General

Everyone who writes an NCA exam agrees not to share exam content, even from memory, so here is where the line sits on this forum. The [NCA Candidate Agreement](https://nca.legal/exams/nca-candidate-agreement/) prohibits disclosing, reproducing or publishing any exam content, including from memory, and sharing information about your answers. It also requires candidates to report breaches by others. A post that breaks it can put the writer's candidacy at risk, and readers who use the information or don't report it may be at risk too. **Fine to post:** - How it felt: "it was long", "I ran out of time", "I felt well prepared" - What you'd change in your preparation - Anything the NCA publishes itself: the syllabus, sample exams, the three-hour open-book format - Questions about the law and the cases on the syllabus **Not fine:** - Topics, cases, offences or fact patterns that came up - How your paper was structured: the number of questions, their marks, what each covered - Your answers, or asking others what they answered - Asking what came up on an exam, including ones you haven't written yet Moderators remove posts like these without warning. If you see one, please report it rather than reply.

Yes, NCA exams are open book, but hard copy only. You write online for three hours, watched by a remote proctor, and type every answer. Everything below comes from the NCA's exam rules and FAQs (checked 18 Oct 2026). If something looks different when you read this, the NCA page wins; please reply so we can update this post. **What you can use** - Any reference material in hard copy: books, printed notes, handwritten notes. You can highlight, tab and annotate them. - No electronic notes or books, and no electronic devices other than the ones the exam requires. - Answers must be typed. Scans, attachments and photos aren't accepted. - The online rules set no word limit, but read the instructions on screen at the start of each exam carefully. **Timing and your start time** - Each exam is three hours. - Your start time appears in the NCA portal under Exam History about two weeks before the session. If it isn't there a week before, email exam@flsc.ca. - To ask for a different start time, use the NCA Rescheduling Request Form or email schedule@monitoredu.com. Changes aren't guaranteed. **Before exam day** - Check the [technical requirements](https://nca.legal/exams/technical-requirements-and-testing-for-online-exams/). Complete the MonitorEDU pre-check no later than 6:00 pm Eastern the day before your first exam, and test again on exam day. - Have government-issued photo ID ready for the proctor. - Read the NCA's [Online Exam Tip Sheet](https://nca.legal/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Online-Exam-Tip-Sheet.pdf). **At your desk** - A drink in a clear container and a small bag of snacks are allowed. - No breaks in the first hour: leaving during it ends your exam and disqualifies it. - After the first hour, ask the proctor before leaving. Breaks are limited to five minutes, and the clock keeps running. - Destroy any rough notes you make during the exam; the proctor checks. Your own study notes from before the exam are yours to keep. **If something goes wrong** - During the exam, tell your proctor immediately. Then report the problem to the NCA at exam@flsc.ca within five days of writing. - If anything looks wrong when you submit, tell the proctor before you close anything, and include it in your report to the NCA. MonitorEDU's live chat (open 24/7) is for questions about the technical requirements before exam day. **Cancelling** - Cancel in the portal (My Course Info → Exam History → Refund) before midnight Eastern the day before your exam. - The NCA keeps a $100 plus tax administrative fee for each cancelled exam. - If you don't cancel in time and don't write, you lose the full fee. A cancelled exam doesn't count as an attempt, but there are no make-up exams: you re-register and pay again. **Accommodations:** email accommodations@flsc.ca for the request form. Wrote recently? Share practical set-up tips below: room, camera, lighting, how you laid out your books. Please keep them about logistics, not the exam itself. Sources: [Online exam rules](https://nca.legal/exams/online-exam-rules/), [NCA FAQs](https://nca.legal/faqs/)

