Anyone who knows something about the conveyancing exams (and the notarial practice and attorneys’ admission exams for that matter), will know that they are extremely difficult to pass. That is why we beam with pride for every single student who passes this notorious exam. One of our clients, Jade Mc Iver (now also a conveyancer!) shares her 10 tips for success. Read on to see what she has to say:

“I followed the self-study option for the Course in Conveyancing presented by the Gawie le Roux Institute of Law and attended their Conveyancing Examination Workshop. I firmly believe that if it was not for the notes, the extra examination preparation workshop, the past papers and the additional assignments they provide, I would not have passed the exam. 

Sitting at the feet of a guru

Erinda has an amazing ability to get that last bit of tips and knowledge into your head before you write the exam. I followed every bit of advice she gave for the exam, and it helped me to pass with very good marks. She boosted my self-confidence and helped me to think positively about getting over the hump of passing the exam. 

Fourth time lucky 

I had taken four attempts to pass. I had success the fourth time when I followed these steps:

1. I bought the notes early in the year or the end of the year before, well in advance of the exams.
2. I read through all the notes bit by bit every night and over the weekends.
3. Little by little, I attempted to answer questions in the notes and past papers.
4. I made my own handwritten notes on vital aspects of the notes.
5. I practiced drafting applications, powers of attorneys, all the various types of applications and consents, etc. 
6. I read my own handwritten notes again and again and referred to the study material when I was unsure about something.
7. I attended the examination preparation workshop, listening attentively and taking notes.
8. I went home with the notes from the workshop and revised them multiple times.
9. I went through some questions from paper 2 and looked over RCR’s, etc.
10. At this stage in my preparation, it was not an option to read notes anymore. Now, I was drafting and doing exam questions, just touching upon aspects that I had not looked at in depth.

Start early

The bottom line is that you should give yourself the majority of the year to prepare for the exam and go through the notes every day. You must plan in advance on how you are going to tackle this beast of an exam so that it does not become overwhelming and so that you don’t lose motivation. 

These 10 steps are what I changed in my approach – as opposed to the half-hearted approach I had with my first three attempts. I am positive that if I had followed these guidelines the first-time round, I might even have passed on my first attempt or at least on my second attempt.

Don’t give up

I really want to encourage all the new (and not so new) students who are looking for hope in passing the exam to not give up. Passing that exam has advanced my career to where I never thought I would be after failing so many times. I can only say a huge thank you to the Gawie le Roux Institute of Law team for the dedication and passion they put into the notes and lectures – it played a massive part in my success story. And I still use the notes today!”

We applaud you, Jade! Hard work pays off.

Click here to read more about our preparation course for the conveyancing examination.