NORTH CAROLINA PARALEGAL CERTIFICATION MOCK
EXAM (HARD LEVEL) 100 NCLE/NC PARALEGAL STYLE
QUESTIONS (2026 2027) INCLUDES ANSWERS +
DETAILED RATIONALES ALREADY GRADED A+
Section I: Ethics & Professional Responsibility
1. Which task may a lawyer NOT delegate to a paralegal?
a) Preparing a standard form document
b) Filing documents with the courts or agencies
c) Establishing the lawyer-client relationship
d) Handling procedural or administrative matters
Answer: c
Rationale: The North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct make clear that
establishing the attorney-client relationship is a non-delegable duty of the lawyer.
Preparing documents, filing, and handling procedural matters are all tasks that
may be delegated to a paralegal under attorney supervision .
2. A paralegal may be listed on a law firm's letterhead:
a) Only if the paralegal is certified by the North Carolina State Bar
b) As long as the paralegal's position is clearly indicated
c) In the same manner as the lawyers
d) Paralegals may never be listed on letterhead
Answer: b
Rationale: Paralegals may be listed on firm letterhead as long as their position as a
paralegal is clearly indicated, so as not to mislead the public into believing they
are attorneys .
,3. Which act by a paralegal would be permitted?
a) Giving a legal opinion
b) Establishing standard fees
c) Witnessing the execution of a will
d) Waiving a conflict of interest
Answer: c
Rationale: Paralegals cannot give legal opinions, set legal fees, or waive conflicts of
interest. Witnessing the execution of a will is permitted—there are no statutory
requirements regarding who may witness a will, though North Carolina is a self-
proving will state requiring notarization of witness signatures .
4. Generally, which does NOT constitute the unauthorized practice of law for a
paralegal?
a) Appearing in court
b) Giving legal advice
c) Interviewing clients
d) Setting legal fees
Answer: c
Rationale: Paralegals may interview clients to gather information for the attorney.
They cannot appear in court, give legal advice, or set legal fees. These activities
constitute the unauthorized practice of law .
5. Under North Carolina law, what is the primary source of ethics rules
governing paralegals?
a) The American Bar Association Model Rules
b) The North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct and the State Bar Guidelines
for Use of Paralegals
c) The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
d) The North Carolina General Statutes only
,Answer: b
Rationale: The NCCP exam specifically tests knowledge of the North Carolina Rules
of Professional Conduct and the North Carolina State Bar Guidelines for Use of
Paralegals in Rendering Legal Services .
6. A paralegal discovers that a client has provided false information to the
attorney. The paralegal should:
a) Confront the client directly
b) Report the false information to the attorney immediately
c) Ignore it, as it is not the paralegal's concern
d) Correct the information and file it without telling anyone
Answer: b
Rationale: The paralegal's ethical duty is to relay all relevant information to the
supervising attorney. The attorney must then decide how to proceed regarding
the client's candor .
7. Which of the following is required to maintain North Carolina paralegal
certification?
a) Six hours of continuing education annually, including at least one ethics hour
b) Ten hours of continuing education annually
c) Recertification by examination every five years
d) No continuing education requirement
Answer: a
Rationale: Certified paralegals must complete six hours of continuing paralegal
education annually, with at least one hour in professional responsibility/legal
ethics .
8. A paralegal receives a request from a former client for their case file. What
should the paralegal do?
, a) Send the file immediately without review
b) Forward the request to the supervising attorney
c) Charge the client a retrieval fee before releasing the file
d) Destroy the file after 30 days
Answer: b
Rationale: The attorney-client relationship and client file management are matters
that require attorney oversight. The paralegal should bring the request to the
supervising attorney for guidance on handling the file release, including any
applicable fees or record retention obligations .
Section II: Documentation & Procedure
9. If a civil defendant does not answer a complaint by the deadline for
responding, the plaintiff can ask for:
a) Res judicata
b) A default summons
c) A summary ejectment
d) A default judgment
Answer: d
Rationale: When a defendant fails to respond to a complaint by the deadline, the
plaintiff may request a default judgment. This is a procedural remedy available
when the defendant fails to plead or otherwise defend .
