NFPA PACE Exam and Registered Paralegal (RP) Credential

NFPA runs two credentialing exams for paralegals.

The PACE — the Paralegal Advanced Competency Exam — is the one for experienced paralegals, and passing it earns the RP (Registered Paralegal) designation.

Its entry-level counterpart is the PCCE, which awards the CRP to early-career and entry-level paralegals.

The PACE is a substantial sit: 200 multiple-choice questions in 4 hours.

You can take it at a Prometric test center or remotely through Prometric's ProProctor system, and NFPA charges no extra fee for the remote option.

As of October 2026, NFPA lists the PACE at $325 for members and $350 for non-members.

The fee is non-refundable, and NFPA tells candidates to be ready to test within 90 days of approval — so the timing matters before you pay.

The RP is a certification, not a license.

It belongs to the family of voluntary paralegal certifications — the CP, RP, CRP, PP and AACP among them — none of which is a license: a paralegal can call themselves licensed only in a state with a formal paraprofessional license.

NFPA's criteria pair experience with education: both of its exams require work experience plus education, and the PACE is the exam NFPA aims at experienced paralegals.

NFPA's certification FAQ states plainly that someone without substantive paralegal work experience is not eligible for either exam under its current criteria — so a new graduate cannot sit for the PACE on education alone.

The experience bar has a precise definition.

NFPA defines minimum work experience as full-time employment performing the duties of a paralegal at least 80% of the time, with part-time work pro-rated.

It is verified by employer letters stating that the work would otherwise have been done by an attorney.

Both exams also carry a conduct requirement: NFPA says the candidate cannot have been convicted of a felony, and cannot be under suspension, termination or revocation of a certificate, registration or license by any entity.

What our research could not verify is the exact pathway grid — the specific education-and-experience combinations NFPA accepts for the PACE, including how many years of experience each combination requires.

NFPA publishes its pathways in a form we could not read reliably, so the combinations are not confirmed here.

Match your own education and experience against NFPA's current criteria before you apply.

The RP is built to signal experience.

NFPA positions the PACE as the exam for experienced paralegals, so the designation sits at the advanced end of its two-exam system — not the NFPA exam you sit for first.

If you are early in your paralegal career, the entry-level PCCE is NFPA's exam for you instead.

Weigh the full cost, not just the exam fee.

As of October 2026 the PACE runs $325 for NFPA members and $350 for non-members, and the credential is not one-and-done: NFPA credentials run on a two-year renewal cycle, with CLE completed inside that window from approved providers — NFPA's list includes NFPA itself, member associations, bar associations, courts, NALA, ABA/AAfPE programs and attorney-approved CLE, among others.

The renewal hour total is the part our research could not pin down.

NFPA's renewal page was not accessible when we researched this page, so we cannot confirm how many CLE hours renewing the RP requires.

The two-year cycle and the approved-provider rule are confirmed; the exact count is not — get the current requirement from NFPA before you plan a cycle.

On pay: our research found no data quantifying whether the RP raises paralegal pay, so we will not claim that it does.

Whether paralegal certification increases pay at all is its own question — our does certification increase pay guide compares the credentials and the evidence.

Career information, not legal advice. NFPA's eligibility criteria, fees and renewal rules change — confirm current requirements with NFPA before you apply or renew.