Advisories Updates to NCA Assessment and Appeal Policy
Changes to the NCA Assessment and Appeal Policies come into effect on March 31, 2023. The changes to the policies were approved following a comprehensive review by the NCA. The complete revised NCA Policies document is available here.
Misconduct and Dishonesty
The most significant change to the policies relates to misconduct and dishonesty. The revised NCA Assessment and Appeal Policies now specify consequences for submitting falsified documents in the application process (S.12.6 and 13.5), falsifying NCA documents and engaging in examination misconduct (S.16.4). The revised policies also lay out processes for dealing with allegations of misconduct (S,17) and for appeals of misconduct findings (S.18). These changes help support the integrity of the NCA assessment and examination processes and are in line with credentialing best practices.
Fourth exam attempts
The requirement for those requesting a fourth and final attempt on an exam to submit a remediation plan has been removed. In order to write an NCA exam a fourth time, an Applicant is now required to provide confirmation that they understand that they will be required to take the course at law school if unsuccessful on the fourth attempt (S.16.2.1).
Validity of language tests
The validity period for language test results has been changed to two years to make them consistent with the validity periods set by the organizations that offer the tests (S. 11).
NCA policies continue to be based on, and to comply with, the National Requirement, the Federation standard that everyone must meet to qualify for bar admissions in Canada.