10. A Notary Public's function in a deed is to ______ the signature of each
grantor.
a) Probate
b) Execute
c) Acknowledge
d) Stamp
EXAM (HARD LEVEL) 100 NCLE/NC PARALEGAL STYLE
QUESTIONS (2026 2027) INCLUDES ANSWERS +
DETAILED RATIONALES ALREADY GRADED A+
Section I: Ethics & Professional Responsibility
1. Which task may a lawyer NOT delegate to a paralegal?
a) Preparing a standard form document
b) Filing documents with the courts or agencies
c) Establishing the lawyer-client relationship
d) Handling procedural or administrative matters
Answer: c
Rationale: The North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct make clear that
establishing the attorney-client relationship is a non-delegable duty of the lawyer.
Preparing documents, filing, and handling procedural matters are all tasks that
may be delegated to a paralegal under attorney supervision .
2. A paralegal may be listed on a law firm's letterhead:
a) Only if the paralegal is certified by the North Carolina State Bar
b) As long as the paralegal's position is clearly indicated
c) In the same manner as the lawyers
d) Paralegals may never be listed on letterhead
Answer: b
Rationale: Paralegals may be listed on firm letterhead as long as their position as a
paralegal is clearly indicated, so as not to mislead the public into believing they
are attorneys .
,3. Which act by a paralegal would be permitted?
a) Giving a legal opinion
b) Establishing standard fees
c) Witnessing the execution of a will
d) Waiving a conflict of interest
Answer: c
Rationale: Paralegals cannot give legal opinions, set legal fees, or waive conflicts of
interest. Witnessing the execution of a will is permitted—there are no statutory
requirements regarding who may witness a will, though North Carolina is a self-
proving will state requiring notarization of witness signatures .
4. Generally, which does NOT constitute the unauthorized practice of law for a
paralegal?
a) Appearing in court
b) Giving legal advice
c) Interviewing clients
d) Setting legal fees
Answer: c
Rationale: Paralegals may interview clients to gather information for the attorney.
They cannot appear in court, give legal advice, or set legal fees. These activities
constitute the unauthorized practice of law .
5. Under North Carolina law, what is the primary source of ethics rules
governing paralegals?
a) The American Bar Association Model Rules
b) The North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct and the State Bar Guidelines
for Use of Paralegals
c) The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
d) The North Carolina General Statutes only
,Answer: b
Rationale: The NCCP exam specifically tests knowledge of the North Carolina Rules
of Professional Conduct and the North Carolina State Bar Guidelines for Use of
Paralegals in Rendering Legal Services .
6. A paralegal discovers that a client has provided false information to the
attorney. The paralegal should:
a) Confront the client directly
b) Report the false information to the attorney immediately
c) Ignore it, as it is not the paralegal's concern
d) Correct the information and file it without telling anyone
Answer: b
Rationale: The paralegal's ethical duty is to relay all relevant information to the
supervising attorney. The attorney must then decide how to proceed regarding
the client's candor .
7. Which of the following is required to maintain North Carolina paralegal
certification?
a) Six hours of continuing education annually, including at least one ethics hour
b) Ten hours of continuing education annually
c) Recertification by examination every five years
d) No continuing education requirement
Answer: a
Rationale: Certified paralegals must complete six hours of continuing paralegal
education annually, with at least one hour in professional responsibility/legal
ethics .
8. A paralegal receives a request from a former client for their case file. What
should the paralegal do?
, a) Send the file immediately without review
b) Forward the request to the supervising attorney
c) Charge the client a retrieval fee before releasing the file
d) Destroy the file after 30 days
Answer: b
Rationale: The attorney-client relationship and client file management are matters
that require attorney oversight. The paralegal should bring the request to the
supervising attorney for guidance on handling the file release, including any
applicable fees or record retention obligations .
Section II: Documentation & Procedure
9. If a civil defendant does not answer a complaint by the deadline for
responding, the plaintiff can ask for:
a) Res judicata
b) A default summons
c) A summary ejectment
d) A default judgment
Answer: d
Rationale: When a defendant fails to respond to a complaint by the deadline, the
plaintiff may request a default judgment. This is a procedural remedy available
when the defendant fails to plead or otherwise defend .
10. A Notary Public's function in a deed is to ______ the signature of each
grantor.
a) Probate
b) Execute
c) Acknowledge
d) Stamp
