National Committee on Accreditation
The National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) is a standing committee of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. Committee members include administrators of provincial and territorial law societies and of the practising bar, and representatives of the Council of Canadian Law Deans.
We help Canada’s law societies protect the public interest by making sure that anyone who earned their legal education and training outside Canada has the knowledge they need to practise law in Canada. We tell people how to improve their knowledge of Canadian law so it compares to the knowledge they would get from an approved Canadian common law degree program.
The NCA does this using a process that assesses your academic training and professional experience. Then the NCA uses a single standard to determine what exams or studies you need to complete to either fill gaps in your knowledge or show that you have the knowledge you need.
About The Exams
NCA exams are similar to those in Canadian law schools. They are fact-based, open-book and take three hours to write. You can look at past law school exams to get a better idea of how the exams are formatted. Past exams are available at some Canadian law school libraries.
Exams are graded on a pass/fail basis (i.e. 50 percent is considered a pass).
You have to study for your exams on your own (i.e. without help from the NCA). You must also get the study materials outlined by the NCA. You might decide to hire a private tutor like NCA Guides to help you prepare.
The NCA Assessment Process
The NCA offers all the information you need to qualify for bar admission programs in Canadian common law jurisdictions. You will need to gather documents, apply for an NCA assessment and meet the NCA’s requirements. They also help you decide what kind of career you want. Click below to find out more about the assessment process.
Who Can Apply for An Assessment?
All internationally trained legal graduates can apply, whether you are:
- a newcomer to Canada with a law degree
- a Canadian citizen who got a legal education in another country
- a legal graduate thinking of immigrating to Canada
- a Canadian civil law graduate
You can apply from anywhere in the world – citizenship, nationality and where you live do not matter in the assessment process.
The NCA does not assess the legal education and experience of people who want to practice civil law in Canada, or who want to become members of the Barreau du Québec or the Chambre des notaires du Québec. They each have their own evaluation process.
Latest Advisory
Click below to view latest advisory from the National Committee on Accreditation.