Paralegal Certification Exams Compared

Paralegal Certification Exams

Trevor Rupe, Contributor at Savo Media Group

Last updated October 9, 2026

Active CPs NALA

6,665

NALA, August 1, 2026

Current RPs NFPA

About 418

NFPA, September 1, 2026

Current CRPs NFPA

About 398

NFPA, September 1, 2026

Mandatory exams ABA

None

in any U.S. state

Paralegal Certification Exams At A Glance

Certification is a credential a professional body awards to a person, usually by exam. No state requires it.
NALA's Certified Paralegal has 6,665 active holders, the most of any credential whose body counts its holders, against about 418 PACE Registered Paralegals and about 398 CORE Registered Paralegals at NFPA and 208 Professional Paralegals at NALS.

NALS has paused all individual certification exams, including its Professional Paralegal, and is not taking new registrations.
AAPI's AACP has no exam: it's awarded on education plus at least five years of paralegal experience.
Every credential here has to be renewed with continuing legal education (CLE), every two, three or five years.

What Certification Is, And What It Is Not

Three words get used for one another, and only one of them is about an exam. A certificate is what a school awards when you finish its paralegal program. Certification is what a professional association awards a person who meets its eligibility rules and passes its exam, and it lapses unless renewed. A license exists only for the limited-practice legal paraprofessional roles a handful of states have created, which are not paralegal jobs.

Presently, there is no mandatory certification examination for paralegals anywhere in the United States.
ABA Standing Committee on Paralegals, Educational Information for Paralegals

So certification is a choice, made for a job market that sometimes asks for it. BLS puts it this way in its account of the occupation: some employers prefer or require it, and it typically requires passing an exam. Paralegals and legal assistants (SOC 23-2011) earned a median $62,890 in May 2025, certified or not; the 10th percentile is $44,740 and the 90th is $101,500. No federal source reports pay by certification.

The National Certifications Compared

Every figure below is from the certifying body's own handbook, brochure or page, read on October 1, 2026.

National paralegal certifications compared
Credential	Awarded by	How	Exam fee	Renewal	Holders
CP Certified Paralegal	NALA	Two-part exam	$325 for NALA members and $375 for non-members, plus Prometric testing fees ($63 for the Knowledge Exam and $53 for the Skills Exam at a test center; $58 for the Knowledge Exam taken remotely).	Every five years, with 50 hours of CLE, at least 5 of them in ethics.	6,665 active Certified Paralegals as of August 1, 2026, and 21,585 certified since 1977.
ACP Advanced Certified Paralegal	NALA	Online courses, for current CPs only	No exam	Kept current with the CP; no continuing education beyond the CP's 50 hours.
RP PACE Registered Paralegal	NFPA	PACE exam, for experienced paralegals	$325 for NFPA members and $350 for non-members.	Every two years, with 12 hours of CLE, including one hour of ethics and one of diversity, equity and inclusion.	About 418 on NFPA's list of current RPs as of September 1, 2026.
CRP CORE Registered Paralegal	NFPA	PCCE exam, open early in a career	$300 for NFPA members and $325 for non-members.	Every two years, with 8 hours of CLE, including one hour of ethics and one of diversity, equity and inclusion.	About 398 on NFPA's list of current CRPs as of September 1, 2026.
PP Professional Paralegal	NALS	Exam, currently paused		Every five years, with 50 hours of CLE, 5 of them in ethics.	NALS is not accepting new individual exam registrations: all individual certification exams are on hiatus.
AACP American Alliance Certified Paralegal	AAPI	Application, no exam	$75 to apply, plus AAPI membership at $35 a year, which is required.	Every three years, with 18 hours of CLE, 3 of them in ethics.

NALA's Certified Paralegal (CP)

The CP is the largest of the national certifications by active holders: NALA has certified 21,585 people since 1977, and 6,665 held an active CP on August 1, 2026. It's two exams. The Knowledge Exam, 120 multiple-choice questions in three hours, can be taken year-round, at a Prometric center or remotely. The Skills Exam, a two-hour written essay, runs in February, April, July and October. Eligibility comes in three categories: completing a qualifying paralegal program (an ABA-approved program is one of five that qualify), a bachelor's degree in any field plus a year of paralegal experience or 15 semester hours of paralegal courses, or a high school diploma plus five years of experience and 20 hours of continuing education. The CP in full, with the categories in NALA's own words.

NFPA's PACE And PCCE

NFPA offers two exams, built for two points in a career. The PCCE, which leads to the CORE Registered Paralegal (CRP), is the early-career exam: NFPA's 2024 PCCE brochure lists routes for someone with a paralegal degree, or an associate's degree or higher plus a paralegal certificate, that need no experience at all. The PACE, which leads to the Registered Paralegal (RP), asks for years of experience on its main routes, from two years for a bachelor's degree holder with a paralegal certificate to seven for an associate's degree in another subject. Both renew every two years, and both require an hour of ethics and an hour of diversity, equity and inclusion among the continuing education. PACE and PCCE in full.

NALS And Its Paused Exams

NALS awards the Professional Paralegal (PP), designed, in its own words, for graduates of ABA-approved programs or paralegals with five years' experience. But NALS has paused all of its individual certification exams and is not accepting new registrations. The only exam it currently gives is its Certified Legal Support Professional (LSP) exam, to school groups. What NALS offers now.

AAPI's American Alliance Certified Paralegal (AACP)

The AACP is the one national certification with no exam. The American Alliance of Paralegals awards it on a review of the applicant's record: at least five years of substantive paralegal experience, plus a bachelor's degree in any field, or an associate's degree or certificate from an ABA-approved program or a voting institutional member of the American Association for Paralegal Education. It costs $75 to apply plus AAPI membership, which is required, and renews every three years with 18 hours of continuing legal education.

State Certifications

A few state bars run voluntary programs of their own, which sit alongside the national certifications rather than replacing them. The Florida Registered Paralegal program is The Florida Bar's. The state pages for North Carolina, Texas and Ohio cover their states' programs, and the California page covers the statute that decides who may use the title paralegal there.

Common Questions About Paralegal Certification Exams

Do you need to be certified to work as a paralegal?

No. In the ABA's words, "Presently, there is no mandatory certification examination for paralegals anywhere in the United States." Certification is a credential a paralegal chooses to earn, and some employers prefer or ask for it. The rules that do bind paralegals in some states, California's above all, are about education and experience, not an exam.

What is the most recognized paralegal certification?

By the number of people who hold it, it's NALA's Certified Paralegal (CP), with 6,665 active holders as of August 1, 2026, against about 418 PACE Registered Paralegals and about 398 CORE Registered Paralegals on NFPA's September 2026 list. That's a measure of reach, not of quality.

How much do paralegal certification exams cost?

NALA's CP exam costs $325 for members and $375 for non-members, plus Prometric's testing fees. NFPA's PACE costs $325 or $350 and its PCCE $300 or $325. AAPI's AACP, which has no exam, costs $75 to apply plus $35 a year in required membership. NALS isn't taking individual exam registrations while its exams are paused.

Can I take the certified paralegal exam without going to paralegal school?

Yes, with experience. NALA's third eligibility category accepts a high school diploma or equivalent plus five years' experience as a paralegal and 20 hours of continuing legal education within two years before applying. NFPA's PCCE accepts a high school diploma or GED with five years' experience and 12 hours of continuing legal education.

Is a paralegal certificate the same as certification?

No. A certificate is an education credential a school awards when you finish its program. Certification is awarded to a person by a professional body, usually after an exam, and it has to be renewed with continuing education. Many certified paralegals hold both: the certificate is often how they became eligible for the exam.