You Have Finished Your Program; Now What?
Your classes are finished, your exams are written, and you have finished your internship hours. You are no longer a student, and you feel ready to enter the working world as a paralegal—but are you truly prepared to take the P1 exam?
There are several paralegal competencies that the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) evaluates on the exam. Competencies can include ethical and professional responsibilities, civil litigation, criminal and quasi-criminal law, jurisdiction, and administrative law; all subjects you have studied in school. But do you know these subjects well enough to pass the test?
Do You Have Your Materials?
One thing to remember before you worry about obtaining study materials is that you must register with the LSO as a licensing candidate. Once you have registered, you can purchase the LSO’s official study materials.
Each licensing year, the LSO provides updated study materials. Materials are current from June 1st of the present year (i.e., 2024) to May 31st of the following year (i.e., 2025).[1] If you graduate from your paralegal program in April 2025, the earliest you can write the exam is in July 2025. You may have knowledge of competencies like administrative law while you are fresh out of school, but how well will you remember the legal principles a few months down the road? Don’t forget you might not have thought about some examinable subjects since a few semesters ago. There is a high chance you will need to refresh your memory to succeed on the exam. In short, not only is the purchase of study materials mandatory, but it is also one of the keys to your success.
Have You Considered Taking an Exam Preparation Course?
Now that you’re done classes, you may be eager to get right back into studying for the closest licensing period. You can’t wait to write the exam and become a newly licensed paralegal. Or, if you’re like me, you may have had second thoughts about writing your P1 exam as quickly as possible after graduation. You may have thought about deferring it for a few months, or even a year.
Regardless of whether you want to write the exam right away or you’ve deferred and want to come back to it later, you’ve probably looked at legal forums or Reddit for the best ways to prepare. It is likely that on one of these forums, you have come across recommendations for exam preparation courses or practice exams. Practice exams can give you a good idea of how well (or not well) your studying is going. You might get a clear idea of where you went wrong and how to prepare to pass your next attempt. If you want a bit more than testing your knowledge, a proper review can help. Even if you’re a recent graduate who wants to write as quickly as possible, a preparation course is still a wise investment in yourself.
Luckily, Emond is known for its high-quality practice exams and preparation courses. Emond offers annual live webinars hosted by knowledgeable instructors, and each online webinar covers professional responsibility, administrative law, criminal/ quasi-criminal law, and civil litigation. The webinars are recorded, and the recordings are available for purchase year-round.
After reading this, you might ask yourself, “Why do I need this?” You’ve spent all this time and money in school, your budget is tight, and you don’t want to spend more money before the exam. “Why” is certainly an understandable question. Exam preparation should be viewed as an investment in yourself. The cost might seem daunting to you at first, but it will pay off in the long run. No matter when you decide to write the exam, you want to put yourself in the best possible position to succeed.
Investing in yourself now with a preparation course will only help you down the road (and could end up costing less, too). We think about how much it costs to prepare for the exam once, but what if we end up failing the exam? We then have to re-register and pay to take the exam again. But investing in yourself now can mean you’re better prepared to take the exam, thus saving money in the long run. If you do decide to take a course with Emond, it’s covered by the guarantee that if you purchase a course, practice exam, or flashcards and don’t pass your LSO exam, Emond will renew your access free of charge.
Don’t be afraid to assess where you’re at by using practice exams, regardless if your results are good or need work. If you aren’t scoring as well as you’d hoped, you can also consider taking an exam strategy course. Here, you will be given strategies and tips to make the most of your preparation. You can learn how to be more organized and how to approach the LSO’s multiple-choice questions.
Do You Think You’re Ready?
I’ve been in your shoes before, and I know even thinking about writing the exam can be mentally taxing. It’s okay to feel nervous and anxious before you sit down to write. There are ways you can be more thorough in your preparation, and being thorough can help ease some of your nerves heading into the exam.
Finally, remember to make the most of your LSO materials and consider the study tips they offer. Do you have the time to read through their materials three times? Is it feasible for you to put other commitments on hold while you prioritize studying? If so, do you have a study schedule? Maybe you are like me, and taking the time to organize yourself helps put you in the right mindset to be evaluated. Lastly: take a deep breath—you’ve got this!
[1] https://lso.ca/becoming-licensed/paralegal-licensing-process/paralegal-licensing-examinations/study-materials-(1).