Understanding the Board Exams

The Competency-Based Examinations (CBE) are professional examinations administered by the Legal Practice Council (LPC) as part of the requirements for candidate legal practitioners.

They are designed to assess more than your ability to remember legal rules. The focus is on whether you can demonstrate the knowledge, skills and practical competence required in legal practice.

What Are the Competency-Based Examinations?

The CBEs assess your ability to use your legal knowledge in practical situations. Depending on the paper, you may be required to:

• identify legal issues;

• apply legal principles to facts;

• understand and apply legislation, rules and procedures;

• analyse practical legal problems;

• draft legal documents;

• perform practical calculations or accounting tasks; and

• communicate your answer clearly and effectively.

The examinations therefore require you to understand how the law works in practice, not simply memorise legal information.

Who Writes the Examinations?

The CBEs form part of the professional requirements applicable to candidate legal practitioners undergoing Practical Vocational Training under the supervision of an attorney. The requirements that apply to you may depend on your circumstances, including when you commenced your Practical Vocational Training and which examination structure you are completing. For this reason, always check the current LPC requirements that apply to you.

Competence, Not Just Memorisation

The word “competency” is important.

You may know the correct legal rule, but you must also be able to recognise when it applies and use it appropriately.

For example, you may need to: Identify the issue → Find the relevant law → Understand the legal principle → Apply it to the facts → Reach a reasoned conclusion.

Some questions may also require you to draft a practical legal document rather than simply explain the law.

What Should You Expect?

The CBEs require preparation across the relevant syllabus and may test both legal knowledge and practical application. You should therefore expect to work with sources such as:

• legislation;

• case law;

• court rules;

• practice directives;

• professional rules and requirements; and

• other relevant legal materials.

The precise content and structure of the examinations can change. Your current LPC syllabus and examination notices should always take priority over older notes, textbooks, preparation materials or past examination papers.

Understanding the Examination Is Part of Preparing

Before you start studying, make sure you know:

• which examination structure applies to you;

• which papers you are required to write;

• what each paper covers;

• which syllabus applies to your examination;

• what practical skills may be assessed; and

• what the current LPC requirements are.

For a breakdown of the current and transitional paper structures, see Know Your Papers.

For guidance on preparing for the examinations, see How to Prepare for the Board Exams.

A Final Reminder

The CBEs are not simply about asking:

“Do you know the law?”

They are also about asking:

“Can you use the law?”

Understand the law. Apply the law. Demonstrate your competence.