The NCA is replacing up to 14 exams with five combined exams and three online courses, phased in from 2027 and in full from 2028, with multiple-choice questions in every exam. The NCA announced the change on 8 October 2026 and has answered the main questions in its FAQs. Here is what it says, what isn't settled yet, and what it means if you're already working through your exams. Checked 18 Oct 2026. **The proposed new exams** Each new exam covers more than one current subject. The NCA says this list is current as of September 2026 and may change before the framework is final. | New exam | Current subjects it covers | | --- | --- | | Canadian Public Law 1 | Foundations of Canadian Law, Constitutional Law | | Canadian Public Law 2 | Criminal Law, Administrative Law | | Canadian Private Law | Contract Law, Property Law, Tort Law | | Ethics and Professional Responsibility in Canadian Legal Practice | (one subject) | | Dispute Resolution and Oral Advocacy in Canadian Legal Practice | Negotiation and Mediation, Litigation, Oral Advocacy | The three online courses, each with its own assessment: Indigenous Peoples and the Law in the Canadian Context, Canadian Legal Research, and Canadian Legal Writing and Drafting. **How the new exams work** - Online with live proctoring, from any location that meets the NCA's technical requirements. - Each exam takes no longer than three and a half hours, unless you have accommodations. - Multiple-choice questions in every exam, plus written and oral legal skills in some. - Three attempts per exam, with a possible fourth on request; no fifth attempts. - If you pass, you see only "pass". If you fail, you get your score and broad feedback. - Free preparatory resources for each of the five exams, plus a multiple-choice study guide with sample questions, once implementation begins. **When, and who it applies to** - Phased implementation in 2027 for eligible applicants; full implementation expected in 2028. - From 2028, all new applicants are assessed under the new system. - If you already have an Assessment Decision, keep following its requirements. Eligible applicants will be able to opt in to some or all of the new exams; the eligibility criteria haven't been published yet. - You still have five years from your Assessment Decision to finish. **What isn't settled yet** - Who can opt in, from which session, and how passed old exams map to the new ones - Dates, registration periods and fees - The final exam list (the table above is the NCA's proposal) **What to do now** Keep to your current plan: nothing announced stops you completing your assigned exams under your existing assessment. Join the NCA's first information webinar on Thursday 10 December 2026, 12 to 1 pm Eastern (details on the [announcement page](https://nca.legal/nca-announces-modernized-assessment-framework/)), and send questions to NCA@flsc.ca. We'll update this post after the webinar. Where are you in the process, and would you consider opting in to the combined exams? Tell us below. Sources: [NCA FAQs, Modernized Assessment Framework section](https://nca.legal/faqs/), [NCA announcement, 8 Oct 2026](https://nca.legal/nca-announces-modernized-assessment-framework/), [Modernized Assessment Framework page](https://nca.legal/process/assessment-process/modernized-assessment-framework/)

Looking for an NCA study partner or study group? Reply with your subject and exam month in the format below, and find someone writing the same sitting. - **Subject(s), or LRW intake:** - **Exam month:** - **City or time zone:** - **How you like to study:** (weekly video call, practice questions, in person) - **Hours per week:** Reply to people in the thread, and swap contact details privately once you both agree. Please don't post phone numbers or email addresses here: this page is public. A new thread goes up on the first of each month so the list stays current.

