What the CP Exam Covers: A Complete Content Breakdown

The NALA Certified Paralegal examination tests your knowledge across multiple areas of substantive and procedural law. Understanding exactly what is tested and how much each area counts allows you to build a targeted, efficient study plan. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of every content domain.

Overview of the Exam Format

The CP exam is a computer-based test administered at PSI testing centers nationwide. It consists of multiple-choice questions drawn from a defined body of knowledge. The exam is designed to assess whether a paralegal has the knowledge and skills necessary to perform competently in a professional setting.

NALA periodically updates the exam blueprint based on job analysis studies that survey practicing paralegals and attorneys about the tasks and knowledge most important to the profession. This means the exam reflects what paralegals actually do in practice.

Content Area 1: Civil Litigation

Civil litigation is one of the most heavily weighted areas on the exam. Topics include:

Pleadings: Complaints, answers, counterclaims, cross-claims, and third-party complaints
Service of Process: Methods of service under FRCP Rule 4, including personal service, substituted service, and waiver of service
Discovery: Interrogatories (Rule 33), requests for production (Rule 34), requests for admission (Rule 36), depositions (Rules 27 through 32), and mandatory disclosure (Rule 26)
Motions: Motion to dismiss (Rule 12), summary judgment (Rule 56), default judgment, and motions in limine
Trial Preparation: Witness lists, exhibit preparation, jury instructions, and trial notebooks
Post-Trial: Judgments, appeals, and enforcement of judgments

Study tip: Master the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure numbers and their associated topics. The exam frequently references specific rule numbers.

Content Area 2: Contracts

Contract law is another major area. Key topics include:

Formation: Offer, acceptance, consideration, and capacity
Defenses: Statute of frauds, duress, undue influence, fraud, and unconscionability
Performance and Breach: Substantial performance, material breach, anticipatory repudiation
Remedies: Compensatory damages, consequential damages, specific performance, and liquidated damages
UCC Article 2: Sale of goods, merchant rules, battle of the forms, perfect tender rule, and risk of loss
Third-Party Rights: Assignment, delegation, and third-party beneficiaries

Content Area 3: Corporate and Business Law

This area covers business organizations and their formation, governance, and dissolution:

Sole Proprietorships: Formation, liability, and tax treatment
Partnerships: General partnerships, limited partnerships (LP), and limited liability partnerships (LLP)
Corporations: Articles of incorporation, bylaws, shareholder rights, fiduciary duties of directors and officers, and piercing the corporate veil
Limited Liability Companies: Operating agreements, member-managed vs. manager-managed, and flexibility of structure
Securities: Basic concepts of federal securities regulation

Content Area 4: Criminal Law and Procedure

Criminal law topics on the CP exam include:

Constitutional Protections: Fourth Amendment (search and seizure), Fifth Amendment (self-incrimination and due process), Sixth Amendment (right to counsel and jury trial), and Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment)
Elements of Crimes: Actus reus, mens rea, and concurrence
Specific Crimes: Homicide classifications, assault, battery, robbery, burglary, larceny, and white-collar crimes
Defenses: Self-defense, insanity, intoxication, entrapment, and duress
Criminal Procedure: Arrest, booking, initial appearance, preliminary hearing, grand jury, arraignment, trial, and sentencing

Content Area 5: Estate Planning and Probate

This area tests your knowledge of wills, trusts, and the probate process:

Wills: Requirements for valid wills, types of wills (attested, holographic, nuncupative), codicils, and revocation
Trusts: Revocable vs. irrevocable trusts, living trusts, testamentary trusts, and trustee duties
Intestacy: Distribution under intestate succession statutes
Probate Process: Filing the will, appointing the personal representative, inventorying assets, paying debts, and distributing the estate
Estate and Gift Tax: Basic concepts of federal estate and gift taxation

Content Area 6: Real Estate

Real estate topics include:

Estates in Land: Fee simple absolute, life estate, fee simple defeasible
Concurrent Ownership: Tenancy in common, joint tenancy, and tenancy by the entirety
Transfers: Deeds (warranty, quitclaim, special warranty), recording statutes, and title searches
Mortgages: Types of mortgages, foreclosure procedures, and deed of trust
Landlord-Tenant Law: Types of tenancies, eviction procedures, and lease terms
Closings: Settlement statements, title insurance, and closing procedures

Content Area 7: Torts

The torts section covers intentional torts, negligence, and strict liability:

Intentional Torts: Assault, battery, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, trespass, and conversion
Negligence: Duty, breach, causation (actual and proximate), and damages
Defenses: Contributory negligence, comparative negligence, assumption of risk
Strict Liability: Abnormally dangerous activities and product liability
Damages: Compensatory, punitive, and nominal damages

Content Area 8: Ethics and Professional Responsibility

Ethics is woven throughout the exam. Key topics:

NALA Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility
Unauthorized practice of law: what paralegals can and cannot do
Confidentiality and attorney-client privilege
Conflict of interest identification and screening
Proper paralegal supervision

Build Your Study Plan Around Content Weights

Use the content weights to allocate your study time. Spend more hours on heavily weighted areas like civil litigation and contracts, but do not ignore any area entirely. Even lower-weight topics can contribute enough questions to affect your pass/fail result. Sign up free to access study tools organized by content area, and use our flashcard system to reinforce your knowledge across all domains.

Complete Guide to CP Exam Content Areas and Weights