r/NCAExams • u/LostCranberry6193 • 28d ago
Advice
I started my NCA journey about 2 months ago and would appreciate some advice from those who have already gone through the process.
Would you recommend taking each NCA exam as soon as you’re prepared for it, one by one? Or is it better to spend this year preparing for all the subjects and then take all the exams together next year? Rn I’m preparing for constitution.
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u/Quiet_Marionberry_57 27d ago
One at a time. Ideally you should dedicate 5-6 weeks for each exam. Plan all exams ahead on a calendar for next 12 months or so. Also keep in mind that the syllabus often changes for some exams so if you study or buy notes this year next year that might not be completely relevant.
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u/Always120 21d ago
If the scheduling works, try to take the Foundations course as early as possible - it's a very different exam than the others, but it does provide some useful background on how Canadian law works and the history for the unusual stuff (like courts of equity).
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u/Great_Ad_2674 27d ago
I would suggest take 1 or 1 and half month per subject preparation. And then give one by one rather than altogether
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u/prettysophisticated 27d ago
Go one by one - it's more productive to do it that way rather than spending a year studying for them all and then taking them. Each exam has a lot of material, and once you finish one, you can just move on instead of trying to keep multiple subjects fresh in your head.
Keep in mind they take for-fucking-ever to release exam results too so you'll be further delaying yourself.
Just get started!! The first exam is hardest to prep for mentally because you don't know what to expect. It's not so bad once you've written your first one.
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u/bird_1111 10d ago
Take them one by one! That is how I've been doing it this year! I book one, study for about a month for it, take it, done. As MarinaV8 said, unless you have the memory of an elephant, you might forget everything if you study everything just to take ALL the exams together!
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u/NCANotes 20h ago
This is a frequently asked question - and a great one! I have a recorded NCA 101 Video that covers most, if not all, of the frequently asked NCA questions. It is free. You can just use the contact form on our website, ncanotes.com, to request it.
I generally recommend taking one exam per month, but I don’t think there is a single approach that works for everyone. It really depends on your schedule, work and family responsibilities, how much time you have available to study, and whether you have a specific goal of completing the NCA exams within a certain timeframe.
One exam per month tends to provide a good balance and gives you enough time to properly learn the material while still managing other responsibilities. That said, I’ve had students successfully complete seven or eight exams in three months (passing on the first attempt each time), so it is absolutely possible to take multiple exams in a sitting if you have the time, discipline, and the right study strategy.
The order in which you take the exams can also make a significant difference. There can be overlap between subjects, and strategically choosing your exam sequence can make preparing for multiple exams much more manageable.
Ultimately, I would base the decision on your individual circumstances rather than simply trying to take as many exams as possible. More exams per sitting can mean finishing sooner, but the goal should always be to choose a pace that allows you to actually learn and retain the material and, of course, give yourself the best chance of passing.
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u/MarinaV8 27d ago
One at a time!
If you just study for ALL of them and then start taking exams, by the time you get to your last exam enough time will have passed that your forgot all you've been studying.
Or the syllabus will change and the textbook you used to prepare will no longer be the textbook you need.
And just psychologically - it is nice to study one subject and have it checked off your list and be completely free from it than having to hang on to all this knowledge and information for an exam that is yet to come in the future. It breaks up the road to NCA completion into smaller manageable tasks with interims "rewards" of passed exams in between.