If your notes are from 2025 or earlier, check them: several NCA syllabi were revised in 2026, and new language and Indigenous law requirements apply from 1 March 2026. Source: the NCA [exam outlines page](https://nca.legal/exams/content/) and [FAQs](https://nca.legal/faqs/), checked 18 Oct 2026. **Revised syllabi** - **Administrative Law, June 2026.** The required casebook is now the 9th edition (Van Harten, Heckman & Promislow, 2026). The syllabus notes that it differs from the 8th edition that past exams were based on. Readings include two duty-to-consult cases: *Kebaowek First Nation v Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission*, 2025 FC 319 (the syllabus notes an appeal to the Federal Court of Appeal), and *Gitxaala v British Columbia (Commissioner of Gold)*, 2025 BCCA 430. - **Criminal Law, August 2026.** Coughlan's *Criminal Procedure* is now the 5th edition (2026); Roach, 8th edition, is unchanged. The syllabus adds *R v Vrbanic*, 2026 SCC 19, under trial within a reasonable time (s 11(b)), and notes 2026 Criminal Code changes: remedies for delay other than a stay, and a judge's power under s 718.4(1) to impose less than a mandatory minimum (other than life imprisonment) where the minimum would be cruel and unusual punishment for that offender. - **Contracts, September 2026,** and **Family Law, 2026 version.** - **Recently revised:** Commercial Law (November 2025), Foundations (2025 version), Property (2025), Evidence (April 2025). - **Unchanged:** Constitutional Law (January 2023) and Professional Responsibility (March 2023 version). The NCA revises outlines as required and posts them before registration opens, so check the outline each time you register. **New requirements from 1 March 2026** - All applicants complete a language screening test before assessment. A valid accepted language test from the last two years may exempt you; below the minimum screening score, you complete a full language assessment. - Applicants must demonstrate competence in Indigenous Law and Peoples, through a CPLED module or an NCA-approved law school course. If you were assessed before March 2026, check your assessment or ask nca@flsc.ca whether it applies to you. - Unchanged: candidates assessed after 1 January 2022 must complete Canadian Legal Research and Writing, through [CPLED](https://cpled.ca/our-programs/legal-research-and-writing-lrw/) or an approved course. It isn't an NCA exam, so it won't appear in the exam registration list. **Announced for 2027 and 2028** The NCA is moving to a new system of five exams, most combining several current subjects, and three online courses. Our pinned post on the Modernized Assessment Framework covers what's known. Spotted another change? Reply with the subject and a link to the NCA page, and we'll add it.

In Ontario you can apply to the licensing process up to six months before you're eligible for your Certificate of Qualification, but you need the certificate to write the licensing exams. This comes up constantly, usually from candidates with one or two exams left. Here's what the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) says (checked 18 Oct 2026). Other provinces have their own rules; see the end of this post. **Applying to the licensing process** - The LSO accepts applications from internationally trained lawyers who are completing their final NCA requirements, as long as you're eligible to receive your Certificate of Qualification within six months of applying. - When you apply, you choose a licensing term: a three-year period starting on 1 May, within which you must complete every licensing requirement. **The licensing exams** - To register for a licensing exam, you need your Certificate of Qualification. - There are two exams, barrister and solicitor. Both are self-study, multiple-choice and open book, with printed materials only. **Articling or the Law Practice Program** - Ontario requires experiential training: an articling placement with an approved supervisor, or the Law Practice Program (LPP), which combines a training course and a work placement and runs from late August to the end of April. - Placements must pay at least $620 a week under the LSO's minimum compensation policy. - If you have at least 10 months of common law practice experience, you may qualify for an exemption. Prior licensing elsewhere or other legal experience may shorten (abridge) the articling term. Both depend on the criteria in the LSO's licensing policies. - The LSO pages we checked don't say whether a placement can start before you have your certificate, so confirm with the LSO before agreeing a start date. Many candidates apply for positions while finishing their exams, because employers often recruit well ahead; be ready to say when you expect your certificate. **Changes under discussion** The LSO consulted until 31 January 2026 on replacing the barrister and solicitor exams with a mandatory skills-based course and assessment. As of 18 Oct 2026, the LSO's committee is reviewing the feedback before making a recommendation, so no decision has been made. Check the LSO's site before you plan around the current exams. **Outside Ontario** Every law society sets its own process. Start from the NCA's [bar admissions page](https://nca.legal/process/bar-admissions/), which links to each one. If you've done this recently, what was your timeline from your last NCA exam to the start of articling or the LPP? Please say which province. Sources: [LSO application process](https://lso.ca/becoming-licensed/lawyer-licensing-process/application-process), [LSO experiential training](https://lso.ca/becoming-licensed/lawyer-licensing-process/experiential-training), [LSO licensing exams](https://lso.ca/becoming-licensed/lawyer-licensing-process/licensing-examinations), [LSO licensing consultation](https://lso.ca/about-lso/initiatives/consultation-lawyer-licensing-process)

