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NALA – The Paralegal Association (National Association of Legal Assistants)

NALA Certified Paralegal (CP) Examination — Knowledge Exam

NALA's national paralegal credential — a 120-question knowledge exam on the U.S. legal system, litigation, contracts, business, property, torts and ethics, then a written skills exam.

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Two partsKnowledge Exam (multiple-choice) first, then Skills Exam (written assignment)
QuestionsKnowledge: 120 (100 scored + 20 pretest) · Skills: one written assignment
TimeKnowledge: 3 hours · Skills: 2 hours
WhereKnowledge on demand at Prometric centers or remote via ProProctor · Skills onsite in February, April, July and October
Who sits itParalegal program graduate · bachelor's + 1 year's paralegal experience or 15 semester hours of paralegal courses · high school + 5 years' experience + 20 hours CLE
PassingCut score set by the Angoff method and not published; results show Pass, with raw scores only for failing candidates
Keep itValid 5 years; renew with 50 CLE hours including 5 in legal ethics

About the exam

NALA's Certified Paralegal (CP) credential — once called CLA, and the two names still mean the same thing — has two parts. The Knowledge Exam has 120 multiple-choice questions (100 scored, 20 pretest) in 3 hours. You can take it on demand, year-round, at a Prometric test center or remotely through Prometric's ProProctor. Once you pass it, you take the Skills Exam: a single 2-hour written assignment given in February, April, July and October at an onsite test center, graded on legal writing and critical thinking.

NALA restructured the exam from January 2024 after a 2022 job analysis, and that structure is still current in the 2026 handbook. This page covers the Knowledge Exam's 10 content areas and their point weights. The Skills Exam is an essay, so we support it with guides and case simulations on spotting facts and issues rather than multiple-choice questions. The CP is different from NALA's Advanced Certified Paralegal (ACP): ACP is a specialty credential earned through NALA courses, and only people who already hold the CP can earn it.

Every item is an original paralegal-practice fact pattern written to NALA's published specifications. None are NALA questions or recalled exam items. Law is tested at a general, national level: federal rules for litigation and the ABA Model Rules for ethics.

How we track your progress

Every blueprint domain moves through five levels as you study:

  1. Not startedNo questions answered in this domain yet.
  2. Getting startedFirst questions answered — not enough yet to judge.
  3. DevelopingAt least 5 answered and 50% or better on your recent questions.
  4. ProficientAt least 15 answered and 70% or better on your recent questions.
  5. Exam readyAt least 25 answered, 80% or better recently, and holding up on hard questions.

The exam blueprint

NALA Certified Paralegal Exam Specifications (effective January 2024) as carried in the 2026 CP Program Handbook — Knowledge Exam 100 points across 10 areas — 100 items modeled on the CP Knowledge Exam's 100 scored points (the real exam has 120 items including 20 pretest) across NALA's 10 content areas at the official point weights. Tap a domain to see its topics.

1 United States legal system 15 of 100 points (NALA) of the exam
Sources of law: constitutions, statutes, regulations, case lawFederal and state court structure and appellate reviewPrecedent, stare decisis and mandatory vs persuasive authorityLegal and equitable remediesAdministrative agencies: rulemaking and adjudicationLegal citation and research basicsSeparation of powers and federalism basics

36 practice questions in this domain so far

2 Civil litigation 15 of 100 points (NALA) of the exam
Subject-matter and personal jurisdiction; venuePleadings and service of process under the FRCPDiscovery tools and deadlinesMotions practice and calendaringFederal Rules of Evidence: relevance, hearsay, privilege basicsTrial preparation and post-trial stepsAlternative dispute resolution: mediation and arbitration

36 practice questions in this domain so far

3 Contracts 10 of 100 points (NALA) of the exam
Offer, acceptance and considerationCapacity and legalityStatute of fraudsRights and duties of parties; third-party beneficiaries and assignmentBreach and remediesDefenses to enforcementUCC Article 2 basics for sales of goods

24 practice questions in this domain so far

4 Corporate and commercial law 10 of 100 points (NALA) of the exam
Sole proprietorships, partnerships, LLCs and corporationsFormation documents and filingsOwners' rights and managers' responsibilities; fiduciary dutiesLimited liability and piercing the corporate veilAgency principlesBusiness transactions and secured transactions basics

24 practice questions in this domain so far

5 Criminal law and procedure 7 of 100 points (NALA) of the exam
Elements of crimes: act and intentClasses of crimes: felonies and misdemeanorsArrest, search and seizure basicsRights of the accused: Miranda and counselCriminal process from charge to sentencingCommon defenses

17 practice questions in this domain so far

6 Estate planning and probate 7 of 100 points (NALA) of the exam
Wills: requirements, execution and revocationIntestate successionTrusts: types and partiesProbate administration stepsPowers of attorney and advance directivesNon-probate transfers

17 practice questions in this domain so far

7 Real estate and property 8 of 100 points (NALA) of the exam
Real vs personal propertyForms of ownership and concurrent estatesDeeds, recording and titleReal estate transactions and closingsMortgages and liensLandlord and tenant basicsEasements and land-use restrictions

19 practice questions in this domain so far

8 Torts 10 of 100 points (NALA) of the exam
Negligence: duty, breach, causation, damagesDefenses: comparative and contributory negligence, assumption of riskStrict liability and products liabilityIntentional tortsVicarious liability and respondeat superiorDamages in tort cases

