The Professional Designation Examination (PDE) is the last step to full status. Candidate property practitioners write PDE 4 to become Non-Principal Property Practitioners, and principals write PDE 5. Both are set and run by the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority (PPRA), not by training providers.
What the exam looks like
Under the PPRA's 2026 PDE requirements and rules:
- It is a take-home exam. There are no venue-based or oral exams, and your exam seat number is administrative only. Do not travel to a PPRA office to write.
- It is open book. You may use the PDE Study Guide, your own notes, online resources, a calculator and a dictionary.
- It runs for five hours, from 08:00 to 13:00.
- AI tools such as ChatGPT are strictly prohibited. The PPRA checks answers for originality, and candidates found to have worked together fail and face disciplinary action.
- Marks are awarded per correct fact, and the mark allocation tells you how much to write.
Open book does not mean easy. The paper tests how you apply the law and the Code of Conduct to real situations, not whether you can find a section in the Act. Candidates who rely on looking things up during the exam run out of time.
Who may write
The PPRA only marks the scripts of eligible candidates, and the MyPPRA portal blocks registration when your record is not in order.
For PDE 4 you need:
- Your NQF4 qualification (or an approved equivalency exemption) updated on MyPPRA and showing as verified. If the PPRA does not have it yet, see how to update your qualification status at the PPRA.
- The practical part of your route: the 12-month internship and logbook if your first FFC was issued before 1 July 2024, or the practical training modules if it was issued after that.
- A valid Fidelity Fund Certificate (FFC).
For PDE 5 your NQF4, your NQF5 and your PDE 4 must all be showing as verified on the portal. If you are still waiting for PDE 4 results, you cannot enrol for PDE 5 until they are loaded.
Registering
- Register only through the MyPPRA portal at theppra.org.za. Paper or emailed forms are not accepted.
- Enrol on the portal first, then pay. Use your 7-digit PPRA reference number as the payment reference. Payments with the right reference reflect automatically, so you do not need to email proof of payment.
- Enrolment and payment must both be done by the closing date. There are no late enrolments.
The PPRA publishes the exam dates and registration windows on its PDE page, and it has moved deadlines before. Check the dates for your sitting there rather than relying on a date you heard from someone else.
On exam day
For recent sittings the paper has been published on the PPRA website at 08:00 as a Word document. You type your answers into the shaded spaces, fill in your details and email the completed paper back by 13:00 to the address in the PPRA's notice for that sitting, with your reference number in the email. If you use an Apple device, save your answers as a PDF before you send them.
The PPRA issues a notice before every sitting, and the details have changed between sittings. Read the notice for yours carefully, and test your internet connection, your email and Word the day before.
Results
Results are published on MyPPRA six to eight weeks after the exam. If you want to appeal, you must lodge the appeal within 14 days of the results being released.
How to prepare
- Start with the PDE Study Guide. It sets out what the paper covers.
- Practise applying the law to scenarios. Most questions describe a situation and ask what the practitioner must do and why.
- Know where things are in your notes. You have the material with you, but five hours goes quickly.
- Write to the marks. One fact per mark: a five-mark question needs five distinct points.
- Get your portal record right early. Many candidates find out at registration that their qualification is not showing as verified, and miss the sitting.
How we can help
Our Updated PDE-4 Preparatory Workshop and Updated PDE-5 Preparatory Workshop give you recorded training from facilitators who know the paper, with training notes, slides and summaries, and support up to the exam. You still register and pay for the exam itself with the PPRA.
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