You request the Certificate of Qualification in the NCA portal; the NCA says it notifies your law society within up to 10 business days and mails the paper certificate within three to six weeks. From the NCA's FAQs and costs and timelines page (checked 18 Oct 2026): **Requesting it** - In the NCA portal, go to Manage Yourself → Request Certificate, then complete and submit the form. - If you completed any assignments through law school courses, make sure the school has sent your final transcripts first. **How long it takes** - The NCA notifies your law society within up to 10 business days. - The hard copy is mailed within three to six weeks of your request. **What it does and doesn't do** - It doesn't expire, but each law society has its own rules on how long you can wait before entering its licensing process. - It doesn't admit you to the bar. Bar admission requirements, such as articling and licensing exams or courses, are set by each provincial or territorial law society. The NCA's [bar admissions page](https://nca.legal/process/bar-admissions/) links to each one. **In Ontario specifically** You can apply to the Law Society of Ontario's licensing process before you have the certificate, as long as you'll be eligible for it within six months. Our post on licensing before your certificate has the details. Use this thread for licensing questions. Start your reply with your province, because the rules differ a lot. If you've been through a law society's process recently, your experience is the most useful thing here, so tell us how long your certificate took to arrive. When a rule matters, link the law society's page. This is peer discussion, not legal advice. Sources: [NCA FAQs](https://nca.legal/faqs/), [Costs and timelines](https://nca.legal/costs-and-timelines/)

If your assessment lets you choose, weigh how often each exam runs, how it overlaps with your core subjects, and the kind of law you want to practise. Beyond the five mandatory subjects, the NCA can assign Contracts, Torts and Property, which it treats as core common law subjects, depending on how your degree covered them. It can also assign additional subjects from a list of six, mainly where your legal qualifications are stale. Some assessment reports let you pick ("two of the following"). If Contracts, Torts or Property are assigned, you don't choose them; the choice, where there is one, is among the other six. Here's how the options compare, using the NCA's 2027 schedule and exam outlines page (checked 18 Oct 2026). | Subject | Sittings in 2027 | Current syllabus | Pairs well with | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Contracts | 3 (Jan, May, Sep) | September 2026 | Remedies, Commercial Law | | Property | 3 (Feb, Jun, Oct) | 2025 | Real estate and solicitor work | | Torts | 3 (Mar, Jul, Nov) | September 2024 | Remedies, litigation | | Business Organizations | 2 (Feb, Aug) | Revised October 2023 | Corporate and commercial practice | | Commercial Law | 2 (Jan, Jul) | November 2025 | Contracts, Business Organizations | | Civil Procedure | 2 (Mar, Sep) | 2024 | Litigation; Torts | | Evidence | 2 (Apr, Oct) | April 2025 | Criminal Law, litigation | | Family Law | 2 (Apr, Nov) | 2026 | Family practice | | Remedies | 2 (Mar, Aug) | 2024 | Contracts, Torts | **What to weigh** - **Check what your assessment actually allows.** Some subjects are assigned outright; where there's a choice, your assessment report says so (for example, "two of the following"). - **How often it runs.** A subject offered twice a year runs about every six months, so a fail usually means waiting around six months for the next sitting. - **Overlap.** Evidence sits naturally beside Criminal Law; Remedies builds on Contracts and Torts; Commercial Law and Business Organizations share ground. - **Where you want to practise.** Civil Procedure and Evidence suit a litigation path; Business Organizations and Commercial Law suit corporate work; Family Law suits family practice. - **Materials.** Read each syllabus and its required texts before you commit. - **The new framework.** In the NCA's proposed modernized system (as of September 2026), Contracts, Property and Torts become one "Canadian Private Law" exam, and the six additional subjects don't appear as separate exams. If you're early in the process, watch the transition details (see our post on the Modernized Assessment Framework). If you've written an optional exam, which one, and would you choose it again? Candidates choosing between options find these replies the most useful. Sources: [2027 NCA exam schedule](https://nca.legal/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2027-NCA-Exam-Schedule-FINAL.pdf), [Exam outlines and samples](https://nca.legal/exams/content/), [NCA FAQs](https://nca.legal/faqs/)

