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200+ Free NC Family Law Specialist Practice Questions
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2026 Statistics
Key Facts: NC Family Law Specialist Exam
1 year
Separation required for absolute divorce (NCGS 50-6)
North Carolina General Statutes 50-6
6 months
Residency required before filing for divorce
North Carolina General Statutes 50-6
50/50
Presumed equal division of marital property (NCGS 50-20)
North Carolina General Statutes 50-20
16 factors
Alimony factors under NCGS 50-16.3A
North Carolina General Statutes 50-16.3A
123 overnights
Shared-custody line between Worksheets A and B
NC Child Support Guidelines
100+
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The NC Family Law Specialist credential requires 5+ years as a licensed NC attorney in good standing, substantial involvement in family law, family law CLE, peer review, and passing the NC State Bar Board of Legal Specialization written exam (multiple-choice plus essay modules, roughly 6 hours; fixed count not published). The exam covers NCGS 50-6 absolute divorce (one-year separation, six-month residency), 50-20 equitable distribution (classify/value at separation/distribute with the equal-division presumption and 50-20(c) factors), 50-16.2A postseparation support and 50-16.3A alimony (dependent/supporting spouse, illicit-sexual-behavior bar, termination on remarriage/cohabitation under 50-16.9), 50-13.2 best-interest custody, the income-shares child support guidelines, separation agreements under Chapter 52, and Chapter 50B domestic violence protective orders. North Carolina also still recognizes the heart-balm torts of alienation of affection and criminal conversation.
Sample NC Family Law Specialist Practice Questions
Try these sample questions to test your NC Family Law Specialist exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 200+ question experience with AI tutoring.
1A client wants to file for an absolute divorce in North Carolina. The spouses have lived in physically separate residences for 13 months, and the client moved out intending the separation to be permanent. What is the core substantive requirement the client must satisfy under N.C.G.S. 50-6?
A.Proof of marital fault such as adultery or cruelty
B.A signed separation agreement filed with the court
C.Living separate and apart for one year, with one party intending the separation to be permanent
D.Mutual consent of both spouses to the divorce
Explanation: N.C.G.S. 50-6 grants an absolute divorce when the spouses have lived separate and apart for one year, provided at least one spouse intends the separation to be permanent at the time it begins. North Carolina is a no-fault divorce state for absolute divorce, so fault and consent are not elements.
2Spouses separated on March 1. In June, while still living apart, they spent a single weekend together and had sexual relations, then returned to separate residences. The plaintiff filed for absolute divorce the following March. How does the isolated weekend affect the one-year separation period under N.C.G.S. 50-6?
A.It does not toll the period because isolated incidents of intercourse do not interrupt the statutory separation
B.It restarts the one-year clock from the date of the encounter
C.It permanently bars any divorce based on that separation date
D.It converts the action into a fault-based proceeding
Explanation: Under N.C.G.S. 50-6, isolated incidents of sexual intercourse between the parties do not toll the one-year separation period. Resuming the marital relationship by moving back in together restarts the clock, but a brief isolated encounter does not.
3A plaintiff moved to North Carolina four months ago and wants to file for absolute divorce. The spouses have been separated for 18 months. What residency requirement under N.C.G.S. 50-6 / 50-8 must be met before the action can proceed?
A.Both parties must currently reside in North Carolina
B.There is no residency requirement for divorce in North Carolina
C.The plaintiff must have resided in the state for one full year
D.Either party must have resided in North Carolina for six months before filing
Explanation: N.C.G.S. 50-6 requires that the plaintiff or defendant have resided in North Carolina for at least six months before the divorce action is brought. With only four months of residency and the spouse out of state, the plaintiff must wait until the six-month mark.
4A husband wants to dissolve his marriage but the spouses have been separated for only three years due to one spouse's incurable insanity, and they want a faster route than waiting for a one-year separation tied to other grounds. Which provision allows divorce based on incurable insanity in North Carolina?
A.N.C.G.S. 50-6 after one year of separation only
B.N.C.G.S. 50-5.1, which permits divorce after three consecutive years of separation caused by incurable insanity
C.N.C.G.S. 50-7, the bar-to-divorce statute
D.N.C.G.S. 50-11, the effects-of-divorce statute
Explanation: N.C.G.S. 50-5.1 permits an absolute divorce on the ground of incurable insanity when the spouses have lived separate and apart for three consecutive years, supported by medical testimony. This is the second statutory ground for absolute divorce alongside the one-year separation under 50-6.
