Law Society of Scotland exams
The Law Society of Scotland sets exams for candidates who:
- Are completing a pre-PEAT traineeship;
- Have been granted permission to complete a non-PEAT 1 traineeship; or
- Have completed an accredited Scots law degree but are missing subjects that are required in order to progress to the next stage of training. These candidates will sit any of the pre-PEAT exams that the Society's Board of Examiners direct.
The information on this page will tell you what exams you need to take and when you can take them.
If you have questions about any aspect of the Law Society exams, please contact our Qualifications Coordinator at exams@lawscot.org.uk.
Exam syllabus and guidelines
The Pre-PEAT syllabus, assessments and reading lists
Pre-PEAT trainees must pass the following subject:
- Scottish Legal System and Legal Method
- Public Law
- Property Law and Conveyancing
- Law Of Obligations
- Family Law
- Trusts And Succession
- Evidence
- Scots Criminal Law
- European Union Law
- Scots Commercial Law
- Business Organisations
- Work Based Module
For information on applying for exemptions from these exams, including exemptions granted "by right", please see our Exam Policies and Processes webpage.
Full details of the syllabus, assessments and reading lists for each subject can be found in the document below.
Work Based Learning Module
The pre-PEAT exam syllabus currently identifies that candidates require to pass a work based learning module. The focus within the work-based learning module is upon candidates producing evidence of learning outcomes which are set out in the module guide.
The non-PEAT 1 syllabus, assessments and reading lists
Non-PEAT 1 trainees must pass the following subjects:
- Accounting
- Procedure
- Professional Responsibility
For information on applying for exemptions from these exams, including exemptions granted "by right", please see our Exam Policies and Processes webpage.
Full details of the syllabus, assessments and reading lists for each exam can be found in the document below.
Enrolling in and sitting the exams
Where and when do the exams take place?
Our exams are usually held in February and July. The current exam timetable is below.
All of our exams are currently being held remotely. If you were granted your Entrance Certificate or Preliminary Entrance Certificate prior to 1 May 2024, you will complete all of your exams remotely.
If you applied for and were granted your Entrance Certificate or Preliminary Entrance Certificate after 1 May 2024, you will commence your exams remotely but our intention is to move our exams back to in-person exams. We will provide a minimum of four month's notice of any change that affects you, including the location of those exams.
Enrolling in our exams
Enrolments for an exam should be made no later than six weeks prior to the date of an exam. Late enrolments may not be accepted.
Any candidate who enrols for an exam and either fails to give at least seven days’ notice that they will not attend or does not have extenuating circumstances or cannot show reasonable cause for non-attendance, will be treated as having failed the exam.
The enrolment fee is £60 per exam. If a resit is required, another enrolment fee must be paid. Once your enrolment form has been processed, you will receive an invoice shortly after, including payment instructions. Payment must be made within seven days of receipt of the invoice.
When enrolling for their first exam, candidates must also sign and submit the disclaimer at the end of the form. This disclaimer is applicable to all future exams. Candidates who don't return a signed disclaimer before the date of their first exam, will not be allowed to sit that or any other exam until a disclaimer is signed and returned.
Completed enrolment forms should be submitted to exams@lawscot.org.uk.
First attempt and number of attempts
Candidates must sit their first exam or exams within three years of the commencement of their training contract. Candidates will then have four years from the date of their first exam, in which to pass all the relevant Law Society exams.
Candidates have three attempts to pass each exam.
Any candidate who enrols for an exam and either fails to give at least seven days’ notice that they will not attend, or does not have reasonable cause for non-attendance, will be treated as having failed the exam.
Further clarification on numbers of attempts:
- Any candidate who does not have a first attempt at an exam within the relevant time period will be deemed to have failed their first attempt at that exam or exams.
- Any candidate who fails to pass all of their exams within the relevant time period, must attempt all outstanding exams at the next available diet. This will be the case until a candidate has used up all four of their attempts for each outstanding exam.
Note: This means that where a candidate does not have a first attempt at an exam within the relevant time period and is deemed to have failed their first attempt at that exam (as noted in paragraph 1 above), the “next available diet” noted in paragraph 2 above will be the candidate’s second attempt at that exam.
Further important information in relation to these exams
The Law Society has a number of exam policies and processes that apply to all of its exams. These include:
- Exam exemptions – guidance and applications;
- Exam procedures including remote exam diet guidance, the Society’s Marking Scale and Descriptors and information on the intimation of results and feedback; and
- Exam policies relating to:
- oral exams,
- extenuating circumstances and reasonable cause
- the use of AI; and
- a candidate’s right of appeal
All of this information can be found on our Exam Policies and Processes webpage.