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Doing well on the LPC

I'm a student at the University of Law doing the LPC at the moment, and just wanted to know if any of you who have done it have any tips on surviving the course? Any tips for how to actually do well on it as well?

It's a pretty mental course and I'm still trying to get to grips with it, any advice you guys could give would be really handy! Cheers

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Reply 1
I'm gonna hang out here because I'd also like to know.
Reply 2
Organisation. As you'll know, the work isn't particularly challenging, it's very procedural. The issue is the volume of work at times. Do not get bogged down in the details, the practice papers are key, plan your revision around them. From what I've seen around me (currently on the LPC), the people who get bogged down in the details are the ones who struggle the most.
Reply 3
Original post by AP1989
Organisation. As you'll know, the work isn't particularly challenging, it's very procedural. The issue is the volume of work at times. Do not get bogged down in the details, the practice papers are key, plan your revision around them. From what I've seen around me (currently on the LPC), the people who get bogged down in the details are the ones who struggle the most.


I'm not at UoL but that seems to be my experience too - I'm something of a "perfectionist" and find that a lot of the interesting points from the reading aren't actually going to be examined. If your chapter handout is 30 pages, chances are the knowledge you need can be condensed to one side of A4.

Our teaching is done through lectures/chapters, followed by classroom sessions with problem based learning activities (these sessions are also recorded and uploaded to our intranet). We've been told that the best way to revise is to focus on the knowledge/activities covered in the course of the clasroom sessions, since exam questions are likely to be very similar in style.
Reply 4
Yeah, it does seen like huge bits of the assigned reading are not even touched upon in class. Still doesn't stop me worrying that it could somehow still come up, like in an MCQ or something (UoL love those). Thanks for the help guys, keep it coming!
Reply 5
Original post by Haagen-Dazs
Yeah, it does seen like huge bits of the assigned reading are not even touched upon in class. Still doesn't stop me worrying that it could somehow still come up, like in an MCQ or something (UoL love those). Thanks for the help guys, keep it coming!


How's your course structured? Have you done any exams yet?

If not, a quick glance over a past paper should give you a flavour of the kinds of MCQs they set. For instance. we're only assessed on unregistered land through MCQs, so we know (well, knew) not to worry about revising that in too much depth.
Reply 6
Original post by Blackacre
How's your course structured? Have you done any exams yet?

If not, a quick glance over a past paper should give you a flavour of the kinds of MCQs they set. For instance. we're only assessed on unregistered land through MCQs, so we know (well, knew) not to worry about revising that in too much depth.


We've done some mocks, it's hard to sense what they'll test by way of MCQ really, everything seems fair game. But that's good advice, thanks! I'll have a look through them to see if I can find some patterns as to what they generally test!
Reply 7
Original post by Haagen-Dazs
We've done some mocks, it's hard to sense what they'll test by way of MCQ really, everything seems fair game. But that's good advice, thanks! I'll have a look through them to see if I can find some patterns as to what they generally test!


Don't hold me to this, since I'm not at UoL, but the right level of detail for a long form question topic is probably the amount required in a 15 minute presentation. For instance, if I were to ask you to present on directors' duties, you might spend 2 minutes on the background (duties are owed to the company, which Act they're in, etc.). You'd then spend most of your time discussing what those duties are, with more time spent on the meatier ones such as the "substantial property transaction" rule - this might require incidental reference to other sections for definitions (e.g. "connected person" - s.252 CA 2006). You'd round off by mentioning the sanctions for breach of those duties.

The aim of this presentation is to ensure that anyone who sits through it, knowing nothing about the area beforehand, understands enough to go into a client meeting and: 1) follow what the client is talking about; and 2) identify potential issues in relation to what's happened, or what the client is proposing to do. The LPC represents a "minimum standard", so you're not expected to know absolutely everything in order to pass. If you break each topic down in this way, focusing on the basics (and dropping in finer points that you happen to remember), I think you'll find there's not as much to learn as you previously thought.

Of course, I'll caveat this advice by saying that my results aren't out until next week, so I don't know how well this strategy works! :wink:
Reply 8
Original post by Haagen-Dazs
We've done some mocks, it's hard to sense what they'll test by way of MCQ really, everything seems fair game. But that's good advice, thanks! I'll have a look through them to see if I can find some patterns as to what they generally test!


