Upcoming Changes to Bar Admission Program

After more than 41 years of running the successful PLTC program, we recognize that the needs of law students and the competencies required to practice law have significantly evolved and updated training was required. The demands of today’s learners, shaped by technological advances, evolving pedagogical standards and the shifting needs of the public in the delivery of legal services, are very different from those of the past. The decision to retire PLTC was made after thorough review and consideration from Law Society Benchers and leadership.

After careful consideration of options to make required updates to our bar admission training program, the Law Society decided the best path forward is to join Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Nunavut in adopting CPLED’s established PREP course.

CPLED offers a level of reliability, including outcomes data, user feedback and established support networks. The program is built on educational best practices, using a consistent, integrated approach that combines interactive, transactional learning with realistic simulations. The online model delivers the effective, skills-based training today’s students need while ensuring new lawyers meet the standards necessary to serve and protect the public.

Participating in an inter-jurisdictional program supports uniform standards for teaching and assessing entry-level competency and promotes lawyer mobility. We are confident that PREP will offer an enriching, dynamic experience that equips future BC lawyers with the relevant skills and depth of knowledge they need to be practice-ready when they enter the profession.

The Law Society and CPLED are confident about the benefits of adopting PREP in BC. These include:

• PREP is designed to support diverse learning styles and schedules. Students can choose to complete the four phases of PREP full-time over 11 weeks or part-time over nine months. Within the course, students complete a mix of self-study modules, live and interactive workshops with scheduling options, and interactions with Practice Managers and cohort members during the Virtual Law Firm portion. 
• The competency-based learning approach means that candidates will acquire the essential skills and competencies needed to successfully enter the profession.
• The Capstone Evaluation is a three-tiered evaluation process that includes trained lawyer assessors, psychometric analysis and final review ensures the assessment is fair, reliable and defensible. It assesses core competencies through a series of oral and written assignments that reflect real-world legal tasks and provide a holistic picture of each student’s abilities.
• CPLED has built a culture of continuous improvement in its learning programs, including PREP. Their team is well set up to respond quickly to the changing needs of students and emerging topics in the legal profession (e.g., ethical use of AI in legal practice, practice management, and well-being) and to align the course content to the WCCP.
• PREP delivers consistent training and assessment across its participating jurisdictions.

The key differences are structure, content and delivery format. 

Program structure and delivery

PLTC is a full-time 10-week program taught by one instructor and occasional guest instructors. It was designed to be delivered in person but is now delivered in a virtual classroom setting, with students attending live on camera for all lessons. Students must pass four skills assessments and two law exams to complete PLTC.

PREP offers two flexible pathways: full-time over 11 weeks or part-time over nine months. Both options are designed for online learning with a mix of self-study modules, interactive live workshops with multiple lawyer-facilitators. A simulated Virtual Law Firm phase allows students to receive feedback on assignments from trained lawyer-assessors and access one-on-one meetings with practice managers chosen by the student.

Program design and content

PLTC consists of a series of practice modules delivered in the virtual classroom using a traditional instructional model. Course content emphasizes practical skills training, ethics, practice management and practice and procedure, with students completing classroom practice and assignments that tie into four graded skill assessments.

PREP is built on a competency-based framework, with content and assessments aligned to defined performance standards. Its program structure includes four phases—Foundation Modules, Foundation Workshops, Virtual Law Firm, and Capstone Evaluation. This format allows candidates to build on their foundational knowledge and practice key lawyering skills while receiving valuable feedback from practitioners, and ultimately demonstrating that they have achieved entry-level competency.

Final evaluation

PLTC students must pass four skill assessments and two law exams to complete the course. The law exams cover barrister and solicitor topics.

PREP culminates in a Capstone Evaluation completed over the final two weeks of PREP and covers oral skills and written skills.
 

The components of the BC Law Society Admission Program remain the same: candidates must complete an articling term, the training course (now PLTC, soon PREP), and a short online practice management course.

The change to PREP offers more flexibility to the LSAP licensing timeline. Candidates will now be able to register for and complete the training course requirement (PREP) before securing an articling position and enrolling in LSAP.

On CPLED’s program schedule page.

Students register directly through the CPLED website: How do I register.

CPLED is scheduled to open registration for the September 2026 session on August 4, 2026. You can fill out an Intent to Register form for September 2026 February 2027 PREP sessions and be notified when registration opens.

PREP tuition for the September 2026 session is $5,000.

BC candidates will continue to be eligible for a Law Society subsidy towards that tuition once they enroll in LSAP. The 2026 subsidy for PREP has not yet been announced. However, we do not expect the net tuition amount to be significant higher that the current PLTC tuition.

Completing PREP part-time while completing articles will be possible for BC candidates enrolled in Regular PREP. The first Regular PREP offering for BC Students will be May 2027.

Students completing Accelerated PREP must attend the course full-time, as current BC candidates do with PLTC. 

To pass PREP, candidates must complete all four phases of the program, successfully complete all required assignments, and demonstrate entry-level competency in the Capstone Evaluation.

For more details about the PREP program, visit the CPLED website.

The Law Society is committed to supporting all PLTC students through this transition. If you are have not completed all the course requirements by the end of the May 2026 session, you will be able to write any failed or deferred assessments or exams starting in September 2026 through the PLTC Completion Program.

Full details of the PLTC Completion Program and its schedule of assessment and exam sittings will be released in March 2026.

Yes. You need to request a withdrawal by email pltc@lsbc.org. PLTC fees paid by you or your employer will be refunded.

You should ensure that the timing change of your training course does not affect your LSAP enrolment. If you have already completed your articles, for example, you may need to apply for a Leave of Absence (LOA) or Extension of Articles (EOA) to maintain standing in LSAP. If you have any questions about this process, please reach out to registration@lsbc.org.

You will register and pay for September 2026 Accelerated PREP with CPLED directly. Registration opens on August 4, 2026.

If you are enrolled in LSAP and have paid PLTC fees, but have not submitted a PLTC application, you must to reach out to the Registration & Licensee Services directly at registration@lsbc.org to request a refund of any fees paid by you or your employer.

Yes. Starting in September 2026, the Law Society of BC will accept the PREP program as the official bar admission course. Because PREP is a standardized program delivered by CPLED, your completion of the course will be fully recognized in BC, regardless of which province you originally selected for registration.

When you are ready to enroll in LSAP, you will need to apply for an exemption from all or part of BC’s bar admission training program – currently PLTC. Having completed PREP in another jurisdiction before it became BC's bar admission training program would be considered, but there is no guarantee that the exemption will be granted.

Yes. You can withdraw from PLTC and do PREP in September 2026 or later.

We recommend that you start by discussing this option with your Principal. To maintain your standing in LSAP, you will likely need to apply for a Leave of Absence (LOA) or Extension of Articles (EOA) to cover your new timeline. If you have any questions about this process, please reach out to registration@lsbc.org.

You must advise PLTC at pltc@lsbc.org that you no longer intend to write your failed or deferred assessments or exams.