24 practice questions in this domain so far

9 Professional and ethical responsibility 12 of 100 points (NALA) of the exam
Unauthorized practice of law: what a paralegal may and may not doLawyer's duty to supervise nonlawyer assistants (ABA Model Rule 5.3)Confidentiality and privilege (Rule 1.6)Conflicts of interest and screening of nonlawyer staffFee sharing with nonlawyers (Rule 5.4)Client trust funds and handling propertyCandor, honesty and communication with represented personsNALA's Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility

29 practice questions in this domain so far

10 Debtor/creditor and bankruptcy 6 of 100 points (NALA) of the exam
Secured vs unsecured creditorsJudgment collection: liens, garnishment, executionChapter 7 liquidation vs Chapter 13 repaymentChapter 11 reorganization basicsThe automatic stay and dischargeExemptions and the means test

14 practice questions in this domain so far

What you get when you access this exam

Free with your QuizMe account.

Original fact patterns aligned to the official outline

Every question is tagged to one of the 10 areas and its topics — the U.S. legal system, civil litigation, contracts, business law, criminal law, estates, property, torts, ethics and bankruptcy.

Exam-critical hints

Reveal the rule that unlocks the question — the element, the exception, the trigger word in the call. Every answer comes with a full rationale for the right choice and for each wrong one.

Adaptive testing

Questions steer toward your weakest areas, weighted by how much each counts on the real exam, and get harder as you get stronger.

Timed practice exams

Full-length exams at the real pace — 100 questions in 2 h 30 min — with a live pacing indicator and a full review.

Flashcards, case simulations and guides

100 flashcards for court structure, FRCP deadlines, entity types, estate terms, bankruptcy chapters and UPL boundaries, 6 case simulations where a client file moves from intake to discovery to closing unfold step by step, and 4 illustrated guides to the court system, a civil case timeline, business entities and the UPL line between paralegal and lawyer work you explore hotspot by hotspot.

Progress for every blueprint area

Each area moves from Not started to Getting started, Developing, Proficient and Exam ready — so you know exactly what to study next.

Test at home or at a center

Apply to NALA under one of three eligibility categories. Once approved, you have 365 days from your authorization to test to pass the Knowledge Exam (up to three attempts, 90 days apart). Then you get a separate 365-day window for the Skills Exam.

Knowledge Exam — center or remote

  • 120 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours, on demand year-round.
  • Take it at a Prometric test center or remotely with Prometric ProProctor (private room, webcam, no notes).
  • You see preliminary results when you finish.
  • Retakes are $150 each; after three failed attempts you reapply with a new application and fee.

Skills Exam and before you book

  • Skills Exam: one 2-hour written assignment, typed at an onsite test center in February, April, July or October.
  • It's graded on legal writing (10 points) and critical thinking (20 points), and results can take up to 15 weeks.
  • Application fee: $325 for NALA members and $375 for non-members, with lower military and student rates.
  • Gather your transcript or attorney attestation for your eligibility category before you apply.

Exam-day game plan

How to walk in ready — and how to pace 100 questions in 2 h 30 min.

Pacing checkpoints

Hit these and you finish with time to revisit your flagged questions. Our timed practice exams run at this same pace.

25questions0:38
50questions1:15
75questions1:52
100questions2:30

The week before

  • Take one full timed practice exam 3–5 days out, then rest.
  • Spend your last sessions on the heaviest areas — the U.S. legal system, civil litigation and ethics, which add up to 42 points.
  • Review the paralegal/UPL line: giving legal advice, setting fees, appearing in court and signing pleadings.
  • Rehearse the litigation sequence from complaint to judgment, with the FRCP deadlines.

Exam morning

  • Eat a real breakfast; the Knowledge Exam is 3 hours.
  • At a center, arrive 30 minutes early with ID that matches your NALA record. Testing remotely? Clear the room and run Prometric's system check first.
  • Use the restroom right before you start.

During the exam

  • Keep to about 1.5 minutes a question: 40 done at the 1-hour mark, 80 at 2 hours.
  • Answer at the general national level — federal rules and the ABA Model Rules, not your state's quirks.
  • When a question asks what a paralegal may do, look for supervision and whether it's legal advice.
  • Answer every question — 20 are unscored pretest items you can't identify.

Keep your head

  • A few nerves sharpen focus. If you freeze, take three slow breaths and reread the stem.
  • You're measured against a fixed standard, not other candidates.
  • Change an answer only when you find a real reason in the stem.

Keeping your Certified Paralegal credential

  • The CP is valid for 5 years.
  • Earn 50 hours of continuing legal education each 5-year period, including at least 5 hours of legal ethics; no more than 10 hours may be non-substantive.
  • Extra hours don't carry over to the next period, and you sign an affidavit that you have no felony conviction in the prior five years.
  • Each NALA Advanced Certified Paralegal (ACP) course you complete earns 20 CLE hours toward renewal.

Official sources and further reading

Ready to start?

240 questions and scenarios across the blueprint — and growing.

Enroll free

CP and Certified Paralegal are certification marks of NALA – The Paralegal Association (National Association of Legal Assistants); ACP is also a NALA credential. QuizMe and thinQtank Learning are not affiliated with or endorsed by NALA, the American Bar Association or Prometric. Our practice items are original fact patterns, not NALA exam questions or recalled items. Exam details are summarized from NALA's 2026 CP Program Handbook, exam specifications and program pages. Fees, formats and requirements change — always confirm at nala.org before you apply.