Which NCA exam should I take first? Exam order and pacing

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, 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, NCA FAQs