Paralegals & Legal Secretaries

One Paralegal's Path to the PACE Exam

By ParalegalGateway.com

I first learned of the Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam back in 2000 when I joined the Philadelphia Association of Paralegals. I was immediately intrigued. How great -- an exam to test the competency of paralegals. It was right up my alley because I'm always looking for a challenge.

So I quickly ordered all the materials to begin my quest. About a week later I received my package of materials. But with a busy work schedule, billable-hour requirement and three children at home, I never had a moment to even open the envelope, let alone begin the process. I began to feel guilty because there was this exam out there that would enhance my position within my profession, and I couldn't find the time to take it.

At the same time I started to become more involved with PAP's newsletter committee. I began asking my fellow paralegals to see how they felt about the exam. To my surprise, most paralegals said they didn't feel it was worth their time since it wouldn't get them a pay raise and it wasn't mandatory. Well, if others felt this way, maybe this exam was a waste of my time. So I threw out the materials and went on with my busy paralegal life.

A few years had passed, and I became even more involved with PAP and its committees and, in 2005, was elected to serve on its board of directors. It wasn't until I became a board member when I learned PAP had a PACE ambassador, Barbara I. Nield. I quickly began to think again about taking the exam. I thought if PAP had an ambassador and promoted the PACE exam that this is something I need to do, regardless of no pay raise or whether it was now or later would be mandatory.

At the same time, Nield was working with PAP to offer scholarships to PAP members for the PACE exam. I was so excited, and I actually only attended the December luncheon to put my name in the drawing. What do you know, I won the scholarship. I almost immediately ran back to the office to ask my boss if I could take the exam. Lucas & Cavalier has always supported me in my profession, so I wasn't surprised when I was told, "Absolutely! Let me know what you need from me and/or the firm to get started."

The minute I got the OK from my boss, I called Nield to find out what the necessary steps were to take the exam. She suggested I order the study guide first to give myself a little extra time to study. From the time you receive the acceptance letter to take the exam, you only have 90 days to actually take the exam.

A week later the book arrived at my office -- all 676 pages of it. I almost fell over when I saw how huge the book was. I couldn't even fit it in my workbag. There was no way I could carry this thing to and from work every day. So the book sat on my desk for a few months before I even opened it.

It was now May 2006, and I decided I was again ready to start studying. But tragedy hit home, and my only brother suddenly passed away. After a few months of walking around in a daze, I decided I wasn't going to take this exam. I felt life was too short, and I didn't want to waste months of studying to take this four-hour exam.

But as more months went by, I began to remember all the things that make life worth living and that, yes, life is short, and we need to get all we can out of it, and taking this exam was just another step in my life to enhance me professionally. So I picked up the study guide in January 2007 and started studying.

I first planned out goal dates of when I wanted each step of the process completed. I gave myself until mid-February to complete the study guide, end of February to complete the application and until May 18, 2007, to take the exam. I was a little held up on my reading and didn't finish until the end of February. I started the application at the end of February but then had three trials back-to-back and didn't complete it until mid-March. I gave myself a two-week break from studying, and then I decided to re-read the study guide to pick up anything I may have missed the first time around. Then I went out and read the suggested additional reading materials listed in the study guide. At this point it was mid-April, and I finally received the letter granting permission to take the PACE exam. I had until mid-July to take the exam.

I then contacted Nield to see what advice/guidance she could give me. She suggested I purchase the online practice test, which would point out any areas where I needed additional studying. I passed the online practice test, which gave me great confidence to keep going and did let me know of my weak areas. I then scheduled the examination for my original goal date, which was May 18, 2007. The last four weeks before the exam, I went over my weak areas with the study guide, additional reading materials and the results from the online practice test.

It was May 18, 2007, and I was at the exam center. I felt my heart in my throat. My hands were sweaty. I had not taken an exam since college, which was 10 years ago. My exam was scheduled for 8 a.m. By 8:20 a.m., I was still sitting there waiting. I pulled out the study guide and began to read. I was so nervous that the words were not registering in my head. Finally, my name was called. I was given my computer, and the timer began to tick away. The entire time taking the exam, I could see the timer out of the corner of my eye. I finished in about two and a half hours, and I decided to re-check my answers. Thirty minutes later, I determined I was satisfied with all my answers. I gave it another minute while I thought about whether I wanted to go back yet again to check my answers but declined and then clicked the finished button. It was the longest three minutes as I waited for the results. Then there it was, "Congratulations, you passed." I almost cried.

My job, PAP and NFPA really hyped up my results and made me extremely happy that I decided to take, let alone pass, the exam. Did I get more money? No. Was it mandatory? Not yet. But I am thrilled to be registered paralegal and proud of it. I would encourage every paralegal to take the examination. The feeling of accomplishment was and remains wonderful.

Sharon A. DeNofa is a paralegal with Lucas & Cavalier, where her areas of practice include products liability, commercial litigation, professional liability, commercial insurance defense, insurance coverage, bad faith litigation, maritime personal injury and premises liability. DeNofa earned her associate's degree in paralegal studies from Peirce College in 1996. (Source)

Full post as published by ParalegalGateway Blawg on March 27, 2008 (boomark / email).