I'm stage 2 at UoL. If you do the reading, make good notes and prepare flow charts for topics you'll be fine. Make sure you do the past papers and don't worry unduly about T&F they're generally a lot harder than the actual MCQs. For PLP I'd put a few body parts that unregistered will be MCQ and make the most of the pre reading, on ours one section of the contract was a shambles, it came up in the exam.
Reply 9
Original post by Blackacre
Don't hold me to this, since I'm not at UoL, but the right level of detail for a long form question topic is probably the amount required in a 15 minute presentation. For instance, if I were to ask you to present on directors' duties, you might spend 2 minutes on the background (duties are owed to the company, which Act they're in, etc.). You'd then spend most of your time discussing what those duties are, with more time spent on the meatier ones such as the "substantial property transaction" rule - this might require incidental reference to other sections for definitions (e.g. "connected person" - s.252 CA 2006). You'd round off by mentioning the sanctions for breach of those duties.

The aim of this presentation is to ensure that anyone who sits through it, knowing nothing about the area beforehand, understands enough to go into a client meeting and: 1) follow what the client is talking about; and 2) identify potential issues in relation to what's happened, or what the client is proposing to do. The LPC represents a "minimum standard", so you're not expected to know absolutely everything in order to pass. If you break each topic down in this way, focusing on the basics (and dropping in finer points that you happen to remember), I think you'll find there's not as much to learn as you previously thought.

Of course, I'll caveat this advice by saying that my results aren't out until next week, so I don't know how well this strategy works! :wink:


UoL's a bit different I think as it's open book, it'd more likely be a full procedure plan for the meetings or spotting the errors in a draft procedure plan rather than a letter of advice sort of thing but you just prepare these before and follow them in the exam.
Original post by Le Nombre
UoL's a bit different I think as it's open book, it'd more likely be a full procedure plan for the meetings or spotting the errors in a draft procedure plan rather than a letter of advice sort of thing but you just prepare these before and follow them in the exam.


Sorry, I wasn't particularly clear - we don't have to write a letter of advice either, so in hindsight BLP was perhaps a bad example! Procedure plans aren't too bad if you highlight your permitted materials thematically.

I guess what I was trying to say is that you don't need to know literally everything to pass (50%) - the problem is that you don't know which "half" of the content you can drop! :p:
Original post by Blackacre
Sorry, I wasn't particularly clear - we don't have to write a letter of advice either, so in hindsight BLP was perhaps a bad example! Procedure plans aren't too bad if you highlight your permitted materials thematically.

I guess what I was trying to say is that you don't need to know literally everything to pass (50%) - the problem is that you don't know which "half" of the content you can drop! :p:


Yeah I hate not being able to question spot like uni. It's also awkward in class when the tutors ask the ex law students about some black letter law assuming we'll know it and I'm like 'Dropped that like a hot potato, never revised it in the slightest'.
Hi, I did an accelerated version of the course (six months). That was pretty hellish in all honesty.

Be organised, timetable everything you have into a physical diary (it's different at work because you'll have an outlook calendar synced to the blackberry they give you) and colour code what are Workshops, lectures and self-study periods.

Stay on top of the work. Even if that means having to work late or weekends (it's different to university so you shouldn't really be staying late).

Get good at document management - and fast. There is so much paper on the LPC so find a logical way to file everything. For the bigger modules like BLP I had one BLP file for lecture materials and mocks/past papers and another BLP file for workshop materials and notes and general consolidation. Do whatever works for you but have a system in place. It'll be expected of you at work so best get into good habits now.

Take it seriously. The LPC is fairly crap but if you're lucky enough to have a training contract, remember that the firms can take it off you for failing modules (even if the LPC provider and the SRA allow you to resit). This has happened in the past on a few occasions.

Don't take the mocks too seroously - they're just good practice for writing under timed conditions and seeing what type of questions come up. Use them as revision material for the real thing but don't do what I did and get bogged down by a fail in a mock - most people in the end are fine (caveat: this applied to people on fast track/acc courses as there is little time to revise for mocks and they specifically tell you not to revise for them).