5A spouse seeks a court-ordered separation that addresses support but does not dissolve the marriage, alleging the other spouse abandoned the family and committed cruelty. What North Carolina remedy fits these facts?
A.Absolute divorce under N.C.G.S. 50-6
B.Annulment under N.C.G.S. 51-3
C.Divorce from bed and board under N.C.G.S. 50-7
D.Summary dissolution
Explanation: Divorce from bed and board under N.C.G.S. 50-7 is a fault-based judicial separation that does not end the marriage but can resolve support and possession issues. Statutory grounds include abandonment, cruel or barbarous treatment, indignities, excessive drug/alcohol use, and adultery.
6After a valid one-year separation, the defendant raises a plea of recrimination, arguing the plaintiff also engaged in misconduct. How does this plea affect a 50-6 absolute divorce action?
A.It is not a bar; N.C.G.S. 50-6 provides that recrimination does not defeat a separation-based divorce
B.It is a complete defense that bars the divorce
C.It converts the action to a fault-based bed-and-board proceeding
D.It tolls the divorce until the misconduct is litigated
Explanation: N.C.G.S. 50-6 expressly states that a divorce under that section shall not be barred by a plea of res judicata or recrimination. Because absolute divorce is no-fault, the parties' relative misconduct is irrelevant to entitlement to the divorce.
7A client mistakenly believes that sleeping in a separate bedroom inside the same house for over a year satisfies the separation requirement. What must you advise regarding 'living separate and apart' under N.C.G.S. 50-6?
A.Separate bedrooms in the same residence satisfy the statute
B.Any physical separation, including a two-week trip, is sufficient
C.The requirement is satisfied if they merely stop sharing finances
D.The spouses must maintain separate residences; living under the same roof does not count
Explanation: North Carolina case law interpreting 50-6 requires the spouses to live in physically separate residences for the full year. Living in the same house in separate bedrooms does not satisfy 'separate and apart,' and at least one spouse must intend the separation to be permanent.
8A spouse obtains an absolute divorce but never filed a claim for equitable distribution or alimony before the divorce judgment was entered. What is the consequence under N.C.G.S. 50-11 and related law?
A.Those claims are automatically preserved and may be filed at any time later
B.Those claims are generally barred because they were not asserted before the absolute divorce was granted
C.The divorce judgment is void for failing to address property
D.The spouse may file them within ten years of the divorce
Explanation: Under N.C.G.S. 50-11(e) and 50-16.1A/50-21, a claim for equitable distribution or alimony must generally be pending or asserted before the absolute divorce is granted; otherwise it is destroyed by the divorce judgment. This is a frequent malpractice trap.
9A husband wants the divorce judgment to restore his ability to convey real property without his spouse's signature. Which effect of absolute divorce under N.C.G.S. 50-11 addresses marital interests in real property?
A.Divorce has no effect on marital property rights
B.Divorce automatically transfers all real property to the husband
C.Absolute divorce destroys the spouses' rights and estates by the entirety and inchoate marital interests in each other's property
D.Divorce creates a tenancy in common requiring partition
Explanation: N.C.G.S. 50-11 provides that an absolute divorce destroys the spouses' inchoate rights in each other's real property and severs tenancies by the entirety (converting them to tenancies in common). After divorce, each former spouse may convey their own separately titled property freely.
10A wife discovers her husband is having an affair and wants to sue the third party. Which civil tort, still recognized in North Carolina, requires proof of actual sexual intercourse between the defendant and the plaintiff's spouse during a valid marriage?
A.Criminal conversation
B.Alienation of affection
C.Intentional infliction of emotional distress
D.Breach of fiduciary duty
Explanation: Criminal conversation requires proof of a valid marriage and sexual intercourse between the defendant and the plaintiff's spouse during that marriage. North Carolina is one of the few states that still recognizes this 'heart-balm' tort along with alienation of affection.
About the NC Family Law Specialist Practice Questions
Verified exam format metadata for North Carolina State Bar Certified Specialist - Family Law is pending. The practice questions above remain available while official exam length, timing, passing score, fee, and administrator details are reviewed.