NCA results are generally released 10 to 12 weeks after the last exam in the session, the pass mark is 50%, and you can write each exam up to three times. The questions we see after every sitting, answered from the NCA's own pages (checked 18 Oct 2026). **When do results come out?** Generally 10 to 12 weeks after the last scheduled exam in the session, or earlier if they're ready. You get an email once all results for the session are available. Examiners grade each exam together for consistency, so no one gets an early result. **What's the pass mark?** 50%. **What's the letter in brackets beside my exam?** The NCA's public pages don't explain it. Candidates widely report it shows which version of the exam you wrote, not a grade. If your portal shows something you don't understand, ask exam@flsc.ca rather than guessing. **If you didn't pass** - **Attempts.** You can write each exam three times. For a fourth and final attempt, you make a written request to the NCA's Executive Director, who may grant it, confirming you understand it will be your last. There are no fifth attempts: after four fails, you must complete that subject at a law school. - **Re-registering.** You can register for the next sitting, but only once you have your result. Registration for the next offering often closes first, which usually pushes a re-write back about six months. If that happens to you, it's worth emailing exam@flsc.ca to ask what your options are. - **Reviewing your exam.** You can review your failed exam free in the NCA Results Portal: your answers, the questions and the examiner's feedback memo. It's generally available three to four weeks after results are released, in a proctored online session. - **Appealing.** An appeal must reach the NCA within two weeks of your exam becoming available for review. The fee is $250 plus tax. The grounds are narrow: you need specific evidence of a major error or injustice. Being close to passing, or personal or financial hardship, isn't enough. A different examiner re-marks accepted appeals, usually in two to four weeks. **What to change for the re-write** Read the examiner's memo closely: it's the most specific feedback you'll get. The common reasons people give for a fail are running out of time, stating rules without applying them, and studying from outdated materials. Our post on writing NCA answers covers all three. Waiting for results? Reply with the subject and sitting you're waiting on; this is where people post when results drop. Please don't discuss the questions or your answers. Sources: [NCA FAQs](https://nca.legal/faqs/), [Exam review](https://nca.legal/exams/review/), [Online exam rules](https://nca.legal/exams/online-exam-rules/)

Answer the question asked, apply the law to the facts, and show your reasoning: the NCA's own exam tips say analysis earns more marks than conclusions or lists. Most NCA exams are three hours of fact-based problems. What follows draws on the NCA's published tips for writing its exams and on the warnings in the subject syllabi (checked 18 Oct 2026). **What examiners say they reward** - Relevance, conciseness and organization - Complete sentences, not point form - Analysis: how you reached your conclusion matters more than the conclusion itself - The leading cases and authorities named in the syllabus, cited correctly **IRAC for an NCA fact pattern** 1. **Read the question before the facts.** Know whose perspective you're writing from: adviser, advocate or judge. 2. **Issue.** Name each legal issue precisely. One issue per heading keeps the marker with you. 3. **Rule.** State the Canadian rule in your own words, with the leading syllabus case. 4. **Application.** Use the specific facts. Where facts cut both ways, argue both sides. 5. **Conclusion.** Give a clear answer for each issue. If you assume a fact or the law is unclear, say so and explain why. **What the syllabi warn against** - Listing every rule or case you know without applying it. The Criminal Law syllabus says this won't pass. - A laundry list of procedural fairness entitlements. The Administrative Law syllabus says it earns no extra marks, and answers built on the pre-*Vavilov* framework earn no marks at all. - Boilerplate. The Constitutional Law syllabus discourages generic, pre-written passages. **Don't copy templates** Frameworks are for organizing your thinking, not for typing out word for word. The NCA's tips tell you not to copy from notes or templates: the text may be outdated, and it doesn't show understanding. Plagiarism, meaning presenting someone else's work as your own, gets a mark of 0 and is reported to licensing bodies. **Managing three hours** - Split your time by marks, and leave about 10 minutes at the end to check every question has an answer. - Spend the first few minutes on each question writing a short outline of the issues. - If you're running out of time, a short, structured answer to every question beats a perfect answer to one. **Practise under real conditions** The NCA publishes sample exams on its [exam outlines page](https://nca.legal/exams/content/). Write them under a three-hour timer with your hard-copy materials, then compare your answer with the syllabus. Lexn's Exam Simulator runs timed practice exams with feedback on every answer. What's your answer structure? Share a skeleton you use for a subject (no exam content), and others can borrow what works. Sources: [NCA tips for writing NCA exams (Torts)](https://nca.legal/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Tips-for-Writing-NCA-Torts-Exam.pdf), [NCA exam outlines and syllabi](https://nca.legal/exams/content/)

