Completely free
No account walls, no upsell
Free exam prep for every test — 20,000+ exam pages and 2.4M+ practice questions.
Open free CP Exam prep resources ↗Exam facts & prep options
Certified Paralegal (CP) Exam
NALA's Certified Paralegal (CP) Exam: a two-part assessment taken in order — the Knowledge Exam (120 multiple-choice questions, 100 scored plus 20 unscored pre-test, 3 hours, on-demand year-round via Prometric onsite, partner, or remote proctoring, preliminary results on completion) and the Skills Exam (one essay question, 2 hours, 30 points, during four testing windows each year in February, April, July, and October). Candidates must pass both sections to earn the NALA Certified Paralegal credential; passing scores are set by the NALA Certifying Board using the Angoff method. Standard application fee USD 325 (NALA member) / USD 375 (non-member), based on federal law with no state law tested.
Official exam siteJump to prep options ↓
QuestionsKnowledge Exam: 120 multiple-choice questions (100 scored, 20 unscored pre-test); Skills Exam: one written assignment (essay question)
Testing timeKnowledge Exam: 3 hours; Skills Exam: 2 hours (120 minutes for the essay); no scheduled breaks
ScoringPass both sections; the Certifying Board sets each section's passing score by the Angoff method (Knowledge Exam scored out of 100 points, Skills Exam out of 30 points); no numeric passing score is published
Exam feeStandard application fee USD 325 NALA member / USD 375 non-member (student USD 150/175; military USD 240/280); retake USD 150 per subsequent attempt for each of the Knowledge and Skills Exams; Prometric delivery fees separate (onsite USD 63 Knowledge / USD 53 Skills; partner testing USD 25 each; remote proctoring USD 58, Knowledge Exam only); 3% service charge on credit card payments
Prep options
Study resources for CP Exam
Independent prep
Courses and study resources
Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- NALA
- Category
- Legal Support
- Current version
- Certified Paralegal Exam Specifications – Effective 2024
- Where it applies
- United States — national
- Exam languages
- English
- Score scale
- Knowledge Exam 100 points; Skills Exam 30 points
- Testing provider
- Prometric (Testing Center Network; onsite, partner, and remote proctoring)
- Format
- Computer-based at Prometric onsite testing centers, partner testing centers, or remote proctoring (Knowledge Exam only); Skills Essay typed on the computer with spellcheck and word-processing functions disabled
- Availability
- Knowledge Exam on-demand year-round (any day of the week including weekends, 24 hours a day, by appointment); Skills Exam during four testing windows each year: February, April, July, and October
- Results
- Knowledge Exam: preliminary result reporting upon completion; Skills Exam authorization to test issued within about 48 hours of passing the Knowledge Exam
- Remote testing
- Available
Exam structure
Two required sections taken in order: (1) Knowledge Exam — 120 multiple-choice questions (100 scored, 20 pre-test) covering the U.S. legal system and practice-area topics per the 2024 specifications, with preliminary result reporting upon completion; (2) Skills Exam — a single written assignment (essay question) graded on identifying relevant facts, identifying the threshold/main and secondary issues, identifying and applying relevant legal authority to the facts, and drawing persuasive logical conclusions
Where rules vary
A nationwide U.S. certification exam based on federal law and procedure; no state laws or procedures are tested, so content is uniform across states.
Eligibility
Must meet one of three eligibility categories before applying: Category 1 — graduation from an ABA-approved, associate, bachelor's, post-baccalaureate certificate, or 60-semester-hour (15 substantive) paralegal program; Category 2 — bachelor's degree in any field plus one year of paralegal experience or 15 semester hours of substantive paralegal courses; Category 3 — high school diploma plus five years of paralegal experience plus 20 hours of substantive CLE within a two-year period
Retake policy
Up to three attempts per section within 365 days of that section's Authorization to Test; 90-day wait between attempts; each retake requires a new retake application and USD 150 fee; failing three attempts (or letting 365 days lapse) voids the application and requires a new application and fee, starting again with the Knowledge Exam