Hey! My name is Spencer. I’m a former NCA candidate and a current candidate at the Law Society of Ontario. I’ve written 10 of these NCA exams over the course of two years, and even did a single course enrolment at Osgoode Hall. I’ve been through almost all of it. I’ve written up this survival guide to help you get through this. It’s a collection of my experiences. Hope it helps.
The NCA Survival Guide
1. If you’re considering going overseas for law school and have already found this, congratulations you’re already ahead! Your best bet is to go to an approved law school in its respective jurisdiction in a common law country such as the UK. I find most people who’ve completed their degrees with grades compliant with the NCA policy (6% above passing grade and overall minimum 2:2) receive the 5 core exams and 2 electives. If you go to a country with civil law, prepare for more exams and possibly mandatory class time. R.I.P. distance learners lol. (Distance learners in my experience appear to receive around 2 years of mandatory class time)
2. So you’ve gone to school and applied to the NCA. You’ve received your assessment and now you have to fulfill these requirements. Well done, but now it’s time to prepare. How you prepare depends on a number of factors including but not limited to: your previous experience writing exams and your ability to study for multiple exams. I personally did not have much experience writing law exams. Most of my schooling was course work. We did write a couple exams, but we all got wrecked in the process. I chose to begin with one exam. You can start with more than one if you wish.
3. Plan your electives and non core subjects ahead of time. They usually come once every other session. Check the schedule ahead of time to avoid further delay. Oh yes there will be delay. You should also pick electives that will help with your bar/solicitor exam. I recommend civil litigation. The other is up to you. Except tax. Don’t do that if you like yourself.
4. BUY LIRAN’S NOTES. I can’t stress this enough. They cover the material very well, they are easy to navigate in a pinch, and they’re cheaper than the book. They are an excellent resource and I can’t recommend them enough.
5. Attempt to predict what will be on the exam. For example, constitutional law will most likely require you to write an Oakes test. While the entire syllabus is examinable, some topics tend to be more prevalent than others. In my experience, I’ve found the following to be the most prevalent. Your experience may differ: Admin = Baker/Dunsmuir, Crim = objective mens reas, Con = Oakes, Ethics = Conflict of interest. Foundations is the wild card. Be ready for anything on that stupid exam.
6. Well that’s great but what about the actual exam? Pay attention this is extremely important to your success. These exams mainly focus on your ability to apply the law and legal principles to fact patterns. You can’t just write out the charter of rights and freedoms in the constitutional exam and expect a pass. You honestly might as well throw away $400. Message me if you’re going to do this. You can E-transfer it to me and I’ll help you throw it out. Or, proceed to the next step.
7. Part of application is being able to identify the important bits of a fact pattern. In our first month of law school, our teacher told us how to answer a law question properly. I never forgot. First, you identify the issue at hand. Second, you state the relevant law. Third, you apply it. Finally, you conclude. For example, in constitutional law, you are likely to be asked if a certain piece of/ all of the legislation is constitutional. The object of the question is stated in the question. (I.e advise the PM of the constitutionality of blah blah blah) State whatever legal issues there are. Then, state the relevancy of the Oakes Test, DO the Oakes test with respect to the facts given, and conclude on whether or not the legislation is constitutional or not. I’ve done this for ALL my exams and passed. If you’re able to do this then you should be good. GG next.
8. SYLLABUS SYLLABUS SYLLABUS. Do you know something extra about the specific topic you’re currently being examined on that isn’t in the syllabus? Good. Don’t put it in your exam. Only put stuff from the assigned materials and the syllabus in the exam. It’s too risky otherwise.
9. Check the practice exams. These can help you prepare and practice the process in 7. My civil lit exam was eerily similar to the practice exam, so always go over the practice exams!
10. If you fail, it’s fine. Actually. I literally don’t know a single person who’s done this flawlessly. I’m sure they’re out there but don’t worry about it. Read the feedback, learn from it, and get back in there. You fail when you give up.
11. Use a single course enrolment as a last resort. First of all, these courses are pretty expensive. Secondly, while I’m not well aware of other universities like UofT, Osgoode has a 12 credit cap on single courses. Each course has a different credit value. For example, property was 6 credits, that means I could take one more 6 credit single enrolment course IN MY LIFETIME at Osgoode before I would be required to take the LLM degree. That being said, if you wanted to take one I’d recommend property. If you need external help and don’t want to go through the single course enrolment, there are tutors within this group.
12. Bring a backpack/purse to the exam centre. I didn’t the first time and they expected me to leave my phone on a table beside everyone else’s backpacks... It’s safe because you know... there’s a camera. Yeah ok. Don’t risk it, bring the bag.
13. I failed ethics because I forgot to read and bring the model code. Read and bring the model code. You can’t pass without it. Trust me I literally tried. Also, bring the latest criminal code to the crim exam, and bring the code of civil procedure to the civil exam.
14. Last but not least HEALTH. Your health is the single most important factor to consider when studying. It’s more productive to sleep 8 hours and study for 3 hours than it is to sleep for 3 hours and study for 8. Eat good food, do some exercises, read your books/notes, get some quality sleep and you’ll likely succeed.
That pretty much summarizes everything I’ve done in this process. I’m officially out of here. 10/10 would not do again. Best of luck everyone!
- Spencer T
Follow Spencer on Instagram @spencertran2