There's no official answer, because the NCA doesn't publish pass rates, but candidates most often name Constitutional Law and Foundations as the hardest. That matches what we see in candidate forums and study groups. "Hard" depends a lot on your background, though, so here is why each subject trips people up and what tends to help. | Subject | Why candidates find it hard | What usually helps | | --- | --- | --- | | Constitutional Law | Federalism is new to most: division of powers and the overlap doctrines, plus the Charter and s 35 in one exam | A framework for each type of issue, and a well-tabbed copy of the Constitution Acts | | Foundations of Canadian Law | Theory and assigned articles, not just fact patterns; Indigenous law is new to most candidates | Read the articles themselves, and practise structuring short essays | | Administrative Law | An abstract framework; the syllabus gives no marks for a standard-of-review answer built on the old *Dunsmuir* analysis; a new casebook edition from June 2026 | Check your materials are current and practise the full problem-question sequence | | Criminal Law | Concepts feel familiar, but the syllabus is long, and the August 2026 version adds a required criminal procedure text | A tabbed, annotated Code you can navigate fast, and timed practice | | Professional Responsibility | Often seen as the most approachable, which leads to answers that state the obvious without citing and applying the Model Code | Anchor every point in a rule and apply it to the facts | **Why "hard" varies so much** - **Your legal system.** Common law graduates usually find the method familiar; civil law graduates often find the case-based reasoning itself the hardest part. - **Your exam background.** If your degree used oral or memory-based exams, three hours of typed problem answers is a skill to practise in itself. - **Time.** Many people who know the law still run short of time. Practising under a timer is the fix. - **Open book can mislead.** Having every note with you doesn't help if you can't find the right page in seconds. **About pass rates** The NCA doesn't publish them. Figures that circulate online are old and unofficial, so don't plan around them. If you've written more than one exam, which was hardest for you and why? Ranking them below helps the people just starting out.

Most candidates are assigned at least the five core NCA exams; how many more you get depends on your legal education and professional experience. It's one of the first things people compare, and the answers vary a lot. Here's what the NCA says (checked 18 Oct 2026). **The core every candidate should expect** The NCA says you'll generally need at least the five mandatory Canadian subjects: 1. Canadian Administrative Law 2. Canadian Constitutional Law 3. Canadian Criminal Law 4. Foundations of Canadian Law 5. Canadian Professional Responsibility The NCA also lists Contracts, Torts and Property as core common law subjects. Whether you're assigned them depends on how your degree covered them; graduates from mixed legal systems are usually asked to show competence in all eight. Two more requirements are courses, not NCA exams: - **Canadian Legal Research and Writing**, for qualifications assessed after 1 January 2022, through CPLED or an approved law school course. - **Indigenous Law and Peoples**: as of 1 March 2026, applicants must demonstrate competence in it, through a CPLED module or an NCA-approved law school course. **Additional subjects** Additional subjects come from the NCA's list: Business Organizations, Civil Procedure, Commercial Law, Evidence, Family Law and Remedies. If your qualifications are "stale" (you weren't studying law or gaining legal experience in three of the last five years), the NCA adds one of Contracts, Torts or Property for each five-year gap, up to 15 years, and moves on to the list once those are assigned. Some assessment reports let you choose, for example "two of the following". Our post on choosing optional exams compares them. **Why two candidates get different numbers** The NCA says the number of exams depends on your legal education and professional experience. In practice, candidates point to: - Whether your degree is from a common law or civil law system. Civil law graduates commonly report more assignments. - Which subjects your degree covered, and your grades in them: the NCA says low marks in a core subject can mean more exams. - Whether you're licensed, and how much practice experience you have. If you think your assessment got something wrong, the NCA has an assessment appeal process ($285 plus tax). **Exams or law school courses** In most cases you can take equivalent Canadian law school courses instead of the exams. An NCA exam costs $500 plus tax; a full year of law school costs $35,000 to $56,000 in tuition, according to the NCA. **How long you have** You have five years from the date of your assessment result to complete your assignments. The NCA puts the best case at about 10 months and the average at about two years. How many were you assigned, and where did you study law? It helps others see the pattern. Please don't post your file number. Sources: [NCA FAQs](https://nca.legal/faqs/), [Costs and timelines](https://nca.legal/costs-and-timelines/)

