CP Exam Content Areas
The NALA Certified Paralegal exam tests 10 content areas. Each guide below covers what you need to know, key concepts, and how the topic is tested.
Exam weight breakdown
The CP exam has 120 multiple-choice questions completed in 2 hours. Questions are distributed across these 10 content areas according to the weights below.
US Legal System
15%Court structure, jurisdiction, sources of law, federalism, and the American legal framework.
Study this topicCivil Litigation
15%Pleadings, discovery, motions, trial procedure, appeals, and civil case management.
Study this topicContracts
10%Formation, consideration, defenses, performance, breach, remedies, and UCC Article 2.
Study this topicCorporate and Commercial Law
10%Business entities, formation, governance, mergers, securities basics, and commercial transactions.
Study this topicCriminal Law and Procedure
7%Elements of crimes, constitutional protections, search and seizure, trial rights, and sentencing.
Study this topicEstate Planning and Probate
7%Wills, trusts, intestacy, probate administration, estate taxes, and advance directives.
Study this topicReal Estate and Property
7%Property types, deeds, mortgages, title searches, closings, landlord-tenant law, and zoning.
Study this topicTorts
7%Negligence, intentional torts, strict liability, damages, defenses, and product liability.
Study this topicProfessional and Ethical Responsibility
15%NALA ethics, unauthorized practice of law, confidentiality, conflicts of interest, and professional standards.
Study this topicBankruptcy and Debtor-Creditor
7%Chapter 7, 11, and 13 filings, automatic stay, exemptions, discharge, and creditor rights.
Study this topicHow to prioritize your study time
Three content areas dominate the CP exam: Professional and Ethical Responsibility (15%), US Legal System (15%), and Civil Litigation (15%). Together, these three areas account for 45% of the exam. If you can only focus on a few areas, make it these three.
Contracts (10%) and Corporate and Commercial Law (10%) together add another 20%, bringing the total for the top 5 areas to 65% of the exam. Mastering these five content areas gives you a strong foundation.
The remaining five areas (Criminal Law, Estate Planning, Real Estate, Torts, Bankruptcy) each carry 7% of the exam. While individually smaller, they collectively represent 35% of your score. Do not skip them entirely.
Practice every content area
ParalegalPrep has practice questions, flashcards, and study tools for all 10 CP exam content areas.
ParalegalPrep is not affiliated with or endorsed by NALA. "Certified Paralegal" and "CP" are trademarks of NALA.