NCA Exam Dates 2027: Full Schedule and Registration Deadlines
Every 2027 NCA exam sitting, with registration windows and deadlines for the five mandatory subjects and all other NCA exams, taken from the NCA's official 2027 schedule.
By Lexn Team
Last reviewed Oct 19, 2026
The National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) has published its 2027 exam schedule. This page sets out every sitting and registration window in one place, so you can plan your exams backwards from the dates that matter.
All dates come from the NCA's official schedule, issued September 18, 2026. The NCA says dates can change, so always confirm on the NCA's exam schedule page and its Advisories before you register.
How NCA exam sittings work
- Twelve sessions a year. The NCA runs a session roughly every month, but not every subject is offered in every session.
- The five mandatory subjects run over several days. Foundations of Canadian Law, Canadian Constitutional Law, Canadian Criminal Law, Canadian Administrative Law and Canadian Professional Responsibility are each spread over four days of morning or afternoon slots. You write once, in one slot, not on every day listed.
- Every exam is 3 hours. Morning exams start between 07:00 and 10:00 ET, afternoon exams between 14:00 and 17:00 ET, and "midday" exams between 11:00 and 14:00 ET.
- Registration closes at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date shown.
- Accommodation forms are due early, one week before registration even opens. If you need accommodations, check the "forms due" column below first.
- Cancelling is allowed until midnight ET the day before your exam, with a $100 administrative fee plus taxes. If you don't cancel in time and don't write, you lose the whole exam fee.
The five mandatory subjects in 2027
Each mandatory subject is offered four times in 2027. If you're planning your sequence, this is the table to keep.
| Subject | 2027 sittings |
|---|---|
| Foundations of Canadian Law | January 12–15, April 13–16, July 13–16, October 12–15 |
| Canadian Constitutional Law | January 5–8, April 6–9, July 6–9, October 4–7 |
| Canadian Criminal Law | February 8–11, May 11–14, August 9–12, November 8–10 and 12 |
| Canadian Professional Responsibility | February 2–5, May 3–6, August 3–6, November 2–5 |
| Canadian Administrative Law | March 4–5 and 8–9, June 1–4, September 7–10, November 16–19 |
Notice the pairs: Constitutional Law and Foundations of Canadian Law fall in the same months, as do Criminal Law and Professional Responsibility. If you plan to write two exams in one session, those pairings decide which combinations are possible.
Full 2027 schedule with registration windows
| Session | Registration opens | Registration closes (11 p.m. ET) | Accommodation forms due | Exams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2027 | November 16, 2026 | December 10, 2026 | November 2, 2026 | Commercial Law (Jan 4); Constitutional Law (Jan 5–8); Contracts (Jan 11); Foundations of Canadian Law (Jan 12–15) |
| February 2027 | December 14, 2026 | January 7, 2027 | December 7, 2026 | Business Organizations (Feb 1); Professional Responsibility (Feb 2–5); Criminal Law (Feb 8–11); Property (Feb 16) |
| March 2027 | January 11, 2027 | February 4, 2027 | January 4, 2027 | Remedies (Mar 1); Torts (Mar 2); Civil Procedure (Mar 3); Administrative Law (Mar 4–5, 8–9) |
| April 2027 | February 8, 2027 | March 4, 2027 | February 1, 2027 | Family Law (Apr 5); Constitutional Law (Apr 6–9); Evidence (Apr 12); Foundations of Canadian Law (Apr 13–16) |
| May 2027 | March 8, 2027 | April 1, 2027 | March 1, 2027 | Professional Responsibility (May 3–6); Contracts (May 10); Criminal Law (May 11–14) |
| June 2027 | April 12, 2027 | May 6, 2027 | April 5, 2027 | Administrative Law (Jun 1–4); Property (Jun 7) |
| July 2027 | May 17, 2027 | June 10, 2027 | May 10, 2027 | Commercial Law (Jul 5); Constitutional Law (Jul 6–9); Torts (Jul 12); Foundations of Canadian Law (Jul 13–16) |
| August 2027 | June 14, 2027 | July 8, 2027 | June 7, 2027 | Professional Responsibility (Aug 3–6); Criminal Law (Aug 9–12); Business Organizations (Aug 16); Remedies (Aug 17) |
| September 2027 | July 12, 2027 | August 5, 2027 | July 5, 2027 | Administrative Law (Sep 7–10); Contracts (Sep 13); Civil Procedure (Sep 14) |
| October 2027 | August 16, 2027 | September 9, 2027 | August 9, 2027 | Constitutional Law (Oct 4–7); Foundations of Canadian Law (Oct 12–15); Evidence (Oct 18); Property (Oct 19) |
| November 2027 (first block) | September 6, 2027 | September 30, 2027 | August 30, 2027 | Family Law (Nov 1); Professional Responsibility (Nov 2–5); Criminal Law (Nov 8–10, 12) |
| November 2027 (second block) | September 27, 2027 | October 21, 2027 | September 20, 2027 | Torts (Nov 15); Administrative Law (Nov 16–19) |
There are no exams on November 11 (Remembrance Day). Daylight saving time starts March 14 and ends November 7, 2027. Exam start times are in Eastern Time, so check your local time if you write from outside the Eastern Time zone.
Still in 2026: the last open deadline
The second November 2026 block, Torts (November 16) and Canadian Administrative Law (November 17–20), closes registration on October 22, 2026 at 11:00 p.m. ET. Registration for the first November block has already closed. (This section is current as of October 19, 2026.)
How to use this schedule
- Work backwards from the exam, not forwards from today. A common rule of thumb is 8 to 12 weeks of study per mandatory subject. For a January 2027 sitting, that means starting in October or November 2026.
- Don't miss the window. Registration opens about six to eight weeks before the exams and stays open for only about three and a half weeks. Your start time is assigned after you register and appears in the NCA Portal.
- Plan around results, not just dates. Results come out about 10 to 12 weeks after the last exam in a session, and you can't register to rewrite an exam until you have your result. In practice, a failed January Constitutional Law or Foundations of Canadian Law exam can't be rewritten in April, because April registration closes before January results are out. The realistic rewrite is in July.
- Space out paired subjects. Writing Constitutional Law and Foundations of Canadian Law in the same month is possible, since they're about a week apart, but only if both are well prepared.
Sources
- NCA: Examination Schedule for 2027 (PDF), issued September 18, 2026
- NCA: Examination Schedule for 2026 (PDF)
- NCA: Exam information and Costs and timelines
Lexn is an independent study platform and is not affiliated with the NCA or the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. Always confirm dates and deadlines with the NCA.
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