NALA ACP Criminal Litigation exam-day guide
NALA ACP Criminal Litigation · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Government-issued photo ID
Bring the original, unexpired ID in the name you registered with. A photocopy or expired document is normally refused. Confirm with the provider which forms of ID it accepts for remote or in-person delivery.
Admission ticket or confirmation email
Print or download the confirmation showing your candidate number, test window, and venue or proctoring link. If you have not received it, contact the provider before test day rather than on the morning.
Log-in and proctoring credentials
For a remotely proctored sitting, verify your username, password, and any security-code step in advance. Confirm with the provider whether a system check or ID-verification upload must be completed before the test window opens.
Compatible computer and stable connection
Use a laptop or desktop that meets the provider's stated requirements, with a working webcam and microphone if remote proctoring applies. Run any required compatibility test at least 24 hours ahead. Confirm with the provider whether tablets and phones are excluded.
Quiet, private, well-lit room
For remote sittings, clear the desk of notes, phones, and second screens. Tell household members not to enter. Confirm with the provider its rules on permitted items, wall coverings, and room scans.
Permitted materials only
Most professional exams bar books, notes, and unauthorised annotations. Confirm with the provider whether the exam is open-book and, if so, which statute extracts or clean copies are allowed.
Water and any permitted medication
Keep a clear glass or bottle if the provider allows drinks. Declare medication or accessibility adjustments in advance; confirm with the provider how to request extra time or rest breaks.
Scratch paper and pen, if allowed
Some sittings supply or permit blank paper for planning answers; others prohibit it. Confirm with the provider before relying on it, and expect to show blank sheets at the start and end if permitted.
Watch or silent timepiece
A simple analogue watch helps with timing if the on-screen clock is small. Confirm with the provider whether wristwatches are permitted under its conduct rules.
Review the format and timing
Know the number of questions or tasks, whether questions are single-best-answer or scenario-based, and whether marks are deducted for wrong answers. Confirm with the provider the current blueprint and pass standard.
Plan the journey or log-in early
For a test centre, recce the route and arrival time; for remote, plan to log in well before the start so ID checks and room scans do not eat into answering time. Confirm with the provider its late-arrival and check-in cut-off rules.
Emergency contact for the provider
Save the provider's candidate-services phone number and email in case of technical failure or illness. Report problems immediately rather than after the sitting.
Plan the day
Re-read the provider's candidate handbook and conduct rules so nothing on the day is a surprise: ID, permitted items, breaks, and what happens on technical failure. Reconfirm your test window, venue or proctoring link, and any accessibility adjustments. Do a final content pass on your weakest two or three criminal litigation topics, using short scenario questions rather than fresh reading. Check that your ID is valid and in the registered name, and that your computer, webcam, and connection meet the stated requirements. Sleep on a normal schedule; do not plan to learn new material in the last three days.
Run the provider's system or equipment check if one is offered, and log in once to confirm credentials work. Charge devices, locate chargers, and prepare your ID and confirmation in one place. Confirm travel time or, for remote sittings, that the room will be quiet and clear at the test time. Do a light review of exam technique: how you will read a long scenario, flag uncertain questions, and allocate time per question. Set two alarms. Stop studying in the evening and protect your sleep.
Eat properly and arrive or log in early, allowing time for ID checks and any room scan. For remote sittings, close other applications, silence phones, and remove second screens. Keep water within reach if allowed. Skim a one-page sheet of your own timing rules and common traps, not new law. Take a few slow breaths and start on time; if anything fails technically, contact the provider at once and note the time.
Read the stem before the options, and watch for words such as 'best', 'first', and 'most likely'. Answer the straightforward questions first, flag long scenarios, and return to them. Keep to your per-question time budget and leave a short buffer at the end. If negative marking does not apply, never leave a blank. For scenario questions, identify the procedural stage, the parties, and the remedy or next step before choosing. Use any permitted break as instructed, and do not discuss content with anyone during an unsupervised break.
Rules to check
Bring the original photo ID in your registered name and present it when asked; entry is normally refused without acceptable ID, so confirm with the provider which documents qualify.
Follow the provider's rules on permitted items and room conditions exactly. For remote sittings this usually means no phones, notes, or second screens, and a clear desk; confirm with the provider its specific list.
Do not communicate with anyone about the exam content during the sitting or in any unsupervised break, and do not copy, photograph, or share questions afterwards. This is standard confidentiality conduct; confirm the provider's exact wording.
Raise a hand or use the stated channel to alert the invigilator or proctor to technical problems, illness, or a need to leave the room, and note the time. Do not attempt to fix a proctoring failure yourself.
Check in advance whether the exam is open-book and, if so, which materials are permitted; using unauthorised material is misconduct regardless of intent. Confirm with the provider.
Understand the scoring before you sit: whether wrong answers are penalised, how many questions count, and what the pass standard is. Confirm with the provider, as these details change between sessions.
Request any extra time, rest breaks, or other adjustments well before test day and keep the approval with you; adjustments are rarely granted on the morning.
If you are ill or cannot sit, contact the provider as early as possible to ask about withdrawal, transfer, or a deferred sitting, and check the deadlines. Confirm with the provider its policy and any fees.