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| Um… not that Nala, but the expression is pretty accurate! “Oh shiiiiiit…” |
It’s been a while since I updated about my NALA paralegal certification. It’s been on my mind pretty consistently since I finally determined I was going to take it a few months ago, and as I’m taking it at the end of this month, I thought I’d give my exam schedule, just determined today:
23 May
Legal Research: 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Ethics: 6:30pm – 8:00pm
24 May
Judgment and Analytical Ability: 10:00am – 12:30pm
25 May
American Legal Systems: 10:00am – 12:30pm
Communications: 1:00pm – 3:00pm
The first day is dipping my big toe in with some standard questions about legal research (citations, primary v. secondary resources, formats for different research materials, etc.) and ethics (which is exactly what it sounds like. The second is equivalent to shoving me in the deep end with a two hour long essay, hooray! Then comes the last day of drowning in a sea of substantive law (administrative, family, contracts, and litigation) and… oh, okay, a breath of air with communications.
Maybe.
It’s especially weighing on my mind since a coworker asked why I was taking the exam in the first place. Considering that, should I pass the exam, I’d be the only certified paralegal in the firm, the exam is obviously not compulsory. So it begs the question, why am I taking it, anyway?
Honestly, I enjoy a challenge. I like putting myself on the line, trying to shoot higher than where I currently am, pushing myself to my limits. The sense of achievement I feel is trumped only by my desire to want to do even better. Since I started my Legal Studies degree, I’ve wanted to take the exam to prove to myself that I could pass it.
It sounds a bit pompous to say something like that, but believe me when I say that it’s not. I just enjoy a personal challenge and learning as much as possible, and that means absorbing an entire CLA/CP review manual in a matter of weeks and putting that knowledge to the test using an examination with a 40% first-time pass rate (my odds are good, right?).
So… there’s my reason, and there’s my schedule. I’d write more, but my head is swimming with legal information and factoids right now, so I unfortunately must end here and rest my brain, haha. Is anyone else taking the exam?
