"If the LSO goes ahead with the change, Ontario would join other provinces including Prince Edward Island, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and B.C., which announced its decision to scrap the bar in October. Most of them went on to adopt the Practice Readiness Education Program (PREP), a training program offered by the Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education that's nine months long, or 14 weeks in an accelerated format."
"Before the bar exam, there was a course-based model that included multiple tests. But according to a September report from the LSO's Professional Development and Competence Committee, there were concerns that the current bar exam doesn't assess what lawyers need to know in the real world. The report also notes complaints that the exam was "extremely stressful and took a significant toll on their mental health.""
The Law Society of Ontario is considering ending the bar exam and replacing it with a skills-based course employed by several provinces. Prince Edward Island, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and British Columbia have moved away from the exam; many adopted the Practice Readiness Education Program (PREP), which runs nine months or 14 weeks in an accelerated format. The LSO plans a final test with scenario-based assignments to confirm entry-level competence and began public consultations in October, concluding January 2026. The current bar exam comprises two open-book multiple-choice tests. An LSO committee report found the exam often fails to assess real-world skills and can be extremely stressful, with mental-health tolls reported more frequently by Indigenous candidates.
#bar-exam-reform #practice-readiness-education-program-prep #legal-licensing-ontario #candidate-mental-health
Read at www.cbc.ca
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]