted for membership, my application was through the career manager portal, which would not allow it to progress without the relevant sections filled in. So I am at a loss as to why all applicants are experiencing the "delay" at the stage that does not utilise volunteers. ML's response shows that this stage took 6 months.

Ultimately it takes as long as it takes, with the goal of a positive outcome. I do however the IET need to be more forthright in their communication and timelines.

Because all the portal is is your submission ... what you claim has to be validated and that is a manual process (at present). They are not glorified clerks much as it may at times seem that is the case. There are a lot of checks and validations to do. In the end, all actions must be to an auditable standard with a trail of evidence for the EC to audit (and they do randomly pull applications to check the IET is administering to its licence.