Can I start Ontario licensing or the bar exams before my NCA certificate?

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, 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, LSO experiential training, LSO licensing exams, LSO licensing consultation