Have the end in sight and try to look at the big picture (if you have a training contract) - you'll soon be in work! I'm finding work much better than the LPC. I found the course very dry and dull and unmotivating. The only thing that got me through it were the friends I made to be honest, but it was very tedious. That said, there were parts I really enjoyed like equity finance and some of the corporate support stuff and bits of BLP, but I really loathed Litigation, even though I am interested more by contentious work than the transactional work I am currently doing.

Good luck :smile:
This doesn't help anyone at all, but I can't help saying, I can see you weren't on the GDL if you think the LPC is hard!!!

I did GDL at U of L, now at a diff provider for the LPC - my top tip is a) try and get down sufficient notes about the tutorial when you are in it.....b) try and make sure you do the work as you go along...essentially, I write notes to myself all the way along, to be accessed in the exams....c) do the past papers as prep for exams, these are by FAR the most helpful thing, I have found, even though it sucks doing them.....d) you won't get much time in the actual exams, you really have to make sure you can access your info quickly....very basic notes help plus lots of cross referencing to the manuals etc (if you are open book)....e) base your notes on your tutorials.

oh, and figure out a system of time-keeping in the exams - I personally really did divide points by minutes available - I found the LPC exams harder to manage on the time-keeping front than the GDL exams (not that anyone is interested in them)...I think that's it :smile:
Reply 14
Original post by happyinthehaze
This doesn't help anyone at all, but I can't help saying, I can see you weren't on the GDL if you think the LPC is hard!!!

I did GDL at U of L, now at a diff provider for the LPC - my top tip is a) try and get down sufficient notes about the tutorial when you are in it.....b) try and make sure you do the work as you go along...essentially, I write notes to myself all the way along, to be accessed in the exams....c) do the past papers as prep for exams, these are by FAR the most helpful thing, I have found, even though it sucks doing them.....d) you won't get much time in the actual exams, you really have to make sure you can access your info quickly....very basic notes help plus lots of cross referencing to the manuals etc (if you are open book)....e) base your notes on your tutorials.

oh, and figure out a system of time-keeping in the exams - I personally really did divide points by minutes available - I found the LPC exams harder to manage on the time-keeping front than the GDL exams (not that anyone is interested in them)...I think that's it :smile:


Haha, I actually have done the GDL! But I'm doing the accelerated LPC at the moment, so time is a huge issue
Reply 15
Original post by suffocation1992
Hi, I did an accelerated version of the course (six months). That was pretty hellish in all honesty.

Be organised, timetable everything you have into a physical diary (it's different at work because you'll have an outlook calendar synced to the blackberry they give you) and colour code what are Workshops, lectures and self-study periods.

Stay on top of the work. Even if that means having to work late or weekends (it's different to university so you shouldn't really be staying late).

Get good at document management - and fast. There is so much paper on the LPC so find a logical way to file everything. For the bigger modules like BLP I had one BLP file for lecture materials and mocks/past papers and another BLP file for workshop materials and notes and general consolidation. Do whatever works for you but have a system in place. It'll be expected of you at work so best get into good habits now.

Take it seriously. The LPC is fairly crap but if you're lucky enough to have a training contract, remember that the firms can take it off you for failing modules (even if the LPC provider and the SRA allow you to resit). This has happened in the past on a few occasions.

Don't take the mocks too seroously - they're just good practice for writing under timed conditions and seeing what type of questions come up. Use them as revision material for the real thing but don't do what I did and get bogged down by a fail in a mock - most people in the end are fine (caveat: this applied to people on fast track/acc courses as there is little time to revise for mocks and they specifically tell you not to revise for them).

Have the end in sight and try to look at the big picture (if you have a training contract) - you'll soon be in work! I'm finding work much better than the LPC. I found the course very dry and dull and unmotivating. The only thing that got me through it were the friends I made to be honest, but it was very tedious. That said, there were parts I really enjoyed like equity finance and some of the corporate support stuff and bits of BLP, but I really loathed Litigation, even though I am interested more by contentious work than the transactional work I am currently doing.

Good luck :smile:


Thanks for the advice, that's great stuff! I'm accelerated too. Can I ask, did you go to BPP or UoL?
Original post by Haagen-Dazs
Thanks for the advice, that's great stuff! I'm accelerated too. Can I ask, did you go to BPP or UoL?


