Advisories

Registration is open for August 2012 NCA Exams

Registration is now open for the NCA examinations scheduled for August 2012. Please complete the registration form by the registration deadline of June 8, 2012. You can download the registration form on the Forms page of our web site.

Exam dates and locations posted

The NCA Examination schedule and locations for the May 2012 exams have been posted in the Exam Rules and Schedules tab on our web site, and are available here. 

New Courses for Internationally Trained Lawyers in UofT's Global Professional LLM Program

The NCA would like to inform applicants that starting in September 2012, the Global Professional LLM program at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law will include five courses designed to meet the NCA's requirements for internationally trained lawyers. These include Canadian Administrative Law, Canadian Constitutional Law, Canadian Criminal Law, Foundations of Canadian Law, and Professional Responsibility.

The GPLLM is a 12 month executive-style graduate law degree with classes held on Wednesday evenings and occasional weekends. An eLearning option is available for some courses. The application deadline is May 31, 2012, and more information and application details are available here. 

The GPLLM is a voluntary graduate degree, neither required by the NCA or provincial law societies nor endorsed by the NCA.

U of T NCA Challenge Exam Review Program

The NCA would like to inform applicants that registration is now open for the Summer 2012 session of the U of T Faculty of Law’s NCA Challenge Examination Review Program. Starting June 15, the Internationally Trained Lawyers Program (ITLP) is offering review sessions in up to seven NCA subjects before the August challenge examinations. Classes are held Friday 5 to 9 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 6 pm and Tuesday 6 to 9 pm. Enroll and pay for courses individually, or save and enroll in all seven courses as a package. Distance learning is also available for participants located outside of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Program details and registration form available here.

The ITLP is a voluntary program, neither required by the NCA or provincial law societies nor endorsed by the NCA. Visit http://www.itlp.utoronto.ca/ for more information.

Schedule posted for review of NCA exams written in January 2012

Osgoode NCA Exam Prep Course - Summer 2012 Session

The National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) would like NCA applicants to be aware that Osgoode Hall Law School is again offering its NCA Exam Prep Course. This intensive exam preparation program is specifically designed for foreign qualified lawyers planning to write the NCA’s four mandatory Canadian exams: Foundations of Canadian Law; Canadian Constitutional Law; Canadian Administrative Law; and, Canadian Criminal Law and Procedure

Students get approximately 80 in-class hours of face-to-face tuition at Osgoode’s downtown Toronto teaching facility, or if they are unable to attend in person, classes will be offered via live webcast. Archived sessions will also be available. Classes will be taught by academics, judges and leading practitioners who are experienced instructors. Osgoode Professional Development’s NCA Exam Prep Course is a voluntary program. It is neither required by the NCA or provincial law societies nor is it endorsed by the NCA. For more information please visit this web site. 

Receipts for Income Tax Purposes

Please be advised that the National Committee on Accreditation of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada has not yet been certified by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) to issue receipts for income tax purposes for costs related to NCA assessments and examinations. Only receipts from certified education institutions or providers can be used for income tax reporting purposes. We also cannot provide NCA applicants with a completed CRA Form T2202A until NCA certification has been completed. Please check our web site for updates, or subscribe to our RSS feed.

NCA Payments Advisory

Please note that as of February 1, 2012, the NCA will accept credit card payments only. If you do not have a valid credit card, most chartered banks or financial institutions will issue a credit card with a pre-authorized amount, following the same procedure and requirements to purchase a money order. This change will be reflected on all NCA resource material on our web site.

Changes made to NCA Rules and Guidelines

Please be advised that the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) has approved changes to the Committee’s Policies and Guidelines that apply to applications, assessments, and appeals. The changes went into effect August 15, 2011. The revised Policies and Guidelines are available here.

Notice of NCA Policy Change

Please note that the NCA has changed its policy regarding open-book exams. Starting with the August 2011 NCA examinations, candidates will be permitted use of personal notes (handwritten or typed) during all NCA examinations. All other reference materials (textbooks, cases, legislation etc) will continue to be permitted into the exams pursuant to the current policy.

Please ensure that you read the NCA's Examination Guidelines and Rules posted on our website here. You are responsible for knowing and following the guidelines and rules for every NCA examination. 

Guide available on answering fact based law exam questions

There are several types of law exam questions, including short answer, essay questions, or fact based questions. Short answer questions typically require a few sentences by way of responses and assess recall of information. Essay questions test a candidate’s familiarity with and an ability to discuss critically various issues of legal policy. Fact based questions test a candidate’s ability to identify legal issues in a statement of facts, to present a reasoned analysis of the issues and to arrive at a well-supported solution. The Federation of Law Societies has prepared a guide on dealing with fact-based law examination questions.