Don’t memorise answers, CLP exam markers tell candidates

 

Prospective lawyers will sit for the Certificate in Legal Practice examination over 10 days from tomorrow.

PETALING JAYA: Some prospective candidates for the Certificate in Legal Practice have been left confused after being told at a pre-examination briefing that many candidates had failed because they produced memorised answers.

The candidates said they were bewildered because part of the examination is based on memorised cases. Yet members of the briefing panel told them to refrain from doing so if they wanted to pass.

One candidate who is sitting for the third time said they were told to answer the way that they would argue in court or the way they would advise their clients.

“If the examination itself is based on rote learning, how can we answer otherwise like advising a client? When working as a lawyer we have weeks to research and prepare our arguments and thoughts,” he said.

He said many law students wanted to see a revamp of the whole CLP examination structure, which they felt to be obsolete because of the need to commit so much to memory, and with so much ground to cover.

This year’s CLP examination will be held over a period of 10 days beginning tomorrow. The examination has come under scrutiny over the low passing rate of only 20-25% of the 2,000-odd candidates getting through.

Another candidate who is making a second attempt said the panelists kept emphasising that there was no quota set on the number of successful candidates, as was being speculated.

“They told us to ignore such claims and just be well prepared. It may not be convincing, but we have to believe them as they are the markers,” he said.

He said the two-hour briefing, held a week before the examination, should have been held at least a month before as they would have had more time to readjust their preparations to suit what they were told.

Another candidate said he left confused when three of the panelists gave different takes on how marks are awarded.

“One said if we fail to name a certain case in full, they cannot pass us. Yet another panelist said mentioning the first name or part of it would suffice. The third one said as long as we can remember what the court held in a particular case, it would suffice,” he said.

In an email response to FMT, the CLP director’s office said the aim of the briefing session was to help the candidates answer the questions more accurately and to focus on what they needed to answer.

“The main objective is to expose the candidates to frequent mistakes made in the past to help them with the next examination.”

Asked if there is any plan by the Legal Profession Qualifying Board to revamp the CLP examination format in view of the many complaints, it said the board always takes the necessary steps to improve the standard and quality of the examination and the legal profession as a whole. - FMT