Juggling your articles of clerkship and studying for the Legal Practice Council’s challenging competency-based exam (CBE) can feel overwhelming.
That’s why we’ve brought together the top exam tips for the board exams from alumni who have not only passed but excelled in these exams.
Let’s dive in.
Brinke Hoeksma
"Honestly, my biggest advice is to make sure your environment is healthy, positive, and that you have a strong support system. Once you know you’re surrounded by people who will stand by you, whether you pass or fail, you’ll feel more grounded and focused. Also, don’t forget to take care of yourself and your body. Get enough sleep, keep eating properly, and give your brain the rest it needs; it makes a huge difference.
From there, the rest comes down to discipline and determination. Make sure you really know and understand the theory, even though it can feel long and draining at times, just keep going. Practice as many past papers and practical questions as you can, and don’t be discouraged if you don’t get the right answer the first time. That’s part of the process.
Most importantly, have faith in yourself. Believe that you can do it, and remember that everything happens for a reason."
Read her success story here.
Tahir Bayat
“To those preparing for their competency-based examination, do not be afraid to converse with those who are important role-players in your life for the support, confidence and boost you need. You might feel you wish not to burden them with your stressors, but trust me, support structures are essential to having a positive attitude towards not only these […] entry-based examinations, but the examination of life and the world that awaits.
Noticing the anxiety I was going through, and the self-made mental block created by no one other than myself, I happened to search the web and found Gawie le Roux Institute of Law. I was amazed by the services offered; training candidate legal practitioners methodically in a manner that almost guaranteed a 100% pass rate upon enrolling. There was a passage that caught my eye: 'The golden thread that runs through all of our courses and seminars is the exceptional quality of our notes and manuals, with which we strive to empower all those working in the legal profession to behold the beauty of the law'. With no time wasted, I, with the blessings of my dad, immediately enrolled."
Tips to overcome exam anxiety:
- Plan ahead
- Relax
- Sleep well
- Eat well
- Listen
- Think positively
- Tap into your spirituality
- Know your worth
- Communicate
Read his success story here.
Tshidi Mokgobo
"Study months ahead of time, especially for conveyancing! The conveyancing course is very detailed and has a lot of content to be covered so, give yourself at least 4 months to study as this will allow you to absorb the information deeply and give you the necessary confidence when approaching the exam. Furthermore, I would advise that you do as many past exam papers as you can for board exams as well as conveyancing."
Read her success story here.
Luke Magerman
"My best tip, which applies to any theory examination, is to plan well and be proactive with your studies. By creating a plan and organising your time and study material, you can ensure that: firstly, you get through all the study material; and secondly, that you make notes of the parts of the work that you struggle with or do not completely comprehend yet.
Effective planning also provides you with a chance to structure your studying in such a way that you have time to be proactive during your studies, this includes doing past papers, and (what I like to do) creating your own questions based on the theory and then to quiz yourself and do active recall based on the questions that you have formulated.
Lastly, try not to cram and ensure you get enough sleep leading up to your board exams, as a lack of sleep will negatively affect your overall preparation and retention more than you think, and ultimately the trade-off is not worth it."
Read his success story here.
Carika Stander
"My advice to others who are preparing for the exams would be to make sure your study material is sufficient and very detailed. Don't make use of another person's notes. Make your own notes. Prepare yourself to put in a few late nights, have that energy drink or coffee close by, you are going to need it. And then it comes down to you, you need to focus and motivate yourself to study hard and to put the effort in. Set a goal for yourself that you want to achieve, and do everything you can to reach that goal.
Put a little pressure on yourself and push yourself harder. My goal was to write all four admission exams at once and to pass all four. While studying, I decided why not try and write conveyancing and notary as well (I had nothing to lose in attempting to write conveyancing and notary)."
"I pushed myself very hard, and I reached my ultimate goal, which was to pass all seven exams on the first attempt."
Read her success story here.
Kevin Govender
"Purchase the materials from GLR! Study at least 5 times per week and at least four months in advance."
Read his success story here.
Conclusion
Studying for any exam is stressful and can cause massive anxiety. You can ease the pressure by preparing well in advance and giving yourself enough time to consume the work. Visit our training calendar to plan your studies.
If you’d like to connect with your peers who are also preparing for the exam, join the Gawie le Roux Institute of Law Telegram groups.
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