No more tedious handwritten exams for CLP candidates from 2028
The Malaysian Legal Profession Qualifying Board is replacing the traditional handwritten Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) exams with a computer-based New Bar Course starting in 2028. This reform aims to modernize legal assessments and improve the current low pass rates.
Why it matters
This shift represents a major modernization of legal education and professional qualification standards in Malaysia, impacting future law practitioners.
The New Bar Course will replace the Certificate in Legal Practice in 2028/2029, and in the process, assessments will move from paper to screen.
PETALING JAYA: The much-criticised five-day written examination for Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP) candidates will become a thing of the past once the reformed New Bar Course (NBC) is implemented to replace the current system.
The NBC, which is expected to replace the CLP in 2028/2029, will require candidates to undergo two assessments, with most components conducted through a computer-based test, accompanied by practical evaluations.
This will mark a complete overhaul of the existing qualification system, under which law graduates aspiring to enter legal practice must sit for and pass five papers in an annual written examination.
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