FirstRatofftheShipUK

It is like watching a car crash unfold in slow motion...

future_canadian

Hi everyone, this thread hasn't been active lately but I'm taking NCA exams soon and I wonder if anyone has any advice.

I have got all the study materials for the 4 exams I need to take (Foundations, Constitutional, Administrative, Criminal) and there's a lot of material there. I am taking the exams in August and meanwhile I am also moving to Canada. Does anyone know of a good commercially available study guide that can help me focus and distill the information down into what's most important? Tips for preparation? I've seen some online sites that offer outlines for sale, does anyone know of ones that are useful and current?

Any help would be appreciated.

Almost Canadian, as soon as I have 3 posts I will be sending you a PM. Thanks!

Soon2bCanadian

Hello, Future_Canadian, I have just received my NCA certificate. I had to sit the four core exams too. Osgoode Law School sells materials for the NCA exams. They are not cheap! You can buy some notes from people who Tutor NCA students, they have pages on Facebook if you are a member.

I have a number of tips for anyone taking the exams now:
1. The 'sample exam papers' on the NCA website do not reflect the current exams. Don't be surprised if you have one or two long questions worth 100% of your exam for constitutional or admin. I have not met anyone in recent years who has had a multiple choice question!
2. You do need your Criminal Code with you in the criminal law exam. 50% of my paper was based on offences which were not covered in the syllabus. I could not have passed the exam without it.
3. I actually think the Foundations exam is the hardest as it is very difficult to predict the topics and the syllabus is so broad. If you are in the exam and thinking 'what on earth is this question about', think about the articles you have been asked to read. It is really common to get a question about one of articles on the syllabus.

Good Luck

future_canadian

I chose to study for Foundations first as it seemed the broadest and probably the most difficult and unpredictable. I didn't like it.

I'll surely bring all my books and supplemental materials to the exams.

Osgoode sells NCA materials? I see their prep courses which aren't too helpful to me as I'm not yet in Canada. Can't see their materials for sale though.

Thanks!

Soon2bCanadian

Osgoode sell the materials that they give to the students taking the prep course. You can do the courses remotely, so not yet living in Canada is not a barrier.

You can simply buy the materials from the website and download them. They are updated every time the syllabus is. I did not use them myself, but I know an Indian guy who did. He struggled with the books alone.

Administrative law is conceptually the most difficult. I found it useful to listen to podcasts: Admin Law Podcasts -

If you can do several exams together it is worth doing constitutional, admin and foundations together as there is a lot of overlap. It is worth taking your admin and constitutional law notes notes into the foundations exam with you.

Good luck with the prep!

future_canadian

Thanks for the advice and the wishes. I'm not sure that I really have time to take the courses even online. How long is each online course?

I didn't see just the outlines for sale anywhere on their site but I've contacted them to ask for it.

I'm taking all 4 during the August sitting. I noticed the overlap between Foundations, Admin and Constitutional and planned to bring the materials for all of them into each one. I've printed an obscene number of pages in the past few weeks.

Not to jump ahead too much, but when is a good time to look for legal jobs? I'll need to article but I anticipate the maximum reduction due to experience. Should I wait until I have my results? Start now? About the time I take the exams? I have contacted a recruiter who thought I had a good chance at a certain type of job but to keep my options open I am planning to plaster CVs all over the place by e-mail. Good/bad idea? If bad, how else to go about it in Canada?

Many thanks for your insights.

future_canadian

There are some cases on the syllabus that aren't available on CanLII. I googled them and I see lots of citations to them but not the cases themselves. Anyone know of an alternate source? Preferably a free one?

Thanks!