U.S. Legal System
15%of exam
Legal SourcesJudicial SystemRemediesAdministrative Law
Civil Litigation
15%of exam
JurisdictionFederal RulesEvidenceADR
Contracts
10%of exam
FormationDutiesEnforcementDefenses
Corporate and Commercial Law
10%of exam
Business OrganizationsRightsResponsibilitiesCommercial Law
Criminal Law and Procedure
7%of exam
Criminal LawCriminal ProcedureOffense ElementsConstitutional Rights
Estate Planning and Probate
7%of exam
Estate PlanningProbateWillsTrusts
Real Estate
8%of exam
Real PropertyTransactionsOwnershipLand Use
Torts
10%of exam
Intentional TortsNegligenceStrict LiabilityDamages
Professional and Ethical Responsibility
12%of exam
EthicsProfessional ResponsibilityParalegal ConductConfidentiality
Debtor and Creditor Bankruptcy
6%of exam
DebtorCreditorBankruptcyDebt Relief
Quick Facts
- Credential
- NALA Certified Paralegal
- Components
- Knowledge then Skills
- Knowledge
- 120 questions
- Knowledge time
- 3 hours
- Scored Knowledge
- 100 questions
- Skills
- Written essay
- Skills time
- 2 hours
- Skills windows
- Feb Apr Jul Oct
- Passing score
- Not published
- Current specs
- Effective January 2024
Component Order
Know first; write second.
KnowledgeThen Skills
Knowledge vs Skills
Knowledge
- Multiple-choice
- 120 questions
- Year-round
- Three hours
Skills
- Written essay
- Scheduled windows
- Two hours
- After Knowledge pass
Pass Knowledge before Skills.
Component Sequence
- Authorization approved→Schedule Knowledge Exam
- Knowledge appointment→Take multiple-choice component
- Knowledge result→Confirm passing result
- Knowledge passed→Select Skills window
- Skills window→Complete written essay
- Both components passed→Meet examination requirement
Legal System Core
- Constitution
- Highest federal law
- Statute
- Legislative enactment
- Regulation
- Agency rule
- Case law
- Judicial decisions
- Jurisdiction
- Court authority
- Remedy
- Relief a court grants
- Administrative law
- Agency authority and process
Scored vs Pretest
Scored
- 100 questions
- Count toward result
- Knowledge component
Pretest
- 20 questions
- Unscored questions
- Knowledge component
All 120 require equal attention.
Knowledge Exam
- Delivery
- Year-round, on-demand
- Format
- Multiple-choice questions
- Question count
- 120 total questions
- Scored questions
- 100 questions
- Pretest questions
- 20 questions
- Time
- Three hours
- Prerequisite
- Pass before Skills
Largest Domains
Law fifteen; litigation fifteen; ethics twelve.
Legal SystemCivil LitigationEthics
Knowledge Topic Picker
- Court authority question→Use Legal System
- Lawsuit procedure question→Use Civil Litigation
- Promise dispute question→Use Contracts
- Business organization question→Use Corporate Commercial
- Professional conduct question→Use Ethics
- Debt relief question→Use Bankruptcy
Civil Litigation Core
- Subject jurisdiction
- Power over case type
- Personal jurisdiction
- Power over defendant
- Complaint
- Plaintiff starts action
- Answer
- Defendant responds
- Discovery
- Pretrial information exchange
- Evidence
- Proof offered at trial
- ADR
- Alternative dispute resolution
Contracts and Commercial Core
- Offer
- Proposed bargain
- Acceptance
- Assent to offer
- Consideration
- Bargained-for exchange
- Breach
- Unexcused nonperformance
- Damages
- Monetary legal remedy
- Business entity
- Organization with legal form
- Agency
- Authority for another
Civil vs Criminal
Civil
- Private dispute
- Civil procedure
- Remedies focus
Criminal
- Public offense
- Criminal procedure
- Offense elements
Identify the case posture first.
Criminal and Torts Core
- Offense elements
- Facts prosecution must prove
- Criminal procedure
- Rules for criminal cases
- Intentional tort
- Intentional civil wrong
- Negligence
- Breach of reasonable care
- Duty
- Required standard of care
- Causation
- Link to injury
- Strict liability
- Liability without fault
Estate and Property Core
- Will
- Testamentary transfer document
- Trust
- Property management arrangement
- Probate
- Estate administration process
- Personal representative
- Estate fiduciary
- Deed
- Real property transfer
- Title
- Ownership rights
- Easement
- Limited land-use right
Essay Path
Facts, issues, authority, analysis, conclusion.
FactsIssuesAuthorityAnalysisConclusion
Confidentiality vs Privilege
Confidentiality
- Professional duty
- Protects client information
- Broad ethical concern
Privilege
- Evidentiary protection
- Protects qualifying communications
- Law-specific application
Do not treat them as synonyms.
Skills Writing Path
- Prompt received→Read assignment carefully
- Facts reviewed→Select relevant facts
- Issue appears→State legal issue
- Authority identified→Apply law to facts
- Analysis drafted→Use logical reasoning
- Response ends→Give logical conclusion
Ethics and Bankruptcy Core
- Confidentiality
- Protect client information
- Conflict
- Competing professional interests
- Unauthorized practice
- Legal work beyond authority
- Debtor
- Person owing debt
- Creditor
- Person owed debt
- Automatic stay
- Pauses collection activity
- Discharge
- Releases qualifying debts
Skills Exam
- Format
- Written essay
- Windows
- February, April, July, October
- Time
- Two hours
- Legal writing
- 10 total points
- Composition
- Seven points
- Mechanics
- Three points
- Critical thinking
- 20 total points
- Relevant facts
- Four points
Automatic Stay vs Discharge
Automatic stay
- Pauses collection
- Operates during case
- Immediate protection
Discharge
- Releases qualifying debts
- Follows bankruptcy process
- Debt relief result
Stay pauses; discharge releases.
Common Traps
Knowledge Pass Is Not Certification
Skills remains required ≠ Complete both components
Pretest Is Not Scored
Twenty questions are pretest ≠ Still answer every question
Confidentiality Is Not Privilege
Ethical duty differs ≠ Check legal protection
Issue Spotting Is Not Analysis
Identify issue ≠ Apply authority to facts
Automatic Stay Is Not Discharge
Stay pauses collection ≠ Discharge releases qualifying debts
Last Minute
- 1.Use effective-2024 specifications
- 2.Knowledge: 120 total questions
- 3.Knowledge: 100 scored questions
- 4.Knowledge: 20 pretest questions
- 5.Knowledge: three hours
- 6.Pass Knowledge before Skills
- 7.Skills: written essay
- 8.Skills: two hours
- 9.Skills: February, April, July, October
- 10.Legal writing: 10 points
- 11.Critical thinking: 20 points
- 12.State facts, issue, authority, analysis, conclusion
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