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Canada · Accreditation exams

NCA exam notes: what you can use and keep

You can bring your own notes, because every National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) exam is open-book. Your NCA exam notes have to be in hard copy, though: electronic copies of notes or textbooks aren’t allowed. The NCA’s own study materials are its exam outlines, sample exams and two exam-writing guides. Notes sold by tutors and companies don’t come from the NCA, and it doesn’t endorse them.

  • TypedHow your exam answers must be written
  • DestroyedWhat happens to rough work at the end
  • Hard copy onlyFormat your notes and books must be in
Where to study

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Can you use your own NCA exam notes?

Yes. The NCA says you can use any type of reference material, as long as it’s in hard copy:

  • Typed or handwritten notes
  • Notes that are annotated, highlighted, tabbed, indexed or marked in any other way
  • Books marked up the same way

A PDF of your notes or an e-book can’t be used. Your answer also has to be typed: scanned documents, attachments and photos aren’t accepted as answers.

How an NCA exam works →

Rough work during the exam

You can’t keep any notes you make while writing. The proctor makes sure you destroy them. If you don’t, you’re disqualified: the attempt is recorded but you get no result, and you have to register and pay again. You may keep only the study notes you had before the exam started.

Building your own study notes

The NCA’s guide on answering fact-based questions suggests pulling your reading notes, the textbook chapters and other material into one summary, then studying from it and annotating it as you go. That summary can be one of the hard copy materials on your desk.

Build it from the current exam outline for your subject, since readings and editions change. The Administrative Law outline warns that reading only a supplementary text, or notes from courses and websites that help with NCA exams, isn’t enough, and that you need to know the assigned readings.

NCA syllabus versions and required texts →

Buying NCA notes

Private tutors and companies sell subject notes. The NCA doesn’t endorse any of them, and neither the NCA nor the law societies require them. Before you buy, check which outline version and textbook edition the notes follow, and remember they still have to come to the exam in hard copy.

NCA courses, tutors and notes compared →
Sources: NCA and 4 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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