The PLS Exam
PLS = Professional legal secretary. This is the second exam of the NALS. Unlike the ALS exam, the PLS exam requires more than basic skills and experience.
This exam is meant to prove your professional skills as a paralegal to everyone who needs such proof: employers, clients or colleagues. In order to pass the exam you will need to pass all of its four parts (all done in the same day):
• Written Communications
• Office Procedures and Technology
• Ethics and Judgment
• Legal Knowledge and Skills
The PLS certification is valid for five years. In order to renew it you will need to keep on studying – a continuing education of legal studies is a must.
Requirements and Conditions
Among other things, you will be tested on your skills in various areas such as procedural law, documents preparations, responsibility, judgment, interaction and dedication.
In order to sit for the PLS exam you must have three years of experience in the legal field. If you have only two years’ of experience, you can request waiver only if you have a related certification (like the ALS exam or a secondary degree), but two years is the minimum.
Just like the ALS, if you don’t pass all four parts of the exam, you are allowed to re-do the failed parts (same rules apply). However, unlike with the ALS exam, you can pay only for the parts you need to re-do.
Dates and Costs
You can sit for the PLS exam twice a year: March and September.
The PLS exam is more expensive than the ALS, but it is still affordable:
• 200$ for the initial examination (150$ if you are a member).
• 50$ for each failed part (40$ if you are member).