The NCA doesn't set an order, so the right sequence comes down to the exam calendar, the wait for results, and how the subjects build on each other. This is the question we see most from new candidates. Here's how to think it through, using the NCA's published 2027 schedule (checked 18 Oct 2026). **How the calendar works** Each core subject is offered four times a year, always in the same months: | Exam months (2027) | Core subjects offered | | --- | --- | | January, April, July, October | Constitutional Law, Foundations of Canadian Law | | February, May, August, November (first session) | Professional Responsibility, Criminal Law | | March, June, September, November (second session) | Administrative Law | So you can write a different core subject every month. Registration for each session closes three to four weeks before its first exam: for January 2027 it opens 16 November and closes 10 December 2026. Accommodation requests have an earlier deadline, shown on the schedule. Always confirm dates on the [NCA schedule](https://nca.legal/exams/schedules/), which can change. **Why one fail can cost you six months** Results come 10 to 12 weeks after the last exam in a session, and you can't register to re-write until you have your result. By then, registration for the next offering of that subject has usually closed. For example, if you write Constitutional Law in January 2027, your result is expected around late March or early April. April registration closes on 4 March, so the realistic re-write is July. Build in a buffer for one fail. **Orders candidates use, and why** There's no single right answer, but these patterns come up again and again: - **Constitutional before Administrative.** Administrative Law leans on constitutional ideas: the Charter in administrative decisions, the duty to consult, and the courts' role in review. - **Constitutional and Foundations close together.** They share themes (Indigenous peoples and the law, Parliament and the courts, statutory interpretation) and are offered in the same months. - **Criminal and Professional Responsibility close together.** Same months, and the ethics of criminal defence and prosecution appears on the PR syllabus. - **A subject you feel confident in first.** Many candidates use their first exam to learn the online format with less at stake. - **One exam per session if you're working.** Two in one session saves calendar time but splits your study time. **A sample core plan for 2027** Constitutional (January) → Professional Responsibility (February) → Administrative (March) → Foundations (April) → Criminal (May). That's all five core exams in five months if every exam passes the first time. Most people need longer, and that's normal. Also plan for Legal Research and Writing, taken through CPLED intakes or an approved law school course rather than in NCA sessions, and the Indigenous Law and Peoples requirement if it applies to you. **Before you commit** - Check your assessment report for exactly which subjects you've been assigned. - If you're aiming for an articling or licensing start date, check that law society's timeline and work backwards. - Leave room for one re-write. Post your plan below for feedback, in this format: - **Assigned subjects** (and LRW or Indigenous Law, if assigned): - **Target date for your Certificate of Qualification:** - **Planned sittings:** subject and month - **Hours per week, and whether you're working:** - **What you're unsure about:** If you've finished, the most useful reply is what you'd change about your own order. Sources: [2027 NCA exam schedule](https://nca.legal/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2027-NCA-Exam-Schedule-FINAL.pdf), [NCA FAQs](https://nca.legal/faqs/)