BPP unfortunately - it was awful. That's all I am saying!
Reply 17
Original post by suffocation1992
BPP unfortunately - it was awful. That's all I am saying!


Right! The reason I asked is because I wanted to make sure your advice was referring to the BPP LPC. At UoL we don't have lectures for example. Thanks for your help though :smile: you've cheered me up about the work when I start, the LPC is hardly encouraging!
Reply 18
Time is of the essence, so don't waste it.

Keep on top of the paperwork. My exams are open book so I treated my lever arch file as if I would be told to do the exam at any point. That way I wasn't faffing with paper in the week before my exam, and I had already practised and become familiar with my folder layout. Tabs are brilliant. Tab legal/procedural concepts or drafting precedents that you need to refer to.

Go to every face to face workshop. I'm studying part time and working full time. Sometimes I just did a poor amount of prep for a workshop because I had increased work commitments. I still attended everything and tried hard and made notes. The workshops are the best way to prepare yourself for the exam approach.

If there's a methodology, learn it, do not bother to deviate from it. It's easy to build the marks if there's any formula to follow. Ie tax calculations, post completion steps.

Do the mock exams in some form or other. They're another essential way to steel yourself for the exam conditions.

For pity's sake read everything at least once in the exam. Don't apply yourself for months and then not try 100% in every minute of the exam you have. Feel confident enough to think your answer through. You will inevitably save time this way instead of backtracking when you are unsure, halfway through writing an answer.

Work hard, consistently, but take a break if your body tells you it needs rest. There's no ability to succeed last minute in this course unless you already have a ton of legal exp under your belt.

Strike a balance. Acknowledge your weaknesses early on, don't spend too long on your strengths. Wills and property were my least favourite but I gritted my teeth and made sure I got to grips with it before the exam. I could have easily spent more time on civ lit, which comes easily to me, but it would have provided little benefit.

Lastly, keep your confidence up as much as you can. It's not an easy course. It requires sacrifices. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. I failed my wills mock and scraped a pass in property law. In the finals, I passed wills and got 88% in property. I thought I'd failed a set of 5 exams and I'm currently averaging 80%+.

Hope this helps. Keep up your self-improvement attitude.
Original post by suffocation1992
Hi, I did an accelerated version of the course (six months). That was pretty hellish in all honesty.

Be organised, timetable everything you have into a physical diary (it's different at work because you'll have an outlook calendar synced to the blackberry they give you) and colour code what are Workshops, lectures and self-study periods.

Stay on top of the work. Even if that means having to work late or weekends (it's different to university so you shouldn't really be staying late).

Get good at document management - and fast. There is so much paper on the LPC so find a logical way to file everything. For the bigger modules like BLP I had one BLP file for lecture materials and mocks/past papers and another BLP file for workshop materials and notes and general consolidation. Do whatever works for you but have a system in place. It'll be expected of you at work so best get into good habits now.

Take it seriously. The LPC is fairly crap but if you're lucky enough to have a training contract, remember that the firms can take it off you for failing modules (even if the LPC provider and the SRA allow you to resit). This has happened in the past on a few occasions.

Don't take the mocks too seroously - they're just good practice for writing under timed conditions and seeing what type of questions come up. Use them as revision material for the real thing but don't do what I did and get bogged down by a fail in a mock - most people in the end are fine (caveat: this applied to people on fast track/acc courses as there is little time to revise for mocks and they specifically tell you not to revise for them).

Have the end in sight and try to look at the big picture (if you have a training contract) - you'll soon be in work! I'm finding work much better than the LPC. I found the course very dry and dull and unmotivating. The only thing that got me through it were the friends I made to be honest, but it was very tedious. That said, there were parts I really enjoyed like equity finance and some of the corporate support stuff and bits of BLP, but I really loathed Litigation, even though I am interested more by contentious work than the transactional work I am currently doing.

Good luck :smile:


Hey, thanks for this, it's really useful - would you mind if I asked a couple of further questions?

I'm due to start the (standard-length) LPC at BPP in september and I need a commendation with no retakes to meet my TC requirements. How difficult do you reckon it is to achieve that, relative to studying law at a RG university? I'm sure the LPC is qualitatively very different to studying academic law, but it's the only real yardstick I have...

How many lever arches of info did you end up accumulating overall?

Cheers!

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